Return to Denmark, Odense and Hans Christian Andersen

After enjoying stunning Norway and wonderful Norwegian hospitality my compass headed south for the Danes and flatter country. The ferry services in Scandinavian seas are abundant with many port options. I chose an overnight route from Stavanger to northern Denmark that is not dissimilar to my many overnight trips from mainland Australia to Northern Tasmania but even given the the high Norwegian currency it is still less than half of the Australian trip. Unlike the one daily service in Australia there are several here - in fact up to 15 per day for some destinations so there’s no need to book months ahead - just turn up an hour or so before departure and on you go. The difference here is that you have too ride on with the cars and trucks so stay alert and visible..👀🚴🏼‍♀️

impressive cycling infrastructure and literally a life saver

Like graffiti I also consider this environmental pollution and annoying - at least UK has banned them.

Danish farmhouse

The ferry trip was an uneventful crossing on an unusually flat North Sea but I laughed when fellow passengers from Denmark warned me about the hills to climb while riding in their country. Wow a 'huge' climb of 40 metres definitely tested my fitness - how hilarious as they probably have never been to Austria which I crossed back in 2013. Some roads even include four not two lanes of cycle paths - impressive and not overkill given the number of riders using them everyday.

Old village in Odense

I feasted on my favourite cheese at half the price I would pay at heme.

Suck it up Uber Eats - I bet you never thought of this method of delivery

Hans Christian Andersen's abode

A delightful cafe in Odense

A significant milestone in my journey while travelling on kilometre paths was the city of Odense (pronounced u-den-sa). It has two claims to fame. One being the first city in the world to establish bicycle paths in city streets. It's was also the home for the famous author of children's stories and other works Hans Christian Andersen. I have fond childhood memories of watching a Saturday afternoon movie on television about Hans Christian Andersen staring the incredibly gifted Danny Kaye. That was my first impression of things old Danish. His song performance of 'Thumbelina' was delightful. After visiting the old street area where Andersen lived I explored the other streets and found my perfect place for lunch. The front of the cafe looked like a high class homewares/giftshop but the outside menu board items looked appealing so in I went via a narrow laneway into a rear yard with seating and sounds of classical guitar music. We all love those pleasant and random surprises and I was quite at home here.🎶

Love those dark brooding sunsets

A gander in the field

The journey south

While travelling along cycleways in Germany and Scandinavia I had to deal with the invasion of numerous electric scooters and mopeds. A lot of e-scooters are simply abandoned anywhere when they exceed their trip distance. Also the petrol mopeds far exceed the 20km speed limit where I have to swerve around them at times and the riders would abuse me for getting in their way when overtaking me. There are over 7000 e-scooters in Denmark now and over 100 cities in the world have them. At times there are two people on the same scooter - some adults ride through supermarkets, mothers taking the child to school with no helmets and of course deaths are now occurring when some of them collide with trucks or pedestrians. Some cities are now reconsidering this transport choice - despite sales of e-scooters in the UK where they are illegal.

Riding in Danish style

Danish castle, moat and massive garden

The last two weeks have been very relaxing despite the kms travelled with only one day of rain. My next destination was Rostock on the northern German coast so I caught the ferry from Gedser that only takes a couple of hours from southern Denmark. Amazing how quickly and easily you can go from one country to another in the EU. 🙂👀

Denmark to Germany ferry