My dear friends, it is time to hit the road again, for the sixth year running!
Summer is (hopefully) upon us and we are chasing the sun way up north, where it never sets!
You have guessed it, we are going to explore Scandinavia this year! Last summer we went as far east as we will (probably) ever get, now we are headed north: Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are on the menu.
After a good clean, inside and out, both rather necessary, and with a brand new battery to boost, we went on our way on the 19th of May with roughly 12 weeks of travel time up our sleeves.
We crossed the border into Denmark near Flensburg the following day, after some 900 uneventful kilometers.
From there we headed into Odense on the island Fünen. It is hard to imagine that this city is the 3rd largest in the country with 185.000 inhabitants.
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| This is not what I had in mind when I said "summer"! |
It´s claim to fame is the St. Knuds Kirke, where the remains of King Canute IV of Denmark, generally considered to be the last Viking king, are kept in a shrine.
And of course it is the birth place of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark´s most famous poet and author.
There is probably not a child, at least in Europe, that hasn´t been read some of his fairy tales:
"The Emperors new clothes", "The little mermaid", "The princess and the pea", to name just a few.
In more modern terms, it is internationally recognized as a leading robotics city due to a cluster of robot producing companies.
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| St. Knuds Kirke |
St. Knud, presumably
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| Wooden altar by famous wood carver Claus Berg from Lübeck, 1521 |
There are two monumental bridges in Denmark, the Storebaeltsbroen and the Öresundsbron.
We crossed the first of the two the next day.
With a total length of more than 13km, it is quite impressive.
It was opened in 1998 after 10 years of construction, costing around 3,8 Mrd. Euro!
The bridge connects the islands Fünen and Sjaelland, which is home to the capital city Copenhagen.
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| Quick stop in Roskilde along the way |
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| A Viking ship work shop |
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| Roskilde Cathedral |
There are many of these "Giants" hidden in the greater Copenhagen area
We arrived in Copenhagen under leaden skies with a touch of drizzle.
I was parked some 5km outside the city and my human utilized the bike to get into the center.
Copenhagen has a population of 1,4 million people in the urban area, 670.000 in the municipality. Rather small, when it comes to capital cities.
What´s big though is the number of kilometers of bicycle lanes - almost 400km of them! And not just flimsy narrow lanes - no, we are talking bike highways! No wonder bicycles outnumber cars here!
Settled as a Viking fishing village in the 10th century, Copenhagen became the capital in the early 15th century and center of the Danish slave trade in the 18th century.
Nowadays it´s a thriving and multi-faceted city with lots of universities, a busy harbor and around 4 million visitors each year.
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| Castle Rosenborg |
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| Dowager Queen Caroline Amalie |
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| This square is called Kongens Nytorv; it is the largest square in Copenhagen |
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| This is Nyhavn, you will have seen photos of this canal someplace or other before |
It won´t come as a surprise that the Scandinavian countries are a bit more adventurous when it comes to architecture. There are a few good examples here in Copenhagen along the endless canals and waterways.
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| A tribute to H.C. Anderson |
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| The Round Tower, one of Denmark´s most iconic landmarks |
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| Copenhagen Cathedral |
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| The city hall |
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| Tivoli Gardens; right in the city you can find the second oldest amusement park in the world! |
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| Brygge Harbor Bath, one of 13 public swimming pools in the canals |
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| Church of our Saviour; most famous for it´s spiral staircase around the tower (currently under construction) |
Copenhagen made number 20 in the list of the most expensive cities to live in 2025.
Which is easily verified. Walk along any street, look into any shop or restaurant window and try to find a bargain.
A small take away coffee will cost you easily 6€, something sweet to go with it - about the same.
One smorgasbord (just one piece of bread, not the whole bord), halfway decently decked out - 10€-15€!
A bottle of water at a 7/11: 5€!
I sincerely hope the wages of the citizens reflect the cost of living!
There is doubt, but let´s see if Malmö is somewhat more affordable - off to Sweden!
Across the second big bridge, the Öresundsbron, just as impressive, and into the second country of this trip.
We found a great place for me to spend the day, right by the ocean, only separated by 100m of grass.
My human took off straight away to check out town.
And since Malmö has even more bike lane kilometers to offer, over 500km, it was a pleasant ride into and around this quaint little city.
It is the 3rd largest city in the country with 300.000 inhabitants and main settlement of the region Skane.
I ever you read a book of a Scandinavian author of crime fiction, this name will ring a bell.
The largest landmark can be seen from the bridge already, the Turning Torso.
It is 190m high and has 54 floors, making it the second highest building in Scandinavia and the fourth highest apartment building in Europe.
Back home this would be a half empty office building!
The city is littered with small and large parks, all having something going on this beautiful spring day.
A huge sports event, a music festival here, a theater performance there, a protest - something for everyone!
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| Stappelpäddsparken, a 3000m² skate park |
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| Folkets Park |
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| Slottsparken |
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| Museum island Slottsholmen |
Like we have seen in Denmark, there is a lot of fancy architecture around and just as many pretty old red brick buildings.
The city seemed to be rather empty, considering it was a Saturday afternoon. But maybe they were all out by the sea side on this very pleasant day.
And in case you are wondering: yes, the price niveau is somewhat more civil here than in Copenhagen!
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