Day 1: I began my tour in Koge, a quiet town 40 km southwest of Copenhagen, heading south towards Vordingborg. The bike path took me through picturesque towns, fishing villages, and expansive fields of corn and wheat. The weather was ideal for cycling-sunny and warm, with a cooling breeze. I arrived at Vordingborg near sundown, and stayed at a quiet campsite by the sea. The sea wind was strong, blowing whitecaps off the water. I camped under a pine tree, with the pine needles making a soft bed.

Day 2: I rode to Rodbyhavn, stopping along the way at Sakskobing to visit its charming red-tiled cathedral. From Rodbyhavn, I took the next ferry to Fehmarn Germany. I continued south to Neustadt. The sea wind was gusting in some places, especially on the long steel bridge joining Fehmarn to the mainland. The bridge offered a panoramic view to the surrounding sea coast, much of it covered by marshes. Sail boats and windsurfers leaned mightily in the gusts. At Neustadt, I stayed at one of the campsites by the sea. Communication was a challenge, as the residents spoke little English and I spoke little German. Still, it was a lovely seaside setting, even though I had to share it with a sea of car campers.

Day 3: I arrived in Lubeck in the late morning. I lingered in this former capital of the Hanseatic League for some hours, visiting the gate tower (Holstentor), the town square, and its city hall (Rathaus) with its beautifully glazed tiles and magnificient gargoyles. Then I rode on to Wismar. The city center of Wismar is paved with cobblestones and a canal passes by its cathedral. The main square has a pavilion (Wasserkunst) that once brought water. That night I stayed in a quiet but modern hostel a few kilometers outside the city.

Day 4: On the way to Rostock, I made a stop in Bad Doberan to visit its cathedral. I arrived in Rostock along a bike path parallel to the dock. The city center was packed with people. The tree-lined old city walls offered a pleasant walk. I arrived in Stralsund late in the evening. Due to the lateness, I decided to stay at the hostel in the city, rather than trying to reach a campsite about 5 km further ahead. The hostel was hosting a large group of young teens, but it quieted down remarkably after 10 pm.

Day 5: After waking early so I could walk about the Stralsund city center in solitude (the Rathaus market with its white-washed vaulted ceilings was lovely), I rode to Rugen island. Although it was more developed than I expected, the shaded forests were very pleasant to ride through. The weather turned gray and even drizzled lightly, but by noon it cleared to a brilliant sunshine. I stopped at the seaside resort town of Sellin for gelato, swim, and lunch (in that order). The white sandy beach and the clear water explains the popularity of this place. There was a adrenaline-surging steep climb from the beach to Sellin. From Sellin, I took a bike path through the shady Granitz forest to Binz and then followed the seashore to Sassnitz and Jasmund national park. After descending some wooden stairways, I reached the beach overlooked by the white chalk cliffs. I walked along the beach northward and back. In one cliff one could see layers of chalk that were deposited and then perhaps uplifted by earth movement. The beach walk made for a pleasant and quiet end to a day's bustle. Then I headed back towards Binz to find a campsite by the sea. Unfortunately, after waiting for about an hour, I learned that the campsite was full. There was an in-land campsite nearby, but in the darkness I could not find it. I settled for camping in the corner of a pine forest, next to a residential area.

Day 6: It rained overnight and off-and-on in the morning. As I was de-camping, an elderly lady stopped by to give me advices (in German) about the nearby campsites. I rode to the ferry terminal some 9 km away, only to learn that I just missed the 10 AM daily ferry to Bornholm, Norway. It was raining heavily by that time and I was faced with either staying in Rugen in the rain or taking the later ferry to Trelleborg, Sweden. I decided on the latter. The ferry ride was about 2-2.5 hours and, as we neared Trelleborg, the stormy rain and clouds gave way to a clear blue sky. After changing money and buying a Swedish dictionary in Trelleborg, I rode to the medieval town Ystad about 45 km away. The bike path took me through rocky seashores and rolling wheat fields, all bathed in a golden twilight. In Sweden, hostel offices are open only a few hours during the day. When I arrived in Ystad, it was already past the office hours. Fortunately, there was a campsite opposite a hostel, where I camped for the night. The office was closed, but one of the guests was kind enough to open the shower door for me to take a shower. The night was colder than at previous campsites, but I managed to get through a chilly sleep.

Day 7: It was a crisp clear morning when I rose to catch the early ferry to Bornholm. I bought the one-day special fare, but had to leave my bicycle behind. After a 1.5 hr hydrofoil ferry ride, we arrived at Ronne in Bornholm. I took the bus that went counter-clockwise along the coast, getting off at the northeast side to walk along a trail through a rocky seashore created by a rift valley, past the village of Sandvig, and to the castle ruin Hammershus. From there I took another bus that continued the counter-clockwise circuit back to Ronne--just in time to catch the last ferry back to Ystad. I wished I had more time than such a 1-day whirlwind tour. In Ystad, I first asked a hostel by the sea for a bed, but it was full. So I instead stayed at a second hostel in the train station. This was convenient for a walking tour through the cobbled streets and half-timbered houses of the city center before returning to the hostel for dinner and sleep. I shared room with a Japanese student who is visiting a university (in Odense?) to study dairy agriculture. We exchanged travel stories and photos.

Day 8: From Ystad I rode to Sjobo and then Lund. The weather, which was gray to start, turned very wet after I reached Lund. Still, I had just enough time to visit the romanesque cathedral with its astronomical clock and mechanical puppets that are put into motion at selected hours of the day. As the rain intensified, I waited inside the hostel near the train station until the office opened. Fortunately, there were beds available since I did not fancy going out into the deluge outside. The hostel is converted from a sleeper train. It was my first experience sleeping in such a train. I shared cabin with a Canadian student (who seems to reject all "practical" studies) and an Italian student (interested in computer science and AI), both of whom are starting their study at the Univ. Lund. Since the hostel has a fully equipped kitchen, I bought some pasta at the nearby supermarket to cook dinner.

Day 9: The rain stopped overnight, mercifully. The short ride from Ystad to Malmo was notable for an encounter with a hedgehog on the bike path. It seemed to be very tired as it curled itself in the middle of the path, motionless. I asked people nearby about animal shelter but they seem disinterested. I eventually had little choice but to put the hedgehog under a bush, at some distance from the bike path. I arrived at the hostel in Malmo in the late morning. As its office did not open until late afternoon, I rode out to visit the city center and its main park, with its windmill and Malmohus Castle museum, as well as visiting the seaside. I next looked for a bike shop that has a bike box. Fortunately I found one just before it was closing (on Saturday, it closed at 2 pm) and the owner was kind enough to find me a large box, free of charge. Returning to the hostel with my bike box, I waited until the office opened and was glad to receive a bed. I finished my remaining pasta that night.

Day 10: At the hostel, I met a man from Pakistan. He is a visiting student at Univ. Malmo, studying human rights, arriving in Sweden the previous day. He was also in need of money and planned to job search today. I was interested to know him better and offered to accompany him part of the way in the morning. We tried many shops but the answer was either 'no' or, on rare occasions, 'come back later'. Still, he persisted. When I indicated that I need to leave him to visit the castle museum, he insisted that we continue together and that later he will accompany me to the museum. In consideration of his financial situation, I offered to pay for his admission to the museum. Despite his insistence, he was clearly less interested in the museum (natural history, human history, and art). He also lied about his qualification during his job search and he spoke of finding a girlfriend in Sweden, even though he has a wife and children in Pakistan. I admonished him that such conduct is inconsistent with upholding human rights. As we were returning to the hostel, a car stopped and the driver, an elderly man, offered us a lift (with apparently no ulterior motive). I was amazed by such hospitality. The driver dropped me off near the hostel and then he continued to drive the Pakistani student to a shop we visited earlier and whose owner was supposedly to be in later today. After collecting my bicycle, pack, and the bike box from the hostel, I walked the bicycle, with bike box stuck conspicuously into its seat, to the train station. I bought a train ticket to the Copenhagen airport (a more expensive ticket than needed, but it worked) and, upon reaching the airport, settled down to sleep through the night.

Day 11: I woke just in time to rush to the ticket counter and to pack my bike into the bike box. It took some asking before one airline ticket counter was kind enough to find tapes that I could use to tape up the box. I made my 7 AM flight.