The secret behind the tent names:

„Søen“ (the Lake), its proximity to the small lake is a giveaway.

„Flaskeskibet“ (the Bottle Ship), the name is inspired by the view over the sea and the many bottle ships on display at, a.o., the Maritime Museum in Marstal.

„Tornerose“ (Sleeping Beauty), when we built the terrace, we had to remove an entire thorn bush, hence the name which is, of course, from the fairytale about Sleeping Beauty.

„Hundeteltene“ (the Dog Tents), inspired by the very popular and traditional „Sailor‘s dogs“ that you find in many houses in Marstal. Our take on the dogs is inspired by the colours of Ærø’s flag, which, by the way, we share with Lithuania.

This is the story behind the dogs:

The earthenware dogs from Staffordshire were the most popular souvenirs during 1860-1900 that a Danish sailor was expected to bring back to his wife or girlfriend from an English port. The dogs became symbols of some dubious traditions, and the story of the figurines goes back to a distant past.

The figurines were always sold in pairs. In England they were intended for putting on the mantelpiece, therefore they were quite flat and the back was smooth and not painted. The fact that they had a front and a back started the popular tradition of the dogs‘ role in maritime society. According to tradition, the dogs on the window sill looked out to the husband, who was away at sea. When the husband came back, the dogs were turned around. According to some antique magazine column it was less innocent, and the dogs – when looking out – was a signal to a lover that the husband was away.

Another story goes that the girls in the sailor brothels could not accept money, so they sold their dogs to their customers for an overcharge.