I want to go home.

Therefore there is only one thing to do. Snatch the last kilometres of Germany as quickly as possible. The day's mantra was very easy: "Every kilometre you ride Friday, you are not going to ride Saturday. That is plain sailing;

Flintbek - Molfsee - Schierensee - Achterwehr - Bredenbek - Sehestedt.

Here there is a small break where the expedition is carried over the Nord Ostsee kanal. I am absolutely wild about these small sails. And then it is free of charge because it is a man-made obstacle.
Even if the ride is only for a few minutes, I enjoy it very much.

Haby - Wittensee.

I just found the time to admire lake Wittensee. Very beautiful area. But I had seen that they had made a mess of my map by putting on green paint, so I was prepared.

Osterby - Kosel - Missunde.

Another sail. But this time not free of charge. I had to pay a couple of Marks. I could afford it. I shared the ferry with a school class. They had also chosen to move by means of bicycles. "If this weather could continue for the rest of the day, it will be just fine", one of the teachers told a student.
I did not!

Brodersby - Scholderup - Tolk - Böklund - Havetoft - Freienwill - Tastrup - Flensburg.

Flensburg!
It's wonderful to return after a long trip, and now I was almost home. In Flensburg a lot of people speak Danish, and it is a portal to Denmark. To me Flensburg is a kind of home. Actually I lived and worked there from 1975 - 78, so I know the area very well.

My last stop in Germany was in a shop at the border, where I but something secret which added 1,5 kg to the weight of my load. It's a thing most Danes buy when they return from a holiday. You can also buy it to please those who stayed at home.
But I am not going to tell you what it is.
Ha.

And then….Welcome to Denmark. It's very strange to be back in Denmark after so many days on various European roads. Every bend of the road, every hill is well known. You know exactly what to expect. And the most extraditionary thing: People speak Danish.

But I still had one problem. How to get home Saturday. So I still had a lot of ground to cover. To be honest with you I would have liked to escape doing it, but that would have spoiled the fun. "Do you want me to pick you up at the border, SWMBO asked me. That's strange: You are offered something you desperately want. Accepting this offer would not harm anybody. But if you give in only once, that will be the end.
"I appreciate your kind offer, but no thanks. I plan on riding every meter on the bike". Period.

It is with deep regret, I must say, that I cannot tell about any thunder storms or natural phenomenons from this late afternoon. I almost happened to start writing about it. But in fact I had the last frantic shower just south of Flensburg, where I stood for a while in a tunnel under a road.
No more water-talk.
But then I can inform you about a strong head wind which was my faithful follower until I reached Vejle about 100 km from the border.

Åbenrå - Haderslev - Kolding.

Imagine I had to ask my way in Kolding! Embarrassing. But then I got the opportunity to find out, if I was still able to speak Danish. It was a hard ride. A very hard ride. But I still kept thinking that I was "stealing" the kilometres from Saturday.

Vejle.

Vejle provides you with a couple of waspish ascents in both ends of the city. It was a somewhat knackered bicycle rider, who this late afternoon prepared himself for the 7 % ascent towards Horsens. "Remember Silvretta", I said to myself when I after 218 km this very day stamped up, up and up. And if you have conquered Silvretta you should also be able to manage the Vejle hill.

I could not help feeling a little proud, when I finally reached the top after this big challenge. I made a small stop to enjoy the moment. I even started looking for people who might be interested in learning something about my way to the top of this mountain. But I only found a couple of lads with their eyes focused on infinity, and some small girls on their way to the gas station for candy, so I had to forget about that.

And then I had this wonderful tail wind. Dear me, how fast I was now able to ride. Nothing could go wrong now. It was a fact that I would be able to get home Saturday.
Great.
But then what? Should I camp before Horsens or after? It was getting late, it was after 9 p.m. so it was high time I started looking for a camp. I started adjusting my "wood eye", which can spot a suitable place for a camp at a very long distance. One thing was absolutely sure. I would not stay at Vejle camping.
These people would not lend me a chair last time I passed the place.
Ha.

Just before you get to Horsens there is a large growth of trees, but it is a built-up area along the high way, so I had a hard time finding a good place.

I almost got myself into deep trouble, when I passed a "Zimmer frei" sign. I had not planned on renting a room, so I had to turn my head and ride on.
7-8 km before Horsens I turned into the country side, where I after some time found a wood, I could use. It was not perfect. There were a lot of thistles, and it was too close to a road, but very soon it would grow dark, so I decided to stay.
It was nice to make the camp ready conscious of the fact, that it would be my last wild stay for a while. The following night I would have a soft bed with clean bed linen. A wonderful thought.

I must admit, that these last few days with all these kilometres had taxed my energy a great deal, and I was not quite at ease, when I decided to call it a day. From time to time I feel that I am not 50 anymore. An annoying headache had signed up for duty.
Not much to do about that.

Back to main page
Back to Czech-diary-main-page