(2) Day Two: Chai Latte, Bridges, and Retro Cars – A Long Day Toward Scandinavia

As I mentioned, the bed was quite comfortable, so we would’ve gladly slept in, but we managed to set off around 10 AM. We thought breakfast at a bakery would be a good idea. Well, there weren’t any around, so we reluctantly stopped by McDonald's. And here came the surprise: chai latte with oat milk! It wasn’t even a question what I was going to drink. I didn’t have anything else because I had my oat cookies. Honestly, this was the best chai latte of my life – like drinking liquid gingerbread. Who would have thought I’d find it in a McDonald's? A bit sad that you can't get this at home… even in Sweden, they had it, but it wasn’t as spiced as the one in Germany. Of course, I later realized it’s because they make the lattes pretty milky further north. Maybe they make a lot of Babycinos. :)

Our next stop was about an hour away in Handewitt. This was the last place worth fueling up, as prices jump dramatically in Denmark, like in Norway. Expensive, indeed. We also checked out the Scandinavian Park to scope out what we might want to buy on our way back. We didn’t want to carry much yet, especially since we were unpacking and repacking the car quite often due to frequent accommodation changes, but we had a look around. It was a Sunday, so of course, the place was packed with people. We saw some Scandinavian products, but most of it was German and Danish. Most people were there for the giant packages of gummy candy – there were huge tubs stacked at the checkout.

We bought two seed mixes for the road, and when I saw the spiced Party Mix… I couldn’t resist. You can’t find such deliciousness back home, at least not in such a mixed form.

As we continued into Denmark, we crossed the Little Belt Bridge, which was still free. We stopped near Odense (Denmark’s third-largest city) at a rest area with benches, green space, trees, and a small pond. We had a picnic, walked around the pond, and even saw a few moorhens. We also used the restroom, which, by the way, was free from the Czech Republic onwards, unlike in Hungary and Slovakia. (Except for one restroom on the way back in Germany, which cost 1 euro and automatically disinfected the seat after each use.)

Then came the Great Belt Bridge, which had a toll. We couldn’t buy the ticket online in advance, so we paid on the spot. Thankfully, there were separate lanes for card and cash payments, though the cash system wasn’t working. No problem, since we hadn’t exchanged any money, just brought some euros as an emergency reserve in case we needed to exchange them.

I should add that from Germany onward, there were no tolls on highways or roads, except for 1-2 bridges like this one and a few sections in Norway. Yet these roads are maintained perfectly. (Given how flawless the road quality is, they certainly don’t skimp on materials or hire the cheapest workers for repairs.)

Passing through the Danish countryside, we unfortunately didn’t find anything particularly interesting. Of course, there are probably beautiful places, especially along the coast, but we were just passing through Denmark at this point. Around 5 PM, we reached the Öresund Bridge. It was crowded, the line moved slowly, but thankfully there was no traffic jam. We had bought the ticket online in advance, so we quickly passed through the green lane, with the gate opening based on our license plate. We didn’t take the ferry because there wouldn’t have been much of a time or cost difference, and this way, we avoided the stress of wondering if we’d make the ferry on time.

The original plan was to stop in Malmö at IKEA for lunch, but we weren’t hungry, so we kept going. In Sweden, we saw more and more retro cars, which of course, became a running joke: "Here, they don’t spend their extra money on yachts but on restoring old cars!" The next plan was to visit a special little bakery in Slöinge, but unfortunately, they closed at 4 PM, so we missed that too. We finally arrived in Falkenberg around 7:30 PM. We saw some people still swimming at the beach, while others were packing up. I dipped my feet in the water, but it was cold, so I only soaked my feet a little. :) After 8 PM, we went into town for a walk, where we again saw many retro cars. The colorful houses were absolutely enchanting, in perfect harmony with each other. This is where we needed to refuel again. We quickly noticed that self-service fuel stations are the norm up north, and the one we stopped at didn’t have any other option. :) Of course, we had to switch our brains to logical mode again. Here, it doesn’t work like back home, where you select an amount, pay, and then fuel up. Instead, at the start of fueling, they charge a certain amount to your card, and once you're done, the difference is refunded to your account.

The day ended with another three hours of driving to Vrångebäck, where our accommodation was. We arrived in the dark and had to search a bit for the place, but we eventually found it. We were greeted by a lovely, calm area with beautiful grass. That’s how the day ended, and the car had already racked up its first 2,000 km.