Norway to Holland – Day 2
Monday 28th of July 2008
It was a bit windy when I woke up in the morning. Lærkelunden camping had excellent sanitary facilities so I took a hot shower. Wireless Internet access was available for 30 Danish crowns (US $6) for an hour or you could pay 50 crowns (US $10) for 12 hour access. This was great for checking the weather forecast :) There was also a pool room with electrical outlets where I could charge my mobile phone.
After packing my tent I was ready to ride past the border to Hamburg in Germany. While packing, an older gentleman from Germany stopped next to the bike and admired it, “Wünderschön” he kept saying, haha :) I think I smiled all the way to Hamburg that day.
I arrived at Campingplatz Schnelsen-Nord, just north of Hamburg. This camping ground was very different from the one in Denmark. In Denmark I had to struggle to find a good spot to pitch my tent, but here all the spots where marked with numbers and I had my very own 20 square metres or so. And the ground was flat, which is a good thing! In Denmark I was sleeping in a slight downhill which isn’t very comfortable…
I parked my bike, pitched my tent and decided to go and eat dinner in Hamburg City. The staff at Campingplatz Schnelsen-Nord were very friendly and explained how to get to the city by bus and train. If you’re thinking about doing the same, here’s the route:
Take bus 191 to Niendorf-markt then take subway-train U2 to Hauptbahnhof Nord in central Hamburg.
The subway is dirty and there were rats around… oh well, it’s all part of travelling!
I had some nice pasta in the city and went back to my tent. There was a guard outside the entrance to the camping site and you have to show him your receipt to gain access. This is actually quite good, and I guess this will be a more common practice everywhere since some of the camping sites around Europe have had thieves stealing from peoples camping vans.
Staying at Campingplatz Schnelsen-Nord totalled at €17,40 per night (US $25). I paid €7,40 for pitching my tent, €7 per person staying and €3 for the motorcycle. I also had to pay a €10 deposit for a key to the WC…
The entrance to Campingplatz Schnelsen-Nord (left), Opening hours (right)
Lots of space for my tent and bike (left), Me tired, hungry and looking like shit after a long ride (right)
Make sure you bookmark www.BikerThomas.com so that you can come back and read about the rest of the trip. Day 3 of the trip will be out real soon!
