Poppies of Ærø on a longest day of the year

On the 22nd June we had the longest day in 2023 – 17 hours 32 minutes, and I decided to fly to Ærø island. It was also a very hot day, with sunshine, + 26C and not much wind. I was still in progress of writing my exam paper for the CBS course on Strategic Risk Management during evenings and weekends, but needed some relaxation time in the nature, to see happy people and to experience something beautiful – and the picturesque town of Ærøskøbing is perfect for that!

The first thing I noticed after landing was the wonderful smell of flowers. I was even sitting in my Aeroprakt for a while, with an open door, enjoying the flowery smell of summer on Ærø. I parked, took a bike, and headed for Ærøskøbing.

The bike trail by the sea offered spectacular views. On my left side, there were fields of poppies. On the right – the sea with boats, birds, clouds…  I often stopped to appreciate the beauty of this island, its batterflies and dragonflies, to smell the flowers and listen to the birds singing…

Ærøskøbing is such a charming town, with beautiful houses from 17-18th centuries, and many facades covered in roses:

It was hot and humid, so I biked directly to the beach with the cute and colouful beach huts:

It was such a relief to get into the water!

After cooling down a bit, there was an ice cream treat by the sea:

The Aviator and The Blue Bear couldn’t wait! It was so nice to sit there, have an ice cream, and just look out into the blue… The weather was simply perfect for my chillout by the sea. After a couple of hours, the temperature fell a bit, and it was a good time to go for a walk in the town.

The marina was very still, with calm boats’ reflections in the water.

I love walking the cobblestone streets of Ærøskøbing and to admire the lovely old houses:

Wandering around, I heard music and followed the sound. There was an open-air concert with many people attending. I also stood there for some time and listened to the songs, dreaming of my summer vacation soon coming, without work, without studying, with no stress…

I felt I found exactly what I needed on Ærø, and was joyful. I wished I could stay over! The Blue Bear and The Aviator were tired, and asked me to go home.

We got airborne, and flew over Ærøskøbing first:

Then over the beach huts where we had had our ice cream with the stunning sea view:

The last glance at the Ærøskøbing town:

Flying back home was very peaceful:

And the sunset at my home flying club was so alluring:

I cleaned up, did the paperwork, and we were ready to drive home.

An evening like that makes a huge difference in life…