Copenhagen – 2012

For our first day we cycled about 65 km. Most of the paths are just for bikes with a tarmac surface, which makes for easy riding but the long straight sections through the endless forests are a bit uninteresting. Then about 3 in the afternoon we got on the phone to book a bed which was surprisingly difficult, maybe because it is Saturday. Still we got this nice room in someone’s garden for 30 Euros, which is slightly less than our fish supper with a glass of beer cost. We are in Himmelpfort, as is Father Christmas (he’s in the main street). It seems he gets a lot of letters later in the year.

Well that was a busy day. First we had Gerhild’s bike repaired, so that all of the gears now work. Then we took the train (€26 +€10 for the bikes) to Rostock and bought ferry tickets for 7 Euros, which includes the bike!

It’s quite a funny, but enjoyable feeling cycling to the ferry. They let you get on first and get off first. All of the 40 ton trucks have to wait.

When we arrived it was dark. Gerhild’s light didn’t work. Then two French girls asked if they could follow us. They had no lights at all, having bought bikes in Berlin for the trip, which they intend to sell in Copenhagen. It was very dark with a large moon and millions of insects were flying about. If you opened your mouth to breathe, three insects shot in. When we got to where the B&B should be, we called our host and he helped us to find a gravel track off of the road which led to his house. Tomorrow will be a big surprise when we can actually see where we are.

€80 for B&B

Well that was exciting. It is quite a windy day today.

as you can see from this wind sock at the start of the loooong bridge which took us to Vordingborg.

We didn’t get blown off, wayhay!

Soft ice but hard chairs.

Couldn’t resist 100 DKK for 10 socks. That’s €1.35 per sock. Mustn’t get carried away with only 4 panniers.

The locals here are a strange looking lot, but friendly. We actually found a hotel here – €106 and very dull.

The weather forecast today was for wind & rain.

Don’t always believe the weather forecast. Today it was only half right.

Picnic next to the beach.

Sometimes the cycle lanes are better than the roads!

A nice windy day today which helped us zoom through the sunshine to Rødvig. 400 DKK for room with harbour view and shared bath & kitchen and a walk along the clifftops. Gerhild liked the poster in the kitchen.

Today we arranged to stay for a second night and jumped on the S-train to go to Ishoj and visit the Arken museum for contemporary art. Their focus was on Indian contemporary art & fashion.

Paper cup man.

Old bra dress.

Inner tube frock. All of these “recycled” clothes are whetting Gerhild’s appetite for Copenhagen’s second hand shops…

Carousel creation.

And so on. These pictures are a bit small to get the full effect.

There is an app for the exhibition which lets you try the dresses on. Creative lot at Arken –

Striped sensation.

They had a Damien Hirst room too (yawn) and lots of fun things including a reading room full of seating opportunities by Doshi Levien (Indian).

It was a good visit which we rounded off with some delicious sandwich/bagel creations in a small cafe next to the station. Did you know that bikes travel free on Copenhagen’s S-train network? Just look at the space that they provide!

Tuesday’s a sightseeing day, so we cycled to the centre & walked around a bit.

After a biker’s breakfast.

The old stock exchange with bizarre animals on top. Gerhild thought they must be banksters with entwined tails.

What do you think?

Guerilla knitting.

Small Danes having a snack.

Large non-Danes’ snacks. Sweet potato soup and pancakes, both with water melon & pineapple.

You know there are even bridges over the water just for bikes too, so it was a pleasant if sometimes elusive route to cycle to Ørestad under what Gerhild called “architects’ clouds”.

No label, so I don’t know who did this.

Or this.

The Bella Sky Cromwell hotel and some architects’ clouds.

The Mountain. Round holes drilled in the metal make up the picture, covering up the carpark in the lower floors. On the “human” side it was all wood, but Gerhild’s battery died.

I’m sure Banksy won’t mind.

The “8 House” is quite amazing. You walk up a gentle slope going past each flat’s front garden, along a large figure of 8 until you get to the dizzy top of the building. If you are late to leave your penthouse in the morning, just jump on your skateboard and zoom down.

On the way home we went down underground into the Cisternerne to splash around some fairly dull glass art to find these spooky old Danish figures which were much more interesting.

Four elephants hold up this part of the Carlsberg brewery with apparent ease.