DANISH BIKE TRIP

             A Note From My Diary

Discussion with a granddaughter the other day brought this Denmark adventure to mind. The gal who was going to go with me chickened out close to departure time when she informed me she thought Denmark would be hilly. I didn’t agree with her and off I went. So let me quote my diary from the moment:

 The ferry ride was the easy part of the day. We had  nothing but hills all day, most of which forced me and everyone else to walk the last 1/3 to reach the top. At the top there was always a wonderful downhill ride but then another big hill loomed right up in your face. The hills were so steep you had to break nearly all the way down to avoid going 50 miles an hour. Often there was a curve at the bottom of the hill and one never knows what loose rocks, grit or other hazard, might be waiting on the road for a careless biker.

I’ve never had such an aerobic workout, as I huffed and puffed all day often gasping for what would seem to be my last breath! And I thought Denmark would be flat. Wrong!

At one of the rest stops I was muttering about my discontent when I was asked, “Aren’t you having a good time?”

“No, I’m not. Sweat is running into my eyes, my head is dripping wet, I’m so wet my clothes are clinging to me and I sure don’t need this cardiac workout. I’ve been in first gear all day, in fact for most of the trip so far.”

To make matters worse that day, after the rest stop we picked up a headwind. I’m thinking ‘and I paid  good money to torture myself like this.’

We stopped at a lovely beach for lunch. The area was called the Great Bend as it separated the Baltic Sea from the North Sea. The water was cool and the beach crowded. We observed many topless sunbathers. By then I was about ready to pack it in and ride in the van. One gal did ride the van for a day and a half. She developed severe stomach cramps, probably from dehydration. One of the fellows simply packed up and went home.

I approached our guide, “Be honest with me, is the whole trip going to be like this? Don’t give me any rhetoric! Just tell me the truth because I’ve about had enough.”

He replied, “The worst is just about over. There’s not too much left today and tomorrow will be better. You’re really a much better biker than you think you are. I’d like to see you continue on as I really think you can make it.”

The van driver also encouraged me to continue. They were right and I did end up peddling all the way. I remembered the year before when my #10 was always last. Well, this year #3 started in the middle of the pack and ended up in the middle every day, so I guess that was an improvement. This group were good bikers but not as fanatical or fast and competitive as the group last year in Austria,

After lunch the hills flattened out some and I could at least get into 2nd gear. The wind tempered the heat and made it feel a little cooler, tolerable anyway. It wasn’t too long before we hit a dirt path through a forest. It was very scenic and the tree cover cooled us down a bit more.

Coming out of the woods we rode past a gorgeous large castle. Along the ocean bike path the ocean breeze was behind us offering welcoming relief. It was a treat to bike on level ground!

At the very end of the day two huge steep hills had us all dismounting half way up for a walk to the top, but at the top of the second hill we had a nice long gentle downhill coast through the forest. Suddenly we were in Svendborg. Our hotel was in the center of the square, but it turned out to be quiet. After our bikes were secured our guide said, “It’s been a long hard day so I’m going to treat you to some Svendborg bitters.”

After that day the terrain was much friendlier, the trip was interesting and I was really glad I’d stuck it out to the end.

IRISH MEMORIES AND TRIVIA

                                    Fun Moments

            Between the walking and sightseeing in Dublin we stopped late one morning at Bewley’s Oriental Café for Irish coffee and a pastry. Bewley’s coffee and tea was founded by Quakers in 1842. Stain glass windows and marble top tables decorate the café on Grafton Street. The place was crowded, but we were lucky to find a small round table for two just as a couple was leaving. The pastries in Ireland were scrumptious and I really enjoyed too many of them.

            We learned and confirmed every day that main courses are served with vegetables that represent the colors of the Irish flag. The green might be peas, broccoli, beans; the orange often was carrots or turnips and the white may be potato, cauliflower. It’s a pretty neat concept.

There is a meandering path around the harbor to Kinsale that ends at the city. The Scilly (pronounced silly) trail is paved and weaves alongside homes overlooking the harbor. The homes on the hill were landscaped obscuring them from the path below. Our progress was interrupted often as we stopped to pick and eat wild blackberries. I estimate I ate about a cup of them before lunch. Yummy!

Temple Bar is a section of Dublin known for its traditional Irish food. In the area is a restaurant called the Bad Ass Café. I had to take a picture of the sign as no one would believe it existed. Although we did not eat there I understand the food was good.

At a bus stop I spotted a large sign in some city I presently can’t recall that  said Neuter Your Best Friend. Of course it meant a pet, but I turned to my buddy saying, “You’d better be good now or I’ll neuter you.”

A bar is a walkway along the River Liffey in Dublin.

            The unveiling of the Nelson pillar in 1868 in Dublin provoked serious sectarian riots in Belfast. The monument was destroyed in 1966 and replaced with the Millennium “needle” called The Spire, a 400-foot high abstract sculpture. Pointing skyward over the historic Irish capital like an enormous needle, the monument, built at a cost of a million Euros, is the focal point of rejuvenating the O’Connell Street district, Dublin’s traditional shopping and cultural hub. 

            It took 130 tons of hot rolled stainless steel to create the Spire, which tapers from a nine-foot base to 15 centimeters at the tip where a powerful light is housed. The competition to replace the Nelson monument was won by a London architectural firm.

In Ireland a park is a green. St. Stephen’s Green, occupying 27 acres, is an oasis in the city center. The oldest park in Dublin (1664) was once an open common for punishment. After a long period of decline it became a private park in 1814 and mid-century certain residents had keys to enter the park. In 1880 Lord Ardilaun, chairman of Guinness, bought all the keys and landscaped the area before giving it to the city. Among the meandering paths are a Victorian bandstand, flower gardens, formal lawns and ornamental lake with waterfowl, bridges and islands. Buildings surround the green heartland.  We were in and out of the lovely green several times. It is a great area for a bit of respite in the middle of a busy city.