Day on a bike!

David, Delaney, one of the students and I finally got the chance to rent bikes and go riding today.  I was a bit nervous about officially entering the bike lanes as a biker, not an accidental pedestrian in the wrong place, but they were quite easy to follow and there were very clear rules of the road.  Nearly everyone signaled left and right turns.  EVERYONE obeyed the specially marked Bike traffic lights, even when intersections were not busy.  Bikes yielded to pedestrians and cars very clearly yielded to bikes.  I felt highly empowered on my bike.  Delaney took a spill early on against a curb, but got right back up and didn't think once about stopping the trip.  Round trip was about 10 miles.  It was amazing how quickly the miles went by. Although I could not change gears with my rent-a-bike (defective), it was geared well and I did not get tired at all (thank goodness the entire route was level).  I could totally get used to this mode of transportation!

The weather was beautiful and we got a good tip from one of the staff members at the hostel about where to go.  It was called Charlottenlund - it was an old fortification dating back to pre-WWI.  A small island surrounded by a moat on the beach front with giant old artillery guns still in place facing out to sea.  

The beach was not an amazing swimming beach, but we didn't have swim suits, so that was fine with us.  We rolled up our pants and waded.  The  water was cold, but not arctic.  There was quite a bit of seaweed and rocks, and a lot of sea shells.  After wading we picnicked in the shade and took a little nap.

We eventually headed back toward town and decided to detour to see the Little Mermaid for which the city is famous.  It was a bit challenging with the bus loads of Japanese tourists arriving to snap photos from every conceivable angle, but we got a few good ones. 

The one challenge I didn't quite manage was the left turn from one bike lane into another.  You have to pass across the street on the right side, then wait for the light to change and then join the traffick moving in the other direction.  This is usually best accomplished by getting off and walking across the intersection, but I didn't do it gracefully even once : (