Day 4: Thu 13 Jul: Copenhagen

Cycle: 22 km - Total so far: 63 km

Weather: sunny and cloudy, very windy; 13 to 19.5deg 

Awoke to sunshine this morning so that was a pleasant change. More exploring of this interesting city followed another good leisurely breakfast. 

While Mick and Kate went off to do a walking tour of the city the remaining four did some more cycling. First it was Our Saviour's Church at Christianshavn with its monster tower which we climbed. The same neighbourhood that we rode through, is home to a bunch of alternatives who look like dropouts from the 1970s. We then rode into the very crowded area around Nyhavn with its quant canals and old houses and a couple of million tourists. We couldn't get out quick enough. We found Amalienborg Palace but didn't see Princess Mary. It was then time for the coffee addicts to get their fix, which we did on the corner of the grounds of Rosenborg Castle and Kings Garden, in a tiny coffee shop which made the best coffee. After a wander around the grounds and lunch in the Botanical Gardens, Maree and Ken headed off on a shoe-buying mission while we made tracks for the hotel.  Watched the TDF, relaxed and sorted gear for the start of our cycling tour tomorrow. 

Dinner was a 1km walk to Le Perr Cafe, and was very nice.




Church of our Saviour and her Tower



Church Bell and working mechanism


The Church bell ringer's bed


Nyhaven in much better light


Amalienborg, the Queen's winter residence

Frederik's Church

Rosenborg Castle


Views from the top of the Church Tower


The 21st Century hippies - Christianhavn

Hans Christian Anderson's house



Lifejackets from the illegal immigrants stuck into recesses in the wall

Rosenborg Castle

Greg's dinner

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 45: Wed 23 Aug: Dubai to Singapore to Brisbane

Image
Start time: 1:30am (Dubai) Stop time: 12:30am (Brisbane) Weather: fine and hot (35deg) in Dubai Met up with Mick and Kate after walking off the plane and sadly said our goodbyes while walking to the transfer area. They had wisely decided to overnight in Dubai both ways to break up the long trip.  Took ages to get from where we disembarked in Dubai to the Emirates Lounge near our departure gate C15 (a new lounge for us). Had time for a bite to eat and something to drink and then off to our gate. Wendy and Greg boarded through the First Class line due to Wendy's FF Gold status. We were all loaded and ready to fly but the airport was very busy so we had to wait in a queue for about 20 minutes. The plane was absolutely chock-a-block full and as it was a fairly old 777-300, it was very tight and uncomfortable, made worse by a rough ride especially closer to Singapore and the tall chap who overflowed into Greg's seating area. The aircon was set either too hot or it couldn't...
Read more

The End: Reflections

We loved our tour in Scandinavia and the people we travelled with couldn't have been better. A big thank you to Mick, Kate, Ken and Maree. Greg always wanted to show Wendy where he'd toured years ago and have a look at some other places in the region so this is why were in Scandinavia. However, if you are considering doing a cycling tour in these countries here are a few pointers: 1. It is expensive, VERY EXPENSIVE, so do your sums carefully before you go. Greg was there in 2006 and didn't notice it that much; maybe because it was a "boys tour" and they weren't that fussy about where they stayed or ate. If you are camping and cooking your own meals, then it wouldn't be much more expensive than other parts of Europe. However, if you're staying in hotels and eating in restaurants be aware it will cost you. Examples, equivalent to in US$, hotels US$200 per night, glass of house wine US$10, main course at a normal restaurant US$26, cup of coffee US$5.  2...
Read more

Day 44: Tue 22 Aug 17: Copenhagen to Dubai

Image
Start time: 7am (Copenhagen) Stop time: 12 midnight (Dubai) Weather: some clouds and sun, 14 to 20deg (doesn't matter as we aren't riding)   We did not have to be at the airport till 12midday so no hurry with breakfast again this morning. Took us about an hour to clean (must be very clean for Oz Quarantine) and box the two bikes. We have a well drilled system and seeing we're using the same boxes and packaging it's dead easy. Greg has reinforced two QANTAS bike boxes and glued high impact foam inside to protect the vital "organs" of the bikes.  We then finished our packing in the room. This time we brought a small wheely suitcase each to make it easy to move around. Of course, all this only works if you fly in and out of the same airport and use the same hotel. Getting to the airport with a fairly large box each, in addition to a piece of luggage each can be problematic. Wendy asked the reception to book the same maxi cab (4 bike boxes, luggage and fou...
Read more