In Scandinavia - Denmark

ORESUND - COPEHAGA - HELSINGOR - SORO

ROUTE 200 km

Copenhagen is a city of bicycles, there are here and, as we shall see, in Denmark, probably millions. Wherever you look, there are two circles. There are even separate lanes for them. Traveling around the city on two wheels is certainly easier than on four wheels. Wherever you look, bikes to the right, left or in front of you everywhere. Not surprisingly, many streets are pedestrianized.

On the other hand, traveling by car in a traffic jam also has its advantages. When it comes to parking your car in the city center, it is practically impossible. On the other hand, a jammed city allows you to freely take photos under the guise of standing in a traffic jam.

We moved around Copenhagen by feeling and based only on the map (Denmark was only supposed to be a transit country), but nevertheless we were delighted. However, it takes a lot, a lot of time to visit the city, because there is really something to admire, for example, the Rosklide cathedral with the tombs of the kings, the Frederick church, which was built to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the royal dynasty.

Christianshavn on the island of Amager, crossed by canals and streets arranged in a regular pattern, called little Amsterdam, or Norrebro, a place with an atmosphere, cafes and pubs. Christiansborg, the seat of the Danish government, Parliament, the Supreme Court, which also houses the representative royal chambers. Two Amalienborg Palaces - on the square in front of Frederick's Church, where the royal family lives and Rosenborg, former suburban residence of the kings of Denmark.

Radhuset Town Hall, Kastellet Citadel, Round Towers, Mermaid, museums and many other beautiful buildings and places. If you want, you can also explore the city from the deck of a cruise ship.

Along the coast we head to Helsingor - the twin city of the Swedish city of Helsingborg, which is located on the other side of the canal. The route is over the water, but somehow it is so flat only the sea is visible. Ferries to Sweden depart from Helsingor.

We're trying to find a place to stay. We drive up to a camping site, but without a camping card, they don't want to register us anywhere - I omit the astronomical prices - it was much cheaper in expensive Norway. After driving around the northern part of the island and a few attempts, discouraged, we spend the night on the highway.

We start the day by visiting the small town of Soro. We like such small, quiet places - completely different from yesterday's bustling big cities.

A similar city is Slagelse, for which we say goodbye to Zealand by going to the next bridge over the Great Belt (payable). This time typical northern weather - mostly clouds.

We go down the bridge and get to the picturesque town of Nyborg.

In Odense - one of the oldest Danish cities, we check the alertness of speed cameras. There are special speed meters on the bicycle paths, as there is a limit of 25 km / h here. And the bikes are weird here.

iddelfart - this is where we discovered the clocks. Yes, parking clocks. In many smaller and larger towns there are car parks with a limited parking time, e.g. 15 minutes - 2 hours. Parking is free, but it is not allowed to exceed this time. We parked in front of one of the supermarket stores. Yes, it wrote that the maximum parking time was 2 hours. ok, we have time to explore - we will manage to make a small town.

We walk around the center and at some point we notice watches behind the car windows. A moment of consternation and a sprint to the supermarket. And there, by our car, someone is wearing uniform. Well that's great… .. here we come. You don't speak English, we don't speak Danish. Fortunately, it ended with a clock gift, where the gentleman explained to us what was going on in a sign, and it could not be funny.

On our route, now Horsens - a university town - we quickly pass and towards Odder, where we follow a picturesque route.

Along the way, thatched houses, walk to one of the highest hills in the area, from which you can even see the sea. At the height of the Odder in Saksild, we stay overnight at a campground.

After staying overnight at the campground, where we got a guide to Danish campsites, we go to Aarhus, the cultural capital of Denmark (around 40,000 people study in this city with a population of 300,000).

It would seem that in such a big city we will not find the atmosphere, but still. The main promenade of the city leading to the market square and the cathedral is filled with cafes and pubs. The promenade also crosses the canal on which boats sail and the city's layout is a bit like Copenhagen.

In Aarhus there is the church of St. Clement - the longest and tallest in Denmark. The church inside looks austere, but when you look more closely, you will see many interesting paintings, bas-reliefs, frescoes and other decorations. Klemens is the patron saint of sailors, so there will be plenty of such elements here.

Via Herning we reach the west coast and head south along a narrow causeway. The beaches here are wide and sandy, surrounded by grass dunes.

In the evening we say goodbye to the Danish coast, and we reach the area of Haderslev for the night. There is still Germany ahead of us and we will be back on our home soil