The first major accomplishment of the trip.

In 1996, I spent the summer with the Nastrom's in Germany and I was able to visit Denmark and spend a couple days in Copenhagen.  So for me, biking through Germany and Denmark was not as much of a thrill as getting to Sweden would be.  As we stood at the port before getting on our ferry the sense of accomplishment had begun to set in.  We had covered over 800km in eight days of biking and we were about to begin a long stretch of road that was completely new to both of us.

Just before catching the ferry to Sweden.

Our next destination would be Bovallstrand, Sweden and as we arrived in Helsingborg, Sweden, it was important to deal with some of our logistical issues before heading north.  It would be a long stretch between Helsingborg and Bovallstrand and we are not too sure what to expect.  We wrote emails, bought groceries and charged our phones in preparation for the unknown.  However, being in Sweden allowed us to have a campfire for the first time on the trip so far.  So, we would be eating well from here on out.

Helsingborg, Sweden

Sweden

Nothing better than a good tailwind.

The ferry from Germany to Denmark would take about 45 minutes, and once there we would find a hard-blowing tailwind which would push us through the Denmark countryside with ease. Denmark is a very flat country and with the wind we were able to complete well over 100km a day.  The only problem we were facing was with our tires.  We were replacing tubes constantly.  Considering our bikes are so heavy, we had to be careful not to over inflate them and by this point we had replaced five tubes.

Along our way through Denmark we talked with several fellow bikers who we would ask advice from, things to see/avoid, directions, etc.  While everyone suggested Copenhagen, we learned early on that trying to navigate through major cities wastes a lot of time and is difficult because we are unable to leave our bikes on the street on the fear that something would be stolen. And being our goal was to get through Denmark as quickly as possible we decided to skip going to Copenhagen and ride through Roskilde and Helsingor instead.

As we wait out a hard storm we were served this.  Pure rocket fuel. 

Denmark

Fishing with the boys in Neumünster

After arriving in Neumünster, we met Captain Dan and his neighbor, Hans.  Hans suggested that we join him and his friend Uwe on a camping/fishing trip the following morning and being that we brought our fishing rods with us on our bikes, we decided to take them up on the little adventure.

Though the fishing was not very good, it sure was a great time.  A big thanks to Dan and Hans!!

When we arrived back to Dan's apartment we packed up and headed towards Puttgarden on Fehmarn island where we would catch the ferry to Denmark.  We camped one day in near Oldenburg before making our way to Puttgarden.

Finished with Hamburg, we are off to Neumünster.

After spending a day and half here in Hamburg with Christof (The Dutchman) Van Werde, we are off for Neumünster.

We started our trip on Sunday at 6:30pm and made our way to Osnabrück before facing our first problem of the trip.  We had traveled about 60 km when Brad turned too sharply trying to ride up a curb sideways from the street onto the sidewalk and the heavy rear wheel slid from underneath him, bending the rear wheel and sending him to the ground.  So, with that, Brad wins the coveted "first digger of the trip" award.  That would finish our trip for the day.  The next morning we got the bike fixed (new rim, tube and tire) and carried on.  We would ride 80 km and stop in Wildeshausen to camp for the night.

The mysterious sascquatch lurks.

All packed up.

We would begin again and head for Bremen, but only 5 km into the trip Brad blew a tire.  We quickly fixed it roadside and carried on.  From that moment on it was smooth sailing.  We had a nice tailwind that pushed us through the countryside at an easy +20km/hr pace.  We decided to push on and arrive late in Hamburg to visit "The Dutchman".  We were satisfied with our 125 km day and decided to take a day off.

Now it´s time to pack up and head on our way to Neumünster.  We have a friend, "Captian Dan", who has a place for us to stay.   This will be our last contact with people we know until we meet a friend in Sweden, probably around the 20th of July.

From Neumünster, we will ride to Fehmam island where we will take a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Denmark.  Once there, we will ride to Copenhagen and on to Gothenburg, Sweden.

So Brad and I have been planning this trip for about two months now and it's finally here.  We have packed up our bikes and are going to spend the next 5 weeks trekking through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all the while camping and fishing.

Updates and pictures to follow.

And now that work is finished...

The adventure begins!!!

Mixed emotions

Today marks the final day at the BWZ.  It has been six months and a blast from start to finish, but it had to come to an end sometime.  I am so glad I decided to stay in Münster last fall and teach at the BWZ.  With this last course, I taught just short of 200 students since January and loved 'nearly' every minute of it.  I would gladly do it again.

I had mixed emotions leaving today because it was such an enjoyable job and this last class was just excellent. I will never forget these six months, and hopefully I am able to teach there again.

Pictured from left is Me, Albrecht, St. Patrick, Melli, Sarah, Thomas the Legend, (Middle row) Anna, Tina, Florian, Melly, Stefan, and Kory (with whom I shared the class).