En route to Bornholm

A view of the Baltic Sea while crossing from Rostock to Gedser.

Kind of like Steve Martin and John Candy, I've found it necessary to use a stunning array of transportation choices to get where I'm going. I started on my way to Bornholm this morning at 7:30 when I boarded a bus in Berlin. We changed onto a ferry at Rostock, which brought us to Gedser. Two more hours on the bus and I'd reached Copenhagen, where I'm planning to hop a train to the airport. After a 30 minute flight east, I'll land 5 kilometers from Rønne, the largest town on Bornholm, which I plan to reach either by walking, thumbing, or taxi, which ever means seems most prudent at that time.


The scenery on the way here was subtle and appealing, although it is certainly not the kind of landscape that reaches out and grabs you. (Signs pointing to a "Trakktormuseum" north of Gedser are an indicator of that.) Much of Denmark is fertile farmland, and the fields of Falster south of the capital seemingly changed colors with the sort of crop each farmer had elected; there were shades of bright green blending into yellows as well as muddy browns and beige. The two-hour Baltic Sea crossing was memorable as well, the wake of our boat combining with gusting winds to kick up the surrounding waves. The sun made the water behind us glow, a bright, hot yellow-white that contrasted significantly with the red faces of the wind-blown passengers on the observation platforms.


Anyway, it's a slow haul getting to Bornholm this time of year, but I hope to be well-rewarded with an intimate visit to what I expect to be more or less empty resort island. But from what I understand, Bornholm is well-worn with tourists from Denmark proper, Germany, and elsewhere in Scandinavia during the summer, but this time of year it is normally very quiet. And personally, I'm not one to get worked-up over a few extra hours on the way there, although I felt pretty bad for the English tourist I saw on the ferry who was throwing up before we'd even left the harbor. That's been me before.


Once I finally arrive, I'm planning to get around the small island by bicycle. The wisdom of this seemed questionable when considering the weather forecasts for the last couple of days -- chance of rain and snow and near freezing temperatures. But today in Copenhagen the weather is mostly sunny and mild for this time of year, so I'm optimistic. Furthermore, I've already seen a massive number of Danes riding their bicycles around Copenhagen; I figure it's mostly a question of willpower.


Anyway, I'll check in again in early tomorrow morning, hopefully with some of the photos I've taken along the way.


Below: Dozens of bicycles line the exterior of Copenhagen's main train station.