Stockholm Copenhagen Flensberg Kiel

Saturday, June 08, 2013
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
After breakfast we headed for Central station. Down Sveavagen again - until we reached Kunsgaten, then turned right and walked on until we reached Vasagatan and turned left. There was some road/footpath work going on as we got close to the station, but we found it okay.

First of all we checked to see if we could get sleepers on the 'Borealis' from Copenhagen - if so we'd leave Stockholm earlier . But there weren't - so no lying down tonight! Being skinflints, we decided to go Second Class from Stockholm to Copenhagen as the reservation fee was only 130 SEK ($21.75) for both of us. The first class reservation fee was over double. Reservations were compulsory. We should have paid the extra - not that there was anything wrong with 2nd class; it was just more crowded with seats and people and not as easy to see the view. We didn't take any photos.

After leaving the booking office, we put the bags in a locker (cost 80 SEK, $13.39) and went walkabout until the train left at 12.21. So back to Gamla Stan over a different bridge and saw the Royal Palace from a different angle. This time we wandered through the inner streets until we reached the Jarntorgspumpen restaurant on Järntorget, then we turned right (the Kornhamnstorg/Munkbroleden area). Then back through the narrow streets again. Very interesting too. Saw Tyska kyrkan, sometimes called St. Gertrude's Church.

As I mentioned earlier, the train trip to Copenhagen was uninspiring . We changed trains at Lund for some reason - still got to Copenhagen at about 17.30. This train had a first class compartment which we shared with a couple of guys in their mid 20s. I think they'd had a few drinks as they were very talkative - gave me a great history lesson, which I've completely forgotten!

Bought something to eat at Copenhagen, on the platform, and it cost 34.95 DKK ($6.80) - just a pastry/cake each and some juice. The train to Flensburg (IC21943) was excellent. The wifi worked and we got some free food! I can't remember what it was now. The first class compartment wasn't too crowded and we talked a bit to the others. I remember one girl from New Zealand was on her laptop (something important) and couldn't get a plug to work - so we all swapped seats. We took a photo of Middelfart station - just because. Then we crossed the Little Belt, which is a strait between the Danish island of Funen and the Jutland Peninsula.   Everything was fine until we got to Tinglev and were told that the train wasn't going any further! We'd be taken to Flensburg by taxi . So we trudged down the stairs and through the underpass to the carpark.

Then the taxis started arriving - one was a mini bus - and there was a rush to them. We held back and got one of the last taxis (there were about 8) - so the Kiwi girl, us and a German girl got in and were then one of the first to leave. Sometimes it pays not to be pushy! Tinglev has a population of less than 3,000 and is about 25km, 30 minutes, by road from Flensburg. Our taxi driver was a mine of information. Apparently the taxis are a common occurrence - sometimes the train goes to Sonderborg and sometimes to Flensburg. He also had a few interesting stories about the border crossing from Denmark to Germany. A lot of people go on shopping trips to Germany because it is so much cheaper. (Denmark has a wide range of welfare benefits that they offer their citizens. As a result, they also have the highest taxes in the world. Equality is considered the most important value in Denmark. Small businesses thrive, with over 70 percent of companies having 50 employees or less .) There was a big hooha back in mid 2011 when Denmark was going to reintroduce border controls - and he showed us the markings on the roads.

We'd been told there would be someone at Flensburg to help us make our connections. But there weren't any rail workers in sight. It was just after 10pm on a Saturday night. Our Kiwi friend missed her train - even though we were actually at the station when it arrived. We left her trying to ring someone to come and pick her up - her friends would have to drive a long way, but there were no more trains til the next day. We decided to wait on the platform for our train, even though it was a bit cold! We got on our train okay - it was a Regional train (RB21943) - and we arrived at Kiel at about 40 minutes after midnight. Our next train (RB21045) was in the station, so we boarded and left for Hamburg at 1.21.



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Comments

anneandsteve
2014-06-11

That is the most hectic day of train travel I've ever shared. Seems like you and Bryan survived without a fight. I could pretty much guarantee Steve and I wouldn't have. I moved over to read 2013 blog. It's fascinating. You didn't make that public did you? I only ever saw the entries in the UK.

2025-02-16

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