A little ride from CPH

Hi hi.

This is how Danish people say hello and goodbye. I will never tire of watching people happily waving and saying “hi hi,” as they walk away from someone or out of a store.

They may only use one hi when they meet and two when they part – but I am not completely sure. In any case, you can never go wrong with a “hi” here in Copenhagen.

Today I got up early (relatively) at 8:30 am and prepped to go for a bit of a day trip. To be honest, my destination was chosen somewhat at random. I just wanted to go for a longish ride. Helsingør had a cool looking castle and was about 40 km away. So, off I went.

I stopped for breakfast not far out from my hostel. I ordered an Acai bowl without much thought. I have no clue was acai is. What was served to me seemed to be a bowl of fluid the consistency of a raspberry smoothie with some granola and fruit sprinkled on it. Different, but quite tasty.

I carried on my ride in the morning sun. It was enjoyable, mostly flat, and near the water so I had a nice view. The homes got very fancy the further up the coast I rode. I was in the high rent district for sure.

When I was nearly at my destination of Helsingør I noticed a weird sound emitting from my rear. Well, not MY rear, but from somewhere behind me.

I stopped and heard the all too familiar hiss of my back tire going flat.

Can’t even make it through a short day ride without a tire crisis. I again changed the tire expertly, my confidence buoyed from the last experience. I rode the last few kilometres as the Kronborg Castle came into sight.

Kronborg Castle in Helsingør – 16th Century.

I took a gander around the castle and then found a street food market for lunch. They had a fish and chips stall and I simply could not resist. The fish was fresh, the batter thick, and the grease more than abundant. I felt the usual post fish and chip bloat, but it was worth it.

Once I emerged from the food market, the weather had taken a real turn. The grey clouds that were rolling around in the sky as I was approaching Helsingør were unleashing their fluids.

I was feeling quite wiped after the ride there, or more likely from the large lunch, and decided that it might be a good idea to take the train back to Copenhagen. Plus I had several other things I wanted to do back in Copenhagen this afternoon.

As I was walking my bike along the main strip of Helsingør to check out the local shops before catching the train, the rain really started coming down so I ran into the nearest shop to take cover.

Turns out it was a historic old ice cream parlour in town. Against all better judgement I ordered a cone. I rammed it down my gullet and then napped on the train back to Copenhagen.

At least I did the ride initially to cancel out the excessive calories at lunch, right?!

Anyways, it was nice to go out on my bike again for a longer ride. Hopefully I will have time for one more similar trip before I leave Copenhagen for Stockholm (on the 23rd).