Wednesday morning we all met in the hotel lobby with the local guide who got us packed on to a bus and we rode up the east shore of Zeeland to Helsingør (Elsinor in Shakespeare’s English) and Kronborg castle, getting a travelogue as we rode. We had a tour of the castle through which actors roamed, acting bits and pieces of Hamlet. After the tour we were supposed to meet our cycling guides Bodhi (who was a guide on my Prague-Vienna trip) and Pernilla, have lunch, and do a warm-up ride, but the weather looked ominous and we voted to do the ride first. Riding south along the coast, we stopped for a snack near the southernmost part of the ride, then continued back toward Helsingør. It started drizzling as we neared the end, becoming a heavy rain. We skipped lunch and boarded the ferry across the Øresund to Helsingborg. There was a possibility of a customs check on the Swedish side, due to increased restrictions in immigration, but in the event we breezed through without any inspection. By the the rain had stopped, and we walked from the ferry terminal to our hotel a couple blocks away. After freshening up and changing, we walked to our first group meal, a smörgåsbord, where we all stuffed ourselves before walking back to the hotel to end the day.
Day two of riding was a trip south along the Swedish coast to Landskrona castle. There was a stop mid-way at a fishing museum for a snack and a tour. There was some headwind toward the end, making it a pleasure to stop and relax. Shortly after arriving at the castle for lunch, it began to rain, but eventually let up. Most people decided to cycle back to Helsingborg, but some of us thought we would take the van to the top of the big hill, and ride from there. Shortly after we started, it began to rain again, and when we got to the top of the hill, we were in a hailstorm. Bodhi asked, “Are you sure you want to ride?” and we decided discretion was a better option. So we continued, and by the time we got back to Helsingborg, the rain had stopped. Everyone eventually made it back, and that night we got on a bus to a of tour of a licorice factory, followed by dinner at Fredriksdal Open air Museum. After lunch some took the bus back, and the rest of us followed Pernilla across town back to the hotel, to end a busy day.
The following day we headed north out of Helsingborg, mostly along the coast. Mid-morning there was a stop at Vike Marina for refreshments and a little rest. We left the marina, and a little thereafter I had my first fall when my rear wheel skidded on some soft surface. Just a little road rash. A little later I had my second fall when I didn’t negotiate a turn on a sidewalk. I’m getting too old for this. Continuted on and eventually headed inland to Skaret where we lunched at Flickorna Lindgren. After lunch it was off again heading east to Angelholm. After a ride through some woodland, there was the option of an ice cream stop at a marina, at which point, probably due to being tired, I misread the cue sheet and took a wrong turn. Bill and Adele were in the same boat, but they eventually turned in a different direction, and I was lost. Found a sign pointing to the train station, and started heading that way when Bodhi found me, and we rode there together, at which point Bodhi and Pernilla noticed that I had a bad cut on my calf. They bandaged it, and as a result we missed the train with the others, so the three of us rode back to Helsingborg in the van where Pernilla and I went to the hospital ER where after the universal wait, I was stitched up, and Pernilla got us a cab back to the hotel. A not especially favorable denouement.
The next day we loaded on to a bus and rode inland for a considerable time. There was a stop mid-morning at a candy store where I was able to pick up some cloudberry marmalade and jam, and it was on to our lunch stop at a restaurant on the Gota canal. I did not ride today to give my wound a chence to heal, so I went on the bus to the end of the ride. This was at the Bergs Slussar locks, one section of which had six locks one after the other. After the bikers arrived, we were off again on the bus to Stockholm and our hotel at Nacka, which was across the bay from the old city. After checking in—world’s noisiest lobby—I went for dinner with Myron and Connie to a Thai restaurant that Pernilla had suggested. Bodhi and Pernilla happened by in the van as we were leaving and dropped us off at the restaurant, but after a pretty decent meal we walked back and managed without too much trouble to find the hotel. Then it was time to rest up for the next day’s adventure.
The planned rides for the next two days were switched, so what was supposed to be the final day’s ride through Stockholm came first. We divided into two groups for ease of control, one led by each of the guides, and started from the hotel. It rained off and on throughout the day. We were mostly on bike paths, though some was on the streets, and we made our way to Gamla Stan and a stop to visit the Royal Museum, at which time it started to rain. It let up, and we dispersed for lunch, where I ended up with the Jensens. After lunch we made it back to the bikes and continued to Djurgården Island. We cycled partway along the island, then continued at our own pace to continue the circuit of the island. Toward the end of the ride we ran into rain again, but a final stop at the van for refreshments, and the rain let up. After dropping off our bikes, we made our way past several museums to the ferry, and rode back to the hotel in Nacka. After drying out and changing, it was time for dinner. While waiting at the ferry stop, Brad and Karen showed up, and we ended up having a good dinner together in Gamla Stan at Restaurang Kryp In. It started raining again, but we were under an awning, so stayed dry. The rain let up again, but it seemed as if it was too late to catch a ferry back, so with directions from our waiter, we made our way to the edge of Gamla Stan and found a cab to take us back to the hotel to put an end to the day.
The last day we took a bus to another ferry stop a had a ride to Lovön Island for more riding. The midday stop was at Faringso Hembygdsgard outdoor folk museum, where we had a buffet lunch. Some continued on after lunch, but several of us, including me, had had enough and rode the van. Just as well as the afternoon ride was somewhat challenging. We met back at the ferry stop, rode back to Stockholm, got to the hotel, and later that night had our farewell dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was less than optimal as the place was noisy and it was hard to talk, and the kitchen seemed to be overwhelmed, as service was slow. But all’s well that ends well.
Our last day in Stockholm was devoted to sightseeing. I took the ferry back to center city, and started with the Vasa museum, which was very interesting. The ship was huge and the story fascinating. After that I had lunch from a street vendor, and made my way to the National Museum, which had a fine collection of mostly Swedish art and artifacts. I was touristed out by then, and took the ferry back to the hotel to rest up a little. I decided to live dangerously and took a bus back to Gamla Stan for dinner at Fem Små hus, which looked promising from the guidebook, and was. Less adventurous after dinner, I walked back to the ferry stop instead of taking the bus, and after a wait boarded and made it back to the hotel to end the Stockholm part of the tour.