Taz needs to toughen up to visit Copenhagen

Monday 31st May

Lots of fierce big and little dogs here. Had a good day cycling round Copenhagen – all the places we wanted to go in are closed Mondays and even the Little Mermaid had been exported to Shanghai for Expo 2010 so we just kept on cycling. Had a look at the hippie commune Christiania but it has passed its heyday and looks very Dickensian, full of Bill Sykes types with their dogs.

Must either learn Danish or cultivate English speaking butchers wherever we go. Picked up yet another piece of unidentifiable meat for the bbq at Netto on the way home – next time David tells me to freewheel down a slope and get the adrenalin going I’ll remind him how we live on the edge every time we sit down for our evening meal!

Must wrap this up before 8.30 when Mussolini, the Untold Story part 3 starts on Film 24. I’m so glad David splashed out on the sat dish for the TV so we have a rich choice between BBC News 24, Film 24 and best of all Movies4Men (think David Hasselhof acting everyone else off the screen).

We’ve become hooked on Mussolini the Untold Story, its fascinating. George C Scott gives a fantastic dual performance as Mussolini and Uncle Fester from the Addams Family with Raul Julia as both his son in law in MTUS and Gomez in the Adams Family? Spooky.

Rainy days and Sundays always get Taz down

Thursday 27th May to Monday 30th May

Just arrived in Wonderful Wet and Windy Copenhagen. Keeping a low profile for a while (in Taz and David’s case that means sleeping) after hearing we came last in Eurovision but will get train into town late afternoon.

Yesterday David decided we would cycle route 33 to Gilleleje,

the most northerly town in Denmark, and back (54k altogether). First problem was that the morning was very grey and windy so we didn’t get going til after 1. Then we took the pic at the start of the route and got lost 15 seconds later. We did spot the marker at Gilleleje station 3 hours later but we made our own way there – and very nice it was too through forests and along the edge of

beautiful Lake Esrum past several family groups enjoying the sunny afternoon. We thought we heard Taz barking to go out so we caught the train back.

We’ve really enjoyed North Zealand and have spent the last couple of days on a great little campsite in Hillerod. Yesterday we went round Frederiksborg Castle. On the way at edge of the lake we passed the year 10 school kids celebrating end of formal lessons in spectacular form. Apparently their exams start Monday so they have the weekend to recover.

Castle has beautiful gardens open to everyone and the building has some great rooms but it houses the Danish Museum of National History which seems to mean row after row of potraits of olden days Danes. But there was an amazing display of photo portraits on top floor – if only we’d known we wouldn’t have tried to make sense of the other stuff. Think the photographer was Sif Meincke but the info was only in Danish.

Didn’t get any better with tea – I thought I’d bagged a bargain at the Supermarket, 2 bits of salmon in a thick pinkish (salmon pink actually) sauce for about £3.50. Unfortunately David couldn’t find any fish in the sauce when he went to barbeque it . No idea what it was and whether it needed cooking, Taz enjoyed it but the van wasn’t very fragrant in the night.

Taz must have overheard me say - put him to sleep

Wednesday 26^th May

Had a great day out at Egeskov castle and museums today. Best bit for me was Titania’s Palace on loan from Legoland since Legoland was bought by Americans who want to have Legolands all over the world but they have to look the same so they cant have Titania’s Palace just in Denmark. Hope Egeskov can keep it indefinitely cos it would be a wonderful place to take grandkids (eventually – I know)

David’s best bit was the “Resting Garden” as in the top photo.

It’s the only time I’ve actually enjoyed looking round motor museums but the collection was really eclectic and interesting. There was everything from a Bristol bus to the first folding caravan. Not sure about the inclusion of Dracula’s crypt tho - there were great descriptions of all the exhibits but I couldn't find anything to explain why Dracula would be in the middle of the museum. Think it was just a good way to draw the school kids to an empty space near the sweet kiosk. But apart from that it was a great place to visit.

Taz likes to eat in. The food is more accessible.

Tuesday 25^th May 2010

Stopped at butchers on way back from Odense centre and he talked us into lamb steaks marinated in a blueberry sauce. Surprisingly good.

David has just had an email postponing his police special training to early October. He has also clarified that he can be out of the country more than 3 months as long as he isn’t in 1 country for 3 months (in case he is radicalised!). So if Taz carries on thriving as he is I wont have to stay on alone with him on David’s return. How joyful am I??? Mind you ladies, I don’t want to be the only woman at the chemical toilet emptying point in the mornings

Taz wonders why there are no sandwich crusts when we get back

Monday 24th May 2010 Odense

Just had "Fairytale Dinner" buffet opposite Hans Christian Anderson's house in Odense. Fairies have wings, we had to bike in 4km for our dinner -SO THAT'S WHY I WANTED MORE THAN 1 SLICE OF BEEF at the carvery!

Bit of a dispute about ownership of Ugly Duckling story - Hans C Andersen or Danny Kaye. Amicably resolved with a chorus or two of Little White Bull.

Denmark - we're liking the peace and quiet and the neat houses and lots of little lambs and foals. I'm not liking the feeling that everyone has been sucked out of the country and is having lots of fun elsewhere. But apparently it's the Whit bank holiday so feeling very positive about seeing more people out and about tomorrow.

Tuesday - yey - people about. Did some sights today including Hans Christian Andersen Museum - very good and visited creepy crypt where King Canute had been interred - his skeleton is now lying outside the crypt in an area which David thinks is for the Sunday School children - religion is meant to be scary he says.

Taz arrives in Denmark

Fact of the week

The second ring down on this pole next to the Hojer Sluse shows the water level in 1976.

Well I didn’t say interesting fact did I?

Friday 21^st May 2010

Denmark, Mogeltonder

3 nights at campsite in south-east Jutland – just over the border with Germany. Very flat, very windy, next to North Sea – might as well be back in Hull. But lots of cycling (and always into wind) = lots of chocolate = van lighter = less fuel used = more money to buy more chocolate. My kind of maths.

PS Nice shot of our new red flask

Taz and David wonder about the point of a climbing wall in a country as flat as Holland

Thursday 20^th May 2010

Groningen, Holland

A free night tonight in the car park of yet another amazing sports complex. Unfortunately the slots for campervans were filled with cars so we parked over the road next to a dyke/canal. There was a great view for David during tea when he was transfixed by the training session in the sandpit outside the ski centre (?!)for the ladies beach volleyball team, but we discovered that there were various very noisy nocturnal creatures living in the water. Fortunately the noise was broken up occasionally when a nearby refrigerated truck fired up its cooling until at regular intervals so we didn’t get chance to become bored by (and tune out) the din from the water.

PS kids - Dad says he is going to take up climbing when we get home - oh is that the sound of laughter wafting over the North Sea?

Taz and David challenged by wide choice of sports on offer

Tuesday night and Wednesday night stayed in campsite that was part of a fantastic municipal sports complex. Cycled into Gent on Weds.

Taz says goodbye to Blighty with a dish of kibble

Tuesday 18th May 2010

Gent, Belgium via Godalming and Daventry.

Off to a great start….didnt get the van back from its service until late Monday then we found telly wasn’t working – no good in world cup year. So we abandoned the 12.20 Eurotunnel crossing and drove back to the service centre in Godalming then up to the aerial fixing place in Daventry before heading for the tunnel and on to Gent.
The last minute scramble to pack the van led to some odd decisions - no flask, but we both packed loads and loads of shampoo. Made it a priority to buy flask, can go a day without washing hair but can't go a packed lunch without tea. Gent is beautiful and offers wide choice of beers and most importantly a shop selling thermos flasks.