June 16, 2023
Flensburg to Fynshav, Denmark
Looking out the window this morning we saw something novel; after weeks of clear sunny mornings there was mist, or fog from the cool, Baltic Sea water, signalling our arrival in a different part of Europe.
With only 50km to ride today, before leaving we took some time to visit Flensburg. I was struck at how it combined such a wide variety of German characteristics: downtown streets with beautiful, solid, northern style buildings from its 300+ years history as a commercial centre; groups of solid, elderly tourists visiting the waterfront, many on e-bikes; a funky section with art installations, a vegan bakery and lots of cool looking people smoking on cafe terraces; a seedy section with homeless people camped in vacant storefronts; heavy industry spread over the outskirts of town; people of different colours and social status bringing their kids to school; and a gorgeous harbour with luxury yachts, tugboats and so many wooden boats. We wandered, took photos and bought fish sandwiches to be rid of our accumulated euro coins before crossing into the land of Kroner.
Today's ride was a real mix too. A good, clear bike path all the way out of town, then a dirt path through a lovely forest and along the water but with surprisingly steep hills, then bike paths beside the road. There wasn't a sign showing the border, but eventually the cars mostly had Danish plates and the language on signs was different and the Danish red and white was seen fluttering in the wind. We rode through quiet villages, past beaches with a smattering of people sunbathing, up and down rolling hills with farms and views to the sea. All the time we were on a designated bike route, 90% was separated from cars by either a barrier or a grassy verge, but over half was close enough to the highway to be bothersome.
Despite a protocol in EU that cell phone service is supposed to work in all countries, once you cross the border it doesn't work very well, so a new country also means a new SIM card. We searched out a place in the biggest town on our route, Sonderborg. Again, each country has its peculiarities for phone companies and I had learned very little from my Internet search on the subject so we reverted to the old-fashioned approach of riding along commercial streets until we see a likely looking shop. Today the first stop was a sleek, independent, mobile phone accessories and repair place. The helpful man there told me that in Denmark, he can sell me a card... only with no data, but that if I go to a "green shop" I could probably get both. He even did a google map search for the nearest "green shop". I was thinking an eco-specialist but asked him if there would be a sign saying "Green Shop"? No, no he replied, I could identify it by the vegetables outside. Like most other countries we have toured, Danish phone data is sold at a cramped, ethnic grocery shop run by an Arab or Indian, who speaks reasonably good English and knows how to configure the phone. Success: 100GB for 99Kroner, or $19CAD.
With data on my phone, it was a breeze navigating to the campground in Fynshav where the host welcomed us and offered his one, special tent site right beside the water. Drinks on the beach, a refreshing swim in the Baltic, fish supper and we were ready for bed.
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Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 2,260 km (1,403 miles)
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10 months ago
Thanks for commenting. So far we can recommend Denmark as a destination. We are enjoying it a lot. I am sure you and Rachel would too. We will be following you this summer and fall on your travels. Cypress in particular. Will you be visiting both the Greek and Turkish sides?
10 months ago