2008 Rediscovery Tour
Day 21 – May 15 – Skive - Struer – Holstebro – 61 km – (1475 km)
The day started at Skive Handelsskole with a debate meeting with the students at the school.Then, the ambassador and co-riders rode via Vinderup to Struer. In Struer the Ambassador visited the City Hall, Parkskolen and B&O. From B&O he took the car up to Nissum Bredning to see Wave Star Energy's wave energy test site. From there Ambassador Cain visited the parents of Morten Andersen. After the visit Ambassador Cain finished the last 15 km to Holstebro to complete the day's ride.
Below you can read about the day's events in Ambassador Cain's own words. Ambassador Cain's remarks
We started the day early, at 6:00 am (only five hours after we turned in for the night after finishing last night’s blog) with a nice breakfast at the Regitzes Minde Hotel, next to Flemmings’ house. During breakfast, Søren, the owner of the Inn shared with us the work he is doing with a non-profit organization taking blankets, school supplies and other necessities to people in need in Belorussia. Søren and others started this project several years ago, and take one truck per week to that country. This is a great example of the spirit of volunteerism rising in Denmark. Following breakfast we headed toward Skive, and on the way stopped by “Lonliness”, the beautiful historic home of the famous Danish poet Jeppe Aakjær. There were stunning views down the sloping meadow to the Fjord, which are now enjoyed by students who come to the home to study the poetry of the famous Dane.
Along the way to Skive we passed through three of the famous ‘Jacob Jensen Roundabouts” that Tim Jensen has showed us the prototypes for last night. The most striking is The Sun, a huge golden ball made with 28000 panels of real gold, I am told. Our first stop was the Skive Handelsskole (Commercial High School), which is situated in a nice campus-like setting with five or six other schools in this part of town. (It is known as the “School Town”.) The business school was founded in 1884 and hosts 600 students, divided between several different curricula. The upper level group of about 30 students is going to the states next year; a week in New York and a week in Washington. I had a chance to visit with these students, as well as about another two dozen students who were on the technical track. I had the opportunity to share the purpose of my ReDiscovery Tour, and then open for questions. The students were really prepared with some good questions, about gun control, the health care system, the environment, drug use, and differences in America and Denmark. I am not sure if their impressions of America are really as negative as their questions implied, but they certainly seemed to have an impression of our country based on the prime-time TV shows. I tried my best to dispel their notions of America as a drug-infested, gun-toting, rich and heartless culture, but I really expect that their impression was not so much negative, as it was that they had been instructed to think of some “tough questions.” (I have to admit, though, that I was a bit troubled by my new friend Casper reporting that during his recent year in an Orlando high school, he was amazed at the overwhelming use if drugs by “almost all” of the students. His theory is that they turn to drugs because they are easier to get than alcohol.) After our question session we passed out coins and took photos. I think all of the students who asked me tough questions came up to me and told me how much they were looking forward to going to America, or how much they wanted to go.
Biking along the rural roads to Struer with mayor Martin Merrild escorting us, we stopped at the
Sahl Church, built in 1150 in the Romanesque style. The most remarkable thing about this ancient Church is the Golden Alter, a beautiful piece of Danish art crafted, they believe, around 1200 by a master artisan from Ribe. In the Church, I enjoyed ribbing my friend “AC”, who had biked with us for the prior day also, and who had “proudly” declared to me on the road that he “did not believe in God”. In the Church, he told me he had been married there years before. (AC was one of the more interesting guest riders, who asked me good questions about America every time he got close; for example…” why is it in America that a man can be dancing with a lady, and before the song is over, another man can come break in and dance with the lady?” I had to admit that I had a little trouble with that one.
Along the road to Struer we came into the quaint town of Vinderup, where in addition to Major Carswell and Captain Rainer and is wife Bente, and kids Jonathan and Emma, I was met by beautiful flags lining the main street. We stopped for a quick cucumber sandwich at Rich’s family’s house on the water, and then got back on the road to Struer. On the outskirts of town my guest rider Eric suggested we stop by the Gimsing Church where, in the well-manicured graveyard lay the grave of Jesper Nielsen, the first Dane, I think, who died in battle after my arrival. He died in Iraq on March 26, 2006. I said a prayer for Jesper and his family, and the other men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I also noticed in the cemetery the grave of Peter Bang, the founder of Bang & Olufsen. Peter died in 1957, and is buried here beside his wife.
Arriving in Struer we were greeted on the steps of the Town Hall by three delightful young ladies in the International Baccalaureate program: Tia, Kristina and Sarah, along with their teacher Arial. They are all heading to Cape Town for college, and are very interested in the international arena. Interestingly, Sarah had actually been to North Carolina for a month a couple of years ago, in the small mountain town of Old Fort. Mayor Martin gave us a very nice introduction to the city (and some great smørebrød), and spoke of his abiding interest in America, where he has visited many times. I particularly liked his observation that “we in Denmark feel like your parent, and you are in your late teenage years. You do a lot of things, some we don’t like, but we like your energy.”
From the Town Hall is was a short ride to the Park School where I was to meet with a few students in the international program. What greeted me, though, was a throng of students, at least 100 or 150, who all wanted to come out and welcome the Ambassador! It was a great thrill, and I really enjoyed seeing their reaction when I invited them all to come join us in Copenhagen on July 4. My meeting with Principal John Korsholm and his colleagues, along with the international students, was very interesting. Here, the political and academic leaders have decided to establish an international curriculum with teaching 50% in English. They believe this is necessary in order for Denmark to remain competitive, and in order to respond to the needs of the local business community, particularly B&O. But they are meeting with some resistance from some elements of the Danish political leadership who think that only Danish should be spoken in the schools. It was an interesting discussion. I was particularly impressed with young Frederik and Cecilie who have both signed up for the international program. When I asked Frederik how it was that he spoke such good English he quickly replied “Counterstrike”! Apparently it’s a voice-over-internet computer game that he plays with many other young people in England and America. (The school had hoped for 8 to 10 students to sign up for the voluntary program, and were overwhelmed when 23 students signed up.)
I reluctantly left the Park School, where I was charmed by the students, and headed for the offices of Bang & Olufsen. I have been to the headquarters and met with the senior executives on prior occasions, so this time they decided to show me the “B&O Automotive” group, which is a “skunkworks” for creative design in the world of automotive sound. In early 2000 some smart folks at B&O figured out that 70% of new music is listened to by people in their cars. For B&O this was a compelling business opportunity. After being turned down by many of the manufacturers, Audi finally said yes in 2003, and starting with the Audi A8, the incredible sound of B&O is an option in many high-end cars. I was given the opportunity to hear for myself when Torben drove me to 40 km from B&O to my next stop. Travelling those 40 km listening to the likes of the Eagles Live (Hotel California) was one of the highlights of my Tour. I was intrigued to learn from Torben and CEO Jens Peter Zinck that the acoustic lens technology, which seems to be one of the secrets to the concert-like sound of the A8, was American technology that B&O acquired. The incredible sound of the Audi, powered by 14 speakers located throughout the car, prepared me for the fantastic experience to come; at Wave Star Energy.
Wave Star Energy is one of the most exciting things I have seen on my Tour. According to founder and CEO Per Resen Steenstrup, Wave Star has finally “cracked the code” on the secret of harnessing the power of the oceans. There are over 1000 patents on wave-energy devices, and more than $500 million has been spent on wave energy technology. But no one appears to have made a commercially viable prototype until now. Based on two seemingly-intuitive inventions, involving retracting the floats out of the water in inclement weather, and creating “continuous electricity” with a “piston-engine” type array, Wave Star seems to have come up with the right design. This prototype has operated since April of 2006 with no problems, and endured 14 major storms. Next year, at Horn’s Reef off of Denmark’s coast, Wave Star and its partners will install a 500 kilowatt structure. Hopefully it will be ready in time to showcase at the COP-15 UN Climate conference. I was pleased to learn that my friend Jørgen Mads Clausen, one of the great entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in Denmark, was involved in funding the company. I am confident that Wave Star will find great partners and collaborators in America.
As we left Wave Star we stopped by the home of Eric and Hanne Andersen, the delightful parents of my good friend Morten Andersen, the holder of the scoring record in the National Football League, and the “most famous Dane in America.” Eric and Hanne have a beautiful home overlooking the fjord, and treated us to wine and cheese and tales of their recent trip to New York to join Morten and Jennifer for Morten’s receiving of the “Man of the Year” honor from the Danish-American society. I am really sorry that I could not be there, but I really enjoyed talking with Morten on the phone while walking in the back yard where he learned to kick a ball.
The interlude at the Andersen’s home was an appetizer for the beautiful and peaceful 15 km ride that awaited us to Holsterbro. I must admit that, with the combination of weather, scenery, and company (Mick decided to join us for a bit) I do not know if I have enjoyed a 15 km ride any more than I enjoyed that one. And I know for sure that I have not enjoyed writing my blog anywhere as much as this… on the back porch of Captain Rich Rainer’s summer home, overlooking the fjord with a setting sun. This is a day I will long remember.