The Tour Across Denmark

Being that I had never done a bicycle tour alone, I was a bit nervous about leaving Copenhagen headed for the Netherlands with a heavy trailer packed to the gills with my life for a year.

Still and all, away I went. Into the, well, into the sheep.

There were sheep crowding the path out of town. I suppose sheep are friendly enough creatures, but I would have hoped that the most bicycle friendly city in the world might have posted a "watch for sheep" sign. Sadly, I was left to my own best devices to contend with the sheep.
I rode down the coast most of the way south. This was a fairly typical picture for me during my tour of Denmark. Lots of ocean, which means....you guessed it...lots of wind.
The first night, I camped next to a high-schoolish thing. There were loads of kids running around into the wee hours having fun. I camped in a free spot, one of hundreds across the country that Denmark has created and preserved. They usually come with a shelter and a saw to cut firewood. The above picture is a shot from my tent where, just beside me, a German couple camped peacefully. The German man looked quite a bit like Harry Potter.

I passed through a mid-sized town (by Danish standards) called Vordinburg on my way to the islands south of Zealand. These are the largest castle ruins outside of the small island of Bornholm.
At the top of the castle is a golden goose, which was intended to taunt potential invaders.
I crossed over from Zealand to the island of Halster on this bridge. A bridge complete with a bicycle lane; imagine that. Don't let them get the renovation of the I-55 bridge done without including a bicycle path!
It's super easy to tour by bicycle in Denmark because the route is filled with signs directing you the right way. Still, I bought a compass just in case.

I camped on the tip of Halster the second night before taking the ferry across to Fyn. I ended up in a very small harbor, Tars Havn, where I met a man that made windmill wings. The harbormaster didn't speak any English, so when he came to collect my money he jokingly referred to himself as "No-English Man." It was like he was a super hero! Well, the campsite was super anyway, and I caught this shot before bed.
When the trailer is un-packed, it's a bit amazing how much spills out. At the end of the day I often feel like my hometown of Memphis--like I'm sprawling out of control!

The next morning I woke up bright and early to catch the ferry. The sailors tied my bike to the boat so it didn't fall over. I was greatly appreciative.
I arrived in Odense at the end of the third day, tired and ready for a shower. Odense was slow. There were quite a few "cute" pieces of bicycle infrastructure--like bicycle emblems built into the cobblestone in light colored stones--but nothing especially interesting. I tried to get air for my tires at one of the many pumps they keep around the city, but alas, it didn't work. Odense may get a bit short-changed in this post.

After leaving Odense, I traveled to Jutland and towards Germany. I met 6 amazing Germans at a remote, free camping spot positioned directly beside the ocean on my first night outside of Odense.
We stayed up quite late having adult beverages and talking. They were taking a break from the big cities--like Copenhagen--cause they were running out of money. When its free to camp, and the shelter is provided, a quick trip to the nearby town every now and again to grab supplies is all you need to make a very nice vacation spot. Cheers to my new German friends!

So this is the path so far, from Copenhagen to my current location in Flensburg, Germany.


View Copenhagen to Flensburg in a larger map

Next stop: Amsterdam, the Netherlands.