Copenhagen – 2012

Our bike trip from Berlin t0 Copenhagen, September 2012

All set

Everything is packed. Tomorrow we set off.

20120831-150156.jpg

Himmelpfort

20120901-220512.jpg

20120901-212824.jpg

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.

20120903-083121.jpg

Neustrelitz

Ökohotel tonight with very healthy looking spiders on the ceiling, a good restaurant and a cinema showing a French film which didn’t deserve the outing.
20120903-082118.jpg

The weather was perfect again today. To cycle next to sparkling lakes we had to go up and down a few hills. This was not the “motorway” quality from the first day. Especially with heavy panniers, we had to jump off and push now and again.

20120903-082311.jpg

Brøndagergaard

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!

20120903-220206.jpg

20120903-220230.jpg

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

20120904-090904.jpg

20120904-091019.jpg

Stubbekøbing

Today we saw lots of beaches and lots of holiday homes.

20120904-195559.jpg

Our 400 DKK B&B (the only accommodation for miles) had this entertaining sign

20120904-200109.jpg

as well as a cosy garden to have breakfast..

20120905-094732.jpg

Stubbekøbing is a sad place which seems to be in terminal decline since the new bridge opened – which we will use to move on north.

Vordingborg

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

20120905-165455.jpg

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

20120905-165519.jpg

We didn’t get blown off, wayhay!

20120905-165539.jpg

Soft ice but hard chairs.

20120905-165556.jpg

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

20120905-170619.jpg

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

Præstø

Bit of a windy ride today but beautiful scenery.

20120906-171120.jpg

We are beginning to understand why almost every Danish home has a Danish flag blowing in the breeze.

20120906-171139.jpg

Lots of the houses have thatched roofs.

20120906-172638.jpg

In Præstø we found a great place to stay in the high street above a café called Sweet & Coffee less than 500 DKK for room. Had some coffee and Danish “cake” with lots of apple & crumble at the bottom.

20120906-171209.jpg

Room doesn’t quite express what you get. There’s a huge living room, kitchen and bath (shared). Why look for a hotel?

20120906-171226.jpg

20120906-172942.jpg 20120906-172958.jpg

Rødvig

The weather forecast today was for wind & rain.

20120907-174723.jpg

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

20120907-174656.jpg

Picnic next to the beach.

20120907-174548.jpg

Sometimes the cycle lanes are better than the roads!

20120907-174631.jpg

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.

20120908-172016.jpg

Køge

Things we found next to the road today.

20120908-171651.jpg

20120908-171826.jpg

20120908-171709.jpg

As it is Saturday, by the time we got to Køge the tourist information office was closed, so we had to find somewhere to stay ourselves. We were struggling a bit until we realised that a small ceramic sign was all of the hint that you get, that there is a bed to be had.

20120908-172557.jpg

The second “B” doesn’t count as no breakfast is provided, just a light & airy bedroom/living room decorated with a dash of Danish design, TV, microwave, fridge, our own mini kitchen & bathroom, free WLAN, charming hosts and everything spotlessly clean (at least until we move in), all at 81 Strandvejen in Køge, where we found this B&B for 500 DKK with a supermarket just down the road to get something delicious for supper & breakfast.

Their web site

20120908-171800.jpg

20120908-171627.jpg.

20120909-164700.jpg

Køge has a very nice old town centre.

20120908-193103.jpg

While Gerhild was admiring Danish shoe styles, I was more interested in what the well-dressed man puts on his head.

20120908-192734.jpg

Arken

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.

20120909-165917.jpg

Paper cup man.

20120909-171830.jpg

Old bra dress.

20120909-171852.jpg

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

20120909-180103.jpg

Carousel creation.

20120909-171948.jpg

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 –

20120909-184150.jpg

Striped sensation.

20120909-172708.jpg

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).

20120909-180335.jpg

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!

20120909-173549.jpg

Copenhagen

Wayhay, we made it to Copenhagen and we have a place to stay. No this is not Kreuzberg, it is Istedgade 136 in the trendy part of town, 3rd floor.

20120910-171438.jpg

Every living room should have a fixed-wheel bike. The surf board, snow board and skate board are around the corner and screwed to the wall…

20120910-171500.jpg

20120910-171510.jpg

20120910-171543.jpg

You cannot believe how many bikes there are here.

20120910-180000.jpg

Interesting things to do with flea market ceramics.

20120910-180015.jpg

Sightseeing

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

20120911-174606.jpg

After a biker’s breakfast.

20120911-162220.jpg

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

20120911-163745.jpg

What do you think?

20120911-162422.jpg

Guerilla knitting.

20120911-162502.jpg

Small Danes having a snack.

20120911-162715.jpg

20120911-162727.jpg

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

3 museums

Beautiful day to cycle to the Amelienborg Palace and the “little mermaid” and visit 3 museums.

20120912-170420.jpg

Photographic proof, that we made it to Copenhagen.

20120912-170546.jpg

Not good for my horse allergy.

20120912-170706.jpg

The interactive part of “Rokoko Mania”.

20120912-170837.jpg

Me with curls! Don’t fancy drying that lot after a shower.

20120912-171015.jpg

Ein schräger Typ.

20120912-171103.jpg

Don’t you just love the hat – affengeil!

20120912-171231.jpg

20120912-171402.jpg

Delicious Thai lunch special.

Ørestad

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”.

20120913-180413.jpg

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

20120913-180654.jpg

Or this.

20120913-180744.jpg

The Bella Sky Cromwell hotel and some architects’ clouds.

20120913-180903.jpg

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.

20120913-181232.jpg

I’m sure Banksy won’t mind.

20120913-181409.jpg

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.

20120913-181931.jpg

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.

20120913-182322.jpg

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

Louisiana

A nice pink bike shed on the way to the station.

20120914-182647.jpg

No we didn’t jump on American Airlines for a quick trip, this Louisiana is just north of Copenhagen, on the coast with a fine garden and a loop of galleries which hide in the landscape.

20120914-182719.jpg

Strange mushroom in the garden.

20120914-182806.jpg

Cheerful.

20120914-182824.jpg

I like this one.

20120914-182835.jpg

The cafe where we enjoyed a delicious buffet. If you squint, you can see Sweden on the horizon.

20120914-182848.jpg

Mmmmm. Some fortification for the train ride home.

20120914-182856.jpg

The galleries were full of interesting stuff which we didn’t snap. Lots about architecture too.

This evening will be our last in Denmark. Tomorrow we head for Berlin.