Tall, proud, astride bikes,
We step out of CPH
And into... something
After a day's delay of flight (due to Eyjafjallojökull! what else!), Evan and I managed to get our bikes and all our gear into Copenhagen. We had a layover in Reykjavik for a few hours, and on the way out we even got to catch a glimpse of the giant ash cloud that's been harassing Europe for several weeks. A multi-kilometer-high ash cloud is a sight to behold, believe me! It was streaked across the sky towards the mainland in a menacing way; air travel won't be the same for a while. Onboard the aircraft--they were operated by Icelandair, so there was lots of info about the country that flashed across the seatback screens during the flight--we learned some interesting things about the volcano. I actually didn't know that it was erupting out from underneath a glacier. I mean, I knew the eruption was named for a glacier, but the lava actually melted through a glacier and the cloud became progressively more black as it continued to rise because it was destroying the ice that had been purifying it.
Anyway, we didn't really spend much time in Iceland. A large part of our day was spent in the Copenhagen airport after landing. It took around an hour after getting our luggage (including boxed bikes) to set everything up. We stepped proudly out into Denmark with our bicycles. And it was cold. And we were lost.
Fortunately, these things were easily remedied! We piled on the heavier clothes that we had been loath to bring ("It's May! No way it will be that cold!") to keep out the 5 degree (about 40F) air and the even colder wind. We ran into an old man on a bicycle sitting outside the airport. He didn't seem to speak much English, which was actually a big surprise as most of Northern Europe is known for its fabulous English education, but the word "Copenhagen?" and some pointing got the idea across, and he showed us the right way.
After reveling in the fact that we were, indeed, in Europe, and would be spending much time on our bikes, we stopped near a sweet steeple to tweak them a little (fix brake line tension, adjust handlebar angle, change seat height, etc.), and we were stopped by an Italian guy who needed a screwdriver to fix his bike. From what I understand, 40% of people in Copenhagen ride bicycles, and I'd believe it based on the number of bike shops that seem to be thriving around here. Anyway, we helped him out, and he gave us a map and some suggestions for things to see. He also mentioned that the Little Mermaid statue that I had so dearly wanted to visit is on loan to China for an expo at the moment. Heartbreaking.
It felt a little bit like an adventure game, we discussed. Perhaps we can trade the map for something bigger later, and maybe we can even get a powered up sword or shield out of the deal! :)
We took his suggestion and visited a hippie hangout called Christiania. All around were signs that this place sort of wanted to secede from Copenhagen at large, including a sign on the way out which read "You are now entering the EU." Haha, hippies.
After that brief visit, we did a quick bike tour of the downtown area and Parliament, but as it was getting late by this time we mostly tried to head west out of the city towards Roskilde, the next big city on the way to Odense, where my relatives live. We even found a place to camp with a shower building and stuff, and I am the proud owner of a Danish camping card. Hurray! We are on the way at last!