Vi er röde, vi er hvide - August 29

I woke up surprised to still be completely by myself. I thought that there would be runners or cyclists passing in the morning as I wasn't far from a little path, but I didn't see a single person the whole morning until I set out. My route continued through Klippan and some other small towns like Bjuv and Mörarp south and southwest. I had to stop and ask for directions a couple of times, but wasn't every really lost. Arriving to the coastal city of Helsingborg I stopped at a MAX restaurant downtown for lunch and also to use their WiFi to call my sister for her birthday! Grattis! In about a week I'll see her and have to 'uppvakta' her properly. The ferry terminal was right in the city center, and I biked up to the booth and spoke to a really nice lady who didn't seem surprised to see a cyclist going on board. She only charged me 35 kronor! The ferry ride only lasted about 20 minutes, it was nice approaching Denmark and Helsingör by sea, and incredible to see again just how close Sweden and Denmark are at that point. Easily swimmable if there isn't any boat traffic! Getting off the ferry was quite surreal, the only other time I'd experienced something like that was walking off the ferry between Tarifa in Spain and Tangier Morrocco. It was just strange entering a new country by bicycle like that, such a sudden change! It was also immediately apparent that Denmark is a great place for cyclists. There was a bike path leading off the ferry and as soon as I got on the road there was a sign for bike route 9 south to Copenhagen. I followed it along Strandvejen, taking me along the shore past beautiful neighbourhoods lined with old classic houses. I learned later that this area is called 'the whisky belt' and is quite the exclusive area. The ride was quite urban the whole way save for a couple of short sections passing pastures and fields. Closer to Copenhagen bike traffic picked up and I rode for about 5km through beautiful broadleaf forests, all the way to Klampenborg. In town traffic really got heavier and cyclists would come out of nowhere and even cut me off sometimes! But when chatting with some at red lights they all seemed to be quite friendly anyhow. I found my cousins apartment with ease and was met with a very warm welcome. They were having guests for dinner which was exciting, so I met some great people and heard about their own travel plans for the next few months! It was a great evening, and a perfect ending to an exciting day. It was especially great to be welcomed by family again, from Akureyri to Copenhagen!

A Windy ride on the ferry across Öresund

Hamlet's castle at Kronborg with Sweden just across the water

Country Nr. 3 of my tour so far!

Cycling along the 'Whisky Belt' south of Helsingör

A Dane skateboarding along route 9 to Copenhagen

Traffic picking up in Copenhagen

All things Denmark - August 30

How nice to sleep in a bed again! I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast with my cousin talking about family back in Iceland, future plans, and what it's like living in Denmark. I was thinking how great it has been on this trip to meet with family and friends along the way, in so many different places and so far apart! Once I packed up and was loading my bike I noticed that I had a flat in the front tire. It must have been a slow leak because I hadn't noticed anything the day before and when I pumped it up it seemed fine. So I set off through the streets of Copenhagen southwest towards Bröndby strand. I reached the coast and there there were numerous bike paths going in many directions so I asked for directions but only spoke to a Danish American here on holiday who sent me the wrong way! It wasn't far though and I soon was back on the road towards Köge. In Köge I headed to the harbour because I'd been told there were some art projects being installed there. Unfortunately it seems like they were in transition so there wasn't much to see, but I had a great lunch on a small dock overlooking the water. I had to end lunch quick because some rain came along, but it didn't last long and soon I was back on the road south through Herfölge and Rönnede towards Vordingborg. This was the the straightest road I'd been on the entire trip, even more so than on the south coast of Iceland. I have to admit that it got a bit boring after a while, especially because there was quite a strong headwind. There was a decent bike path alongside the road and drivers were courteous so although it was a tough and slightly monotonous ride it went really well. Arriving to Vordingborg I saw a giant crane poking up in the sky, and several people on the ground were taking photos. I took a closer look and there was some kind of contraption hanging from the crane, and people dangling from it! It was some kind of acrobatic performance, probably 100 meters up in the air. I hurried towards the base of the crane but by then the people had come down already. I didn't see any other festivities happening though, besides some politicians campaigning on the streets for the upcoming local elections. Leaving Vordingborg I soon came to the bridge across Storströmmen. It was an old bridge but offered a great view of the sinking sun to the west and the other bridge to the east that the motorway passes across. Arriving to the island of Falster I turned off the main route to head towards Eskilstrup where I was going to spend the night. I had found a place to stay via the website www.warmshowers.org and this was going to be my first night trying that out. I arrived to the beautiful small village of Eskilstrup at just about 7pm and pulled up to my hosts house. He had left a sign in the window telling me to come to the neighbours house, where I found a group of happy jolly people having dinner together! They invited me to join so not only had I found a great place to spend the night, but was being treated to a wonderful dinner with wine and Akvavit and got to learn a lot about the area and meet new people. My favourite bit was that in the middle of dinner my host remembered that he had to take the geese in for the evening, so he took me along out about 1km into the countryside and I helped him gather in a flock of geese. For me, that was as Danish as it could get!

Getting some directions from a local in Copenhagen

Lunch spot on the dock in Köge

The straight and looooong road to Vordingborg

Crossing Storströmmen!

Crazy acrobats above Vordingborg

My landmark in Eskilstrup to find my way to shelter for the night