Day 8 - Sponsored by Sylvia Saperstein

An early breakfast of muslich, yogurts and a variety of cold cuts and cheeses on freshly baked buns started off the day on the right foot. From the all-you-can-eat buffet I made myself a care package of bananas, apples and egg salad sandwiches, all courtesy of the hotel. Well fed and stockpiled with mid-morning lunch and afternoon snack packs I was ready to take the ride on the road and crank out the miles.

I exited out of town through the city center and stumbled upon the marzipan house. A must stop for me, having been addicted for many years to this sweet almond paste. The place was huge and filled to the rafters with marzipan bars, figurines made from the same sweet almond nectar, and gift boxes galore all within my reach. I munched on some free samples and left the store with a handful of goodies for later in the day!

The weather cooperated with warm, sunny and slightly windy weather mostly in my favor, and the hilly route on smooth country roads, adjacent to rolling fields of wheat and soy, made for an enjoyable ride. This Schleswig Holstein region is perfect for cycling and the terrain is sometimes referred to as little Switzerland, but I don't think it quite compares.

Half way down the stretch in Lensahn I stopped for a break and found an Italian ice cream parlor. It has now become tradition to have one ice-cream cone a day and this time I tried a scoop of apricot. While the caramel gelato in Haren is still in first place, today's fruity flavor is a definite contender and tied for second place with the white chocolate mouse from Hamburg.

By seven o'clock I made it to the ferry terminal in Puttgarden for the crossing of the Baltic Sea. The vessel carried a lot of weight from cars to freight liners, and as I was parking my bike in the belly of the ship a bullet train look-a-like pulled in right next to me. The crossing was only 45 minutes long, and gave me just enough time for a sandwich and a Carlsberg beer. After debarking in Rodbyhavn in Denmark I biked for another 15 miles to the city of Maribo. Vilkommen til Danmark. Vand er liv. Videregive den! Water is life. Pass it on!