Hej!

A couple of months ago I had my birthday barbeque and amongst some very awesome presents I got a souvenir coffee mug of Denmark. It was one of those which has a map of the country and pictures of all the different things you can see in Denmark. Well, I decided I hadn't seen enough of this place yet and I'd heard that on the other side of Denmark there existed some Danes who can't speak perfect English. And so, with about a week left before my final exam, Brian's Amazing Bike Adventure was born.

Now that I've returned (okay so I've already spoiled the ending), I thought I'd try to break the record for the longest travel email ever and so I've dedicated an entire email to each day. What's more I'll only send one a day just to keep you hanging in suspense! :)

And so, the adventure begins...

Somehow when I'd been thinking about my trip I completely forgot that I'd have to carry my food, tools, camping gear, clothes etc. I just imagined myself riding around the country free as a bird. So it was a bit of a surprise on the first morning when I strapped my tent and sleeping bag to my bike and put on my backpack. My plan of covering 100km per day quickly changed. Actually I started to wonder if I could even make 1km.

Nevertheless, with a little apprehension, I jumped on my bike and for the first time headed west from my little town of Lyngby.

One happy little adventurer.

The first 40 or 50km were magical and I'd almost forgotten about the weight on my back. Even when I got lost in the forest I wasn't worried and just followed my nose through some people's backyards for a couple of kilometres until I eventually met the bike route again.

Then the pain hit.

Out in the open fields the sun was blazing (a rare thing in Denmark), I'd run out of water and my legs were starting to complain. But stubbornly I pushed on, determined to reach Århus by the end of the day. Still, the further I went the slower I became until even old ladies were passing me by. Finally after the ferry trip to Rørvig I fell asleep on the grass completely exhausted. When I awoke I realised I couldn't make Århus and so I looked up the address of somewhere to stay about 20km away in Nykøbing Sjælland. But I was spent and for the last 2 or 3km I had to push my bike.

Finally I arrived at the house of Jens Jørgensen--a very kind man with a very Danish name who let me camp in his garden but only after he had taken my photo and added it to his three volume visitors book. I pitched my tent, made a fire and cooked my dinner. Packet pasta, sausages and tea have never tasted so good!

My route for the first day. Okay it's not the best map, but just so you can get an idea of the scale, I rode about 90km on the first day.

Will I survive another day? Or will Jens actually turn out to be a horrible cyclist-eating monster? To find out the answer to this question and more, stay tuned for Day 2!

Brian.