Journey to the warm north
Denmark is not only a mermaid, a deweist, Stimorol and Tuborg. It is the most calm and leisurely country in the world. In July, it is not hot here, but in January it is not cold – nothing surprising that we resumed our in the middle of winter, after the hectic new years.
Danes – very calm people. They do not rush anywhere. The waiters in the restaurant can easily forget about your food, and the hotel laundry can forget to wash your things. Outside major cities life is completely leisure. Shops are closed at seven in the evening, and on Saturdays at five, and even two to three (depending on the value of the settlement). But all this does not spoil the mood at all, because you, without noticing, start living in the same calm mode.
Copenhagen is a fairly large city (a little over a million inhabitants), which is a pleasant combination of old and modern Scandinavian architecture. Old Town – It is a narrow paved streets, high gloomy stone houses, towers and spiers. The middle part of the city is built up in the XIX and XX centuries. In Copenhagen, it is worth a royal palace, take a walk through the streets, look at the mermaid, if notice her. Good to visit the amusement park, which is one of the oldest parks of this type in Europe. Although attractions are here, of course, not for pilots. You can look at the Copenhagen Erotic Museum. My friend Soren says it is the best museum in Europe. And indeed, there are a lot of delicate things.
Ride on the central part of Copenhagen by car – the occupation is complex and ungrateful. Therefore, many locals move around the city by bicycles. And they do it no matter what dressed. Do not be surprised when men will sweep past you in costumes, white shirts and ties and women in strict office skirts. Soreng warns that it is impossible to walk on bike paths – they will ask. But any visitors can be completely free to become a cyclist.
The city has a special program "Free bike". These bikes are in the parking lots and are distinguished by the painted opaque wheels. To separate the bike from the parking device, you need to throw a coin into the hole in 20 Danish kroons. Rolling down the widow, you put a bike on any other parking and get back your money.
But it is difficult to find car parking here as in the center of any major European city. That is, to find it, of course, it is possible, but not immediately. And parking where it fell here is not accepted – fined without refuse and on big money ($ 200-300). Soreng says that in the parking lots should not relax. In no case can not occupy places marked with a disabled sign, or places for electric vehicles (they are equipped with a special outlet). Yes, and of course you can not park cars on bicycle paths.
In Denmark there is no mountains, as in Switzerland and Spain, there is no such inconceivable number of castles, as in France and Germany, the sea is cold and the weather, as a rule, does not indulge. Danish calm and well-being in itself is a landmark. But today we are going to Sweden.
For the absence of large rivers, the Danes build bridges across the sea. The last grand project was completed in the summer of last year. And if you used to get from Denmark to Sweden on the car, it was possible only to ferry, now you can get to Sweden through the bridge through the Strait Eresund. Just an hour – and you are already on the other side, in Malmo. And there before Oslo not far – less than 500 km, and before Stockholm only 600.
From the Danish shore to the Swedish 16 km. Passage paid, about $ 27 in one direction. First you are traveling along a four-kilometer tunnel, then the tunnel emerges from the sea to the artificial island, from where, in fact, the bridge begins. The length of its free suspended part is 492 m, height over the sea – 57 m, with a 20-storey house. Under the automotive level, on the other floor of the bridge, – the railway.
Behind the bridge – Sweden. From Denmark she is almost no different here. Is some road signs painted a little differently. Yes, and expensive cars occur more often. Tax legislation in Denmark is such that by buying a car, the owner must pay taxes and customs duties almost as much as it costs. Therefore, if in Denmark you come across a representative class car, then in 90 cases from 100 it will have either Germanic or Swedish rooms.
Despite the fact that Malmo – the town is small and calm, parked in the center right on the street very problematic. Therefore, we dived into the first underground parking. Putting the car to the parking lot and paying the money machine (the machine was ready to take either Swedish crowns, or a credit card of one type – American Express), we went to walk around the old center. And when returned back, parking was completely unimpeded: there were no barriers on the departure, no payment checks. It was possible and not to pay! But Soreng says that there would be no one else to do so.
Another day – another route. This time we have to go around Zealand (old). If you go on the highway 152 to the North of Zealand, then Danish Riviera will appear in all its glory. The winding road will go through the forests and fields along the coast of the Ereinsn Strait. Here you can see how wealthy Danes live.
However, the Danish view of luxury peculiar. Modesty and, if you wish, asceticism are one of the main features of this very rich country. On the consistency of the owners can be judged only by cars. More nowhere in Denmark not to meet such abundance of expensive cars. Although the Moscow resident submitted a car row may seem rather modest.
The city of Hellsinger is located in the north of Zealand, at the very narrow place of the Eresund Strait. Home His landmark – Castle Kronborg. Here you have a chance – I don’t know how much he will please you – to meet a lot of compatriots: a visit to the Castle of Prince Danish, apparently, is included in the mandatory tourist minimum.
Well, we go further to the north, in Hornbek. In summer, no matter how surprisingly, the local sandy beaches swim and sunbathe. But I must say that the weather in Denmark is unstable. In summer, as a rule, there are several warm and even hot weeks. But if the day shines the sun and the temperature under 30, it does not mean that in the evening it will not go raining and does not cool down degrees for 10-15. However, Soren, like many Danes, believes that it is nothing, if in the summer it is cold: you can warm up in the south of Europe. But in winter, though raw, but warm – 5-10.
The beaches in the north of Zealand are really luxurious. And the sand is a lot, and there is something to see: ships go from the strait Cattegat to Eresund. Yachts, boats, big marina: binoculars in these places – the thing is essential.
We return to Copenhagen another expensive – on the motorway (they are called Europavej) E47 here. She also goes along the coast of Eresund, only a little further from the coastline. Motorways and simple roads, even secondary meaning, in Denmark unusually smooth. Apparently, so there are so many accidents. The driver becomes boring, and he just falls asleep. Speed limit on highway 110 km / h, on ordinary roads – 80, in the city – 50. Soreng says that riding at a speed of 120-130 km / h is not considered a serious violation, but if you were selected with a great speed, the punishment can be very severe. On the other hand, if you go too fast, then Denmark may end. Slightly added gas – and you are already in Germany.
It’s time to go to the mainland. Our path lies from Copenhagen to west through the island of Funen on the Peninsula of Jutland. E20 route goes through the whole country from Copenhagen to the west coast. Having drove through Zealand, we turn out to be in the Strait of Big Lest. Bridge over him also built quite recently, in 1998. Crossing through Big Lest consists of two large bridges, oriental and western, and one tunnel for the railway.
First you drive the Eastern Bridge. This semi-kilometer construction is the second in the world in the length of the suspension bridge, much generated by both Istanbul bridges between Europe and Asia. The length of its main span – 1624 m. Bridge height over water – 75 m. (The longest suspension bridge – Akashi Kaikyo in Japan, the length of its main span 1911 m.)
The eastern bridge ends on a small island of Sprog (Soren says that for this island a hundred years ago, the prostitutes were sent to public works, but now no one lives here). Western bridge begins on the same island, where the automotive and railways go on the same level to the shore of Funen. Length of this bridge is 6.6 km. Travel through the large lobe is also paid, the price is calculated automatically, based on the weight and dimensions of the machine. For the mid-sized passenger car, it will be about $ 30.
Big Lest behind. E20 Route crosses Funen for the shortest way. We move quite small on a Danish bridge through the sheds of small loft, and now we are already in Jutland. Another 20-25 km – Willow, a small town on the shore of the same name fjord. There are no special attractions in Vial, except except Stimorol factory and a very high bridge over the fjord (well, not in Denmark big rivers!). Here we leave the freeway and go further along the usual two-way road.
Soren decided that since we drove into these edges, I certainly need to see two famous thematic parks. They are not very far from each other, so wrap a day. First – Legoland Park in Billund. Tourists with children are usually stuck here for three days.
While children up to the greentail ride on attractions and stare on architectural compositions from plastic cubes, parents are delayed in numerous beer. And since the Danes are very calm parents and even the type of their own child, hugging urn, does not cause them any emotions, they let go of their offspring on a free journey through the park.
15 km north of Billund in the city of Guilskuda is Safari Park. Safari Park is a few huge heliers with exotic animals. Here you can watch freely grazing giraffes, bison, ostrich, zebras, antelope. It remains straining fantasy and present a palm tree on the spot. Special Pride Park – Family Gorillas and Wolter with Lions. Only those and others with reluctance come out of their shelters. And if the first, it seems, just tired of this human zoo, then the second is simply striking, dorms all day somewhere in the bushes.
Well, now – north-west, to North Sea. Soreng says that it is better to go on secondary roads, then you can feel real Denmark, as well as see hairy cows and wind power plants.
Most Danish roads – two-band. At the entrance to each small town hangs an electronic scoreboard. It shows the speed of your car and, if required, suggests it to reduce it. Crossing roads outside the cities tend to use a circular motion. But here it should be remembered that, unlike our rules, in Denmark, with a circular movement, the advantage has the one who moves in a circle (that is, the rule of interference on the right in this case does not work). This rule was introduced in Denmark twenty years ago. Soren says that within a few months after the rules have changed, the Danes were methodically crashed into each other on the junction. However, then accustomed and found that such a scheme is even more convenient, especially where a large stream of cars.
The town of Ringcabing is located on the shore of Fjord with the same name. From here and then to the Sonderwick itself, which is located on the shores of the North Sea, you can enjoy the adorable pictures of a typical Danish resort. Little country houses, more similar to Garden Hozblocks, and Darkness of cars with residential trailers. The Danish coast of the North Sea is very popular in Germans (to the border with Germany is very close). They come here on cars and live for several days while it is warm weather.
Going further on a spider between the sea and fjord. Here wide sandy white beaches are separated from the road harvested, not a couple of Baltic, dunes. It is a pity that the weather managed to spoil – the permeating wind does not make opportunities to enjoy the landscapes. We are going south, through the Esbjerg in Ribe.
Ribe – the oldest city of Denmark. The first mention of it refers to 860. After the fire of 1580, the city was re-built. Most of the houses preserved to our time built in the XVII century. The most difficult in Ribe is to believe that here is all presents: houses, cathedral, mill, lights, hedges and many modern cars.
Ribe to the German border is completely close – kilometers 50-60. So you can continue the journey. Well, and we come back to Copenhagen. We will not go on freeways, but on small tracks:
