Twenty-five: Flemsburg to Esbjurg

July 5, 2013

I was originally for heading to Odense, but then though at the last minute, I may as well make for Esbjerg. It's on the North Sea circuit after all.

I set off at seven. It was only two kilometres to the border where I passed a big duty free shop. Then there was no cycle-path alongside the first sixteen kilometres to Tingvel, but the traffic was light. And I could see straightaway, that the direct road to Esbjerg would be more or less the road I'd be on the whole way. There would be no wrong turns today and I estimated I'd get there early, at three in the afternoon.

After forty-seven kilometres of riding flat out, I was looking forward to reaching Logumkloster and a morning coffee. But on passing the name-board for the town I was just at a cross with a petrol-station and a few other buildings. It was nineteen kilometre to the next place, Skearbeek. I couldn't face the thought of another five kilometres without coffee never mind nineteen. Then two hundred metres further there was a roundabout and a turn for town on the left.

The plate's empty and so is my wallet until I see a bank.

It had turned out another warm day and I spent about the last of my money on a cold coke from a small grocery shop on entering Ribe shortly after noon. I had just a little Danish money left out of the change I received at the bakery where I'd coffee, not enough as things are noticeably more expensive in Denmark. I could've done with stopping for lunch as I rocked along over the cobblestones in the old town of half timber and red-brick houses. The sight of people sitting at lunch of fish outside cafes was making me feel hungry, but I hadn't passed any banks; and as Esbjerg was only thirty kilometres more, the coke would do for now.

That last thirty kilometres was a struggle into the wind as the road swung towards the coast. Initially the path was alongside the main road, then followed a secondary road, though shadowing the main route all the way into the Esbjerg.

It was hard to move in the central streets for people. There were stages and bands warming up in the main square. Beneath the stages, large groups of young people in colourful body-suits were in formations performed some kind of aerobic act. I thought well, it's a Friday afternoon in July and the holiday season; and an awful lot of people have chose to come to Esbjerg. There certainly is some big even on this weekend.

Over the heads of the people I spotted a Danske Bank. Then it was a slow trawl through the crowd, round to the side of the square the bank was on. When I'd made a withdrawnal, it was a few blocks to where I spotted a cafe, I sat down in the beer garden and after looking at the card, ordered a chicken kebab and shortly the waitress brought me out a nice cold Carlsberg. The lack of a cooling sea breeze in the garden meant the sun had a pleasant tropical glow.

Later in the afternoon, when I'd planned to stay in the hostel, it was no surprise to get there and find out they were full. But I got a map there and the location of a campsite.

This evening at the beginning of a well earned few days rest, I was looking at the blue lines on my map and checking with my map of Scotland, I see Esbjerg is at latitude 55 north; meaning, since I began, I've went south-east and back north and I'm now almost as far north as I've been so far on this tour. 55 north is not far north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and, the Giants Causeway is right on the same latitude. Three days more cycling to the northern tip of Denmark will bring me as far north as Aberdeen.

And fif, teen, on this sign, just across the road. It can't be right. Can it?

In Holland, then Germany and now in Denmark, a lot of the older houses have thatched roofs.

Coffee stop: 4 Euros 77.

Coke in Ribe: 18 DKR (Danish Kroner)

Lunch in Esbjerg: 7 DKR.

Shop: 7 DKR.

Camping: 136 DKR.

Tempary camping card: 110 DKR.

Today's ride: 117 km (73 miles)
Total: 2,173 km (1,349 miles)

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