Waking up in Barmstedt I felt relieved knowing that the sun was out, for once.
The day before had ended with some nice sunshine, and with my boots already as wanky as they were due to the incessant drizzle of the first two days, I was looking forward to a completely dry riding day.
The sky saw fit to grant me my wish.
I took regular breaks, just so my arse could have a bit of rest as well.
The plan for the day was to get somewhere mid-way Denmark. Where exactly I didn't really know, but that's also my favorite way of traveling. No reservations, just riding until you feel it's time to stop for the day.
Just before the Danish border, I pulled in for fuel...
...and a mapcheck. Ofcourse, I had already gone through Denmark in 2014, but now I was actually going to ride it bottom to top.
Time to make like a tree, and leave!
Four lane awesomeness, yum yum. Progress was pretty good I must say, and coupled with the frequent breaks, it wasn't all too hard to do the miles.
Near the town of Horsens, I felt had done enough for the day.
Time to turn off, and find myself a place to stay. Usually this isn't all too hard, as hotels and camp sites are clearly indicated.
Let's see how well you can do. Time to play 'Spot the camping sign'!
Here we go.
There's another one.
There were about 7 of these that just guided me through the city, towards a camping at the side of the water.
"Oh Greg!" I can hear you say, "You probably had a really nice camp spot there!"
Hahahahahaha!
No.
Granted, I have seen way worse over the past few years, but if you arrive at the water side with a fresh breeze cooling you down, you tend to be somewhat disappointed when the people with tents (can I hear a HUZZAH for the true campers!) are just crammed away inbetween the trees at the top of a hill. As it was, the spots at the side of the lake were 'first row places', reserved for the people with campervans money.
Over here in the hardcore tenting cheap seats there was no breeze, just sun. Anyone who's ever camped in conditions like that will tell you your tent will momentarily transform into an oven.
Oh well, needs must. I switched my tent into Greece-mode, leaving the outer tent off it just so it stayed bearable.
Speaking of disappointments by the way - it was when I wanted to have a look at the next day's route that I noticed a strange flaw with my map.
Even though it clearly says DENMARK on it, it was just for the South of Denmark - coincidentally the part I had just gunned through in a day.
Murphy's practical jokes were apparently not limited to just the first day of the tour.
I also met the acquaintance of two German cyclists, Werner and Birgit. They were on the final week of a tour that had taken them all the way from the Baltic states.
Them cyclists never cease to amaze me.
Then, after a petrol break...
...and pulling over to put the SPOT in the right place...
...it was time to go North. It was still the 16th and my ferry would depart on the 18th, but when it comes to ferries I tend to get a little paranoid. I just want to get to the port, so I'm sure I'll be on the boat when it leaves.
As it was, I reckoned the town of Hirtshals a viable destination for this day.
There was another thing keeping me a bit off-balance, and that was that up until now, I hadn't really felt I was on holiday yet. Whether it was the familiar scenery or the abundance of my countrymen around me I can't really say, but when I pulled into this gas station I still hadn't caught up on what I call the 'holiday feeling'.
Luckily though, that changed here. Eating a sandwich at a gas station near a high way usually does the trick, and lo and behold, it also did here.
I guess it's got something to do with being on the move, whilst not having to be anywhere in the process. It's a feeling of freedom that is quite rare in the modern day 24 hour economy, and I treasure it every time.
Even though it sometimes smells funny. Something rotten in the state of Denmark?
In the mean time, the signs let me know I was converging on the northern tip of Denmark.
So time to fill up, and see what's what!
I thought it would be a good plan to see where the ferry's terminal was located, so I knew where to go on the day of departure.
And at the far end of this road, there it was. Riding towards the terminal the memories from 2013 came creeping back. Ferry ports always seem so desolate for some reason.
On the road leading towards the terminal I found a place to spend the coming two nights.
It was run by a family, who were also fervent horse riders. Even though the sun was out and about the brisk wind made it quite nippy outside, but still the owner came to greet me without wearing pants.
On my asking why he didn't wear any pants, he answered grinning from ear to ear: 'Because it's Summer!'. Must be a Viking thing, hahaha.
I thought about what laid ahead. In a way, I always tend to feel slightly apprehensive prior to going on a ferry, and this would be the longest ferry I'd ever come across.
Tomorrow, time to get our asses on that ship and sail into the big blue yonder! Little did I know it would become quite an unsettling journey...
In the mean time, can you tell me of which bike there were 2 waiting in line for the ferry? Rrrraise your bets, tomorrow all will be revealed!
In the mean time, can you tell me of which bike there were 2 waiting in line for the ferry? Rrrraise your bets, tomorrow all will be revealed!
IS2015 Random - Day 3 & 4
Time for a bit of cooking!
Posted by The Dekatria Project on Saturday, August 15, 2015
