6/21/11
This morning I set off for Helsinore. Here I am rolling the bike up from the basement using the handy bike ramp that is on nearly every staircase. Yes, I wore a dress for a 90 km ride. Ok, so I did wear my chamois underneath. Marc, I know you laugh at lycra, but it really is practical.
Henrik let me borrow his bike to ride to Helsinore. It reminds me a lot of Corbin’s commuter bike. Now I know why he loves it so much. It was very zippy and the gearing was great. Helsinore is 45 km from Copenhagen. I rode the national route 9 all the way out. Yesterday I went to the Dutch Bike Federation to pick up the map and guide book. The route ran along the harbor as a cycle track, through the woods between the rail line and the highway as a separated path, and through low traffic residential streets limited to 30 km/h. There were beautiful views of the sea and quaint houses with thatched roofs. Wouldn’t it be lovely if the Oregon Coast bike route spanned the entire state?
Overall everything was well-marked and I didn’t get too lost. There was one point on the way back out of town that I saw a sign pointing to the right for cycle route 9, walked to the right and saw a sign pointing to the left for cycle route 9. I looked in the middle of the signs, but didn’t see anything resembling a bike path. I ended up along the highway, which although it still had a cycle track, was not as pleasant as the cycle route. I took a side road and found my way back.
From Helsinore, I took the ferry to Helsinborg, Sweden. I was able to take my bike on for free. From what I saw, the cycle network in Helsinborg is not as well connected, or consistent. In Copenhagen, it seems like every street that has enough traffic to warrant a cycle track has one. In Helsinborg, they created paths on the sidewalk for cyclists in some places, put cycle tracks in others, and put bicycle lanes in one direction in others. In some places things worked really well. There was a great example of diverting the cycle track behind a bus stop on one street, but on another it seemed like the cycle track ended suddenly at the bus stop and I wasn’t sure where I belonged. In general the separation wasn’t as clearly defined. The grade separation and coloration were not different enough. It seemed like more than just tourists were walking in the cycle track. They also have a bike counter, but it was only at 675 at about 12:30 pm. Only. Ha ha!
I also spent time walking around the city center. The pedestrian light turned green and I started to step out into traffic when a man called me back to the curb. Cars proceeded to turn right without yielding to us. You’re not in Denmark any more Dorothy. The man was Austrian. He initiated conversation by asking if I liked Mozart. When he realized that I was American (not British as he had guessed), he asked if I liked Elvis. He proceeded to serenade me with “Love me Tender”. If I had not been in the middle of the city, with people around to save me in the case that this got any weirder than it already was, I would have exited the situation. Later I came across a theater that specialized in Elvis impersonations. Perhaps I met one of their stars.
Helsinborg has great pedestrian only streets with shops and cafes with outdoor seating. Their city center is more of a strip. The plazas are also really cool with functional artwork: bunny statues that seem to invite kids to climb on them, a large bed of flowers encircle by a wide wooden bench. Just a block from the square was a wooded area leading up to the tower – a great escape from the city. On the other side of the castle was a residential area. There were still a few shops and restaurants interspersed.
When I returned to Helsinore, I walked around their city center as well. It is much like Copenhagen’s only less busy. There are also shops that sell specialty foods – meats, cheeses, wines, alcohol. Perhaps they are also in Copenhagen but I haven’t seen them. I think it is important to allow smaller vendors and provide smaller rental spaces so that it is a street for everyone, where most anyone can afford to buy something, not just the super wealthy.
Hamlet used to live in Helsinore. If Roger Adkins is looking for another literature themed study abroad course, he could take the kids to H.C. Anderson Boulevard in Copenhagen and then up to Hamlet’s castle in Helsinore.
For more pictures, check out my web album.
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