After four nights we left Copenhagen reluctantly this morning at about 11.30. Four nights is the longest we’ve stayed anywhere during this trip and there was just the one reason, we both loved Copenhagen. I almost wish we could have had a week there as we barely scratched the surface of what there is to do in the city. As our last full day was a Sunday, we didn’t go into the city but walked around some of the more local shops instead. Also, I was feeling the effects of the previous two days walking and one knee in particular was feeling very uncomfortable. Strange when you have a pain like that and you start to compensate for it. I ended up walking like I was bandy-legged because that was the only way I could walk without my left knee hurting! During our Sunday morning walk we passed through a housing estate which we both assumed was primarily for older people and we discussed whether or not we’d like to live somewhere like that. As we were talking we turned a corner and there was a large group of people mostly getting on in years but they had set a table and there was food and drink and judging by the laughter it sounded like they were having a great time. I couldn’t for one minute imagine that happening in the UK. It was so nice to see the community spirit and I imagine they probably do it every week. Brilliant!
We didn’t walk far and after looking around the local mall, which was signposted as sea front shopping we started back to the campsite. On the way back we wandered through a park where there was a small lake. Right on the edge of the lake was a heron which was watching the ducks so intently that he seemed oblivious to us and I photographed him from about 10 feet away. It was good to get so close as I didn’t have a big lens with me which I would normally have used for wildlife. I wonder what his interest was in the ducks? I know a heron will eat just about anything but a duck seems slightly on the large side to me.
So that was our last day in Copenhagen. After we got back from our walk we relaxed again for the evening which meant mostly sitting in total darkness with iPads and ignoring each other. We did sit outside before it went dark to do a video blog. Lynne does most of the talking whilst I sit and take the piss. That’s wrong really, as what I really do is correct her when she says or pronounces something wrong. Which in all honesty is every other word! We’d done a few of these vlogs and friends seemed to like them but I think this one went on for too long as we hadn’t done one for exactly one month. Another photo I thought I’d include is a scene we’ve noticed a lot. A mother on a bicycle with a child in a box at the front. Can you imagine this happening in Birmingham? or any other city in the UK for that matter. The thing in Copenhagen is, they are so well set up with cycle paths that they can cycle almost anywhere in total safety. We noticed the same kind of thing in Belgium too.
On Monday morning we didn’t leave till about 11.30 as we weren’t required to check out until midday. What’s the rush when we can have electricity and excellent WiFi for as long as we were there? We had a fairly straightforward drive out of Denmark into Germany, although as before the terrain was flat and boring. Once again the highlight was the Korsor to Nyborg bridge which cost us another £28.50. I was hoping there would be somewhere to stop on the way across but there was nowhere so I couldn’t get any photographs.
We drove to Flensburg in Germany and parked on a large car park I’d found online where it was ok to park overnight. As soon as we got there we walked into the town. It looked quite nice and we were looking forward to looking around but before we’d even been there ten minutes, it started to rain. And it poured down! We walked as far as the harbour, just enough to see what a nice place it was and then headed back to the van as I was already soaked. Lynne had the good sense to put on a waterproof jacket. Myself, in a fit of ridiculous optimism didn’t! Once back at the van I looked at the forecast and it wasn’t looking good for the following day either. We played cards which I won! Not smug at all! Then we went to bed. Lynne woke me up later worrying that a car had just pulled up outside. I couldn’t see anything at all but I understand her being nervous about sleeping on a car park not far from the town center. Needless to say though, that the night passed without a problem.
Next morning (Tuesday) we woke to the sound of rain. As predicted in yesterdays forecast it was raining and looked set for the day. We decided if it was going to be that kind of day, we may as well spend it travelling. We set off intending to drive all day and go to Amsterdam. The last time we were there, we didn’t like it one bit. So I’m even a little puzzled myself why we’ve decided to give it a second try. Lynne seems like she wants to try it again, maybe she’ll even give me some pocket-money for when we visit the red light district again! The drive was awful with driving rain (no pun intended) and strong winds. This was another one of those days when it was a fight to stay in a straight line. With the land all around being flat the only respite from the wind was when there were trees alongside the motorway. There were a few occasions when the wind hit us side on and seemed determined to take the steering wheel out of my hands. It was better when we got closer to Hamburg and hit lots of traffic. Like any big city the traffic slows down on the motorway by virtue of the sheer volume of traffic. This coupled with road works and broken down vehicles made getting past Hamburg very slow indeed and the whole time it was belting it down with rain! We plugged away though and we were almost as far as Bremen when I decided to take a break. It was then that I started looking at other places we could get to from where we were. The weather in Amsterdam is predicted to be nice on Friday and if we carried on now we would be there far too early so we changed course and headed south toward Hamelin. Yes, that’s Hamelin of Pied Piper fame. It still took almost three hours to get there but we found the motorhome parking area easily. Once there, we had to go and spend some money just to get change for the ticket machine. Just like the previous day in Flensburg, the town looks nice and we’re both looking forward to looking around there tomorrow. Lets hope for better luck with the weather.
Wandering Wildman 