Fairy Tale Denmark....

Another interesting day and another new port. I headed off with some of the band members in Rønne, Denmark on the island of Bornholm. There was a free shuttle, which was a pleasant surprise. Another pleasant surprise was seeing the band members since I thought it would be a day on my own. I had people to hang out with in port. We ventured off into the main square called Store Torv and found that the city wasn't that large. After watching the Barbara channel in the morning (Barbara is our port lecturer and very entertaining when she talks about the ports of call) I realized that the key points were the round churches, a town called Gudhjem (good hyem), and biking. I already knew about the biking. My past experiences with Denmark have been the free city bikes. You put in a 20 Kroner piece, ride around, and then return the bike to its lock where the 20 Kroner piece drops right back into your hand. The coin is merely insurance that you'll return the bike. I didn't see any of those, but I did see plenty of bikers and bike paths. The group of us walked around town for a bit taking in the colorful Danish homes around us. We ended up in a residential area in a quest for Gudhjem because I thought I heard Barbara say it wasn't far from town. We did find yet another church (St. Nikolai Cathedral), but it wasn't round and the guys thought I was joking. We walked back to the main square and my friend Scott and I were definitely curious about this other town where supposedly there was more architecture reminiscent of the Old Danish style with people dressed in Old Danish style. We learned that a cab would cost approximately $80 and opted for the bus. We learned also at that moment the bus was about to leave for Gudhjem and it would only be 44 Kroner to get there. We got on a bus that was about to leave only to learn that this was merely a bus going part way and we'd have to transfer. The ride would take approximately 45 minutes to the transfer point. With no idea of schedules, a press for time, and a lack of knowledge about the port, we opted for it. We drove through beautiful countrysides in towns like Nyker, Arsballe, and ending up in Østermarie, which was our transfer point. We got there later than the scheduled transfer bus was supposed to be there, but suddenly 2 busses showed up. We got on a bus and it turns out it was a local bus that took us through more countryside in Østerlars, Svaneke, Saltuna, and Melsted before finally arriving yet another 30 minutes later in Gudhjem. It was foggy, which added a mysterious quality to the rustic town. It was a fishing village and the people there still thrive on the fish market. The homes were definitely in the Old Danish style, but after walking through the paved streets with automobiles we realized that this was like any other town other than it's unique old style in architecture. We had about 20 minutes here after our bumbled bus ride, but that was okay. We took in as much as we could before heading off back to Rønne. I had some true Danish and Scott picked up another delicious sweet just before we caught the last bus back to the ship. Whew. This one was direct. No transfers. We realized that we could've gotten off in some of the smaller towns to take a look around. Our transfer stop in Østermarie donned one of the famous round churches. No one knows why they are round. They just are. Also we did make a stop in Åkirkeby where it is said to be the oldest town chartered in 1346. It was an enjoyable day though. I liked the spontaneity of it as well as the charm of taking a local bus through these towns and the countryside. We ended up back on board just in the nick of time. What was also unique with the fog today was the eerie feeling of going through the wooded areas. I can see where what might lurk beyond the road can inspire some fairy tale writers.

It looks like my trip is starting off swimmingly. I got my global phone for the road. It only works everywhere except the Americas, but whatever. It'll do me fine for now and I may need it again someday. I was nervous because I thought it wasn't coming at all from the shipping tracking information. I had a lovely day out in Copenhagen on my own that day as well. I went off elated that my phone came and things seemed to be heading in the right direction. I walked around the pier and stumbled upon the city bikes. These are the bikes where you put in 20 Kroner, ride around, and then return it getting your 20 Kroner piece back. FREE!! I did this for a while visiting lovely parks before my bladder decided that the coffee I had that morning needed to be removed. I found a McDonald's, paid my 2 Kroner, and went about my business. After riding around for about an hour I decided to go on foot the rest of the day and stroll through town and the shops. I came upon the Rundetaarn (Round Tower) that was connected to the Trinitatis Church. I had never seen this before and saw people milling about on top. I decided to take a closer look. I went up in the winding ramp that was inside the tower to the top to get some beautiful views overlooking the city below. It was a gorgeous day with temps in the summer region (hot). I loved it. This tower was supposedly built for King Christian IV in 1642. This is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. I didn't go into the observatory, but just on the platform outside. After leaving the tower I just strolled through the city and took in the vibe. It's a young and artistic vibe here. A University town. I went to the botanical gardens and enjoyed the beautiful park as well as some of the other parks in town. I walked non-stop all day only stopping once to pick up a real Danish at a local coffee shop. I didn't want to eat lunch because it was going to be an evening at the Pinnacle dining room. Yummy!! That night 4 of us went to dinner and it was absolutely delectable. It was the last formal dinner before I head away from this ship and onto the next stage of my adventures. I truly enjoyed this ship most of the time and the people here are lovely. I'm going to miss a lot of them and hope they all keep in touch. One in particular that I will miss is the very warm and charming keyboardist who has taught me a little bit about myself and about spontaneity and fun in life in general. Now as I enter my last port on this ship I'm thinking about my new adventure with many lessons still to be learned as I go into Europe on a 2-week adventure. Woo hoo!