Mini-Trip

We went for a mini-trip this weekend up the coast of Denmark from Copenhagen to Helsingor and back the next day, as a test-run to see if we needed any other supplies and see exactly we were about to get ourselves into.

View copenhagen to helsingor in a larger map
This is what we learned:
The bike routes in Denmark are amazing. They have specific bike lanes next to every road, even in the cities, so that there is no worries that a car is going to run you over. It is wise however, to know the biker's code-can be picked up at any kiosk selling dark Danish rye and pate. I've gotten yelled at for not properly signaling when I planned to turn. Oh, and you must have front and back lights. The cute little bike bells are widely used here and they're super handy when you get stuck behind a beautiful Danish couple who are riding along the streets of Copenhagen holding hands. So adorable! Yet impossible to get around unless you ´brrriingg´. We took route 9 all the way up the coast and it was wonderful! It went through the forest for a bit which reminded me a lot of the Appalachian Trail through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and then along the coast.

I always think of northern seas as being dark and murky, whereas southern seas are warm and clear. But the water off of Copenhagen is super clear and blue. Yesterday we stopped on the way back in to town and had an ice cream and sat on the long stone wall by the sea. It was perfectly windy and there were at least 50 sail boats out of the water. Oh! And there was a pirate ship out in the distance. Gorgeous!

On the way up the coast we stopped at a town called Niva to camp. We almost shit a brick. It's mandatory to have a 'camping license' to camp anywhere around Scandanavia, which costs 90 kroner. Then we got the bill. Freaking 235dkk, which roughly translates to $45 for one night of sleeping on a 28 sq foot plot of grass. After we looked really pitiful as we handed over our credit card, we were informed by the really sweet older couple that they were one of the cheaper facilities. However, maybe we should consider Sweden for the remainder of our trip because they don't have very good facilities and you can in fact, simply pitch a tent anywhere and that's completely fine by law. The lady instructed us to be very careful if we did that and to 'take care of your skin'. Hahaha. ? If we insisted upon staying in Denmark then we could most certainly ask for work in any camp site in exchange for a square of grass for the night. Bottom line: Denmark, notoriously expensive. Head to Sweden.

As far as the actual biking. Kat and I bike around Austin all the time. However, on a good day, we average around just an hour a day. Haha, so basically we're a little unprepared the biking that lays ahead of us. We biked for about 6 hours yesterday and today, phew, um, how do you say?...totally dying? Get a girl seat! They are amazing. Poor Kat has seen the beauty of a girl seat and after intense discomfort, despite her padded bike shorts that make her waddle when she walks, has decided to convert. Oh, maybe not exactly glamorous, but don't mess with your girlie bits before embarking on a biking trip. No shaving, no waxing, no pruning of any sort.

Just chant, 'I am woman, hear me roar!
In numbers too big to ignore'
-Helen Reddy-

My girlie bits are fine this morning but the back of my arms just from supporting myself, are super sore, as is my butt and my calves. We've been doing yoga every morning and that helps, but really, I can't remember the last time I felt so physically tired. When I lay down at night, if it's on a bed or on my grass, it's the best feeling ever, just to be horizontal and I sleep so deeply. Ahhh.

So, all in all, I think that this Thursday we're just going to high tail it to Sweden, see Hamlet's castle, and I think we'll be fine. We got this.