It was still dark outside when my alarm went off at 04:45. Today we have to catch the ferry at 06:45 in Gedser and a short bike trip somewhere between 20 and 35 kilometers, depending on the selected meeting point with Henrieke and Pieterjan.
First, I always do the last redaction of the daily report before sending it out to the world.
Henrieke and Pieterjan already messaged us that they were on their way, even with a fitting playlist. The song “On My Way” (from Phil Collins) will always be tied to this day.
Finding and packing our bikes in the dark was something different.
By the time we were ready, the sun was trying to peek over the horizon, shedding a bit of light on the awakening earth.
We tidied the lovely house, dimmed the lights, closed the door, and silently waved goodbye to Uffe and Charlotte, who were still sleeping, as we biked to the harbor.
The bike ride for us to the harbor was a piece of cake as it was only 1.7 kilometers from the house of Uffe and Charlotte.
We found the harbor entrance easily, and after they checked our ticket, we were the first ones allowed on the boat.
The Baltic Sea crossing takes 2 hours, and the ferry, the Copenhagen, had trouble stabilizing itself against the fierce wind. We definitely felt that. We found a nice spot in the middle of the ship and ate our breakfast sandwiches.
We wobbled also towards the tax-free shop, an obligatory exercise when you are present on such a vessel.
For the tech-savvy folks out there, the M/V Copenhagen uses a big 1.500 kWh battery system to cut down on fuel and emissions, letting the ferry run partly on stored electric power during tricky maneuvers and when it’s going slow. Its 30-meter rotor sail makes it even more efficient by using wind to lighten the engine’s load, making this vessel one of the most energy-efficient ferries around. It’s a really cool example of how naval transport is evolving.
After two hours of “sailing,” we were entering the harbor of Rostock. During our stay on the boat, we kept chatting with Henrieke and Pieterjan to check on their progress: they were closing in fast.
We were the first on the ferry, so we were the last off, after all the big trucks left, which felt safer.
Being last had its perks: no traffic when we left the boat.
After driving a kilometer out of the harbor, we contacted Henrieke and Pieterjan to decide where the pickup would take place. It’s nice that technology really helps to make this happen in an easy way.
So, we started biking trough Rostock. We had a lot of detours and traffic lights and things did not move forward the way we hoped. And suddenly we saw that we needed to take another ferry over the river Unterwarnow.
As we biked further we noticed that the city was once part of the DDR, and this still can be seen on some statues and buildings. but to be honest, we did not see the best parts of the city, something we need to take more time for in the future. 😉
Another thing that struck us was that the towns surrounding Rostock had these very Slavic sounding names.
Many towns around the southern Baltic coast have these Slavic names because the region was originally inhabited by Polabian Slavs or Wends, a West Slavic group related to modern Poles.
Towns like Güstrow, Kritzmow, Rügen, Stralsund or Stabelöw have all originally Slavic names. This does not mean the area was ever Polish.
All this to say that Stabelöw was the place where Henrieke and Pieterjan picked us up.
It took us a while to move our bags from the bikes to the car. Apparently our tires were a bit too wide for the bike rack, but by letting some air out, they fit well enough. Once everything was packed into the trunk, we were ready to head home.
Around 1, we took a sandwich break in a parking lot by the highway. Henrieke made some yummy sandwiches with egg, cheese, salami, frikandel, and chocolate. There was even coffee! Plus, it wasn’t too cold to sit outside, so we had a stylish picnic.
We stopped twice to fill up the car, and I was shocked (again) at how expensive gas was at the highway stations. But we wanted to get home ASAP, so no detours for cheaper gas.
We switched drivers a few times in the car, but Pieterjan did most of the driving. “Time goes faster for me that way,” he said.
To fill our bellies in the evening, we stopped at the Burger King in Venlo. The lady and the man who were preparing and serving the food were apparently not in the best mood, as there was a lot of yelling in the restaurant, and the burgers were not as warm as they ought to be. The fries, on the other hand, were hot and crispy, so that evened out the total experience a bit.
Still 150 kilometers to drive and 1 hour and 30 minutes. Pieterjan took the steering wheel again, as this guy seems to be indefatigable, and at 21:50 we arrived in the Meugenslaan. Henrieke and Pieterjan still had a short drive to their home. The kids Juul and Basil were sleeping over at friends of theirs, so hopefully they can have a good night’s sleep too.
We put our bags and bikes in the garage and walked a bit aimlessly through the house. But it was good to see that it was well taken care of. Henrieke even countered an invasion of flour moths. On our table in the living room, there was even a welcome message from them and the kids.
We felt very welcome indeed. After carefully placing our provisions in the right spot and reviewing our correspondence, it was time to retire for the night.
This marked the conclusion of the big bike tour. For us it was a real adventure. Yet it left us with a desire for more. Given all the valuable lessons we learned during our journey, a new, extensive cycling tour may very well be on the horizon.
This will not be the final post on this blog, as we are still hoping to gather some concluding thoughts regarding the entire experience.
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