It's always the same at the end of one of our trips: when we start out, the end seems a long time in the future, and we are just focused on each day as it comes. As we near the end, everybody starts saying things like: wow, only 5 more days; wow, only 3 more days, then all of a sudden (or so it seems) we are at our final hotel, drinking champagne and boxing up our bikes for the trip home. Then there is the final celebratory dinner, with lots of toasts, speeches, and exchanges of information, as we extend invitations for visits, and wish our new and old friends safe travels home. We have been fortunate on this trip to see our good friend Yvonne, who we met on our first TDA trip and have ridden with several times since, as well as friends Juergen and Brigitta, who we most recently rode with in Japan last summer. It's nice to have friends in far away places! And I'm sure in the future we will see people we've met on this trip.
We had a nice rest day in Hamburg, including dinner with TDA friends Juergen and Brigitta, who live near Hamburg. They came to our hotel and we took the train to near the beautiful opera house, the Elbphilharmonie, where we then walked along the river promenade to the opera house itself. The opera house was built on an existing brick warehouse, but of course the foundation had to be strengthened. The estimated cost forconstruction was 80 million euros, but it ended up costing 800 million euros! However, we were told that nobody complains about the cost now that it is done, as everybody is very proud of the building.
Our friends had made reservations at the lovely restaurant in the opera house, and we had an elegant and delicious meal! It was a lovely evening, and it was so nice to see our friends.
We had an interesting 3 days from Hamburg to Copenhagen, although a little long, at 70, 60, and 80 miles. Fortunately, it was all nice riding: some cross winds, but also tail winds, much nicer cycle paths, a short ferry ride, and a problem that turned into a big adventure. Once we left Hamburg, the paths became much wider and smoother, thankfully, and we continued riding through lovely, a little bit more rolling, German farm land. We had an overnight in the small town of Lutjenburg, then the next day we were supposed to have a big bridge crossing, followed by a 45-minute ferry ride into Denmark. However, the pedestrian/cycle level of the bridge (underneath the traffic span) was closed because of road work on the traffic lanes. So, there was a shuttle bus with a trailer for cycles and pedestrians which ran every 1 1/2 hours, and carried up to 16 bikes.
The problem occurred because everybody started arriving shortly after a bus had left, another wasn't expected for 1.5 hours, and there were 28 of us, plus some locals! However, when the bus arrived, the driver was Hungarian (as is our tour leader, Gergo) so they had a conversation, and the driver broke probably every safety rule in existence and got all of us, our bikes, and 5 locals loaded onto the bus and bike trailer! Quite the experience, and we laughed about the story he had to tell when he got home! The other driver was German, and he said that driver would not have been cooperative at all.
After the ferry that day, where we crossed from Germany into Denmark, we had a gorgeous ride through flat Danish countryside, amazing marked bike lanes, and a very long (10 miles or so) stretch on a smooth dirt path through farm fields and woods. At times it deteriorated into a narrow single track, but fortunately that was only for short distances. We had in overnight in another small village, the lovely Sakskobing.
Our final day into Copenhagen was long, but fortunately we had some tail winds, as well as cross winds, of course. Copenhagen is a city of 1.2 million, yet the route into the city and to our hotel was amazing: almost all on a pretty route through park land, well used by locals.
It rained all day our first day, so we mostly just rested! Today we've done a little sightseeing, and tomorrow we head home! We're ready to be back in Tucson, in our own little house, and our own bed! Thanks very much for following along with us!
Patti
2024-07-01
Great photos. Beautiful flowers. Thanks for sharing.
Drex
2024-07-01
Greg & Eve- Wow! What a sensational adventure with such good people- everyone is broadly smiling on the bus. That all sounds so good, & the countryside & villages look great. Have a nice journey back to the desert.
Muriel
2024-07-02
Glad youve enjoyed your trip..well done. Yes it's great to go away but always so good to get home.....enjoy your sleep in your own bed.😁
frank mcfee
2024-07-17
We have friends in Hamburg. My wife Reba visited with them for 3 weeks a few years ago. We enjoy the photos and Eve you are a wonderful writer.