Dishing up Denmark

I took a four-day bike trip in Denmark, which has more than 7,000 miles of safe, interconnected, sign-posted bike trails and no big hills.

On my 50-mile trip, I biked for the fine food and the beautiful scenery, both of which I found on the island of Funen.

Funen, wedged between the Jutland peninsula and the Zealand island (home to Copenhagen), is considered the garden of Denmark, a tapestry of woodlands, meadows, manor houses and villages.

Hungering for a trip

When I found a self-guided biking and dining tour on the Funen island tourist bureau website, I got hungry.

The package had deluxe accommodations for four nights in some of the island's better hotels, big Danish breakfasts, three gourmet dinners, bike rental, luggage transport, cycling map and route descriptions.

The package was four days of biking 15-mile to 20-mile stretches, followed by gourmet dinners. From Copenhagen, I took the train to Odense, my Funen departure point.

Though, the third-largest city in Denmark, in a taxi from the train station to my first hotel, Odense looked like a small town — tidy, with a pedestrian-only main street, a Gothic church and a long canal leading to an inlet of the ocean.

The canal helped Odense become a manufacturing centre but its chief industry was born in 1805, when author Hans Christian Andersen was born.

I arrived at Knudsens Gaard Hotel, a Best Western motel built around an old farmstead with a cobblestone courtyard. A bike and an attached lock had been left for me.

I picked up my vouchers, map and route description at the front desk and claimed my first three-course dinner at the restaurant.

Grand gourmet

The waiter said the chef had prepared a menu starting with fingers of catfish on a bed of wild rice in a triumph of a white sauce.

The entrée was soft veal surrounded by spring vegetables. Then the waiter brought chocolate gateau.

I was up at 7am to fair skies and a traditional Danish breakfast buffet: eggs, yoghurt, cereal, fruit, pastries, cheese, cold cuts and thick Danish brown bread.

The first stage of the tour — to Nyborg on the island's east coast — was an easy 20 miles. Figuring it wouldn't take more than a few hours, I spent the morning in Odense.

I found the front door open at St Knud's Church, a 13th-century landmark built of patterned brick.

St Knud's has two treasures: an intricately carved altarpiece dating from the early 16th century and the skeletal remains of King Knud IV (or Canute), who was slain in 1086 and later became Denmark's first saint.

I had to stop at Andersen's birthplace, now an impressive museum.

I ate a sandwich by the duck pond outside and headed for Nyborg which turned out to be like Odense but smaller, with a 13th-century brick castle where I stopped for tea
and directions to Hotel Hesselet.

The hotel, on one of Nyborg's pristine beaches, blends modern Danish and Japanese styles. I was given a room with a view of the beach.

At dinner in the restaurant, the maitre d' showed me to a table by the window. The meal — another catfish starter, followed by roulade of guineafowl entrée and strawberry mousse for dessert — was good but the view better.

Riding the best stretch

Next morning, back in the saddle, I found Stage 2 of the Tour de Funen, from Nyborg to the fishing village of Kerteminde, the best.

The 16-mile route took me past summerhouses edged by giant hollyhocks and through shady woods, and then emerged into sunlight with the sea just over the horizon.

Once I crossed the bridge leading into Kerteminde, I found the old-fashioned Tornoes Hotel. My small room had two dormer windows overlooking the harbour. I cleaned up and set out to explore.

First stop: Kerteminde's ice-cream shop. Then I went to the nearby town aquarium and walked along the fiord to the Johannes Larsen Museum.

Luxurious dinner date

Dinner was at Restaurant Rudolf Mathis, considered one of the island's best. The waiter brought a tiny tureen of gazpacho as an “amuse bouche''.

I started with Norwegian lobster in a light garlic-butter sauce. The second course was breaded hake with baby shrimp, followed by coffee and chocolates.

The next morning brought a bit of rain. I passed Ulriksholm Manor, built in 1616, and a museum in the Ladby village, where a 1,000-year-old ship was found in a field in 1934.

I finished the 16 miles of Stage 3 easily and spent the afternoon lazing at the Hotel Knudsens Gaard.

I could have managed the tour in a day but then there would have been only one gourmet dinner.

Go there . . . Funen . . . From the UAE . . .

From Dubai

Swiss Air flies daily via Zurich.
Fare from Dh2,655

Turkish Airlines flies daily via Istanbul.
Fare from Dh2,455

Austrian Airways flies daily via Vienna.
Fare from Dh2,985

— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4380454

Getting there

Odense can be reached by train from Copenhagen; the trip takes about 75 minutes and costs about $100 (Dh368) round trip.

The bike tour

I booked my tour of East Funen from Visitsydfyn.dk. It included accommodations for four nights, breakfasts, three gourmet dinners, bike rental, luggage transport and more for about $1,600 (Dh 5,877), which includes a single supplement.

The visitor's bureau offers other bike tour packages and advice on how to cycle in the Funen Islands independently.

Where to stay

Where to eat

Information

For more details, visit www.visitdenmark.com