Møns Klint Escapades

Møns Klint is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful places in Denmark. It is known for its stark white chalk cliffs, made up of fossils that are millions of years old. The good news is, DIS offers a day trip to Møns Klint in April. The bad news is, by the time I got around to looking into registering, the trip was completely full. Boo. After looking at the pictures online, I just knew I had to make a trip to the island of Møns, south of Sealand. What better time than when my girlfriend came to visit during my study tour break? 

It took a bit of planning to make it work, but everything went down smoothly with only minor panic attacks in between. It took three hours, a train ride, and two bus rides to get there, but the effort was well worth it. TT and I stayed at a small bed and breakfast in Elmelunde, a few minutes east of Stege.

Our little getaway in the middle of nowhere.

A little deserted during the off-season, but all the more time to ourselves.

The bus only came around every two hours, so we were
 sure to get off at the right stop, marked by Elmelunde Kirke.

March is kind of an off-season for Møns, especially with the weather we've been having this year. People usually visit the cliffs during the summer time, when it's just oh-so-slightly warmer. However, the off-season really worked for us because our lovely host, Brit, allowed us to borrow two bikes for free. TT and I then biked the 11 kilometers to the cliffs...in a blizzard. TT is much more athletic than I and was having the time of her life. The trip there was slightly uphill, I had forgotten our water bottle at the B&B...needless to say, there was a lot of hopping off my bike and pushing and a lot of snow was consumed that day.

Pushing my bike uphill when my thighs gave out...while my
 supportive girlfriend takes pictures of my misery.

Because of the weather, the bike path to the Møns Geocenter was completely snowed in. TT and I opted to take the car path which had been slightly cleared by passing vehicles. Still, the road was icy and impossible to ride on. We ended up walking and pushing our bikes for the last 2.5 kilometers of our trip. TT, ever the optimist, insisted that "I'm sure we only have one kilometer left"....at least five times. By the time we got to the geocenter, the trip had taken 2 hours. Still, I have never seen TT looking so enthusiastic (except for that one time we got HopDeli pizza).

The sign for the stairs toward the beach told us it took 15 minutes to get down. We failed to take into consideration what that would translate into on our way back up.

Stairs of doom. It was a little shameful when
 little old ladies tromped right past me...

Despite all the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get there, once the cliffs and beach came into view, I knew it was all worth it.

TT and I walked along the beach and shared a small picnic lunch of Poptarts, Nutella, and chocolate.

The water was clear and had a green-white tint to it. Large pieces of chalk mingled with pebbles on the beach.

TT, a masochist at heart, insisted on sticking her
 feet in the water. Keep in mind that there is snow
on the ground.

With all the chalk lying around, TT and I decided to leave our mark.

Even the treacherous trip back to the Geocenter could not overshadow the glory that is Møns Klint. We walked along the beach to the next set of staircases. TT had to Richard Simmons my way up because I was this close to relinquishing my spirit. Then we discovered that the path back to the Geocenter hadn't been cleared so we had to trudge our way through the snow in the woods, slipping and sliding, and flirting with death every step of the way. We literally stopped for a few minutes to contemplate whether we should just sit on our butts and slide down the hills. Strict no-judgment zone between us, clearly. 

I really think we should get these shirts
for free after what we'd been through

TT and I decided to reward ourselves with some ice cream
 for all the exercise we did. Chocolate and Pistachio! 

 I must admit I was dreading the trip back to our bed and breakfast. Lucky for us, in the two hours it took us to explore the cliffs, bulldozers had gone through and cleared the path. We were able to bike the 2.5 kilometers that we had walked, AND the trip back was almost completely downhill. It took us less than an hour to get back.

It was an extremely fortuitous trip. Round trip train + bus tickets to our bed and breakfast only cost 244 DKK each. One night at the B&B cost 510 DKK, including breakfast. If you don't plan on staying the night, I would strongly advise you to register to go with DIS. You do not want to be making the round trip on public transportation in a single day. Also, getting around on the island is very difficult without a car. The bus that goes all the way to the Geocenter only runs during the summer season. As for us, we made all our transfers and didn't have to wait hours for the next bus. Our host for the bed and breakfast was the biggest sweetheart -- she gave us free bikes, and she let us keep our backpacks in our room until 5 PM even though checkout is normally at 10 AM. We were able to catch the earlier bus back to Stege, getting back home before 9 PM the next day. Overall, a very successful trip and I had the time of my life! My butt and thighs will never forget this experience.

Here's to many more adventures together! <3 :P