2011 – Europe and Japan

Things to love about Copenhagen

Posted on by helenhmk

1. Cycling. Ah the joy of discovering the city by bike. So simple to do, and so easy. I will admit finding the “inexpensive” Copenhagen cycles is a little difficult for tourists to locate. We gave up and hired bikes from our hotel. By our last day we found the copenhagen bikes – walking seemed the best idea given it was raining.

2. Bike lanes, and traffic signals for cyclists. Cycling is so easy around Copenhagen, even with scheduled works. Space is set aside for cyclists and pedestrians.

3. It’s flat. See number 1.

4. Street food: the grand medister. It’s a sausage served with tomatoe sauce, mustard, friend onions, and bread. We’re informed that many years ago the medister sausage was part of the diet for the not so wealthily class along with mashed potatoes and greens.

5. Danish design. Modern buildings, are innovative in structure and certainly stand out. They certainly aren’t your standard rectangle shaped building. Added to this are the products available in the shops. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough room in our suitcase to buy anything.

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Coffee Collective et al

Posted on by kymdt



Copenhagen, originally uploaded by Helen K.

We have just finished visiting Copenhagen and Amsterdam. I have to say we didn’t look for any good “coffee shops” in Amsterdam. There are many however around the red-light district near our hotel. They must be selling good coffee because many of the clients seemed very happy when they walked out. They just didn’t have the same inviting smell as some coffee shops back home.

We did notice one happy English lad who had too much coffee having a chat with a friendly lady in a shop window. When he finished shopping he promptly fell down a set of stairs! He may have been better off purchasing.

Anyway, on to more important matters we did check out the coffee shops in Copenhagen. All-in-all these threes were very good. They were micro-roasters with only a very limited range of food, but extensive coffee menus.

If in Copenhagen I would recommend Estate Coffee and Risterit.

These two are both on the edge of the main shopping district. If you want a longer a bike ride and a more edgy suburb then I would recommend Coffee Collective.

Transit again

Posted on by helenhmk

This morning we find our shelves up early and on board a Thalys high speed train to Paris, from Amsterdam. The journey across a couple of countries will take three hours. Oh, to be in Europe and have this ability to hop aboard a train and end in Brussels, Paris… Ah. Here is the breakfast on board.

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Celebrating the ride

Posted on by helenhmk



Coast to coast, originally uploaded by Helen K.

We arrived in Tynemouth around 3:50pm. We hadn’t eaten since 10am, and cycled straight to the recommended fish and chip shop “Oceans”. We celebrated the end of the ride with fish, chips, scraps, pineapple ring, mushy peas, and curry gravy. Food always tastes better when you’ve really earned it!

Steepest hill!

Posted on by helenhmk



Coast to coast, originally uploaded by Helen K.

Today was described as generally downhill. However, we literally went 200 meters then started with a 17% climb. Why? Darn good question! We stayed overnight in the town of Stanhope, which was at the bottom of the hill. Accommodation was lovely, and the breakfast set us in good stead for a full days riding. We were told at the off, that they aren’t called push bikes for nothing. Kym did just that, and pushed his bike up the beginning section of the hill. However, I did not waiver and rode. Although I did stop a few time to take photographs, as the view and weather was supurb!

Unseasonal Weather

Posted on by kymdt



Coast to Coast – Day 3, originally uploaded by kdt.

Unseasonal weather, said the kind gentleman. That had to be the understatement of the holiday. We cycled from Whithaven in the west to Tynemouth in the east over 4 days. The first day only threatened wet weather. But the following three days had drenching rain. Unseasonably we’re told. Apparently it was dry in April and May (almost a drought I understand). All I can say is that reinforced our prejudices that it rains all the time in England.

Highlights:

1) The Greystoke Cycle Cafe (mentioned earlier) has at the ready towels for cyclists to dry themselves.

2) Lowbyer Country House. Very friendly and the welcomed us with a room with a big bath and took all of our wet clothes and dried them out for us! Lovely place to stay.

2) The lightning as we reached the top of Hartside (and the Hartside cafe at the summit)

3) The downhills… they are the best we’ve ever done. They went for ever had wonderful easy turns.

4) The scenery, the Lakes District and across the Pennines are beautiful.

5) The beer and cider.

6) Friendly people.

It was great fun, even though we were officially drenched rats. All I can say is that those altitude charts can be misleading. Helen distinctly recalls me saying that hey, we can do this it is not even as high as Mount Lofty.

Well that is true, but there were a lot of ups. There were so many ups that it justified 45 kilometres of down in the last day!!

Also, the profile doesn’t really show the fact that the English have no respect for the contours of the land. The back roads go up and down and if it is 22% gradient that is what the road will do! I recall riding past a 15% gradient sign thinking it was easy compared to some minor roads. That is how steep some of the minor roads are!

All in all, I would encourage any keen cyclists to try this trip!