Copenhagen to Helsingor – by ferry to Helsingborg, Sweden
They could have made things simpler by choosing names that were a little less alike!
Today was another warm day, changing between sunny and overcast. It was about 50km to Helsingor, following bicycle route 9, so we took it easy with second breakfast and a lunch stop on the way. We swam at Charlottenlund Beach Park with the industrial skyline of Copenhagen, offshore wind farms and the Oresund Bridge visible on the horizon. The coast between Copenhagen and Helsingor appears to be the holiday area for the well-heeled. There are significant sections of private beachfront, and although public access is adequate, it seems wrong to deny so much beach to so many people.
Helsingor is a busy city with ferries plying across the Oresund Strait non-stop all day. The Kronborg Castle (Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet) is also a drawcard and a major feature of the town. We entered the grounds and appreciated the war-like sound effects coming out of speakers placed around to create an authentic atmosphere of past battles.
Sculpture – Han by Elmgreen & Dragset, Helsingor, Denmark
We managed to rid ourselves of all our remaining Danish Kroner at the ferry ticket office and queued up to board the ferry along with about 30 members of Teufelskerle 50cc, a moped club, whose members looked a fair bit like bikies except more friendly. They appeared to be going on a Swedish road trip as they were all loaded up with lots of gear.
Helsingborg has a magnificent city hall and a fine park overlooking the harbour. We had our first Swedish beer and were advised by the young waiter to make friends with some Swedish people and persuade them to make meatballs for us. We’ll see how that goes!
Just to go back to a few Danish matters – in case you didn’t know, adults here regularly ride in the hold of cargo bikes. We have seen this several times, in fact once we saw an adult and 3 children in the front – hard work for the bloke on the pedals! I can’t imagine anyone getting away with that in Australia. We have seen a few cyclists wearing the airbag style head protection – they are worn like a neck scarf and inflate to provide protection for your head, presumably just before it hits something really hard! Copenhagen cyclists ride fast and car drivers give way to them.
We are staying in an Airbnb – a sign in the building foyer says Cykelparkering FORBJUDEN!
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