Cambridge to Aalborg – Steerage Class

 

 

 

Down the A14 went Jane with DB and myself firmly in the saddle.

 

 

The most dangerous bit of the trip was the first few meters, with me having to get used to the weight of the bike with two people and their gear on it and then taking the first turn left into the road, mainly because of the dip in the road and the cobbles. Dropping Jane and DB in the first turn would not have been a great start.

 

 

No such problem and off we went.

 

 

Packing for this trip has been a little bit more complicated than on my last epic for a number of reasons.

 

 

·      Last time I did not have to share any of the space available with anyone.

 

·      Bonnie also has a luggage system designed for expeditions, so on top of the panniers there are all sorts of clamps onto which one can tie extra waterproof bags and anything you want. In fact I have an elasticized net with hooks at the end of each end which allows you to put almost anything you need on the back of the Bonnie or Spot.

 

·      Jane however is a thoroughbred, not a “pack horse” and her luggage areas are panniers, which are sleek and gorgeous to look at. However what you see is what you get and that is all. Nothing can be attached to her, like a super model in a tight Lycra Mini Dress.

 

·      So DB and I have to squeeze everything into one side pannier each, for 14 days and in the back or “top box” as it is known is all our waterproof gear and our jacket liners for cold days plus some basic tools.

 

·      Unlike my US epic here we are riding on tar roads and BMW “On Call” is available everywhere so I will not, if we have a “bad Jane” moment be fixing much myself other than a temporary puncture repair. No Idaho moments for me on this trip!

 

 

So it is two quick drying T Shirts, one pair of Jeans, one lightweight pair of trousers. Two of underpants, socks, handkies etc. and not mush else for the two weeks ahead. Not that I need much else as my hotty is with me.

 

 

So Sunday afternoon saw us assemble at the fine Port of Harwich on the East coast of England, for the knowledge junkies this is south of Ipswich, which is in Sussex, but Harwich is in the cultural county of Essex – you all know about Essex Girls. Well this is where they migrate to Denmark.

 

Not as organised as the Chunnel or a Dover ferry, but better than SAR at Johannesburg Station, we had a short wait with BMW motorbikes assembling together and the obligatory first getting to know each other and checking out everyone’s bikes and the various mods to them. Then it was through check in and on to the boat. Danish run by DFDS Ferries, your time changes immediately you get on board even though you are still in England for the ship operates on Danish time. Bikes were quickly tied down and readied for the sea voyage and the potential of bad weather. A very interesting selection of motor cars as well with a classic Alfa Romeo, A Ferrari and a Rolls Royce next to the bikes.

 

 

We were allocated cabin B6115 on Deck 6. Serious Steerage Class! We turned left immediately on entering the passenger area, but this was not quite like turning left after entering a BA 747. Deck 6 is the lowest passenger deck, marginally above the water line, we would be the first to join Neptune if the ship was to go down. I am not sure whose face was more interesting as we entered the cabin. Only one bunk bed, a single! Smaller than my Harvard room and a lot less attractive. Then we found the second bed. Like a railway bunk bed strapped against the wall. The head (toilet) and shower all in one and a smell of a German toilet after three days of Steak Tartare and Bratwurst in mid summer.

 

 

I could see that DB was about to take the “opt out anywhere” option but I assured her the smell would go once the boat was underway. It left promptly at 18h45 Danish time and we were soon on the open seas, these being the North Sea.

 

 

A few great Danish Beers and a get together meeting later broke all the ice and dinner, nothing great was enjoyed by all. Relatively early to bed and a  surprisingly good and long sleep saw a waking up to a stronger than expected swell and sea. I wondered who the chunder bikers were going to be and at breakfast the one least expected to be a softie was the one who was green and who had to leave after sea issue scrambled eggs were put in front of him.

 

 

I thought of my late Grand Parents travelling across these same seas some 115 years ago on the first legs of their trips from Russia to South Africa via Hamburg and we would have crossed their paths during the night. Out Steerage class must have been 100 time better than theirs.

 

 

At 13h00 we docked in Esjberg, a Danish port town and were soon off the boat. Jane is much more temperamental at slow speed than Bonnie and Spot and is designed for a far different purpose. Bonnie and Spot are go anywhere, do it anywhere, do it any which way type of girls. Jane likes a smoother ride and the faster the better. Slow and steady is not her scene, so boarding and getting off the ferry’s ramp can be quite tricky on Jane, particularly when she realises that she is part of a threesome and that she is not necessary at the top of her master’s love interests at that moment.

 

 

Soon we were out of town and on the open road in the Danish countryside. English is such a great language. Who else could get Denmark out of the Dansk, which is the Dane’s name for their country. How the hell did an “e” ever creep into Denmark as it should be Danmark!!

 

 

Very pretty countryside marred only by the small of fresh cow shit being pumped onto every pasture. One of my selling points in getting DB to start motor biking was the wonderful smells that fill up your helmet as you ride along. Freshly cut grass, smoke from freshly burning wood and the smell of new flowers. I never mentioned this aspect of motorcycling for the four hours it took us to reach our night stop at Aarlborg, a university town in the North of Denmark. I figure she worked out pretty smartly that it was not me that was responsible for these aromas, even though I have been known to let off the odd lingering fart in very public places.

 

 

You know when your GPS tells you that your hotel is 6 kms out of town and right next to the freeway that it is not going to be an epic overnight experience. The Scandic Aalborg proved to be no exception to this rule. Adequate in a Scandinavian Spartan way is the best description. We are blessed with a double bed, not a queen so you get the picture, but two days wrapped around me on Jane is getting DB into the right mind set, so no problem with a small bed. We also have a double pull out bunk bed next to us so the mind boggles at the variations of “where to sleep tonight” and “hot tongue gets cold bum” situations.

 

But no fear in this regards, we have actually had a great time riding together and are pretty much one unit on the bike. Tomorrow we ride about 70 km north and catch a three-hour ferry to Kristiansand, our first touch on Norway and the Norse Gods. From there we ride a further 250km to Larvik for the night.

 

 

It is just before midnight and DB wants the lights out so I have to go.

 

 

Good Night and Good Luck from Aalborg.