Day 4_From Copenhagen to Skjoldenesholm

We saw: a baby deer and fox
We ate: a huge schnitzel with peas potatoes and salad at Koge Bugt Kro
We pedaled: 70 km west on route 6.Our average speed: 8 km/hr
We had bike accidents: 2 falls (Boris) and 1 flat tire (Vickie)
We slept: Skjoldenesholm Hotel

Today we woke up at 7:30. It was a cloudy and a very windy day. After breakfast we got our bikes ready to finally start our journey. Boris took charge of being the pilot, following his iphone GPS plus the maps we had bought for this trip. 13 km later, it was Boris turn to fall down due to the same reason that I did the day before: the damn fixed pedals. So now after all his laughs about my fall...we were even. It was nothing serious so we continue pedaling.

After leaving the industrial parts of Copenhagen, we followed the sea shore through beautiful villas. Around 1:00 pm, we took a detour from the sea coast to the interior of the Zealand region, where we saw a perfect place to have lunch called Koge Bugt Kro. (We had packed lunch, an apple and some bread with cheese) but we could not resist to the specialty of the house: Wiener schnitzel. It was a meal for a family of eight children. We were serve a tray of meat, a pot of peas, another one of potatoes and one more pot of French fries with 3 different gravies or sauces. Not to mention the huge plate of salad with watermelon, cucumber and fresh feta cheese. To hose all these food down, we use the help of 2-liter beers. What a way to start our trip dedicated to exercise and healthy eating!The owner of the restaurant, Siw, was fantastic. She suggested to change our plans and bike through the south of Fünnen Isalnd and recommended places to go. Boris mentioned that we had only pedaled 20 km from our total distance (70 km). It was 2:00 pm and so this meant that we would be at our final destination around 7:00 pm. I could not believe this, I felt like we had pedaled at least 50 km, (since we had been riding for 3 hours already). This was almost at 8 km/hour??? Walking on the would t a have been the same. What a shame, but the weight of the panniers combined with wind was making everything go much more slow and difficult.
After lunch, the worse was yet waiting for me (not for Boris): the cliffs. We chose Denmark for being FLAT. What happen to that? The following 50 km were hills up, hills down, hills up, hills up, hills up....is I sum them altogether we were climbing the Everest (with the 4 panniers and the damn wind), not too mention Boris calling me all sorts of things from his bike. "We are now at 6km/hour, we have only achieved 1% of our journey, go faster..." My goodness! I thought I was going to die on the first day
So in every cliff, I got down of the bike and pushed it. That was my solution.

The road was beautiful, we ran into horses, beautiful houses, gorgeous Danish landscapes but every time I saw a new cliff, all this beauty was ruined.
Towards the end, we had to go through the forest, what a nice spot, but just as we were coming out, I GOT A FLAT TIRE. Can you believe this? But once again, Boris, as if he did this for a living, change my tube in less than 5 minutes. Amazing.

Then we had only 5km left to Skjoldenesholm. I knew we were getting closer to our hotel, a beautiful castle Boris found in the web. I pedaled as if I were going to win the Tour de France prize and left Boris behind through the last cliff as that yellow castle appeared in the woods.

We were there. The place was just beautiful. A true castle with a lake and a the old stable. Susan, the woman in charged was waiting for us and had prepared for us the guest house. A small separate house just for us. It was perfect. All of a sudden the pain of pedaling was gone. She took us to the kitchen, served us some cheeses and bread with a couple of beers and we went to bed!


VIKA