26 June: Last full day in Copenhagen (32 miles; 121)

John and Stuart arrived yesterday, so today is reserved for local sightseeing before departing Saturday morning for Stockholm. 

Pair of Geese and pair of goslings in the canal

Kanal Street Buildings

Kanal Street Building weather vane

Odd church. The interior included numbered box pews, three tiers of boxes on three walls, and no open pews. One explanation was that the closed pews (doors) were for warmth, designed to reduce drafts in a difficult-to-heat church.

Interior of a family "box."

Anders Kristoffersen, our Shipley Nordic bike guide. Thanks, Anders. Anders repeatedly demonstrated a bike stand, something I have never been able to learn. 

The Little Mermaid

The Pondering Man. An Icelandic artist was selected to display multiple sculptures in Copenhagen Parks for the summer of 2015, a variant of the horses, cows, and bison seen in some U.S. cities.

Barracks near the fort

Graduates and Dog of the Day. A Danish tradition, high school graduates wear these hats for a week and party. Small groups rent a truck and visit each parents home for a toast and snacks. Most parents hope that they are early in the route before their son or daughter is unrecognizably inebriated.

The small palace, Rosenborg Castle (Danish: Rosenborg Slot) is a renaissance castle located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been expanded several times, finally evolving into its present condition by the year 1624. Architects Bertel Lange and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger are associated with the structural planning of the castle.

Traditional Danish Bakery Sign. Anders corrected me, It's not a pretzel. Rather the shape of a traditional Danish pastry.

Typical Utility Bike. Danes of every age ride many types of utility bikes for work, deliveries, shopping, and transporting multiple children and pets. 

Kevin, just for you!

Dog of the Day #2. Couldn't resist the combination of the utility bike and puppy.

Stuart, Lotte, Ivan, and John. Wonderful dinner hosted by Lotte and Ivan on their boat. Lotte was a friend of Stuart's from a Spanish language school that they both attended. Despite Ivan's unending wine cellar, no one fell in getting off the boat, docked at the edge of the Chrisiana District. A most memorable night. 

25 June: Exploring the Copenhagen area (50 miles; 89)

Having read about the bike bahn, a bike path with timed lights and time-to-the-next-light signs, I tried to find it. I never did, but Copenhagen bike paths are truly amazing. I rode west of Copenhagen on a bike path paralleling Hwy 152 towards Roskildeve. The path wound about, I finally found a trail well clear of the main road, and then followed some seniors onto a packed dirt road through grasslands. I returned by following Centrum signs. I would like to return for a potential tour to the area west and north of Copenhagen.

Thatched Roof Cottage. Unlike in the UK, they place old timbers on the ridge line. Note the Beware of dog sign in the 1st photo.

Dog of the Day. This wire haired terrier was foraging for food around the Dansk Modish Museum; clearly food motivated, he had little interest in humans except as a potential food source.

I returned to my room, then went out for a sandwich,  exploring south and the west to the strand. 

Strand. Looking south, the Malmo Bridge is in the distance. The view north is towards the power plant, opera house, and windmills.

More efficient than a water ski boat. An overhead tow line pulls water skiers in loops over jumps. No need for a boat.

The following photos are from Castle Island, the site of the royal palace complex.

Housed in a portion of the national library.

Palace Tower

Door

Door Detail

John and Stuart joined me today, so we toured Chritiana before having dinner. While multiple signs request No Photos Please, the houses are home-built and unique. The following 5 photos are typical.

5 Christina Structures

The sort of sign anticipated in the American West rather than in a Copenhagen restaurant men's room.

24 June: Shipley Nordic (7 miles; 39)

      Largely a non-riding day, Frederik Lam picked me up at 10 am, and I spent the day with Frederik, Soren Lam, and their superb group of Shipley Nordic consultants. Catered lunch comprised traditional Danish, open-faced sandwiches. Frederik made reservations for dinner at restaurant A.O.C. in central Copenhagen (Dronningens Tværgade 2, 1302 København), http://restaurantaoc.dk/. I relished a wonderfull evening with the Lam extended family: (left-to-right) Frederik, Anne Marie, Leena, Soren, and Larry. Per Frederik's recommendation, we all enjoyed the multiple-appetizer and 9-course tasting menu at this Michelin 2-star restaurant. No food photos—I tried to show some restraint.

Frederik, Anne Marie, Lenna, Soren, me. Near the end of a wonderful dinner and we are all more alert than the folks at Christiania. Frederik noted that the easiest and fastest way to travel anywhere in Copenhagen is by bike, so I biked from my hotel to A.O.C. and back. The return was more challenging.

Dog of the Day

My total distance today was 7 miles. It would have been longer, but I wasn't that lost—most of the time. I am starting to get a feel for Copenhagen.

23 June: Arrive in Copenhagen (32 miles; 32)

Glamorous Air Travel

Once upon a time air travel was glamorous. Now, arriving on the planned day is a triumph. I retrieved my luggage in Copenhagen's Kastrop Airport at 1 pm, assembled the bike and trailer in sunshine outside the terminal, and biked to my hotel by 2 pm. The hotel check-in took nearly as long as the  ride from Kastrop Airport.

Temper Ardens seemed to be associated with or funded by the Carlsberg Brewery family. These gardens, 2 blocks block from my hotel, feature an excellent thinker figure. My pose is similar, staring at a map, trying to link Danish street names with street signage.

Dog of the Day. Nice safety harness, nice fringe or feathers, waiting patiently outside a Christiansholm Island bakery. 

Freetown Christiania is a unique neighborhood well worth a visit regardless of your mores. The two most noticeable aspects are the No Photos Please signs and the probability of a contact high if one lingers. Lots of baked citizens and merchants sporting black masks. Either all 850 residents were present or some had many friends. Wikipedia explains.

Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania) is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (84 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Civic authorities in Copenhagen regard Christiania as a large commune, but the area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989, which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state. It was closed by residents in April 2011, whilst discussions continued with the Danish government as to its future, but is now open again.^[1]

Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. Since then, measures for normalising the legal status of the community have led to conflicts, police raids and negotiations which are ongoing.

Among many Christiania residents, the community is known as "staden" ("the town"), short for "fristaden" ("the freetown").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

NOT where they made fabric for suckers. Rather, this was a sugar factory on the edge of the Christianshavn District. So, the district is still focused on agricultural product, merely shifting from sugar beets to weed. Swedish free enterprise!

Some of the old remains. Timber frame construction reminds me of similar timber-frame buildings in the Netherlands, UK, and Germany. 

Mid-Summer's Eve. On 23 June, the Danes gather for traditional music, picnic, and then light bonfires. My friend Frederik sent me to Frederiksberg Park, just one of the many local celebrations. http://oplev.frederiksberg.dk/nyheder/sankt-hans-i-frederiksberg-have

Will She Burn? Thousands eagerly await—now that public hangings are no longer acceptable.

Note the Carefully Positioned Broom. A nation of artists, the Frederiksberg's park employees went all out.

Frederik's Palace (Witch's view from the reflecting pond at the base of the hill). Tradition—Richest man builds the biggest house, on biggest lot, on the tallest hill.

View from the Palace. 

Traditional Sing-a-Long. Likely the largest crowd ever for this local choir. Blonds, brunettes, but no gingers—that's reserved for the witch.

I'm starting to understand the local bike rules, etiquette, street layout, and signals. But lacking mounted bike lights, I left at 10 pm, an hour before the scheduled lighting. At this time of year, sunset is 10 pm, reasonably dark at 11 pm, and sunrise a bit after 4 am.

Leaving on a Jet Plane . . .

The concept for this trip evolved from a 2014 trip in Spain and Portugal:

http://lnewmanmadridtolisbon.blogspot.com

Having completed the Spain-Portugal trip in October, John proposed we consider a 2015 trip. Both John and Stuart like to add to their countries-visited tally, and John observed: "It's nice to be able to converse with the locals." Hence, the Nordic countries, plus Copenhagen and Stockholm have good air links. I've always been intrigued by the Baltic states, and even more so with Mr. Putin drawing global attention to the region. John then posed: "Why not add Finland?" and we discovered Aland Island, Swedish-speaking Finnish territory. 

So, here's the plan:

• Start in Copenhagen
• Bike to Stockholm
• Take a ferry to Aland Island
• Overnight ferry to Tallinn, Estonia
• Bike to Riga, Latvia
• Return from Riga to the USA via Copenhagen

Our general approach is to book lodging at arrival and departure points, book other lodging as we find it, and use trains to meet booked travel connections on ferries or planes. 

Bike and Luggage. The bike is in the case. On arrival, I remove and assemble the bike, convert the gray case to a towable trailer, and the red duffel/backpack bag rides in the trailer. Given the 50# weight maximum, the challenge is to use an approximate bath scale to remain within weight limits by transferring items between bags and avoid placing TSA-banned items in the carry-on.

My Tour Companions 

John K: Banker, ret. GPS operator, Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin

Dan W: John's son-in-law, MD with a house pass, and approximately 25-30 years younger, La Cross, Wisconsin

Stuart B: Logistician, ret. Westminster, Maryland

Larry N: Consultant, 50% ret. as of July 1 on my gradual-fade plan, Bozeman, Montana

GPS

I bought a Garmin Edge Touring GPS in January, hoping to become a marginally competent user before our tour. Apparently, not to be. Bad news: Something was defective, so after much struggle, Garmin agreed to replace it on Tuesday of last week. I returned my unit the following day via USPS. Garmin notified me that they had received my return this morning. Garmin's replacement, shipped via DHL and USPS will arrive Tuesday (perhaps), so no GPS for me. Good news: Garmin's service support is based in the US (KS) and over 5 calls, they answered 4 immediately; only one required a 10-minute wait. All agents were courteous, and Meagan was particularly kind this morning. So, we will rely on maps, iPhones, John's Garmin, and locals. 

If you're not lost at least one per day, then you're not trying.

Outbound

We booked flights in January. Even 6 months in advance, frequent flyer seats were not available. Collecting miles is mostly a fool's ploy, as seats are seldom available and every airline, including Delta, repeatedly devalues miles by increasing ticket requirements and reducing available seats. So I purchased my ticket.

Delta sent a 6 am text that my outbound flight is delayed, eliminating the Minneapolis-Amsterdam connection. Then, the iPhone flight app is "down." The standard flight number is entirely computer voice activated and proved useless. Automated phone hell. Fortunately, Delta also has a Medallion desk with live agents that are prompt, courteous, and helpful. With well over 2 million lifetime miles on Delta, coping with this type of change is typical, and I should arrive the same day as planned, just 4 hours later. No worries, as my plan is to visit with colleagues in our Shipley Nordic office before the others arrive. 

Dog of the Day

Eli. 9.5 year old Standard Poodle, one-half of an Intermountain Therapy Animals team, with 5-years experience as a Longfellow School, Bozeman, MT,  R.E.A.D. dog.

http://www.therapyanimals.org/R.E.A.D.html