Wanderung 30

(Bob) I was leery of riding too far as I really did NOT want my left knee to start acting up again, so we kept the day's ride to only 28 km. Since we knew we had a bodaciously long bridge to cross to get from Vordingborg across the strait to the island of Falster, and then another bridge to the island of Lolland where we had begun our circuit, we thought that would be plenty. I think we were still spooked by the "Coathanger" bridge over to the island of Fehman in Germany, which had felt distinctly dangerous.

The first bridge we crossed was a monster, about 2 kilometers long with three arching spans in the middle and long ramps leading up to either end. Fortunately the grade on those ramps was gentle and we had no problem getting up with the motor assist. BUT, there was a ferocious crosswind blowing down the strait at us; I saw the windsocks at either end blowing absolutely straight out, and if they were 30-knot windsocks, the windspeed was about 35 miles per hour! That made us lean over into the wind, which didn't disturb us too much, but then there were sudden lulls in the wind caused by some kind of shield or sign on the sides of the bridge, and that sudden change in crosswind made us veer to the side, which was disconcerting. Fortunately the path was wide enough to veer safely, but just barely.

Once across the bridge on Falster, we stopped at a wayside with picnic benches and a very nice map of the local area and adjacent islands. Chatting with a Norwegian bicyclist, we learned that the roads up there were much hillier and less suitable for bike touring.

Crossing the peninsula of Falster we were on, we continued to the narrow strait separating Falster from Lolland, where we found a small drawbridge. The drawbridge had to go up, in fact, to allow a sailboat to pass through the strait, and we both thought of Heinke and Gustl who had sailed these waters in years past. Curiously, the "sidewalk" on this drawbridge was quite narrow on one side and almost non-existent on the other, and was a smooth metal surface to boot, so in the end we decided to walk our bikes across. Fortunately, this was a tiny bridge.

But this bridge was not nearly so high nor as scary as the earlier bridge that day or the infamous "Coathanger" in Germany, and on the other side we found a small sailboat marina where Heinke and Gustl may have stayed in the past. In the adjacent town of Guldborg we found a small store where we bought a beer for Monika and chatted with a Danish guy with a cute dog.

Pausing en route to eat a quick lunch, we continued the last few kilometers to our hotel, which turned out to be very cozy. After settling in I took a quick nap and then we walked through the town of Molleboje before dinner. We were surprised but pleased to find the local church was open, and took pictures of its pretty interior. Once again we found two really beautifully crafted models of ships hanging from the ceiling, one a square rigger but the other one a very graceful sloop. They were lovingly constructed and would have fit well into any maritime museum, but I am still curious why such models hang in so many Danish churches.

At the very end of the town we found an old wind mill that had been restored in the late 1800s. It looked in perfect condition and was open for visits on certain days during the summer vacation season, but not on the day we were there, unfortunately. And so we walked back through town as the sun was setting and headed for our bed next to the old schoolhouse.