0311 Hamburg Germany to Sakskobing Denmark

Short distance – Long time !

24th July 2015

Cold last night !  Don’t know what temp it got down to by about 5 am I was wishing I was in my warmer sleeping bag !  But use of the blanket meant I survived till it was time to get up and get on the road.  Excellent facilities in this camp site – Am generally impressed with the European campsites.  I ended up staying here for two nights, and having a lazy day yesterday, cleaning the car, repacking things, and trying to find some space for Janet's stuff when she arrives on Sunday.

Hit the road by about 9.30 am expecting a potter up the road, onto a ferry, and then just a few kms to a campsite about 100 kms short of Copenhagen. WRONG !!  First of all I had to get out of Hamburg, and although I had missed “rush hour”, there was still a lot of traffic, and the way I went out seemed to be fairly convoluted, including about half an hour spent at a railway crossing where there was also a lot of roadworks happening – So combined with frequent commuter trains, it was all a bit slow.  But then I had plenty of time…….

Once out of Hamburg it was off across the country – More farming, more flat land – Not a lot of change from recently.  Also still lots of cabbages, and lots of wind turbines.

By the way, I bought a cabbage in the supermarket the other day, and it really is excellent.  They seem to have got cabbage growing down to a T over here !!

I was on the main highway this time, so was bombing along at a good speed.  I am not sure whether I actually overtook anyone today, apart from two English Austin A 35’s which were nearly getting run over while doing about 80 kmh !  Everyone else goes at the German speed limit.  I was overtaken by one Ferrari that was absolutely flying – Nice to hear a Ferrari go past you on full song !! Up past Ahrensburg, then Lubeck, to Heilgenhafen, where we crossed a fancy bridge with lots of water filled with people sailing in the sunshine – To be geographically correct I believe the water to my left was called the Kieler Bucht, and to my right was the Mecklenburger Bucht.  All the Baltic to me ! 

Once over the bridge it was on through the countryside for just another 10 kms or so, passing several farm buildings covered in solar panels.  I have noticed this quite often through Germany – Some big building seem to have their entire roof made of solar panels – There doesn’t seem to even be any “roof” visible around the edges.  Maybe the roof IS made out of solar panels.  Whatever, they sure like their solar – And their wind turbines.

Then the road got divided into lanes for the ferry, and before you could blink, there was the ferry.  I had imagined that due to the higher costs for everything in Scandinavia, there would be lots of gas stations and shops – But nothing……except suddenly I saw a sign to the “Border Shop” – That’s more like it.  So I dove off the road towards the shop – An enormous warehouse.  I had stopped to top of with diesel earlier, so all I needed was a bit of beer and some wine, and a few groceries.  At the Border Shop, I tried to get a trolley, but they are all locked together (as everywhere in Europe), and you need a 0.50 or 1 Euro coin to release them.  But it wouldn’t work – Then I saw a little sign saying it wanted Danish Krone !!   But I was still in Germany !!!  Oh well, not a big deal, as I didn’t want much anyway, so in I went, and

all it was was an ENORMOUS liquor store. Wine everywhere, a whole floor of it.  Then there was another whole floor for spirits, and another whole floor for beer !  And people were PILING their trolleys with stuff.  You have to by beer in slabs anyway, so I couldn’t get my normal 6 beer that fit in my car !  I got a few wine, but again, not much room.  And its like IKEA, with lanes and direction arrows painted on the floor – Woe are you if you go against the arrows !!  Dangerous !  Anyway, eventually I got down to the check out with my comparatively small amount of booze (no food in there except candy), and once the man in front had carted off his 10 cases of beer and 6 cases of wine, I fronted up.  “Driving licence please” said the man.  No problem I said as I handed him my Aussie one.  “Er, sorry Sir, you are not allowed to by any beer unless you are a Scandinavian”, at which point he took my case of beer and put it to one side. I am allowed to buy wine, but no beer ?  OK, whatever, but I call that a bit OTT.  But since I had no trolley, I was quite relieved in the end as my car was miles away !

Now I still had no food ! I asked the man at the till, and he said the nearest shop is 5 kms back down the road !!  Doh !  You have to find out all these things the hard way !  So off I trek 5 kms back down the road to a little town, find a LIDL (which don’t have much choice), and do my thing in there.  Now I can’t get a trolley again because although this time it DOES was Euro money to release it, it decides the 0.20 piece that I have used previously isn’t enough !  Luckily a nearby man gives me 1 Euro for 5 x 0.20, and I am off and running with my trolley. 

By this time it is 2 pm – I have only done about 150 kms since 9.30 am !  I might miss my ferry again at this rate !   So I do a quick shop, find some beer which I presume I am allowed to take into Scandinavia (or will the border customs in Denmark grab it because I am not “entitled” ??), grab some sausages and other bits and pieces, and head back up to the ferry.

Back in the lines, I get up to the toll both, do my “leaning out the left window” trick, and the girl asks for 96 Euros to go on the ferry.  So I hand over my travel weary visa card, and the girls face lights up “I have an ANZ card too” she says !  Haven’t seen another one here for a while.  Turns out she was living and working in Australia for a year !  So had a chat there, then moved into my designated lane – 10.  Let me tell you, there were a LOT of cars here – If they are all going to Denmark, Denmark is going to be quite full – I mean, it isn’t a big country !!  Anyway, it is back to waiting again, and as usual I end up chatting with various people parked nearby who come over to chat about my trip and the car.  Including a local Polizei officer who came over and asked me what I thought I was doing all the way over here – He had never seen an Australian registered car before and was fascinated by my palm tree on my Queensland number plate !  I told him that I only went out for a drive, but must have taken a wrong turning and now couldn’t find my way home – Which he thought was hilarious !   Eventually, about 4.30 pm, the red light at the head of Line 10 turns green, and we are off – For about 50 yards, then we sit again for another half

hour.  It seems the ferries run about every half hour, and it is a 45 minute crossing, so soon another ferry arrives and starts disgorging its vehicles – With so many coming off, maybe there is a chance there will be some room left for me in Denmark ! 

They unload and load these ships VERY quickly, using 2 or 3 ramps onto different decks.  The ship is “reversible”, and I end up near the “front”, where I am parked next to a guy on a Buell motorcycle, so I have a chat to him and talk about my brother in law Peter having had one for years, and now just changed it to an EBR.  Then before I can even get up onto the passenger decks, I look up and we are off !!  No hanging about !

The ship was full of shops, mostly liquor shops – Must be really expensive in Scandinavia !  It’s a nice sunny day, so I hang around on deck people watching, while we cross into Denmark half was across the water.  Then it is “Abandon Ship” (or it sounded like that in Danish) and everyone rushes down to their cars – And I lost mine !  Turned out I was on the wrong deck, and eventually found my way – Phew.  The nose of the ship lifted up, and bingo, we were off, everyone rushing off down ramps, past all the others who were trying to leave Scandinavia ! 

I had decided to stay in a camp site just up the road, which, given that the whole thing had taken so long, was quite fortunate.  The countryside didn’t really look any different, (just lots of Volvos on the road !) and 30 minutes later I arrived in Sakskobing and the camp site.  The town is noted for its “smiling” water tower (?), and just past that, there was the camp site.  Once again, a very pleasant little site. 

Well here I am in Denmark !  Whenever I cross a border I wonder what the hell I am doing driving along in my car in Honduras / Columbia / Peru / Denmark – I find it really funny to be doing it.  But I love it.  Long may it continue. 

Rest of the pics are here :-   https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0311HamburgToSakskobing?authkey=Gv1sRgCPi9-_216pTn_QE