With a filled tank and a scratched windshield I continue my trip. My next job is to get a original souvenir to bring home.
I already bought a coffeemug of the house of Hans Christian Andersen but that is not very original so I stop at a local
Spar to buy something else. I buy three tins of real Danisch food for the cats at home.
While I was locking the Wing at the parking of the Spar I noticed a very nice old sidecar rig on the same parking. It was
a Danish Nimbus.
The Nimbus with sidecar
The Nimbus was made from 1918 to 1962 in Danmark by the same company that builds the Nilvisk vaucum cleaners. It is a four
cilinder in line engine with exposed valvesprings and a shaft drive. The owner told me he used to use it for every day
transport but now he has children he uses it just for fun in the weekend.
I drive on to Odense on road 160 and just before I enter Odense I get on the highway E20 to Vissenbjerg.
Back on the treffen area, Andre and Helene invited me for dinner. Hamburgers on fresh bread and backed patatoes. Just
what I needed after a day driving. After dinner we go to the big tent, together with some other members of GoldWing Club
Holland. First we sit outside, drinking a beer and talking but when it's time for the prices for the biggest club, oldest
driver etc. etc. we go inside to join in the fun. Holland is third in the club competition, before Germany and after
Norway and Sweden. Not bad for a small country.
After the official ceremony, it's time for life music again. We listen to the music and walk around the stands with (very
expensive) accessoires like chrome covers, lights etc. The we walk around the treffen area, watching bikes and chatting to
the owners before I go back to my tent. I have a long ride home tomorrow so it's time to get some sleep.
Sunday, July 28, 2002
It is half past six when I get up and start packing. The free breakfast, a present from GoldWing Club Danmark starts at
seven and I don't want to be late because I have a boat to catch. The breakfast is very good. I have a cheese sandwich,
a jam sandwich, some yoghurt, a banana and some orange jus and coffee. Thank you GoldWing Club Danmark !
When I leave the treffen site, it is just half past eight but the ferry leaves at nine so I have to hurry. My plan was
to leave at eight o'clock but I did not make it that early.
I'm lucky it is Sunday morning and there is almost no traffic on the roads so with illigal speed I drive to the ferryport
in Fynshav in the Southwest corner of Fyn. I buy my ticket at 08:59 PM on my dashboardclock. I race to the ferryboat and
when I'm on the cardeck, the big door is closed and we leave the harbour to Bojden on the Danish mainland.
Scandlines
When we are at sea I go to the lounge to have a coffee and to look at the map to plan the rest of my trip home. It is very
warm already so it's nice to be on a boat at sea. After 45 minutes we are in Bojden on the mainland and I get on the road
to Flensburg, road number 8 and a small part of highway E45.
At eleven o'clock I arrive at the Danish-german border. I go to the change-office and change my Danish money back to Euro's
drink a soda on the parking and then I fdrive to the gasstation to fill the tank again.
At the gasstation I chat with a German Harley rider who has been to a Harley treffen in Danmark. From Flensburg I take the
road to Hamburg. I have to stop realy often for a drink because it is more then 30 degrees Celcius. Tropical temperatures!
Through the Elbe tunnel in Hamburg I try to get on the A1 to Bremen but I missed a sign so after a while I noticed the sun
was on the wrong side or I was driving in the wrong direction. Because I was pretty sure the sun didn't made a mistake it
must have been my mistake so I took the next exit and turned around. Now I was driving in the direction of Bremen.
At a gas station at Sittensen I filled my tank again. From bremen I drive to Osnabrück and from Osnabrück I drive to Enschede
in Holland. Just past Osnabrück I fill my tank again and then I continue my trip back home. This is a part of the German
autobahn with no speed limit so just for fun I cruise at 170 km/h for a while. I like my GoldWing. It does is so easy!
In the Netherlands, the speed limit is 120 km/h on most roads so right across the Dutch border I stop at the first road restauarant,
a "Routiers" truckers restaurant. I always stop for a meal or coffee because it is much easier then, to get used to the low
speed limits in Holland when you are used to the autobahn speeds in Germany. At the Routiers I get the menu of the day and
a cup of coffee. Good and not expensive as you can expect at a good truckers restauarant.
When I'm driving between Enschede and Deventer, I hear a loud "bang" so I stop at the next parking to check the bike. Soon
I see what caused the "bang". From the grill in my fairing I can see the wings of a big dragonfly ! The whole fairing is
coverred with dead insects.
The fairing covered with dead flies.
On the parking I chat with a couple from Amsterdam on a blue Honda VFR, drink a soda and then I drive on. I stop a few more
times for a drink. If posible a cold drink at a gas station like I did in Holten. I like drinks like Red Bull or Orange jus.
From Holten I drive to Utrecht and from Utrecht there is a deviation because of maintenance on the A16. At a gasstation at
Hank I fill my tank again, have another cool drink and past Breda and Roosendaal I drive back home. At 15 minutes past eight
in the evening I put the Wing in the garage.
It was a wonderfull ride today, the weather was good, a little bit hot but I'm not complaining.
In the last four days I drove 2324 kilometer with no problem. I'm very happy with the old GoldWing. The treffen was very
nice, Danmark is a great country and I had a very good time.
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