3 Days in Denmark

The door opens to Denmark!

June 5: Constitution Day

Carmen
in Vordingborg

The past few days in Denmark have been marvelous.  I lost track of how many offers I have had to stay at people’s houses (the first one coming while on German soil, waiting for the ferry in Fehmarn...a motorcyclist from Copenhagen just returning from a 10 month journey down the west coast and up the east coast of Africa!)  The ferry ride from Fehmarn lasted about 45 minutes and I chatted with a German couple that was on their way to Sweden for a sea kayaking vacation.  I rode to the nearby town of Maribo and got a free map at the Office of Tourism.  I rode northeast to the town of Vordingborg and had a great dinner and a wonderful conversation with Carmen, the waitress.  When things slowed down a bit, we were able to talk for a while.  She came to Denmark from Armenia with her parents when she was 10 years old.  Carmen and her boyfriend live in the town of Koge (but the “o” has a slash through it and the "ge" are pretty much silent).  She offered me a bed at her parent’s house, but it was too far away to ride that evening.  Instead, I found a great spot in Vordingsborg down by the water.  It was lovely to meet you, Carmen!  Thanks for all the extra dark chocolate!  I'm still enjoying it!

Showers and sun

Bivy in Vordingborg, right by the water

Vordingborg, Denmark

Carol at Koppa!

Gerda

The next morning I rode to Copenhagen and bumbped into my first American of the whole trip.  Carol was sitting outside Koppa coffee house and I pulled up and asked if she spoke English.  When I learned that she was American, I got a cup of coffee and sat down with her to visit.  What a wonderful woman!  So warm and curious about my adventure.  We chatted for a while and I rode on to find my CouchSurfing hosts.  I arrived at Gerda and Finn’s house just before dinner.  They live with their 18 year old daughter Sara in a really cute old house in a suburb north of Copenhagen called hellerup.  I was able to do my laundry and ended up staying with them for 2 nights.  They were wonderful hosts, so generous and accommodating!  I spent a rest day with my legs elevated and then I walked around Copenhagen for a few hours.  I saw the Little Mermaid and the Royal Palace guarded by soldiers with fuzzy bear skin hats.

My first home cooked meal
since Strasbourg! Wonderful!

A scene as I ride into Copenhagen

Perhaps more interesting than the Little Mermaid is the
spectacle that her international fans create!

Today, rode north along the coast (all the other cyclists were out riding today as well) to the castle of Kronborg (or Elsinore, as it’s known as the setting for Shakespear's Hamlet) in the town of Helsingor, Denmark.  It sits at the northeasterly most point and stood guard over the entrance to the Oresund (the primary passageway into the Balkan Sea). I could see Sweden on the other side of the sound and here in Helsingor, the sound is only 4 kilometers wide.  Tonight, I’ll sleep in Sweden!

(After I typed this and rode toward the ferry, I was offered another place to stay by a cyclist out on his time trial bike!)

Lots of old ships to see in Copenhagen

In the inner square of Kronborg Castle

 

Holger Danske's statue in the passageways under Kronborg Castle