Miles and The Extra Mile

Today we started our 2-day ride from Gilleleje to Aarhus. But first we took one more spin around Gilleleje.

We set out to find the rest of the city’s plaques, but we found much more. Yesterday we visited the church’s sanctuary, but the attic where Jews were hidden and captured is only open on Thursdays, which was disappointing. But the same night as the church raid, 40 more people were NOT discovered hiding in a nearby hayloft.

Today that hayloft sits behind a house with a plaque, and we went inside.

First we found the plaque, and the owner of the house came out to talk with us

She invited us in!!

I love so many things about this chance encounter – but especially that this young couple is living in a historically important place and making it their own while still remembering and honoring its story.

Next we set off for the harbor, where we found another plaque. It contains the Hebrew word for luck…what the Jews most needed as they left shore.

Looking out to Sweden from Gilleleje harbor

Mazel, luck

There are still a lot of fishing boats around the harbor, so we tried to find a fisherman who might talk with us. Instead we found this 90 year old man who recounted his own memories:

Listen for the mention of the sole survivor of the church raid…later a passenger on the Gerda III

On the way out of town we found a few more monuments and realized that in Gilleleje, everyone knows the stories. Tom from the beachside food truck just north of Copenhagen had heard about Jews hidden in his restaurant basement. Goene today knew how the fishing boats were adapted to hold people instead of fish. It is very much an “if these walls could talk” kind of town…walls don’t talk, but thankfully people do. We’re grateful to everyone who talked to us.

The shofar statue

This one says Mitzvah – good deed. It’s in front of a shop owned by someone who helped many Jews escape

The shop

Goodbye, Gilleleje!!

The Rest of the Miles

The rest of the day was really just a beautiful ride, about 30 miles to Rørvig…plus a very cool ferry ride. it wasn’t all flat or paved, but it was beautiful and dotted with friendly and helpful people, ice cream breaks and a dip in the ocean for Lauren. Here are some views from the ride: