Beside the Seaside

Archives: December 2006

In Which I Sneak Home For Christmas, Avoiding Ice & Fog

December 17, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Norwich Route: Bergen aan Zee - the A4 - Hoek van Holland - Harwich - the A140 - Norwich Weather forecast: the mild spell ends tonight. Heavy rain in Holland tomo, and freezing fog in southeast England. The forecasts have been amazingly accurate all the way round the Baltic and...

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In Which I Get A Brief Attack Of The Willies

December 16, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Bergen aan Zee Route: Oosteiende - Bergen aan Zee After a shaky start last night I fell in love with Holland today: The People Filling up at a petrol station in a tiny village on the coast, the attendant and three passing teens were all fascinated to see, hear and...

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In Which I Am Glad I'm Not A German Pig

December 15, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Oosteiende, Holland Route: Wangerland - Norden - Emden - Delfzijl - Oosteiende The day started with breakfast: bread, cheese and endless coffee. Hille and Gerreilt were as charming and gracious this morning as they had been last night, and as daylight emerged through the December gloom, I realised the little...

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In Which I Am Befriended By.. A Serial Killer?

December 14, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Wangerland Route: Büsum - Meldorf - Glückstad - Krummendeich - Cuxhaven - Bremerhaven - Wilhelmshaven - Wangerland Riding today was all about the wind. Not the scenery, not the road conditions, not the villages and towns, not the songs singing in my head, not the livestock or the architecture or...

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In Which I Feel Old

December 13, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Büsum, Germany Route: Astrup - Rømø - Rosenkranz - Dagebüll - Husum - Wesselburen - Büsum It's my birthday. Thanks for all the emails and comments - each and every one is much appreciated. And to everyone who purposefully ignored my saccharine pleadings for cyber greetings - well, thanks to...

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In Which I Meet The Ancestors

December 12, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Astrup Route: Ringkøbing - Esbjerg - Ribe - Astrup I'm sitting this evening on a worn and rickety settee in an old, thick-walled farmhouse down in the low marshes where the strong winds come racing in from the North Sea. Rain is lashing down. The settee has probably only been...

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In Which I Make A Complete Fool Of Myself (Yes, Again)

December 11, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Ringkøbing, 10 & 11 December Route (on Sunday): Hanstholm - Thyborøn - Torsminde - Søndervig - Videbæk - Astrup - Ringkøbing Ooops. I made it to Astrup at last - my Astrup. Our Astrup. After all those other Astrups. The village of Astrup from which Niels Nielsen Astrup, my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather,...

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It's my birthday on the 13th

December 11, 2006 by Mike in Diary

but you can't send me a birthday text because my phone's not working. Emails should get thrugh, though. --Mike In Denmark... in the rain sniff...

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In Which I Learn To Listen To My Friends

December 9, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Hanstholm, 9 December Route: Als - Hals - Frederikshavn - Skagen - Astrup - Løkken - Fjerritslev - Klastrup - Hanstholm I got to the northern tip of Denmark today and realised -- blimey Mike, this is it, you turn round now and start for the south.. south and south.....

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In Which I Cut Denmark In Half.. Ouch!

December 8, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Als, 8 December Route: Frederiksværk - Hundested - Nykøbing - Odden - Ebeltoft - Grenaa - Lystrup - Randers - Ajstrup - Hadsund - Astrup - Als Today, I took a huge chunk of Danish coast, rolled it up into a little ball and hid it at the bottom of...

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In Which I Am Interviewed By, Errr, Myself

December 7, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Frederiksværk Route: Copenhagen - Rungsted - Helsingør - Hornbæk - Gilleleje - Tisvilde - Frederiksværk Back on my feet; back on the road. It feels good. I feel.. better, but not great. My room in the Youth Hostel had eight beds. Five were filled at various times in the 16...

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In Which I Have A Lost Day

December 6, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Copenhagen Yes, Copenhagen again. I was violently sick all night -- colourful descriptions available by email -- and miserably flu-ish all day. And I had to move into the Youth Hostel because Celtic fans have taken every hotel room in the city.. so I've been ill in public. Hope I...

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In Which My Brother Makes My Day

December 5, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Copenhagen The last thing my brother and I said to each other as I left him and his family in Norway was "See you in Denmark": And whaddya know? Here he is, 'fresh' off the plane after getting up at 3.30am to catch his flight. (It must have sounded like...

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In Which I Prove A Point

December 4, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Copenhagen It has come to my attention that there are people who think I write too much. "I don't read each entry," they email/ txt, "To be honest I haven't got that much time. But I do look at all the pictures." This is for you. Copenhagen. Mild. Looked at...

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In Which I Find A Danish Hill Or Two

December 3, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Copenhagen Route: Nykøbing - Aastrup - Farø - Møns Klint - Stege - Kalvehave - Fakse - Køge - Copenhagen I know this is coming. You know this is coming. Let's get it out of the way first. Yes, again today I found a place called Aastrup. Or, as it...

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In Which I Go Island-Hopping

December 2, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Nykøbing Route: Christiansfeld - Middelfart - Helnæs - Faaborg - Aastrup - Spodsbjerg - Tårs - Nykøbing How did I finish yesterday's entry?    "I'm in Christiansfeld on the say-so of    Birgitta and Nicholas. They haven't been    wrong so far. A full report tomorrow." Honestly, I think I jinx myself. No,...

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In Which I Name Names

December 1, 2006 by Mike in Diary

Christiansfeld, Denmark Route: Flensburg - Krusa - Sønderborg - Nordborg - Ballebro - Aabenraa - Christiansfeld Another Hergé moment. [Definition: when real life is shown to be based on a Tintin picture or character, not the other way round.] I was sitting this morning in the Flensburg Stadtarchiv, deep in...

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