July 2002
The bike is not only the first choice of transport of the Danish, but also a chosen vehicle for sport, too. Families with their several children ride between campgrounds on their bikes hauiling all of their gear and food, often in heavy trailers. Their daily mileage may be 30 kilomters (18+ miles) and everyone seems to be having a wonderful time. At the end of the day, the kids have extra energy to play on the myriad of equipment and join the games designed for their entertainment. We continued to marvel at this form of family vacationing and would encourage any family who wanted this type experience to try Denmark! Note: Camping in Denmark is more expensive than any we have encountered to date. Nightly fees are charged per person and easily ran $8 - $10 per person. Included in that price are cooking stoves in a kitchen area, and often extra payment is required for hot water, both showers and cleaning (clothes and dishes).
The Danish people are lovely: beautiful, curious, kind, respectful, and open. Most speak English, taking language in school from age 10 for at least 6 years. Therefore, communication is not a problem. During a downpour, we stayed in a B & B in Nyborg. We spent a special afternoon and morning with a generous and helpful couple, sharing food and talk while admiring their delightful flower garden and their two cats.
The sea plays a huge part in the Danish culture, even though we were more afftected by the agriculture since we were riding through it almost all the time. Roskilde has a most informative Viking Ship museum that held our interest for several hours. We avoided most the the tourist stops such as Anderson's house, but did see one of the outstanding open-air museums in Odense. The open-air museums bring together a number of old buildings that serve to explain the cultrue and the history of the country. One thing we found surpsing were the number of Dolmites and other pre-historic rock configurations. They littered the land and some were marked on the bike routes so we would know where to view them. I n a field of wheat, theree would be an outcropping of rock, surrounded by mowed grass with these ancient stones.
We particulary enjoyed meeting artists in their studios and galleris and we actively sought them out. The island of Langeland was the home of several excellent artists which made it much more special to us, plus the outdoor scupture park of TRANIN in Tranekaer.
The bike maps can be purchased in Denmark. Some can be found in English, which would have been helpful for us. However, the maps are very detailed and you can make your own routes simply. Check with bike shops and tourist information centers to get them. Allow room in your panniers: they are heavy! Good bike shops are found in the larger communties. A list of all the campgrounds and B&B's in Denmark is accessable on the internet.
