It was nice to have a few days off after riding from Oslo to Copenhagen (read about it here), but after 24 hours I was ready to get moving again. I figured out awhile ago, that for me, being alone in a big city gets much more lonely than it does out away from people. Maybe it’s seeing everyone else being with others that triggers that feeling. I do like my own company and I like to have something to do. An active vacation is perfect and being on the move and seeing new things is even better. I spent most of the afternoon and evening of the second day writing my previous blog post.

Day 39 of riding Copenhagen Denmark to Hojerup Denmark 52 miles

When I got a quick breakfast at 7-11 in the morning. By the way, 7-11’s internationally are much better than the one’s we think of back home in the USA and have really good fresh offerings. Anyway, when I was eating my breakfast out front two men and a women stumbled out of a taxi. It was apparent that they were not yet home from their Saturday night partying. I was so thankful that I had a day of exploring and exercising ahead of me. Life is a series of decisions little and big, that have taken you to exactly where you are right now.

After fueling up and packing up I set out by bike out of the city. Again, there were bike paths all the way and being Sunday morning, the riding was easy.  But it took a long time to clear the city and suburbs. In the beginning, I wasn’t so sure about Denmark. I rode parallel with the sea most of the morning but only caught glimpses of it because of the neighborhoods that stood between it and me. I stopped for a picnic lunch just after Koge right on the beach and had a nice conversation with a local who went to Michigan State and spoke perfect english. He lives in Malmo but said that if he had a choice to live anywhere in the world it would be “right here”. He said it is a really civilized way of life, safe and full.

After lunch, as I followed the peninsula around to the east, the landscape and roads got really excellent. The weather was good and mostly I was turning in and out of the small farm roads, peaking in the well kept yards and looking at the thatched roofs and black and white houses with blue trim. I even came upon the largest occupied “castle” in Denmark. It was more like a manor home, but the huge barns spoke to the amount of land they must own.

At the end of the peninsula there were chalk cliffs. I took a look around and read that this is the best spot in the world to see the layer of sediment left by the asteroid impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. As I followed the coast around, there was a working mine (chalk), a lighthouse and a church right on the cliff. The church had become famous overnight when the quire (area where the choir stands) fell into the sea back in the 1920’s. It’s quite a drop! There were 20,000 visitors the next week and it’s been a tourist destination ever since. I was thankful for the ice cream and the view!

The best part of this afternoon was that my accommodations were just down the road from the church. I stayed in a cozy little cottage with a sleeping loft upstairs. It was just 100 steps from the hiking trail that is on the cliff and I took a nice walk before I made dinner in the kitchen and then brought it out to the picnic table with “the view”. After doing the dishes I came out to see the amazing sunset over the calm sea. It’s hard to capture it all in a photo; the white seagulls flying low over my head and then coasting down to the azure waters; the big ships passing by slowly, far out to sea; the small waves softly breaking on the small black rocks and light shells just below the cliffs; the turquoise water slowly losing it’s glow as the clouds to the east took all of the available wattage; the quality of the quiet in the fields to my back… I had this scene to myself and I soaked it in, taking photo after photo as the clouds became more and more electric. Then the sun went down and I walked the few steps back to my little cabin. An end to a beautiful day that started with a yogurt and croissant at 7-11 in Copenhagen.

Day 40 Hojerup to The Cliffs of Mon 79 miles

It was a really beautiful day for riding. The views were scenic with a lovely combination of picturesque farmland with well kept barns and homes, tidy villages with tight lanes and seascapes. In the morning I took a small detour through the small village of Lund. Just a quiet little seaside town with a group of row boats moored at a dock.

I past a number of burial mounds today and visited one. It was in the middle of a farm field with a view of the ocean and there was a small marked path that invited a visit. The plaque said it was dated from 1000-700 BC and it was typical in the area to be buried with jewelry for women and fancy toiletries for men. Two similar mounds were plowed up in this same field in the early 1900’s

I rode a circular route today and ended up at the Klifts (cliffs) of Mon which I could see in the distance across the water from where I had stayed the evening before.  At the cliffs is a very nice visitor center which I missed seeing by a few minutes because I arrived right at 5. However, it wasn’t too late to walk the steps to the beach at the base of the cliffs. 494 down and 494 up. I read this, I didn’t count.

After getting a bit more cardio, (I had already ridden 79 miles on my bike) I walked through the woods to where, supposedly there was a shelter. Denmark has an extensive network of permanent camping shelters throughout the country that are free to campers who can spend either one or two nights. Some you can book online. I took my chances and got lucky. Near the visitor center there were four shelters in a cluster and when I arrived, just one was taken. I was told the others were booked, but those campers never arrived and in the end there were three groups, all traveling by bike. The shelter was really cozy and was even more so when it started to rain in the middle of the night.

This part of the ride is definitely not point to point. Meaning that it’s not in a hurry to get from Copenhagen to Berlin in the shortest distance. I’m glad for the diversions and the route takes you past the most scenic areas on the best roads and paths available. At one point during the day this meandering cost me at least 10 miles.  I was following the signs and ended up going the wrong direction, away from the cliffs. I had to backtrack along the same path. It was still beautiful a second time!

A few notes from the day:

1. I cycled past two “Gods” or estates today. Including what was described as the largest inhabited one in Denmark. It was a large mansion with an impressive set of barns surrounding it. I love how the barns in this area are set facing the road and then they have an access portal where cars and tractors can go in and out. Behind the barn is a courtyard protected from the wind. The size and number of barns spoke to the land holdings of this particular estate.
2. The “God” up near the Cliffs of Mon wasn’t quite as nice as the one I’d seen earlier but it did have lovely land. Highland meadows and fields. They must have done a good job over the years cultivating the pheasant population on their land because they were everywhere. I’m sure bird hunting season is quite exciting with shots ringing often off the cliffs and out to sea.
3. From the lookout at the visitor center there is a telescope fixed on a wind turbine farm in the middle of the sea. This one is still under construction and is a joint venture between Denmark and Germany and will connect to both electrical grids. A first. Even from miles away through magnification I could tell how huge the wind turbines were. There were quite a few completed and the two under construction had platforms that reminded me of oil rigs.  Imagine the whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Day 41 Mon Klint Denmark to Rostock Germany 65 miles

It was hard to jump out of my sleeping bag in my cozy shelter located in the foggy, dark woods. But I had some ground to cover. So I packed up and left without breakfast and headed to Stege to eat and charge my phone. I had sent home a heavy power charging bank home while still in the U.S. There it was easy to find a charge even when camping. I’ve been stuck a few times when camping and this was one of those times. It’s not so much that I need to stay in touch, it’s so that I can fill in the navigation and find the services and lodging I need.

After an extended breakfast and charge I headed out again with the ferry of Gedser in mind. There were not many lodging choices in the very southern tip of Denmark, so my plan was to take the ferry across that afternoon and check into one of the many hotels in Rostock. However, the winds were strong and I missed the 3:45 ferry by 25 minutes. I’d have to wait for the 6 pm crossing.

I had already taken a ferry earlier in the day. This one, I’d hit just right with the timing and took the quick ride across with a group of cycle tourists. A group of five from Greece, a couple who I didn’t meet and two young women from Switzerland, Fiona and Kerstin who were on a three month trip starting from the north of Norway and continuing back home. They had just graduated this summer from college and were delaying their teaching career to do some adventures. Good for them!

After waiting for the ferry in lonely and wind beaten Gedser, I was first on the big ferry boat just ahead of the semi trucks on the lower deck. I leaned my bike against the designated railing and went upstairs to have some dinner and enjoy the crossing.  When I saw a building through the side window I headed downstairs so that I would be ready to go when instructed. It actually took another 15 minutes to get fully into port and I didn’t have a clue of my surroundings. Kind of like coming up out of a subway stop in a strange new city.

I straddled my bike as one by one the hold emptied of semi trucks. When I looked both ways and saw that I was alone I got the nod for the attendant to proceed. Since it was now dark, I must have missed the sign to where the bike path began and just followed the tail lights of the last big rig. It was soon quiet and I was quickly on a four lane road hugging the guardrail (no traffic since all the cars and trucks had already left) checking my phone and the GPS device. I soon saw that there was a bike path but it was on the other side of the four lane road. I saw a way to get there that included going the wrong way twice and then trodding down a grass hill.  Ok, I could exhale a bit. But, still there was no city in sight and both my devices were taking me in the opposite direction of where my Scooby senses were leading me.

Soon I was on a dark bath path out by the nuclear plant. What did I get myself into!  But soon, the path curved around and there was an apartment block, then a train station and then a park. After 7 miles of riding in the dark, I arrived at my hotel at around 9:30 happy to be there.  It seemed like a long way from my cozy shelter in the woods.

Day 42 Rostock Germany to Gustrow Germany 35 miles

Finding lodging was easy in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. I had some great finds using Airbnb. Looking ahead to northern Germany, I wasn’t finding much. No campgrounds, no airbnbs and just a few hotels.  So, I took what I could find and booked a hotel in Gustrow, a short day of riding from Rostock.

I enjoyed a bit of a sleep in and then walked around Rostock and went to the grocery store to get stocked up.  I headed out around 10:30. After the wonderful time I had in Scandanavia my first day in Germany was a bit of a letdown. This was part of East Germany before the reunification and the homes and buildings were a bit downtrodden and the towns didn’t have many services. I was used to grocery stores, ice cream places, public bathrooms etc. and I wasn’t seeing any of that. The countryside was quiet and the roads were good (except for a lot more bike shaking cobble stoned streets in little villages).

The weather had turned a bit as well and it felt more like fall. Windy with some intermittent rain. Does my experience hinge on the weather? I think to some extent it does. Being out in the weather all day, every day, it does make a difference.

I arrived in Gustrow with enough time to walk through the city. The main attraction is the castle and it is behind a big scaffold. After a lap, I didn’t find a restaurant that looked good, so I returned to the hotel and had a nice dinner there.

Day 43 Gustrow Germany to Kratzeburg Germany 70 miles

The hotel had a buffet breakfast and I really took advantage of it and had my main meal of the day.  It set me up for a strong day of riding. Germany was making a comeback and for much of the day I was riding through the tall timber of Muritz National Park on a mix of paved paths, one lane roads and dirt forest roads. I was deep in the woods for a very long stretch at one point today. There is a lot of logging going on, although I didn’t see any action today.

I had either a crosswind or a tailwind all day long and that helped a lot.  Mid-afternoon I came to Waren, which is a major tourist city in the Mecklenburg region. It is situated on the largest lake and there was a busy marina with excursion boats arriving and departing while I was there.  The main shopping area was very busy and on both sides of the city the cycle paths were busy with people out on day rides from Waren. It was fun to see all of the cyclists. A passing cold shower hastened my exit from Waren, but it turned out that it was a good thing I kept going.

I had a campground in mind for the night and I happily kept riding through the pleasant countryside until I reached the campground right as the office was closing at 6. I secured a spot and bought some spaghetti to cook on my camp stove. I hadn’t seen a grocery store all day.

This campground was on a lake which wasn’t remarkable, this whole area is thick with lakes. But I learned from my tenting neighbors, who both had kayaks, that most of the lakes in the region are connect by either a river, the Havel, or canals. So in a canoe or a kayak you can go from lake to lake for days at a time. Some of the larger lakes/towns are connected with canals so that larger boats can travel the interconnecting waterways.

Day 44 Kratzeburg Germany to near Wustrow Germany

It was really windy and cold overnight and I finally put my heavy jacket on at around 5 am. I had carried my puffy jacket all through the U.S. portion of my trip even as I sweated in my tent night after night.  I slept in until 8:30 and didn’t leave until after 10 into a stiff breeze.  I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere today. A combination of riding slowly, taking extra stops and the meandering path of the route made me feel like I was in slow motion. It was true. By lunch time I had taken the long way to a town which was just 7 miles from my campground. It was an out and back on the route and it wasn’t even that great a town. I had an overpriced burger and headed back down the road.  This time, when I came to a the town of Wesenberg I stocked up on what I would need for both dinner and breakfast. I had camping in mind and there were a few campgrounds ahead.

Instead, on the spur of the moment, I turned up a forest road and started scouting for a place to camp in the woods. I had all that I needed, but the practice of “wild camping” isn’t accepted in Germany as it is in Norway and Sweden. But I made sure I wasn’t seen and tucked away deep in the trees. My intuition was correct and I didn’t hear a thing all night except for the rain and the wind.

Day 45 Wustrow Germany to Oraneinburg Germany 45 miles

I set my alarm and woke up early for two reasons. First, I wanted to get checked out of my little spot in the woods and secondly, I wanted to get settled early at my hotel so that I could follow online my son Jake as he raced in his first full Ironman triathlon.

My path today was more direct and I was making good time with my deadline in mind. Again I was cycling past lakes and later on a main canal with large locks and small barges. I made it easier to imagine the defunct C & O Canal which I had ridden past the remnants at the end of the first leg of my trip.

I arrived in Oranienburg in time to track Jake all the way to an amazing finish in his first Ironman. I’m slow and relentless in my riding. Jake is fast and determined!

Now just a few miles to go before a few days off exploring Berlin.