Day 3: in Lund
I'm in heaven. I better write it down before it wears off. I'm in Lund with its beautiful fresh air and cool evening sun. I think it is the relief after riding all day and finding such a cool hotel here – no fusty check-in desk where you have to bang on a bell and wait for someone in an old-fashioned black waistcoat to arrive: just a touch screen and credit card machine. It produces a plastic card that lets you past the lobby and into your room. Everything here is new and clean. No thick carpet and the heavy smell of air freshener (as in yesterday's hotel) – we get stone steps and a bare wooden floor – newly installed minimalist bathroom, free no-fuss wifi and more electric sockets that you would ever need. Instead of a heavy plastic folder with hotel instructions there is this cool collection of plastic:
And for breakfast they are cool with letting you bring your own and just have their coffee – also from a machine (Machines can make better coffee than humans often do – believe me.)
I ask 'is there a supermarket near here?' Of course is the answer and it is open late. I head down there and see that Lund is a young person's town – young persons on their bicycles, young persons on their way to a toga party. This is refreshing as someone who has spent too much time in small German country towns which are fusty and conservative – without exception.
My bike is parked outside on the street. It should be safe. It is heavily disguised as a pile of blankets with a padlock.
Let's start the day's events. Coffee and croissants in Germany – neither exceptional - followed by muesli with UHT milk of course. The party of older folk filled the dining room. Packing up was easy. And I seem to have paid my bill some time in the past. My stomach was upset again, a strange regular occurrence on my travels – hence a couple of unscheduled stops on the way to the ferry. But the road up to the tip of Germany, an island called Fehmarn got quieter and ended up pleasant – and the sun shone throughout the day.
I arrived just in time for the 11.45 crossing and my ticket seemed to get me on, even though I'd booked a later trip. On the crossing I stayed with Belinda on the car deck for most of the trip. There were some neat but not robustly effective (I thought) wall-hanging straps to tie down bikes (mine was the only bike) but I did not trust it after my disaster on a Norwegian ferry some five years back.
It was lovely to get into Denmark. Again the roads seemed almost empty and the temperature was a pleasant 18 degrees. I bought some petrol and food and stopped at one of their functional picnic with petrol and toilet spots half way. The traffic got heavier as I approached Copenhagen. The Oresund crossing was fun as ever and it was so easy to pay having found out in advance which lane to use. It was obvious anyway. Then it was only about 20 miles from Malmo to lovely Lund. I have passed through Lund once before, parking on cobbles in the old town centre – which is of course an old university city – but never stayed.
Supplies at the supermarket were not wide-ranging and of course entirely lacking anything remotely alcoholic. Luckily I am prepared. And Sweden is the home of Oatley! There are so many more varieties than we are allowed in boring old UK. There is a kitchen here in my room with a microwave so I have a pizza to try to cook. I can't read the instructions on the box. It either says microwavable or microwave is not recommended. I have the feeling that it will come out piping hot but still look completely raw.
I just tried to fold up my map of North West Germany and gave up and instead lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Total distance I rode 247 miles. It felt a lot less than yesterday.
Total riding time 4 hours 27 minutes plus 45 minutes on the ferry.
Here is the video of today's riding:
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