A Month and Some Change with out a Bed

Photos (top to bottom): we passed by Lego Land, Legos were invented in Denmark, if you didn't know. Em decided we could skip over this amusement and leave it as an amazing childhood memory. Em and I visited Denmark when we were young, Em was really into legos; this is just half of the trail mix reload Em and I made, buying bulk is the way to go, we think; our Danish shelter, a free campground; our camp spot on the beach in Sweden, it is legal to camp pretty much any where is Sweden (not private property), which is really awesome and helpful for sticking on budget; on the train that travels over the Øresund Bridge which connects Malmö, Sweden with Copenhagen, Denmark. The auto and train bridge is the longest in Europe 7,845meters. Part way across the bridge it becomes a tunnel which helps avoid conflict with shipping routes and Copenhagen Airport. Bikes are not allowed, yet, the bridge only opened in 2000.

We calculated yesterday that it has been a little over a month since we have slept in a bed. This is not the longest for all of us nor do we really mind. Our sleeping pads and sleeping bags are often more comfortable than beds. However here we are in Copenhagen meeting up with my parents to enjoy a week of cycling with them before we make our final push to southern Germany.

We left off arriving in Denamrk. As soon as we started biking the rain began and the temperature dropped, the wind never stopped. Having had enough of the wind, coming predominately from the north and west, we decided to go with it. With this decision arose a problem. If we were to bike with the wind we would make it to Copenhagen way before my parents were to arrive plus we wouldn't see much of Denamrk. We decided to continue heading north with a hint of east. Miles into our late start and rainy day we stopped for lunch in a sheltered glass bus stop. We enjoyed our lunch watching the rain clouds roll over. Wet and cold we muttered to ourselves. When we sat down and thought about it we realized we were tired. We had pushed hard into the wind for a week and hadn't really gotten much rest. Sleep is what we needed. The sun poked out for a bit and we road off to the nearest campground. Em passed out for 13 straight hours.

Well rested we began again the next day with the rain still taunting us. One second blue skies and sun minuets later down pour. Clouds raced across the sky, we hid in bus stops. After our first grocery stop we discovered that Denamrk was expensive. So after one budget bulk store stock up I went to throw away our trash I re-discovered dumpster diving. Danish dumpsters are delectable. For those who don't know or might find this horrifying dumpster diving really isn't that bad. For us it is actually better, ripe bananas rather than ones we have to carry around for a couple days and the best part it is free. With a new found energy of free food we were able to push on.

We continued across Denmark taking a couple days off at a campground with a TV and English channels a luxery that we haven't had way longer than a bed. Ems bike got a bit of fixing, a necessary hub tune up. We used Internet at the library and one day decided going to Sweden might be to expensive, ferries, trains, campgrounds and new money. But the next with a push from my mom we made the decision to go. We researched, I discovered free camping in Sweden really is free and legal. Gen searched the ferry prices they weren't that bad. All we could hope was the dumpster were just as plentiful.

We arrived in Sweden and began our slow southern journey. We took four days to bike about 60 miles. We enjoyed the short days and free camping. We were even able to get in a bit of antique shopping. The wind taunted us from the south so going slow was fine. The scariest however was the day before last we arrived in a wooded reserve seconds before a storm rolled in. We quickly set up our tents and got a tarp shelter built. We flew into our tents and within seconds the lightening began. We yelled to each other is it time for lightening position? I don't know ahh? What do you think? Yes let's do it. We met up in the tarp shelter and stayed squatting for a good half hour counting the seconds between light and boom. The count was averaging around four seconds but out of no where the sky lit up and flashes zoomed around the forest. Insanely the crack was heard. Holy cow bell! That hit inches from us. We shivered in fear. Who knows how close it really was but it was close enouh to keep us sitting there counting seconds between flash and crack. After a while they lengthened and the time became ten seconds and more. One by one we returned to our tents happy we made it through the storm.

Now hopefully we can find our parents.