I leave Pleigne one week from today.  Next Tuesday, I’ll take two hours to cycle to Basel in the morning and spend the day there.  I will swim in the Rhein, walk the cobblestone streets, find street musicians and watch the men play petanque.  I will soak up every last bit of of that city I can before I have to leave.

I take a night train to Hamburg on Tuesday evening and will be in Kiel by the afternoon.  I haven’t made up my mind as to whether I will take a train to Flensburg or ride a stretch of the Baltic Sea Cycle Route  before entering Denmark.  And once in Denmark, I could either cycle straight north from the German border, or take the West Coast Cycle Route along the North Sea, or perhaps take a train or bus and just cycle the northernmost portion.  I have to be in Hirtshals by Sunday, the first of August to catch the afternoon ferry to the Faroe Islands.   And if I stay in Hirtshals Saturday night, I could make be there in time for the Fiskefestival, which takes place that weekend, though that probably also means the hostel is already fully booked.  Who doesn’t want to go to the Fiskefestival?

Most of the Danish cycling sites confirm that the routes are clearly marked and well-equipped with accommodations for cyclists, which is good, because I haven’t specified each day’s mileage for this part of the journey.  I’m aiming to cover at least 150 kilometers a day, though I know I’ll want to stop for photos, and that always slows me down.   I’m curious about what it will be like when I get there, and look forward to making decisions based on the new information which will undoubtedly surface upon arrival.

So many choices, so little time…