Natural reserve Tofte Skov close to which I camped
Free camping place with 3 bivaque cabins and a fireplace and a tap
Cold evening so I made a fire. Chopped wood was available One side warm, the other side cold and everything stinking of smoke
Bivaque cabin 
Inside the cabin
Close up of the possible lily. Looks like an orchid but it isn’t. Many of those here 
Digging silver sand for glass industry?? 
Swiss chef of camping with girl friend this morning
Nice walking on old train trail 
Woods start becoming green 
many anemones 
A roe deer leg is the best there is
Or a pig’s bone 
This dog unhappy? 
Driveway to a castle/farm Kongstedlund 
The eatable vineyard snail. I thought our Limburg region was the most Northern place in Europe
Some kind of lily I see here more often, but which one?
I had very good night in the caravan. With Tosca at my side. A mattress, a quilt, my sleeping bag, underwear and flannel shirt and thus we passed the freezing night well.
In the “community space” I ate my sandwiches together with a German couple who cycled around Jutland. They were both 50 plus. Why? He liked long-distance tour biking and fortunately his wife wanted to join him once in a while. He rode a few times Paris-Best-Paris. Hey Hubert (brother in law), something for you? For us?
I still had to return the bicycle key to the caretaker, Mary. She advised me not to walk the coastal route, which I had planned: much traffic all over. I indeed lost interest. Follow the North Sea Cycle Route. Passing through beautiful landscape, and there is no traffic. Good idea. Only, then I have to revise today’s route. Instead of 15 km. it ‘ll be over 29 km., a few wooden tractor cabs along the cycle path, with no amenities, or 34 km. to a camping a little further away. We’ll see. On verra.
I made a selfy with camping desk officer, Swiss Mary, who understands Dutch after her 22 months stay in Friesland . Her girlfriend also in the selfy. Still some fun, huh. Indeed, today was a beautiful route with good sunny weather, although the wind was chilly.
Tosca found another deer leg. It probably was the deer paw of Denmark’s last deer of which we found part of the other remains yesterday. MaybeTosca yesterday found the last specimen in Denmark, or did the animal finally collaps after walking a day or so on 3 feet? Qui sas. When Tosca also found a vertebra Tosca’s day was a great success. The path followed mostly an old railway or tramway trail. Beautiful rolling green and peaceful scenery. A lot of spring bloom. Many times I saw a kind of lily at the side of the road and a blue flower, looking like an orchid, but it was not. I made some pictures. Vast fields of wild garlic, not yet in bloom, but it made the whole area smell of garlic. I passed the beautiful castle / mansion of Kongstedlund, but because of all the vegetation around it I could not take a picture of it. On the way I spotted my first live deer in Denmark. I came through a sort of Danish Oostvaardersplassen (natural reserve) called Tofte Skov, near my present campsite. A herd of wild Polish Konik horses, a herd of the 60-70 years ago newly bred aurochs, the so-called Heck cattle, grazed on a very large flat grassy plain. It was all so beautiful that I wanted to film it: putting down my backpack, getting the video camera out of the bags, putting that down, oh darn, battery empty. Packing the movie camera again, picking up the back pack again. Shit, because if I stay tonight in the outdoor bivouac huts, I have of course no power to charge the battery, so tomorrow no possibility to film. It ran so smoothly today, I did not want to stop for lunch. Only at 4 pm I finally ate my first a sandwich, had a Coke and on again.
At the bivouac wooden huts, 3 pieces, like large coffins, was a water tap and a “sjietes” (old fashioned little cabin with a board to sit on to shit).
Time for a dirty story. A family couldn’t find grandfather. Everyone searching. But Grandpa was not in or around the house. Eventually they pulled the door of the “sjietes”, you know, a door with a heart in it !, and looked at the bumm of a bent over grandfather grandpa. Grandpa, what are you doing? I dropped my false teeth. You won’t find it. Don’t say so, Grandpa replied. I’ve already found two, but they did not fit!
Well, such “sjietes” I got here too. Fortunately, I have no false teeth, thanks to the care of befriended dentist Paul.
Because it is already 6 p.m. when I arrive at my paradise. is, I decided to goto sleep in such a loft. Probably better than the tent, very cheap and tomorrow will be a new day. To be sure, I had done my shopping this afternoon at the only store I encountered on the way, so I can forward till tomorrow. Gotta drag that weight along, but o.k, that’s the way I want it, right ???
I made a campfire, because it gets quite cold, under the cloudy sky. The bad thing of a campfire is, you’re hot at one side, and freezing at the other side, you stink of smoke and everything gets dirty black, especially with an affectionate dog who always wants to make love and presents his filthy paw. And I can not punish her for being nice of course. She does not understand. With a partner that is more clear.
A little blogging, checking tomorrow’s route, diner and roosting early like the chickens. I am good at my schedule, I feel good, I am almost in Norway, of which I have high expectations. So it / I go smoothly. Some to and fro SMSing with Dutch biker Ad Hendriks, whom I met a few days ago. He was on his way to Norwegian friends in Stavanger. Would be nice if we would meet again, but we’re going to miss each other probably just one day when crossing the sea from Denmark to Norway.
A long phone call with Paul and O, who, along with my girlfriend Sonja, which whom I have been married since decades, will come and join me in about 12 days. That is the Olavsweg, a 640 km. long pilgrims road in Norway, from Oslo to Trondheim. I also made telephone appointments for a single-day visit to daughter Marieke, who lives in the South of Norway. From my pitch-dark, cold coffin, at 9 am. a phone call to my other daughter Lil and her Ralf, how her pregnancy is going and the renovation of the house. Finally, a call with goodnight wishes to the home front and the eyes were closed.
Isebisebamen, hands together, eyes closed. That’s how we go to heaven. Sonja’s children’s lullaby.
Dear Jesus, I go to sleep, because the day is over again, but first I want to ask You, dear Jesus bless me. Also bless my dear parents, bless all whom I love. Under Your loyal guard Your child will quietly fall asleep. My children’s evening prayer, which rhimes in Dutch. But the prayer doesn’t help me tonight! I lie cold and hard.
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