Burt’s Northern European Tour
#1
My European bicycle tour has gotten off to an inauspicious start. With the help of two good friends, I got my large bicycle box, another slightly smaller box, myself, and two carry-ons up to LAX in plenty of time for the song and dance routine that the TSA puts you through and to board Norwegian Air’s 787 Dreamliner. “Dream” would be the key word here. Things were going well as I boarded a pretty full plane and got a seat next to a comely Norwegian girl. I noticed the little hi-tech screen in front of me had a good selection of movies. Then we backed away from the gate.
After maybe 200 yards, I began chewing some gum in order to help equalize the pressure changes from climbing. Soon thereafter a recently installed crown popped off from a rear molar, exposing it’s naked sensitive self. I began contemplating the inconvenience and expense of trying to find a dentist in Arctic Norway.
Shortly thereafter, the pilot comes on the speaker to announce a problem with the hydraulic system and that we have to return to the gate for repairs. I’m all about safety, so this seemed prudent. After about three hours a further announcement indicated that it could not be fixed and we all must de-plane, including all baggage. It took about two hours for my boxes to arrive at the “Oversize Baggage” door. Then it was up to the check-in terminal to get a voucher for a hotel stay near the airport. This line took three hours to get through, then the wait for the shuttle bus, and the wait to check in at the hotel.
During these incessant waits, I developed a new plan, taking into consideration my dental needs. They couldn’t possibly insist that I take the morning flight on offer, but would allow me to re-schedule in the near future at my convenience. This worked! And I could leave my large boxes in their care until my return.
So, after a solid hour of sleep, I took a shuttle to the airport terminal, to catch a shuttle to Union Station, to catch a Metrolink train south, to catch a light rail ride close to my house. Who said California doesn’t have any public transportation?
I am writing this from home, tooth repaired, and have a new flight schedule in place. I’m leaving from LAX on Wednesday, June 11th for Alta, Norway and returning Wednesday, September 10th from Stockholm. Traveling is hard work!
The good news is that I finally got to Alta, Norway and have my first day of riding under my belt. The bad news is that my bluetooth keyboard crapped out and if I can find a replacement in a few days, I’ll be lucky.
What this means is that I have to peck at my little android like a chicken in order to enlighten those interested with my trip. This isn’t what I signed up for. I’ll do my best as I watch Costa Rica throttle Uruguay from the ArcticFjord Camp just north of Burfjord. Oh! The humanity!
Time out! My bluetooth just started to work. I can fly! Alrighty, so I flew into Stockholm, had a 6 hour layover, got to Oslo, where I spent the night and onto Alta in the morning of the 13th.
I had made contact with a girl in Alta who is a member of this group of mostly bicycle people who are willing to take in bicycle tourists who may be travelling their way. It is called “warmshowers”. It turns out she is a geologist from England. Pictures of her flat, my electronics, and her, are included.
The Stockholm and Oslo airports are very nice, and so is Alta, albeit tiny. Alta is about as far north as the north slope of Alaska, but is a “real” town with all the infrastructure. You will see a picture of what looks like a titanium church, an indoor football field, and a town square. There are supermarkets and shopping malls. I was surprised.
Drivers are unbelievably courteous to bicyclists. Temperatures have ranged from the low 40’s to low 50’s and today was cloudy and drizzly, but not enough to give me a soaking. I went down the road 55 miles today with my 90 pound bicycle. Not too hilly yet, thankfully….I hear tomorrow might have a few big ones. Personally, I think my pictures are okay, considering the less than perfect conditions. Wait until the sun comes out.
I’m in a nice, very quiet camp site with good showers, wi-fi, and a TV for the World Cup. Life is good!
I am no longer in Kansas and the wizard is nowhere to be found. As my touring mentor, Bob Wagner, used to say, “today was a test of soul and character”. Having biked only 51 miles and climbed 3,663 feet, it was still a real challenge.
The day was mostly drizzly with an occasional down pour, but the test were the climbs and the accompanying brutal winds and sleet at the higher elevations. Two big hills today, the second getting over 1,000 feet, which at this latitude is probably like going over Tioga Pass in the dead of winter. The high point was a place called Gildetun, and there seemed to be a lodge of sorts, but I was too cold to stop and just wanted to get back to sea level.
Those bambi-like critters are reindeer and I had one for dinner in Storslett at day’s end. The weather forecast is not promising and my computer is giving me fits, but I will soldier on.
I stayed an extra night in Storslett at a guest house (picture with the manager in front). I think I was still a little jet-lagged because I slept most of the day and watched football games of course. They had a nice breakfast buffet in the morning. The quality is so much better than most similar places in the USA. There wasn’t a piece of white bread in sight, only the good grainy and nutty kind. There was good jam, cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced cheese and deli meat, beets, yogurt, real orange juice and of course coffee and tea. Some other fare in tubes that might have been caviar.
It drizzled most of the day and got heavier toward the end. Temps might have climbed to 40 for a brief minute. The scenery was something to write home about. Went through a few tunnels and had a couple ferry rides. I made it to a campground in Tromso where I stayed overnight in a cabin. There was no way that I was going to set up my tent in this weather. There is a picture of a map on the top of my handlebar bag if you want to zoom in and see the general area. Today was 71 miles and 3,770 feet of climbing.
The Norwegians are very friendly and very courteous drivers. You do not have to be in a hurry to get somewhere before dark. It just doesn’t get dark….at all! I was looking at my Garmin and sure enough….blanks for time of sunset and sunrise. You can’t fool Mr. Garmin.
The roads are in splendid condition, but narrow, but not many cars or people this far north. When you go through a populated area, there is a wide asphalt path separate from the highway for pedestrians and bicycles. Very civilized.
I didn’t mention that the cabin I stayed in was just next to the town of Tromso. Having arrived there after 9 PM, I was happy to have a place inside, out of the rain and cold. It was very simple with a hot plate, a small heater, and bunk beds. And very clean as is the Norwegian way. The heater was enough to get everything dry. I have very good equipment and was never chilled in the 35 to 45 degree temperatures, but after a full day in the rain and drizzle everything becomes damp.
After a breakfast of coffee and cereal in the cabin, I got a really late start at noon. I bicycled past the Arctic Sea Cathedral (last picture in the previous post), a famous landmark, and over a bridge into central Tromso. This is a big (relatively) and beautiful city and called “The Paris of the North”. I could see spending a couple days here exploring if I was so inclined. The city itself is actually on an island. After crossing another bridge, I was on my way to the hinterlands and some amazing scenery.
Shortly thereafter, the sun popped out and temperatures soared into the mid-50’s. I was literally stopping every couple hundred yards and burning through the film, but honestly, I was doing this in the rain as well, not wanting to miss any of the majesty of this place. I had a pattern going in the rain; take the gloves off, get the camera, shoot a picture, wipe the rain from the lens and camera, put the camera back, put the gloves on, go down the road a bit, repeat. This ate up a little time.
I was headed for Brensholmen to catch a ferry to Botnhamn on the biggest Norwegian Island of Senja, (easy for me to say). With all the snapping, I could only make the last ferry at 9:15 PM for the 45 minute crossing. At the ferry terminal, there WAS NO terminal, or shelter from the freezing cold wind off of the water. I put on every stitch of clothing that I had. When the ferry came (10 minutes late), a few cars got off, but I was the only passenger boarding. I thought this was the tourist season.
Since it was so late, a nice ferry worker called his buddy who had a campground on the other side, to make sure that I could get a cabin. The fix was in and it was about 7 miles of bicycling in the cold and drizzle to the Fjordbotn Campground.
When I got there, the rain stopped and I set up my tent to the slight disappointment of the proprietor. Camping in this weather pattern is a gamble, but I was lucky, and it was semi-dry in the morning for taking down the tent. A picture of my campsite is included.
This day I would traverse a good portion of Senja to catch another longer ferry in Gryllefjord. (I cannot pronounce this either). This was a very hilly, but shorter stretch of 46 miles and 2,943 feet of climbing. I was a little disappointed in that this was the most wild and awe inspiring scenery yet, but only viewed through the muted colors of an overcast sky. There is a somber and moody touch to this that cannot be denied.
When I arrived in the one horse town of Gryllefjord to catch the last ferry at 7 PM, I got the word from the grocery store that it has been cancelled due to high winds. The trip is on the open ocean, so it happens sometimes. The grocery lady has some rental units, which are quite nice, and next to the store, which is next to the ferry.
We don’t trust the weather forecast, right? I don’t, but the truth is that I am very comfortable in this fine little apartment, the weather outside is dreadful, and there is a window of good weather forecast. So, I have made a management decision to stay here 3 nights before departing for an area that promises even more dramatic scenery, if that is possible.
A word about the tunnels; they are almost everywhere when needed to get through a mountain instead of over it, and are wonderfully engineered. I have gone through several. All but one were open to bicycles and they are well lit to the point that I never had to use my front light, only my rear for safety. The longest one so far was just over a mile. There are some that I have not encountered yet that go under water.
After 3 days comfortably trapped in Gryllefjord waiting for the ferry to get me to Andenes, the raging winds calmed enough for it to make the crossing. At the terminal I met a Norwegian mom bicycle touring with her two teenage kids the length of Norway (picture included). They were not camping, but were traveling at a good clip. I was very impressed. The one hour and 40 minute ferry ride was a rockin’ and rollin’. Another half hour and I would have been an unhappy puppy.
It was very cloudy all day, but no rain. Hooray! The scenery wasn’t the usual eye-popping variety, but nice enough and all the roads are really great. I made it to Buksnesfjord, which had an average campground, but a great rec room for some fancy rooms that I could also use. I watched Belgium beat Russia. The breakfast in the lodge was top drawer – that’ll be $25, thank you. That is me in front of the restaurant.
Speaking of money, the Norwegian currency is very easy to get used to, the prices, not so much. Just multiply what you are used to paying by 2 to 3 and you get pretty close. As I mentioned before, the quality is quite good. All the campgrounds and cabins are immaculate, great hot and cold water pressure, wi-fi is usually good, there are usually kitchens available for campers, no shortage of toilet paper. What else do you need?
The next day I made it a short day of 44 miles to Stokmarknes, and their only campground (picture of my camp included). This place was run by an Afghani refugee who’s desire was to get to the USA.
The weatherman lied again. It was cloudy and cold most of the day. It might have hit 50 degrees for a minute. Caught a ferry from Melbu to Fiskebol and had some bits and pieces of very dramatic scenery. I travelled through Svolvaer, a very nice little city with some big hotels and kind of cutesy. Another great pedestrian / bike path along the highway until you are out of town. The sun popped out, fooled me into taking some clothes off, and then it got cold again. I found a windy campsite in Klepstad, but they had a good kitchen with sketchy wi-fi. This was also a short day of 44 miles.
Another late start today, 10:45 AM, and I was on my way to Leknes, where I did some grocery shopping and ended up in Ramberg and a campground next to a beach, with a restaurant, and kitchen as well. The sun came out in full force the last couple hours of the day, first time in 2 weeks. I’m loosing my California tan. Almost forgot…went through an underwater tunnel today, quite steep down and up, with a narrow path to bike on, next to the double lane highway…kinda spooky.
I am now near the southern end of the Lofoten Island chain. This place has been magical. My OCD has kicked in and I have to stop and take a picture around every bend in the road. So many pictures in fact that I clogged up my computer downloading them to Dropbox and am only sending you a partial and fairly unedited edition of my normal painstaking effort.
I’m 2 weeks in and have gone 475 miles, almost my average for trips of this type, the kind where I’m loaded up like a donkey. Tomorrow, I should be taking a ferry to Bodo and so it continues…..
#6a June 24-26 photos
Watch out for the FARTSHUMP…..
From my last night on the Lofoten Islands in Ramberg, it was an 18 mile bicycle ride to the ferry terminal for a 3.5 hour ride to Bodo on the mainland. I saw the midnight sun last night. People seem to get all excited about this, but honestly, it’s just the same old sun blazing away at an unconventional hour for those of us normally living a bit closer to the equator. The weather has turned sunny and wonderful big time.
On this ferry I met two Norwegian brothers. One flew up to Tromso to meet the other and they are bicycling south to the other’s home just south of Bergen. I rode with them off and on for the next few days, sharing a cabin with them one night. They were staying in rooms every night which wasn’t in my travel plans. They were really goood guys.
From Bodo, a nice old town, I am taking a coastal route 17, less heavily trafficked than the other choice of route E6. The road continues to be great with many ferry crossings between fjords and many tunnels through the mountains of granite. The land here seems to have more goats and cattle and farming going on than further north.
Some of my bicycling days are long; from Bodo was a tough day of 69 miles with 4,619 feet of climbing. Others, not so much….I just do what feels right, sometimes with the extra incentive of getting to the next campground. Another currently big incentive is getting in front of a TV for World Cup viewing. Tonight I watched Brazil squeek by Chile and Colombia beat Uruguay. Without that toothy little Suarez, they couldn’t win. You football fans will know what I’m talking about.
Everything is going well, no bike problems, and the weather is fabulous. It actually touched 70 degrees today for a minute and sparkling clear. And on the last ferry ride today, I actually crossed the Arctic Circle, so it’s all downhill from here.
#8
June 29-July 2, 2014 photos
Tunnels, ferries, and bridges, oh my! This route 17 that I have been on since Bodo is quite an amazing highway, known as the coast route and attracts most of the bicycle tourists doing the length of Norway. It is broken up by fjords and mountains and islands, all of which are connected again by ferries, bridges, and tunnels for cars, trucks, and bicycles. There is very little traffic compared to the asphalt jungle that I am coming from. The road for the most part is a narrow two lane highway with no shoulder. All cars, RV’s, buses, and trucks, wait patiently behind me until it is safe to go around. Could they have learned this respect in school? I really don’t think all the plans for segregated bike lanes in the USA will make a twit of difference regarding attitudes of motorists toward bicyclists. It has to go a lot deeper into mindsets and education of motorists at an early age. Alrighty then, off my soapbox and back to my little bicycle tour.
The last several days I have had to downgrade the scenery from jaw-dropping, tear inducing amazing, to fantastically beautiful. Parts look like primo farm land of Iowa, other areas are reminiscent of Colorado or Oregon, even the high Sierra of California, although I remain close to sea level with the occasional climb to 1,000 feet. Since my last couple days on the Lofoten Islands, the weather has been picture perfect, and in the over 800 miles bicycled so far, I don’t recall even seeing a pothole in the road. There have been occasional head winds, but once you get to the other side of a fjord, this will reverse. Norway is not a good place for the beginner bicycle tourist. Because of the weather variability and the rugged terrain, you want to know what you are doing. That being said, the Norwegians and most of the tourists from other parts of Europe who travel here are extremely friendly and I would feel safe if I ran into a rough patch of luck.
I want to thank Mr. Jim Merz, wherever you are, for building such a dependable bicycle back in 1981. I get the thanks for the wheels with kudos to Phil Wood for the hubs and bottom bracket. Most experienced bicycle tourists use Schwalbe tires, myself included, and would not be surprised if I complete this trip with no flats. The counterpoint is that my wheels are really heavy. I have one mechanical waiting to happen. The end cap of my front derailleur cable is missing and the cable is frazzled right down to the lock nut. I’m ignoring this for now.
Yesterday, I decided to get off the beaten path, as I am inclined to do, and took an alternate route, closer toward the ocean and involving an extra ferry crossing. I can’t compare it to the prescribed route, but it has been very scenic, very hilly, and really less traveled. I ended the day near the town of Kolvereid and am ensconced in a lovely furnished cabin for a couple days. Since my forced layover days way back in Gryllefjord, I haven’t taken a break. I am pooped and the forecast for my rest day is not pristine, so it’s a win win.
Norway has exceeded my expectations so far and I am looking forward to the southern half. By the way, the sun is now setting on my ass, and of course I mean this literally and not figuratively. As of last night, sunset was at midnight and sunrise at 2:34 AM, so I’m getting a little twilight.
Football (or soccer in the USA), has been screwing with my sleeping and riding schedule. I feel remiss if I don’t make some effort to watch every possible World Cup match come hell or high water. The later games have been showing live here at 10:00 PM. With overtime and penalty kicks, I get to bed at 1:00 AM. So, unless I stumble into a camp without TV, I will be under pressure having to watch the semi-finals and final matches. Life can be so hard.
I have officially jumped out of the refrigerator and into the frying pan. The temperature today may have hit 90, but was definitely in the high 80’s most of the day. The route was between Namsos and Steinkjer, or as we Americans like to say, “shtinker”. I am a little inland, so I’ll blame it on that and hope it cools down when I get closer to the ocean. Bet you never thought I’d be saying that on this trip.
The area is redefining my concept of the color green as you can see in some of the photos. I think the first photo is the cabin that I stayed in for my two night respite. There is one of a tunnel under construction, an example of the path next to the highway, a selfie of me at a break by a body of water, and assorted scenery along the way during the last two days.
Today, although only 50 miles and 2,043 feet of climbing, was one of my hardest days. The road didn’t wiggle much and there was a constant head wind of maybe 10 to 15 mph. Combined with the heat, it makes for a real “shtinker”. Today, as last night, I got to watch 1.5 soccer games, better than nothing.
Heading for Trondheim tomorrow, if I can make it that far. Big city, bright lights…..woo hoo!
Well, maybe I am still in Kansas. After my usual late start from Steinkjer I headed down the main artery and somewhat busy E6 on my way toward Trondheim. I was only on the highway sometimes as there were pedestrian/bicycle paths along much of it and even an old stretch of road that covered some pretty areas. One detour took me through Levanger, a cute town with some photos included.
Thankfully there were some overcast skies and a threat of rain that never materialized. This kept the heat down. And check out the fields of wheat, and the field of yellow weeds. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out if someone was growing these yellow flowers (weeds), or they were just taking a liking to the huge area that you can see. I can tell you the fragrant smell was worth the price of admission.
The names of some of the little bergs would win big in geography scrabble. Another day of nasty headwinds had me quitting after 42 miles at a campground in a tiny spot on the road called Asen.
#11
July 7-8 photos
The campground in Asen turned out to be an okay place. They had a sweet big rec room with a fine couch and TV and a pool table. The kitchen was the usual fare with lack of pots and pans and utensils. Showers were old but they worked.
Later when I returned to my tent site next to a picnic table, it had been taken over by two biker chicks. To be more precise, two young girls on motorcycles from Switzerland. They were very nice and of course English was one of the many languages with which they were comfortable.
Jumping back for a minute, those random yellow weeds, as was duly noted by several followers, were rapeseed, used in making canola oil. The city boy that I am wouldn’t know a rapeseed from a hayseed. Also, the wheat may have been barley.
The next day I went through Hell, and although very hot (90ish), it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Hell means something like good luck in Norwegian. The day was steamy and hilly and of course the headwind persists. The route followed the busy E6, but mostly on side paths and old parts of the road. I finally made it to Trondheim and am staying in a very nice youth hostel in a dorm room by myself. This place is brand new and has everything except the crowds. I’m staying an extra night and watching Germany clobber Brazil as I write.
On my rest day I walked around Trondheim seeing the sights.
Tomorrow I am heading for the coast, directly west, and a tailwind is in the forecast. Wish me hell.
#12
July 9-14 photos
On leaving Trondheim, I got a picture of the university there (first one). Now I am heading west toward Kristiansund and it is another very hot day, 90 plus. Once again I chose a road less traveled, more rural, and a bit longer. On the way, I met 3 Russian bicycle tourists from Moscow on a 2 week tour. They spoke very limited English, and no politics were discussed. There is a picture of this group. Later I encountered a bridge that was out and some Norwegian workers helped me get my load through the river bed and up on the bank. With all the sweating and lifting no pictures included.
It wasn’t easy, but I made it to Rindal where the only sleeping choice was a nice rustic hotel. I asked the proprietor what the rate might be for a room, and he was just a little
snotty in replying, “typical Norwegian prices”. We’re talking about $200.
But, he turned out to have a heart, as he allowed me to camp in the surrounding woods and use his bathroom and TV facility, not to mention wi-fi. This was my first “free camp” of sorts since starting the trip, mostly due to my incessant need to watch the World Cup.
Another late start and another hot day. This area was also short of campgrounds. It cooled off as I got closer to the ocean and I got to a rest stop with a lot of RV’s stopped and parked for the evening and doing a lot of fishing. About fishing; Norway is a fisherman’s paradise. I saw people with bucket loads of fish, caught in a very short time. Next trip…..
But I digress…I look across the highway and I see a fellow working on his boat and a lovely green patch of land and a picnic table just above him on his lot. I pedal over there and it turns out, he loves the USA! His sentiment comes mostly from an encounter with a woman in, of all places, Eureka, CA, many years ago when he was working as an engineer on a shipping vessel. Another “free camp”.
Kristiansund is on an island and the only way in or out is on a ferry from the north, which I should have thought about in Trondheim, or by two underwater tunnels, both of which are banned for bicycles. Anyway, the boat engineer was going shopping in town in the morning and offered me a ride which I gladly accepted. It was an opportunity for him to give me a blue ear rambling about his USA adventures, but it all worked out.
After a quick look around Kristiansund, it was still early and I wanted to head for the “Atlantic Road”, a series of bridges jutting out into the ocean connecting little bits of rocky islands. Well, I bicycled across, (only about 6 miles long), and couldn’t see much of anything in the fog. You’ll have to “google” this one to see pictures, as I have none. I believe that this tourist destination may be a bit over-hyped after the scenery in the north. I made it to the small town of Bud and a very small campground. Speaking of beer, a typical pint of beer in a bar costs about $15. This is enough to make me quit drinking (as if I do).
From Bud, I was going toward Molde, when again I got off the main route and ferried to an Island called Otroya which is devoid of traffic and mostly has some summer cottages. It felt like the land that time forgot or maybe Jurassic Park as the fog bank started rolling in on the western shore where I camped (at a campground) in Midsund.
Thankfully the morning was dry and after a 10 mile spin to the ferry in Dryna, I met a Polish guy who just caught and cleaned 3 large fish. There are a lot of Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian immigrants here for economic reasons.
A ferry to Brattvag and I made my way to Alesund, where I am taking two nights in a youth hostel. Of course I watched the World Cup final. Not the best game in the world, not the best result. This youth hostel is old and well worn, but comfortable. I am in a 12-man dorm, but breakfast is included and is pretty good.
I took a walk around town on my day off. Apparently most of it was rebuilt after a fire in the early 1900’s in the style you see, not to mention the destruction during World War II. I give this town a rating of 9 plus on the cutesy scale.
I am making a meal out of Norway. There is just so much to see here and I am determined to leave no stone unturned. I keep telling myself that you cannot see everything on a bicycle tour, but then I come around the next bend and it’s lucky I’m flexible.
Did I say two nights in Alesund? Well, I changed my mind and am staying four nights at the hostel here, and by doing so, breaking one of my bicycle touring rules; don’t wait for the weather to change. I wasn’t planning to climb up the Trollstigen, but have had a change of heart, and am planning to do it on Saturday. The extended wait in Alesund is for the weather window in the mountains to be clear for great views and pictures. I have to also admit, this rest is sorely needed after bicycling 1,233 miles in my first 32 days and Norway is not flat.
This gave me more time to explore Alesund on foot. There is a big hill right behind the hostel (not sure how high) with 480 steps up to a lookout point, and the usual touristic stuff. You can tell some of the pictures are from up there. In the harbor is a very big cruise ship and the next day another one appeared, almost as big. A guy down at the terminal informed me that they have had cruise ships twice that size. I don’t believe I have seen one that big in San Diego.
The black and brown bird is a common one that I have seen many times bicycling over the last month. I don’t know what type it is.
More street scenes are included. Alesund is a very pleasant city.
Tomorrow I will attempt my longest day yet, about 80 miles, to reach my jumping off spot for the big climb up the Trollstigen and another climb afterward to get to Geiranger before an advertised beautiful ferry ride to Hellesylt. Norway is a piece of work.
#13a
I just got asked by a friend about my bicycle and I thought that I would reply to the entire list, just in case anyone else cared.
I have a steel lugged frame, built about 1981 for me by Jim Merz (forget the type of steel). I use a reverse throw Suntour XC front derailleur. By the way, I did get that boogerd front cable fixed in Trondheim. (Not properly adjusted, but it is friction shifting, so I shift a little more carefully.) Old Campy down tube friction shifters. Basically mountain bike gearing with a rear cassette of 11 (or 12) to 36 and chain rings of 24 x 34 x 46. Old Shimano road cranks, Shimano Deore long cage rear derailleur. I use Time mountain bike pedals and Shimano Sidi mountain bike shoes. Old Campy super record seat post. A nasty heavy Nashbar adjustable stem, Ritchey handlebar, old Campy headset, converted to a threadless set-up. What I like about the stem is that by taking out the pivot bolt and collar, the whole front end comes off….this is very convenient for packing or putting back together.
I built the wheels. Velocity Dyad rims and Phil Wood hubs. The rear cassette hub is unbelievably heavy. I have 48 rear spokes and 40 front spokes (forget what gauge, probably 12). Front are cross 3, rear cross 4. I’m using the latest version of Schwalbe touring 700 x 32. They are very heavy…over 800 grams each. I am so confident in these tires that I did not bring a spare. Do have two spare tubes…no flats yet. I have a skinny cheap hurricane pump that works better than most and a separate plastic air gauge. I use 2 heavy duty aluminum water bottle racks. Phil Wood bottom bracket, square taper.
Merz custom built rear chrome-moly rack, front Tubus low rider. Ortlieb front and rear large panniers and handlebar bag. Both front and rear panniers have extra pouches as add-ons…one or more of these may be allowing moisture into the main bag. I use a Jaand expandable old rack top bag that the zipper is starting to fail on and may have seen it’s last tour. Plus, it isn’t as waterproof as the Ortlieb stuff. Seat is a man’s Terry Fly.
That is about all I can think of….if you have any specific questions, be sure to ask. Hope you are not bored to tears….
I finally left Alesund for Andalsnes and it rained most of the way, but it wasn’t a cold rain. I actually make better time when it rains only because I take far fewer pictures. This was 76 miles and 3,400 feet of climbing, and mostly on a main highway so I had more traffic than usual. There were a couple of short tunnels and then toward the end a flat tunnel, but just over 4 miles long. There were fans blowing at both ends, but the air did get a little stale anyway. The rain slowed also and I got a few shots just before getting to town and the youth hostel for the next two nights.
This hostel was about a kilometer from a central area that had a choice of three of the common food markets here in Norway; Bunn Pris, Rema 1000, and Kiwi. I shopped on my day off and slept.
Today (Saturday) was clear and bright as forecast and I headed for The Trollstigen. It’s a big hill with 7 to 10% grades for about 15 miles to an elevation of about 2,800 feet. My friend Craig F. Likes to go up to the highest point, put on his bat suit, jump off, and soar as if he had feathers on his arse, and land in a grassy field at the bottom. Me, I prefer loading my bicycle with rocks, setting the chain on the lowest of ratios, and chug to the top at a speed that a hiker could almost do. The first half of the day produced unwanted shadows on the switchbacks, but I think you can get the gist of it. As my favorite football commentator, Ray Hudson, would say, “It was Majesterial!”
The mostly downhill run to Valldal included a stop for locally grown strawberries. I am tenting tonight close to town in a nice campground. Today was only 35 miles with 3,160 feet of climbing.
The picture of the sign for Hotel Aak is especially for Sam P. The consensus on the last bird quandry was a type of crow (even I knew it wasn’t a Magpie).
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better……After my overnight in Valldal and a short spin I caught a 15 minute ferry from Linge to Eidsdal and began a big climb, not as steep as the Trollstigen, but we’re having a heat wave here in Norway. After the first top, I was again amazed at the scenery, lakes and mountains galore. I continued climbing through an uphill 600 meter long tunnel and finally peaked out at Ornevegan with a glorious view directly down to Geiranger nestled at the end of it’s namesake fjord. Now the fun begins.
There is a serious downhill with tight little switchbacks, grades from -10 to -12%. Coincidently, this hill has 11 switchbacks, the same as the Trollstigen. There were great views the whole way down and a fancy overlook for all the tourists about a 1,000 feet up. Shortly after this point there was a slight problem with one of the giant tour buses. On one of the switchbacks, this bus just did a face plant with his front end into the asphalt. I’m pretty sure no one was hurt, because they are going very slow. Anyway, this caused quite a kerfuffle with traffic in both directions, but I was able to get around it quite easily.
At the bottom of the hill I was just in time to catch the “tourist” ferry (the only ferry) from Geiranger to Hellesylt. I missed exploring Geiranger, but I didn’t want to wait an hour and a half for the next one. This hour long ferry ride goes down the Geirangerfjord, one of the most dramatic stretches of fjord in Norway and I am a believer. It was very special with great sheer cliffs and a number of waterfalls.
The trip ends in Hellesylt, kind of a one horse town, but scenic none the less. This was the shortest day of biking for me, with 21 miles and 2,464 feet of climbing. I found a nearby campground as the heat wave continues.
The next day I decided to again take the road less traveled and was now heading west and actually turned around not wanting to face an afternoon headwind to camp overnight in the town park in Nordfjordeid. There was another vagabond there and he was Norwegian, so somehow this made it okay. Honestly, I had the best sleep of the trip in this park, probably because I got to bed early for a change. Almost forgot, some of the pictures on a path in the woods are actually little bike routes around some of the tunnels. They were sweet.
Got up early to catch another short ferry from Starheim to Isane. I was now on some very quiet backroads. This didn’t prevent the road from climbing for the first 20 miles to 1,200 feet, before dropping down to Svelgen near sea level, and then climbing again, topping off through another uphill long tunnel at 1,300 feet. I thought maybe there would be mostly downhill, but noooo…rollers galore. Finally got to Floro and a campground where I was very tired after 68 miles and 5,107 feet of climbing.
The next morning I boarded a “fast” boat for a 3.5 hour ride to Bergen. That was pleasant and no work at all. I probably skipped about 4 or 5 days of riding. It is hotter than blazes and I’ve included a few pictures of Bergen, but will have more after I do some exploring on foot tomorrow.
Just when I thought the big hills were behind me….I’ll get to this later. I last wrote from Bergen where I stayed at a hostel for 2 nights about 3 miles out of town way up on a hill which was a bitch bicycling up to on a very hot day. My second day, I took a bus to town where people were scurrying like ants to see the tall ships which were having a regatta or a race. Besides the people pollution, the city is quite beautiful and very much made for the access of people with pedestrian only walkways, statues, and other art works. I was quite taken with the unhappy child getting spritzed and the shoeless downtrodden man next to a building.
From the hostel’s vantage point there were some great views of the city and I managed to capture a sunset.
The next day remained painfully hot, but I managed to stretch it out to make 85 miles, mostly due to the lack of camp sites. After the ferry from Halhjem to Sandvikvagen there was a banned underwater tunnel (for bicycles) after Leirvik. To avoid this, I took an extra long detour into an area devoid of traffic and kind of pretty. On this stretch I bumped into a Fin towing a Burley trailer that I had met going over the Trollstigen awhile back. After a short ferry from Langevagen to Buaveg I stretched to make it to Haugesund, another nice town, where I knew there was a campground.
A little trafficky and stinking hot again and a hard route to follow the next day. A nice old guy on a bike helped lead me in the right direction. This route E39 is a main artery and I find myself on it much too often. After another ferry from Arsavagen to Mortavika, I got to Vikevag where I was confronted with no choice but to get a ride through two banned underwater tunnels, both 5 to 6 kilometers long. While waiting for a bus I was waggling my golden thumb when a guy who works for the Rennesoy Municipality stops and gives me a ride through both tunnels. He didn’t speak much English, but gave me a cap as he bid me farewell. Nice guy!
A word about the tunnels; Norway is constantly putting in new road works like tunnels and bridges. When an underwater tunnel goes in, the ferry service in that spot is usually terminated, likewise with bridges. Also, Norway is divided into areas much like our counties and subdivided into municipalities called kommunes.
After the ride I biked into a very crowded Stavanger. More people crowded into the harbor area for a food festival than I could cope with on my touring bike and the stifling heat. It was like a tropical jungle. I finally found the very nice hostel, conveniently attached to a hospital. Another interesting point; hardly any buildings have air conditioning. Just slap me silly!
Now I have been heading south and picking up parts of the North Sea Cycle Route. This route must have been designed by the Brits, because it goes through cow pastures with many gates and into a forest on a dirt road and later up and down some hardly rideable steep gravel paths. You’ve got to laugh to keep from crying on some of this. Needless to say, I’m not a glutton, and avoided some of this fun, because I can take a hint.
About what I said at the beginning. The day from Egersund to Flekkefjord of 49 miles and 4,275 feet of climbing was the hardest day of the trip so far. Why? In fully loaded bicycle touring it is all about the grades, not the distance. This day in southwestern Norway had unrelenting ginormous hills with grades up to at least 12%. I struggle when the road tilts up 3% or more.
Farsund is a beautiful town and I finally asked someone if I could camp on their property just outside of town and I had a
nice spot for the night. I find in both Britain and here they sell these lovely Swedish-like pancakes already cooked in the refrigerated section of most markets. In Lyngdal, I stopped at an Esso station where they let me use their microwave to heat my pancakes. They were great with the blueberry yogurt and jam that I usually carry.
Onward to Kristiansand where I am splurging on a nice hotel room in a chain over here, Thon. It was again a challenging ride, some on the busy and narrow E39, lack of signage for bicycle detours. The last 20 miles were quite hilly, but scenic. I should mention, I went through Mandal, which was right on the water and had a real resort feel to it. What little I’ve seen of Kristiansand is impressive and I’ll check it out some more tomorrow before boarding a ferry for Denmark.
That is right! I am done with Norway. I am very much looking forward to some super flat riding, but I’ll probably complain about that too. It only took me 49 days and 1,833 miles to see more beautiful scenery than a human being should be allowed to see. Coincidentally, last year I bicycled from San Diego to Miami in 49 days, but about 3,200 miles. The difference is in the weight of the bike and the grades of the hills.
I stayed an extra day in Kristiansand because I needed the break and then it took most of the following day getting my ferry trip organized to Hirtshals, Denmark. This exercise provided the only disappointing thing I could find in Norway. There are two competing ferry lines and they both price their trips on a floating basis similar to the way airlines operate. Prices can change by the minute. It took some effort, but I worked the system successfully.
This ferry with Colorline was
the mother of all ferries. I think 3 or 4 decks for cars and trucks and buses and that many again for people. It took 3.5 hours to reach Denmark, where I camped in Hirtshals near the ocean.
The Norwegians know that prices for most things are higher in their country than anywhere else. After we got out to sea and the duty free shops opened, they descended like locusts, buying large quantities of everything from cosmetics to candy to clothes and booze…..lots of booze. A lot of them just take the trip for the buying opportunities both on the ship and in Hirtshals.
I made a decision to bike southeast through this section of Denmark toward the coast, which I did through nice rolling farmlands for the most part. Coincidentally the winds were strong and blowing from the southeast. When you see wind generators scattered around, you know the area has some wind.
I got to the eastern shore and made it as far as Asaa and settled in at what looked like a nice campground. After setting up my tent and spending a lot of time in the kitchen, I come out to my site which I see now was close to a fire ring and a kind of pavilion that several Polish families had decided to make a party in, with a roaring fire and singing and barbecuing and of course smoking. I didn’t mind any of it except the smoke from the fire was blowing right into my tent. I couldn’t handle that for long and retired to the TV room where I slept on the couch.
As evidenced by my photos, the scenery is not nearly as exciting as Norway, kind of ordinary farmlands. I had a little rain the next day to Auning, and a good solid rain overnight, leaving me to pack up my tent in a damp condition.
More rain the first half of the next day, but bright and sunny by the time I reached Ebeltoft and went directly to the huge ferry terminal that was completely deserted. Apparently only one ferry a day from here to another chunk of Denmark on which Copenhagen lies. Besides the bike riding I am getting a huge geography lesson about Europe which I don’t remember ever getting in school.
So, staying overnight in Ebeltoft at a pleasant campground where I met a lovely Dutch family.
By the way, for those who are counting, I just clicked over 2,000 miles in 54 days.
The first picture is that nice Dutch couple that I met at the Ebeltoft campground. I was kicking a soccer ball around with their kids and they invited me for dinner.
I caught the ferry from Ebeltoft to another section of Denmark called Sjaellands or Zeeland and yet another short ferry from Rorvig to Hundestad. Rorvig had a Dana Point feel to it with a short pier, restaurants, a sparkling day, and lots of people out and about. I decided to go around the north and east coasts of this area because it was hot and I wanted to stay near the water on my way to Copenhagen.
A local in a small town directed me through a forest road as an alternative to get to the hopping little beach town of Tisvildeleje. (I can’t pronounce it either). I went a little further to camp in Vejby where I put a hurtin’ on a place with a buffet style all you can eat dinner.
If you are from the east or west coast of the USA, do not come to Denmark for the beaches. The ones that I saw were mostly rocky. I know there are some nice ones and the Danes are as happy as ducks.
Coming down the east coast I could see Sweden across the channel. Helsingor was a neat old town. The castle there is said to be the inspiration for Hamlet.
Ahhh…Copenhagen! Big city with a combination of old and modern structures and the hippie kingdom of Christiana, more or less in a state of decay. Included is a perfunctory shot of The Little Mermaid and many street scenes. The place was crammed with tourists and I couldn’t get a suitable room in town, but a decent huge campground was 5 km out of the center.
I have never been in a city like Copenhagen before. Bicycles rule! Almost all the roads have a separate extra lane in each direction for bicyclists and there are thousands….mostly older utilitarian commuter types. Bicyclists get complete respect from car, bus, and truck traffic. It felt surreal. But cities are not great for bicycle tourists….I was exhausted after a full day of looking around.
Tonight I am near the south end of Denmark in Nykobing and am planning to take a ferry to Rostock, Germany and head for Berlin. It took me a little over a week to zing through Denmark. It’s amazing what happens when the land flattens out.
#19
Aug 9-14 photos
My last couple of hours in Denmark were a little hectic. I thought that I had given myself enough time to get to the ferry terminal about 15 miles away. There was a raging headwind and it was raining so I really had to lean into it, but I made it. A 2 hour ferry ride got me to Rostock, Germany.
Due to lack of planning I had little idea what route to take toward Berlin and I accidentally got on the Autobahn. It was quite a nice road with a speed limit of 130 km/hr and a really wide shoulder. I was getting comfortable when a few drivers started tooting at me. They were either concerned that I would get arrested or were ticked that I was breaking the rules. In either case, I got off at the next exit.
I consulted my maps and chose another route. I was on a very pleasant road in unremarkable farming countryside. I arrived in Tessin and decided to call it a day at a nice little pension. One thing I noticed quickly; there is a lack of camp sites in this part of Germany, a real lack of wi-fi, and this ugly American has found a shortage of English speakers. One fellow later gave me sort of an explanation of the dearth of wi-fi. He said it was a security concern. People might download “illegal” things like porn or music and the owner of the router might be held responsible….oh horrors! At least my room in Tessin had CNN on the TV. I took a walk around this little town toward sunset and it was like a ghost town on Saturday night.
The next day I decided to follow some really little back roads which were all fun and games until a few turned into cow paths or rocky dirt roads or cobblestones (see pictures). A bunch of the little towns that I went through were about 700 to 750 years old.
I went through Malchin, Teterow, and Stavenhagen, before stopping in Neubrandenburg for the evening next to Tollensesee, a big lake.
The next day I got to Neustrelitz, a charming little town, but was on some narrow busy roads most of the way and could expect worse as I got closer to Berlin. I hopped on a train for the last 60 miles to downtown Berlin and then another connector back to the west side of town where I have been staying for the last four nights. I am at the Happy Go Lucky Hotel in a small room in a 4 story walk-up. It took me 3 trips, two for my panniers and one for my bike. Lucky I’m young enough to still do this. Check out the picture of the hotel. It’s bright orange! They have no TV, but great wi-fi.
Berlin is really special. History buffs will go crazy here. I got as much as I could handle without going for the advanced degree. The city is huge. For two days I biked through it and just scratched the surface. It is very livable, friendly in a Teutonic way, beautiful, cultural, artsy, bicycle friendly, and has wonderful transportation, with efficient trains, buses, and subways.
There are many, many different neighborhoods with distinct characteristics. There are a lot of Turkish people here with “doner kebob” stands ever present. The city is a combination of old and new with magnificent architecture and there is a great deal of construction going on presently.
I am very bewildered at how a whole country can come to terms with it’s horror of a recent history, but I guess this is a new generation and let’s be honest….we have a few large peccadilloes in our past, none that hold a candle to the Third Reich, but faux pas none the less.
I met a couple Israeli guys and Taiwanese girls at the hotel and we shared a meal. Today I bicycled to Potsdam and was very impressed with what Frederick the Great did back in the 1700’s. The fellow lived large and most of the town is part of a Unesco World Heritage site.
#20
Aug 15-20 photos
From Berlin I decided to head northeast, going through the city and into the suburbs. It was a very pleasant day with a lot of side paths next to the road which were a little bumpy at times. This is evidenced by my camera jumping out of my handlebar bag and bouncing on a very hard surface a few times. It still works! Thank you Samsung.
I stopped in Eberswalde, a little college town, for lunch. The road got narrow, but was not busy. I arrived in Angermunde and stumbled across the lovely Kohler Pension for a night’s stay. The owner was a gem, bringing me tea at night and a nice breakfast in the morning.
Pushing on the next day mostly along the Oder River, part of which is in a national park, I went through Schwedt, Mescherin, and Gartz before entering Poland. It’s another sad story, but today my solar charger fell out and broke into little bits and pieces. I wasn’t using it that much and now I’m carrying 12 ounces less.
Most of Szczecin was flattened during WWII and has been rebuildt, but still has that old world eastern European feel. I stayed at a youth hostel and walked into town at night. Poland isn’t all neat and tidy like Germany, the drivers are a bit less careful, and they use far too many hard consonants in a row in their words….but I kid the Poles.
The countryside is now quite unremarkable, but I have a tremendous tailwind as I go through Nowogard, Ploty, and a bunch of other tiny villages before reaching Karlino, where I stop at a market to see if anyone speaks English so I can find a place to stay. Finally a guy drives up to me with his wife in the car and says that he rents out rooms in his house. I follow him a short distance to his parent’s house with a sign on it, “NOCLEGI”, which means “accomodation”. Nice place too. I think I’m very lucky.
Onward to Slupsk, another boring bike ride, but a kick-ass tailwind, where I stayed in the nice Hotel Athena.
All of a sudden it’s cooler and cloudy and the rain gear goes on and off several times. I must have the wrong settings on Google Maps, because it keeps putting me on dirt and gravel roads. Anyway I made it to Kartuzy where I ran into a little problem. All 3 places to stay were full due to a Justin Timberlake concert in Gdansk, 25 miles away. I went to the police station for advice. A very nice lady cop was about to let me camp across from the station, when she checked one of the places I had been earlier and they had a cancellation, so there I went. Very nice folks.
I am in Gdansk for 2 nights before taking a 19 hour ferry ride to Nynashamn, Sweden, just south of Stockholm. I am staying with a very nice couple and their 2 year old in a 4 story walk-up that I made contact with through “warmshowers”. They are involved with amber, a very popular local material, used mostly in jewelry. Today and tomorrow I will explore Gdansk.
#21
Aug 21-26 photos
The next day I walked into the old central part of Gdansk, Poland to check it out. It was hopping with people as you can see in the pictures. The old look and feel of the place was very nice, although damaged heavily in WWII, it was rebuilt with some facades that give it that pretend “Vegas look” in some instances. Did some shopping and had a nice meal with my hosts, Michal and Aga and their 2 year old Tymon.
The next day as I was leaving about noon, Aga shows up with a bandage on her elbow. As is her norm, she was bicycling to work, and she had her first accident ever. Apparently, a nun ran a stop sign and got her and her bike. Thankfully nothing broken…just banged up and the bike?…not sure about that. She seemed okay, Michal was on his way, and I had a ferry to catch.
It was one ugly, bumpy, traffic clogged, 4 mile ride to the ferry terminal. The ship was huge as you would expect for a 19 hour overnight excursion. The trip was uneventful and not very crowded as I found two reclining chairs that I could lay sort of flat on and sleep. We arrived at 1:00 PM in Nynashamn, Sweden about 30 miles south of Stockholm on a brilliant sunny day.
At this and many other points on my trip I didn’t have any firm plan, but I did have the advice of a few knowledgeable people.
There was a tempting train sitting right in front of the ferry terminal, but it was too early to go to Stockholm. I headed through town to a nearby campground and on the way, there was this curb that blended in perfectly with the roadway in color and I wasn’t paying enough attention, got caught on the edge, and went down like a sack of potatoes. I landed squarely on one knee, putting a pretty ugly gash into it.
Everything seemed to be working as I dribbled blood through the hole in my now famous “stripey tights”. This was distressing and I was concerned about the effect on my trip. I did some shopping (food first), got to the campground, cleaned my wound, actually sewed my tights, and got to bed early. In the morning, my knee wasn’t as swollen as I thought it would be, just some pain. The tear is just below my knee cap, so it doesn’t effect my pedaling too much. I made a decision to give it a good 3 hours and 15 minutes to heal up on a ferry ride to Gotland, a popular resort island off the coast about 60 miles.
The ferry arrives in Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s history goes back to the Middle Ages in the 12th century. It definitely looks medieval with the ancient wall surrounding the old city. I will be back, but for now, I get a few photos before heading north out of town. I need some exercise after all those ferry rides.
It is getting late in August and summer ends in Sweden by mid-August. Many campgrounds and hostels and restaurants out in the countryside are barely open or closed. I arrive at what looks like a deserted large hotel and after rattling the door, Oksanna from Moldova arrives to let me in. She calls her boss, I have no Swedish currency, she has no credit card thingy, I talk to her boss who just loves California, he lets me stay for free. This place has an ocean view also. I got a sunset picture.
The countryside is very gentle, wooded, and not too exciting. There are many old churches and lots of sheep. Apparently, the place really goes wild in the summer with youngsters and lots of city folks have second homes here. There is another close island, Faro, connected by a very short free ferry. This is where I’m going. It was the home of the famous director, Ingmar Bergman. I stay at a barely open hostel (I’m the only one there), with an adjoining restaurant.
The next day I do a loop of the island, visiting an old lighthouse and some of the geological features called Rauks. These are limestone stacks that are being worn down by the elements over time. The weather is turning windy, cold, and nasty. I am staying at Boot Hostel, the best, and almost empty hostel, that I have ever seen, in Farosund, back on the main island.
At the Boot Hostel I met a guy, Kjell, that would figure into my last few days in Sweden….more later. After leaving the hostel I continued down the east side of Gotland, passing some interesting rauks, and a giant cement plant that supplies most of the cement needs of Sweden.
That evening I landed at the door step of Philip Willner, a connection I made through “warmshowers”. This guy is a real craftsman, making vests, jackets, and other accessories out of sheepskin, both with and without wool attached. In his spare time he is building houses on his property from scratch. He went out in his back yard, plucked a bunch of greenery, had me help him chop it up, and made this really great quiche. Sorry ladies….he’s already married with kids.
This area on Gotland is called Norrlanda and is as far south as I got. People were telling me that it is really nice further south too, but it’ll have to wait for the next trip. Now I was on my way back to Visby through some delightful countryside. There was an old abandoned railway station and some very big beautiful churches in some very small villages.
I arrived in Visby and checked into my cell at the Prison Hostel. My notes are sketchy at this point, but I think it was last used as a real prison in 1997. In my pictures, you might notice some barbed wire on a yellowish building. That is it! The location was good, next to the walled city and across the street from the ferry terminal.
The next day I went directly to the museum. Visby has history going back over a thousand years. The most interesting thing about the wall surrounding the old town is who it was meant to keep out. It was the surrounding farmers. There was a lot of wealth created due to the trading parnerships within the Hanseatic League which encompassed most of Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the Baltic states. Rich folk do like their fences (and walls).
The museum, as you can see, also had this great collection of picture rocks, and some Viking age hoards of mostly silver which are still found scattered around the island. Walking around the old streets is a really nice experience. Some churches in ruins, which are now used for social events, add to the atmosphere. One currently used old church had some interesting and unusual stained glass.
The next day, I took the return ferry to Nynashamn, and started pedaling north toward Stockholm. It was Saturday night and I had no reservation and no plan and it turns out, no place to stay. The place was packed, and I thought I was going to have to sleep on a park bench, but I stumbled into a very nice hotel next to the Central Station. A nice Brit (picture included), working at the Nordic C Hotel, hooked me up with a decent rate on a busy night. The place had a killer buffet for breakfast too.
Stockholm may be the best city that I have ever seen. It really has everything that a great city should have….I won’t make a list. I spent the next 4 nights in a hostel on Skeppsholmen Island, right near everything. Stockholm is made up of islands connected by causeways. I am running out of “tourism energy”, but I did manage to spend one full day in the Vasa Museum. Cutting to the chase, a warship was buildt in 1628 and sunk on it’s maiden voyage in Stockholm Harbor. A gust of wind blew it over. It was a design problem. A little too narrow and not enough ballast for it’s height. They ended up blaming a designer who had died the year before. It was brought to the surface in 1961 after 333 years under water. It was brought to dry dock and the museum was buildt around it. If you come to Stockholm, this is a must-see or even a great reason to come to Stockholm.
I could go on and on about Stockholm, but I’m running out of writing energy too. For my last several days in Sweden, I am staying in the ‘burbs up in Jakobsberg in a little flat with all the amenities except TV and wi-fi, which the guy I met on Gotland arranged for me. I may be taking the train into the city to see more stuff. This will probably be my last e-mail until I get home, recuperate, and have time to reflect in an epilogue. Hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing this.
#22a
Sep 6-8 photos
As it turns out, I was only kidding about the last e-mail. THIS is definitely the last e-mail until I get home. This is a continuation of my Stockholm visitation. Looking at the last batch of pictures I forgot to mention my visit to Drottningholm Castle. This was the giant building surrounded by beautiful grounds with ducks and geese and a ceremonial guard. I bicycled up and back one day when I was staying near central Stockholm. This is the current home of the king and queen of Sweden. I should mention, I don’t think there is a place within 30 miles of downtown Stockholm that you can’t bicycle or walk safely. In addition, trains, buses, trams, and subways go everywhere. Gasoline is about twice the cost as in the USA. I think I might find it difficult NOT jumping into my car for the smallest errand, but it sure appears to work here.
So now I’m up in Jakobsberg without TV or wi-fi, which in itself is driving me a little crazy, but here I am in a convenient library getting the message out.
One day, Kjell and I took 3 buses out to Vaxholm, a cute town east of Stockholm and took a boat, built in 1900, back to downtown on one of the hundreds of waterways in this area. Afterwards I continued on my own to explore Gamla Stan, the oldest and medieval part of Stockholm. The narrow cobblestoned streets are fully evidenced.
Yesterday I did a loop bike ride to Sigtuna, which has several old church ruins that are over a thousand years old. I continued up to Skokloster, a castle built in the 1600’s by a king. It is the big white building with a giant front lawn. The other side overlooks a lake. It was getting late, so I biked to Ballsta and hopped on a train back to Jakobsberg. Today I took the train and a subway into Stockholm to the old Olympic Stadium and walked a bit through Ostermalm before I completely ran out of energy and took a bus and train home.
At this point I’ve logged 3,120 miles of bicycling and I am not pedaling another inch. By the way, we were walking through a sporting goods store next to an Ikea store and came by a bike section and snagged a mountain bike box just as a guy was taking a new one out. This is an example of how serendipitous this trip has been.
EUROPE 2014 – EPILOGUE
It has been over a month since I returned from my European bicycle tour. This epilogue is my chance to summarize and share in detail some of the logistics and statistics of the trip, probably more than you wanted to hear. I believe bicycle touring is the very best way to travel, whether with full camping gear, or motel to motel, with or without a sag vehicle. It literally allows you to smell the roses and to get a picture of each one. The exercise benefits are well documented. You do not have to be an elite athlete, only a bicycle rider with the equipment and motivation.
I started with a general plan of starting in Arctic Norway and heading south to Barcelona, staying within my 3 month Schengen Visa (http://www.schengenvisainfo.com) requirement. This idea changed shortly before I left when my return flight was changed to be from Stockholm, Sweden instead of Spain. My itinerary changed several times after I started my bicycle tour. I ended up visiting 5 different countries, some more thoroughly than others. These were Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Sweden, in that order. These countries each have a different currency. Why did I start in northern Norway? Probably from information and pictures garnered from National Geographic, but it just seemed like a good idea. A very helpful write-up by a couple from Australia that bicycled the length of Norway in 2007 got me even more interested; http://userweb.eftel.com/~wheelbuddies/norway/norway2007/index.htm
Attached is a spreadsheet which has my daily itinerary and shows daily mileage, elevation gain, sleeping arrangements, and the number of ferry rides. In hindsight, I could have kept track of the number of tunnels I went through and the number of bridges I went over. There were quite a few.
This trip was magnificent! The best part for me were the more remote and rugged parts of Norway, mostly in the north. Sure, I had some weather extremes, both hot and cold, and rain, all of which helped make this an epic and memorable experience. For me, Norway was mostly about the scenery, but after spending 50 days there, I really love everything about the country. The roads, tunnels, and bridges were superbly maintained and beautiful to boot. I’m just shooting from the hip here, but I saw very few police and I didn’t hear about any crime. The same goes for firemen and fires. I didn’t get to Oslo which may have some of these problems. Folks in Norway seem to all be working and I didn’t see anything that resembled poverty. The bigger cities that I visited, Tromso, Trondheim, Alesund, Bergen, Stavanger, and Kristiansand all had their own charms and were just delightful to see.
Norway is very hilly, especially when compared to the rest of my trip. Unfortunately for you, I can show this analytically. In my 3,120 miles ridden, I gained 123,500 feet in elevation. This works out to an average of 40 feet per mile. The Norway portion was 52.5 feet per mile and the remainder of the trip was only 21 feet per mile. These touring statistics are meager compared to a lot of the day rides that I do at home which sometimes hover near 100 feet per mile. Why the big difference? My touring bike with gear weighed about 90 pounds. My bike at home is about 25 pounds with full water bottles. Overcoming gravity is hard.
I spent 16 days above the Arctic Circle. The little known secret about Norway is that it’s climate is effected by the Gulf Stream. Northern Norway might be more Siberia-like without this moderating influence. Looking at my itinerary, I was actually moving from area to area about 2/3 of the time and the other 1/3 were rest days, local exploring days, or very short days with a ferry ride. Overall my average miles per day was 35. Just counting travel days I get 50 miles per day. This 35 mile per day figure is very close to all of my previous fully loaded bicycle tours.
I slept in my tent 34 nights or 39% and in a bed 54 nights or 61%. After Norway and Denmark, I only camped 1 night in Sweden. It wasn’t for lack of wanting to, but there just weren’t any campgrounds on or near my route through Germany and Poland, and I really did not travel much once I got into Sweden. I used “warmshowers” 3 times for a total of 4 nights, 1 night in Alta, Norway, 2 nights in Gdansk, Poland, and 1 night in Norrlanda, Sweden. My picture taking was an overall average of 1 picture per mile. From my itinerary, I was on 31 ferries.
Every place after Norway was not as good as Norway in just about every way. Even the drinking water was superior in Norway. That being said, Denmark impressed me with it’s beautiful rolling farmland and very relaxed atmosphere. I saw a lot of wind generators. Copenhagen had the most bicycle riders and infrastructure to handle them that I have ever seen. Northern Germany was lovely and the 700 to 900 year old towns that dot the countryside are neat as pins. Berlin and much smaller Potsdam are in a class by themselves. The history and cultural diversity are unique. Berlin is a wonderful combination of old and ultra modern. The northern part of Poland that I went across was a little rough around the edges. Not nearly as wealthy as Germany, it doesn’t have the sparkle or maintenance of it’s neighbor. The people were friendly enough and the two large cities that I was in, Szczecin and Gdansk, had a lot of old world charm. By the time I got to Sweden, I was sort of like a horse heading for the barn. My tour was winding down and so was my motivation. I did manage to tour around most of the Island of Gotland and it’s medieval town of Visby. Once in Stockholm, I really kicked back, visiting the Vasa Museum and exploring the immediate vicinity on foot, by bicycle, and with public transportation. I cannot say enough good things about Stockholm. It is a magnificent city made up of islands connected by bridges. It has all of the modern conveniences and a very well preserved medieval history. My last week was spent in a suburb called Jakobsberg. It was a convenient, relaxing spot from which to further explore the area, and a little closer to the airport.
I need to mention a few things about my bicycle and equipment. I am a pretty experienced tourist, but even I was impressed with how the bike held up during this trip. I replaced a front derailleur cable as a precaution because it was very frayed from the tip to the lock nut. I adjusted my front brake cable because it had stretched a bit. I tightened a front spoke when it loosened up and started to make a pinging noise. I probably only oiled my chain 5 or 6 times. The most amazing thing was that I did not have one flat tire. I topped them up after every 3 or 4 days. I did not take a spare tire, because I thought that these tires could go the distance and they sure did. Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 SmartGuard Cross/Hybrid Bicycle Tire – Wire Bead
My solar charger broke after the bracket holding it on my handlebar let it pop off a few times. My camera finally developed a blurred spot after I dropped it several times right at the end of the trip. It was still under warranty and Samsung repaired it right after I got home. I lost several electrical adapters by leaving them behind and kept buying new ones. I wore out a lightweight pair of wool gloves while up north that I did not replace. My rain booties are pretty torn up near where my cleat engages the pedaI. My Garmin went blotto in Poland and I had to re-boot it and lost all of the saved tracks up to that point. Luckily, I recorded the elevation gains and distance each day in a separate log.
Norway is arguably the most expensive country in Europe with the rest of Scandinavia not far behind. People inevitably get curious about what a 3 month vacation like this costs. After adding up my flight, food, lodging and all other incidental costs, I come up with an average cost per day of $75. Bicycle touring is cheap! I consider this a mid-level tour on the comfort scale. The more creature comforts, the greater the cost. In my younger days, I would think this trip might have cost $40 per day in today’s dollar. Free camping possibilities exist all over Scandinavia as do the fishing opportunities. This would be a different kind of trip, one with less WiFi and less World Cup football watching on TV.
I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Burt
#1
My European bicycle tour has gotten off to an inauspicious start. With the help of two good friends, I got my large bicycle box, another slightly smaller box, myself, and two carry-ons up to LAX in plenty of time for the song and dance routine that the TSA puts you through and to board Norwegian Air’s 787 Dreamliner. “Dream” would be the key word here. Things were going well as I boarded a pretty full plane and got a seat next to a comely Norwegian girl. I noticed the little hi-tech screen in front of me had a good selection of movies. Then we backed away from the gate.
After maybe 200 yards, I began chewing some gum in order to help equalize the pressure changes from climbing. Soon thereafter a recently installed crown popped off from a rear molar, exposing it’s naked sensitive self. I began contemplating the inconvenience and expense of trying to find a dentist in Arctic Norway.
Shortly thereafter, the pilot comes on the speaker to announce a problem with the hydraulic system and that we have to return to the gate for repairs. I’m all about safety, so this seemed prudent. After about three hours a further announcement indicated that it could not be fixed and we all must de-plane, including all baggage. It took about two hours for my boxes to arrive at the “Oversize Baggage” door. Then it was up to the check-in terminal to get a voucher for a hotel stay near the airport. This line took three hours to get through, then the wait for the shuttle bus, and the wait to check in at the hotel.
During these incessant waits, I developed a new plan, taking into consideration my dental needs. They couldn’t possibly insist that I take the morning flight on offer, but would allow me to re-schedule in the near future at my convenience. This worked! And I could leave my large boxes in their care until my return.
So, after a solid hour of sleep, I took a shuttle to the airport terminal, to catch a shuttle to Union Station, to catch a Metrolink train south, to catch a light rail ride close to my house. Who said California doesn’t have any public transportation?
I am writing this from home, tooth repaired, and have a new flight schedule in place. I’m leaving from LAX on Wednesday, June 11th for Alta, Norway and returning Wednesday, September 10th from Stockholm. Traveling is hard work!
The good news is that I finally got to Alta, Norway and have my first day of riding under my belt. The bad news is that my bluetooth keyboard crapped out and if I can find a replacement in a few days, I’ll be lucky.
What this means is that I have to peck at my little android like a chicken in order to enlighten those interested with my trip. This isn’t what I signed up for. I’ll do my best as I watch Costa Rica throttle Uruguay from the ArcticFjord Camp just north of Burfjord. Oh! The humanity!
Time out! My bluetooth just started to work. I can fly! Alrighty, so I flew into Stockholm, had a 6 hour layover, got to Oslo, where I spent the night and onto Alta in the morning of the 13th.
I had made contact with a girl in Alta who is a member of this group of mostly bicycle people who are willing to take in bicycle tourists who may be travelling their way. It is called “warmshowers”. It turns out she is a geologist from England. Pictures of her flat, my electronics, and her, are included.
The Stockholm and Oslo airports are very nice, and so is Alta, albeit tiny. Alta is about as far north as the north slope of Alaska, but is a “real” town with all the infrastructure. You will see a picture of what looks like a titanium church, an indoor football field, and a town square. There are supermarkets and shopping malls. I was surprised.
Drivers are unbelievably courteous to bicyclists. Temperatures have ranged from the low 40’s to low 50’s and today was cloudy and drizzly, but not enough to give me a soaking. I went down the road 55 miles today with my 90 pound bicycle. Not too hilly yet, thankfully….I hear tomorrow might have a few big ones. Personally, I think my pictures are okay, considering the less than perfect conditions. Wait until the sun comes out.
I’m in a nice, very quiet camp site with good showers, wi-fi, and a TV for the World Cup. Life is good!
I am no longer in Kansas and the wizard is nowhere to be found. As my touring mentor, Bob Wagner, used to say, “today was a test of soul and character”. Having biked only 51 miles and climbed 3,663 feet, it was still a real challenge.
The day was mostly drizzly with an occasional down pour, but the test were the climbs and the accompanying brutal winds and sleet at the higher elevations. Two big hills today, the second getting over 1,000 feet, which at this latitude is probably like going over Tioga Pass in the dead of winter. The high point was a place called Gildetun, and there seemed to be a lodge of sorts, but I was too cold to stop and just wanted to get back to sea level.
Those bambi-like critters are reindeer and I had one for dinner in Storslett at day’s end. The weather forecast is not promising and my computer is giving me fits, but I will soldier on.
I stayed an extra night in Storslett at a guest house (picture with the manager in front). I think I was still a little jet-lagged because I slept most of the day and watched football games of course. They had a nice breakfast buffet in the morning. The quality is so much better than most similar places in the USA. There wasn’t a piece of white bread in sight, only the good grainy and nutty kind. There was good jam, cucumbers, tomatoes, sliced cheese and deli meat, beets, yogurt, real orange juice and of course coffee and tea. Some other fare in tubes that might have been caviar.
It drizzled most of the day and got heavier toward the end. Temps might have climbed to 40 for a brief minute. The scenery was something to write home about. Went through a few tunnels and had a couple ferry rides. I made it to a campground in Tromso where I stayed overnight in a cabin. There was no way that I was going to set up my tent in this weather. There is a picture of a map on the top of my handlebar bag if you want to zoom in and see the general area. Today was 71 miles and 3,770 feet of climbing.
The Norwegians are very friendly and very courteous drivers. You do not have to be in a hurry to get somewhere before dark. It just doesn’t get dark….at all! I was looking at my Garmin and sure enough….blanks for time of sunset and sunrise. You can’t fool Mr. Garmin.
The roads are in splendid condition, but narrow, but not many cars or people this far north. When you go through a populated area, there is a wide asphalt path separate from the highway for pedestrians and bicycles. Very civilized.
I didn’t mention that the cabin I stayed in was just next to the town of Tromso. Having arrived there after 9 PM, I was happy to have a place inside, out of the rain and cold. It was very simple with a hot plate, a small heater, and bunk beds. And very clean as is the Norwegian way. The heater was enough to get everything dry. I have very good equipment and was never chilled in the 35 to 45 degree temperatures, but after a full day in the rain and drizzle everything becomes damp.
After a breakfast of coffee and cereal in the cabin, I got a really late start at noon. I bicycled past the Arctic Sea Cathedral (last picture in the previous post), a famous landmark, and over a bridge into central Tromso. This is a big (relatively) and beautiful city and called “The Paris of the North”. I could see spending a couple days here exploring if I was so inclined. The city itself is actually on an island. After crossing another bridge, I was on my way to the hinterlands and some amazing scenery.
Shortly thereafter, the sun popped out and temperatures soared into the mid-50’s. I was literally stopping every couple hundred yards and burning through the film, but honestly, I was doing this in the rain as well, not wanting to miss any of the majesty of this place. I had a pattern going in the rain; take the gloves off, get the camera, shoot a picture, wipe the rain from the lens and camera, put the camera back, put the gloves on, go down the road a bit, repeat. This ate up a little time.
I was headed for Brensholmen to catch a ferry to Botnhamn on the biggest Norwegian Island of Senja, (easy for me to say). With all the snapping, I could only make the last ferry at 9:15 PM for the 45 minute crossing. At the ferry terminal, there WAS NO terminal, or shelter from the freezing cold wind off of the water. I put on every stitch of clothing that I had. When the ferry came (10 minutes late), a few cars got off, but I was the only passenger boarding. I thought this was the tourist season.
Since it was so late, a nice ferry worker called his buddy who had a campground on the other side, to make sure that I could get a cabin. The fix was in and it was about 7 miles of bicycling in the cold and drizzle to the Fjordbotn Campground.
When I got there, the rain stopped and I set up my tent to the slight disappointment of the proprietor. Camping in this weather pattern is a gamble, but I was lucky, and it was semi-dry in the morning for taking down the tent. A picture of my campsite is included.
This day I would traverse a good portion of Senja to catch another longer ferry in Gryllefjord. (I cannot pronounce this either). This was a very hilly, but shorter stretch of 46 miles and 2,943 feet of climbing. I was a little disappointed in that this was the most wild and awe inspiring scenery yet, but only viewed through the muted colors of an overcast sky. There is a somber and moody touch to this that cannot be denied.
When I arrived in the one horse town of Gryllefjord to catch the last ferry at 7 PM, I got the word from the grocery store that it has been cancelled due to high winds. The trip is on the open ocean, so it happens sometimes. The grocery lady has some rental units, which are quite nice, and next to the store, which is next to the ferry.
We don’t trust the weather forecast, right? I don’t, but the truth is that I am very comfortable in this fine little apartment, the weather outside is dreadful, and there is a window of good weather forecast. So, I have made a management decision to stay here 3 nights before departing for an area that promises even more dramatic scenery, if that is possible.
A word about the tunnels; they are almost everywhere when needed to get through a mountain instead of over it, and are wonderfully engineered. I have gone through several. All but one were open to bicycles and they are well lit to the point that I never had to use my front light, only my rear for safety. The longest one so far was just over a mile. There are some that I have not encountered yet that go under water.
After 3 days comfortably trapped in Gryllefjord waiting for the ferry to get me to Andenes, the raging winds calmed enough for it to make the crossing. At the terminal I met a Norwegian mom bicycle touring with her two teenage kids the length of Norway (picture included). They were not camping, but were traveling at a good clip. I was very impressed. The one hour and 40 minute ferry ride was a rockin’ and rollin’. Another half hour and I would have been an unhappy puppy.
It was very cloudy all day, but no rain. Hooray! The scenery wasn’t the usual eye-popping variety, but nice enough and all the roads are really great. I made it to Buksnesfjord, which had an average campground, but a great rec room for some fancy rooms that I could also use. I watched Belgium beat Russia. The breakfast in the lodge was top drawer – that’ll be $25, thank you. That is me in front of the restaurant.
Speaking of money, the Norwegian currency is very easy to get used to, the prices, not so much. Just multiply what you are used to paying by 2 to 3 and you get pretty close. As I mentioned before, the quality is quite good. All the campgrounds and cabins are immaculate, great hot and cold water pressure, wi-fi is usually good, there are usually kitchens available for campers, no shortage of toilet paper. What else do you need?
The next day I made it a short day of 44 miles to Stokmarknes, and their only campground (picture of my camp included). This place was run by an Afghani refugee who’s desire was to get to the USA.
The weatherman lied again. It was cloudy and cold most of the day. It might have hit 50 degrees for a minute. Caught a ferry from Melbu to Fiskebol and had some bits and pieces of very dramatic scenery. I travelled through Svolvaer, a very nice little city with some big hotels and kind of cutesy. Another great pedestrian / bike path along the highway until you are out of town. The sun popped out, fooled me into taking some clothes off, and then it got cold again. I found a windy campsite in Klepstad, but they had a good kitchen with sketchy wi-fi. This was also a short day of 44 miles.
Another late start today, 10:45 AM, and I was on my way to Leknes, where I did some grocery shopping and ended up in Ramberg and a campground next to a beach, with a restaurant, and kitchen as well. The sun came out in full force the last couple hours of the day, first time in 2 weeks. I’m loosing my California tan. Almost forgot…went through an underwater tunnel today, quite steep down and up, with a narrow path to bike on, next to the double lane highway…kinda spooky.
I am now near the southern end of the Lofoten Island chain. This place has been magical. My OCD has kicked in and I have to stop and take a picture around every bend in the road. So many pictures in fact that I clogged up my computer downloading them to Dropbox and am only sending you a partial and fairly unedited edition of my normal painstaking effort.
I’m 2 weeks in and have gone 475 miles, almost my average for trips of this type, the kind where I’m loaded up like a donkey. Tomorrow, I should be taking a ferry to Bodo and so it continues…..
#6a June 24-26 photos
Watch out for the FARTSHUMP…..
From my last night on the Lofoten Islands in Ramberg, it was an 18 mile bicycle ride to the ferry terminal for a 3.5 hour ride to Bodo on the mainland. I saw the midnight sun last night. People seem to get all excited about this, but honestly, it’s just the same old sun blazing away at an unconventional hour for those of us normally living a bit closer to the equator. The weather has turned sunny and wonderful big time.
On this ferry I met two Norwegian brothers. One flew up to Tromso to meet the other and they are bicycling south to the other’s home just south of Bergen. I rode with them off and on for the next few days, sharing a cabin with them one night. They were staying in rooms every night which wasn’t in my travel plans. They were really goood guys.
From Bodo, a nice old town, I am taking a coastal route 17, less heavily trafficked than the other choice of route E6. The road continues to be great with many ferry crossings between fjords and many tunnels through the mountains of granite. The land here seems to have more goats and cattle and farming going on than further north.
Some of my bicycling days are long; from Bodo was a tough day of 69 miles with 4,619 feet of climbing. Others, not so much….I just do what feels right, sometimes with the extra incentive of getting to the next campground. Another currently big incentive is getting in front of a TV for World Cup viewing. Tonight I watched Brazil squeek by Chile and Colombia beat Uruguay. Without that toothy little Suarez, they couldn’t win. You football fans will know what I’m talking about.
Everything is going well, no bike problems, and the weather is fabulous. It actually touched 70 degrees today for a minute and sparkling clear. And on the last ferry ride today, I actually crossed the Arctic Circle, so it’s all downhill from here.
#8
June 29-July 2, 2014 photos
Tunnels, ferries, and bridges, oh my! This route 17 that I have been on since Bodo is quite an amazing highway, known as the coast route and attracts most of the bicycle tourists doing the length of Norway. It is broken up by fjords and mountains and islands, all of which are connected again by ferries, bridges, and tunnels for cars, trucks, and bicycles. There is very little traffic compared to the asphalt jungle that I am coming from. The road for the most part is a narrow two lane highway with no shoulder. All cars, RV’s, buses, and trucks, wait patiently behind me until it is safe to go around. Could they have learned this respect in school? I really don’t think all the plans for segregated bike lanes in the USA will make a twit of difference regarding attitudes of motorists toward bicyclists. It has to go a lot deeper into mindsets and education of motorists at an early age. Alrighty then, off my soapbox and back to my little bicycle tour.
The last several days I have had to downgrade the scenery from jaw-dropping, tear inducing amazing, to fantastically beautiful. Parts look like primo farm land of Iowa, other areas are reminiscent of Colorado or Oregon, even the high Sierra of California, although I remain close to sea level with the occasional climb to 1,000 feet. Since my last couple days on the Lofoten Islands, the weather has been picture perfect, and in the over 800 miles bicycled so far, I don’t recall even seeing a pothole in the road. There have been occasional head winds, but once you get to the other side of a fjord, this will reverse. Norway is not a good place for the beginner bicycle tourist. Because of the weather variability and the rugged terrain, you want to know what you are doing. That being said, the Norwegians and most of the tourists from other parts of Europe who travel here are extremely friendly and I would feel safe if I ran into a rough patch of luck.
I want to thank Mr. Jim Merz, wherever you are, for building such a dependable bicycle back in 1981. I get the thanks for the wheels with kudos to Phil Wood for the hubs and bottom bracket. Most experienced bicycle tourists use Schwalbe tires, myself included, and would not be surprised if I complete this trip with no flats. The counterpoint is that my wheels are really heavy. I have one mechanical waiting to happen. The end cap of my front derailleur cable is missing and the cable is frazzled right down to the lock nut. I’m ignoring this for now.
Yesterday, I decided to get off the beaten path, as I am inclined to do, and took an alternate route, closer toward the ocean and involving an extra ferry crossing. I can’t compare it to the prescribed route, but it has been very scenic, very hilly, and really less traveled. I ended the day near the town of Kolvereid and am ensconced in a lovely furnished cabin for a couple days. Since my forced layover days way back in Gryllefjord, I haven’t taken a break. I am pooped and the forecast for my rest day is not pristine, so it’s a win win.
Norway has exceeded my expectations so far and I am looking forward to the southern half. By the way, the sun is now setting on my ass, and of course I mean this literally and not figuratively. As of last night, sunset was at midnight and sunrise at 2:34 AM, so I’m getting a little twilight.
Football (or soccer in the USA), has been screwing with my sleeping and riding schedule. I feel remiss if I don’t make some effort to watch every possible World Cup match come hell or high water. The later games have been showing live here at 10:00 PM. With overtime and penalty kicks, I get to bed at 1:00 AM. So, unless I stumble into a camp without TV, I will be under pressure having to watch the semi-finals and final matches. Life can be so hard.
I have officially jumped out of the refrigerator and into the frying pan. The temperature today may have hit 90, but was definitely in the high 80’s most of the day. The route was between Namsos and Steinkjer, or as we Americans like to say, “shtinker”. I am a little inland, so I’ll blame it on that and hope it cools down when I get closer to the ocean. Bet you never thought I’d be saying that on this trip.
The area is redefining my concept of the color green as you can see in some of the photos. I think the first photo is the cabin that I stayed in for my two night respite. There is one of a tunnel under construction, an example of the path next to the highway, a selfie of me at a break by a body of water, and assorted scenery along the way during the last two days.
Today, although only 50 miles and 2,043 feet of climbing, was one of my hardest days. The road didn’t wiggle much and there was a constant head wind of maybe 10 to 15 mph. Combined with the heat, it makes for a real “shtinker”. Today, as last night, I got to watch 1.5 soccer games, better than nothing.
Heading for Trondheim tomorrow, if I can make it that far. Big city, bright lights…..woo hoo!
Well, maybe I am still in Kansas. After my usual late start from Steinkjer I headed down the main artery and somewhat busy E6 on my way toward Trondheim. I was only on the highway sometimes as there were pedestrian/bicycle paths along much of it and even an old stretch of road that covered some pretty areas. One detour took me through Levanger, a cute town with some photos included.
Thankfully there were some overcast skies and a threat of rain that never materialized. This kept the heat down. And check out the fields of wheat, and the field of yellow weeds. Honestly, I couldn’t figure out if someone was growing these yellow flowers (weeds), or they were just taking a liking to the huge area that you can see. I can tell you the fragrant smell was worth the price of admission.
The names of some of the little bergs would win big in geography scrabble. Another day of nasty headwinds had me quitting after 42 miles at a campground in a tiny spot on the road called Asen.
#11
July 7-8 photos
The campground in Asen turned out to be an okay place. They had a sweet big rec room with a fine couch and TV and a pool table. The kitchen was the usual fare with lack of pots and pans and utensils. Showers were old but they worked.
Later when I returned to my tent site next to a picnic table, it had been taken over by two biker chicks. To be more precise, two young girls on motorcycles from Switzerland. They were very nice and of course English was one of the many languages with which they were comfortable.
Jumping back for a minute, those random yellow weeds, as was duly noted by several followers, were rapeseed, used in making canola oil. The city boy that I am wouldn’t know a rapeseed from a hayseed. Also, the wheat may have been barley.
The next day I went through Hell, and although very hot (90ish), it wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Hell means something like good luck in Norwegian. The day was steamy and hilly and of course the headwind persists. The route followed the busy E6, but mostly on side paths and old parts of the road. I finally made it to Trondheim and am staying in a very nice youth hostel in a dorm room by myself. This place is brand new and has everything except the crowds. I’m staying an extra night and watching Germany clobber Brazil as I write.
On my rest day I walked around Trondheim seeing the sights.
Tomorrow I am heading for the coast, directly west, and a tailwind is in the forecast. Wish me hell.
#12
July 9-14 photos
On leaving Trondheim, I got a picture of the university there (first one). Now I am heading west toward Kristiansund and it is another very hot day, 90 plus. Once again I chose a road less traveled, more rural, and a bit longer. On the way, I met 3 Russian bicycle tourists from Moscow on a 2 week tour. They spoke very limited English, and no politics were discussed. There is a picture of this group. Later I encountered a bridge that was out and some Norwegian workers helped me get my load through the river bed and up on the bank. With all the sweating and lifting no pictures included.
It wasn’t easy, but I made it to Rindal where the only sleeping choice was a nice rustic hotel. I asked the proprietor what the rate might be for a room, and he was just a little
snotty in replying, “typical Norwegian prices”. We’re talking about $200.
But, he turned out to have a heart, as he allowed me to camp in the surrounding woods and use his bathroom and TV facility, not to mention wi-fi. This was my first “free camp” of sorts since starting the trip, mostly due to my incessant need to watch the World Cup.
Another late start and another hot day. This area was also short of campgrounds. It cooled off as I got closer to the ocean and I got to a rest stop with a lot of RV’s stopped and parked for the evening and doing a lot of fishing. About fishing; Norway is a fisherman’s paradise. I saw people with bucket loads of fish, caught in a very short time. Next trip…..
But I digress…I look across the highway and I see a fellow working on his boat and a lovely green patch of land and a picnic table just above him on his lot. I pedal over there and it turns out, he loves the USA! His sentiment comes mostly from an encounter with a woman in, of all places, Eureka, CA, many years ago when he was working as an engineer on a shipping vessel. Another “free camp”.
Kristiansund is on an island and the only way in or out is on a ferry from the north, which I should have thought about in Trondheim, or by two underwater tunnels, both of which are banned for bicycles. Anyway, the boat engineer was going shopping in town in the morning and offered me a ride which I gladly accepted. It was an opportunity for him to give me a blue ear rambling about his USA adventures, but it all worked out.
After a quick look around Kristiansund, it was still early and I wanted to head for the “Atlantic Road”, a series of bridges jutting out into the ocean connecting little bits of rocky islands. Well, I bicycled across, (only about 6 miles long), and couldn’t see much of anything in the fog. You’ll have to “google” this one to see pictures, as I have none. I believe that this tourist destination may be a bit over-hyped after the scenery in the north. I made it to the small town of Bud and a very small campground. Speaking of beer, a typical pint of beer in a bar costs about $15. This is enough to make me quit drinking (as if I do).
From Bud, I was going toward Molde, when again I got off the main route and ferried to an Island called Otroya which is devoid of traffic and mostly has some summer cottages. It felt like the land that time forgot or maybe Jurassic Park as the fog bank started rolling in on the western shore where I camped (at a campground) in Midsund.
Thankfully the morning was dry and after a 10 mile spin to the ferry in Dryna, I met a Polish guy who just caught and cleaned 3 large fish. There are a lot of Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian immigrants here for economic reasons.
A ferry to Brattvag and I made my way to Alesund, where I am taking two nights in a youth hostel. Of course I watched the World Cup final. Not the best game in the world, not the best result. This youth hostel is old and well worn, but comfortable. I am in a 12-man dorm, but breakfast is included and is pretty good.
I took a walk around town on my day off. Apparently most of it was rebuilt after a fire in the early 1900’s in the style you see, not to mention the destruction during World War II. I give this town a rating of 9 plus on the cutesy scale.
I am making a meal out of Norway. There is just so much to see here and I am determined to leave no stone unturned. I keep telling myself that you cannot see everything on a bicycle tour, but then I come around the next bend and it’s lucky I’m flexible.
Did I say two nights in Alesund? Well, I changed my mind and am staying four nights at the hostel here, and by doing so, breaking one of my bicycle touring rules; don’t wait for the weather to change. I wasn’t planning to climb up the Trollstigen, but have had a change of heart, and am planning to do it on Saturday. The extended wait in Alesund is for the weather window in the mountains to be clear for great views and pictures. I have to also admit, this rest is sorely needed after bicycling 1,233 miles in my first 32 days and Norway is not flat.
This gave me more time to explore Alesund on foot. There is a big hill right behind the hostel (not sure how high) with 480 steps up to a lookout point, and the usual touristic stuff. You can tell some of the pictures are from up there. In the harbor is a very big cruise ship and the next day another one appeared, almost as big. A guy down at the terminal informed me that they have had cruise ships twice that size. I don’t believe I have seen one that big in San Diego.
The black and brown bird is a common one that I have seen many times bicycling over the last month. I don’t know what type it is.
More street scenes are included. Alesund is a very pleasant city.
Tomorrow I will attempt my longest day yet, about 80 miles, to reach my jumping off spot for the big climb up the Trollstigen and another climb afterward to get to Geiranger before an advertised beautiful ferry ride to Hellesylt. Norway is a piece of work.
#13a
I just got asked by a friend about my bicycle and I thought that I would reply to the entire list, just in case anyone else cared.
I have a steel lugged frame, built about 1981 for me by Jim Merz (forget the type of steel). I use a reverse throw Suntour XC front derailleur. By the way, I did get that boogerd front cable fixed in Trondheim. (Not properly adjusted, but it is friction shifting, so I shift a little more carefully.) Old Campy down tube friction shifters. Basically mountain bike gearing with a rear cassette of 11 (or 12) to 36 and chain rings of 24 x 34 x 46. Old Shimano road cranks, Shimano Deore long cage rear derailleur. I use Time mountain bike pedals and Shimano Sidi mountain bike shoes. Old Campy super record seat post. A nasty heavy Nashbar adjustable stem, Ritchey handlebar, old Campy headset, converted to a threadless set-up. What I like about the stem is that by taking out the pivot bolt and collar, the whole front end comes off….this is very convenient for packing or putting back together.
I built the wheels. Velocity Dyad rims and Phil Wood hubs. The rear cassette hub is unbelievably heavy. I have 48 rear spokes and 40 front spokes (forget what gauge, probably 12). Front are cross 3, rear cross 4. I’m using the latest version of Schwalbe touring 700 x 32. They are very heavy…over 800 grams each. I am so confident in these tires that I did not bring a spare. Do have two spare tubes…no flats yet. I have a skinny cheap hurricane pump that works better than most and a separate plastic air gauge. I use 2 heavy duty aluminum water bottle racks. Phil Wood bottom bracket, square taper.
Merz custom built rear chrome-moly rack, front Tubus low rider. Ortlieb front and rear large panniers and handlebar bag. Both front and rear panniers have extra pouches as add-ons…one or more of these may be allowing moisture into the main bag. I use a Jaand expandable old rack top bag that the zipper is starting to fail on and may have seen it’s last tour. Plus, it isn’t as waterproof as the Ortlieb stuff. Seat is a man’s Terry Fly.
That is about all I can think of….if you have any specific questions, be sure to ask. Hope you are not bored to tears….
I finally left Alesund for Andalsnes and it rained most of the way, but it wasn’t a cold rain. I actually make better time when it rains only because I take far fewer pictures. This was 76 miles and 3,400 feet of climbing, and mostly on a main highway so I had more traffic than usual. There were a couple of short tunnels and then toward the end a flat tunnel, but just over 4 miles long. There were fans blowing at both ends, but the air did get a little stale anyway. The rain slowed also and I got a few shots just before getting to town and the youth hostel for the next two nights.
This hostel was about a kilometer from a central area that had a choice of three of the common food markets here in Norway; Bunn Pris, Rema 1000, and Kiwi. I shopped on my day off and slept.
Today (Saturday) was clear and bright as forecast and I headed for The Trollstigen. It’s a big hill with 7 to 10% grades for about 15 miles to an elevation of about 2,800 feet. My friend Craig F. Likes to go up to the highest point, put on his bat suit, jump off, and soar as if he had feathers on his arse, and land in a grassy field at the bottom. Me, I prefer loading my bicycle with rocks, setting the chain on the lowest of ratios, and chug to the top at a speed that a hiker could almost do. The first half of the day produced unwanted shadows on the switchbacks, but I think you can get the gist of it. As my favorite football commentator, Ray Hudson, would say, “It was Majesterial!”
The mostly downhill run to Valldal included a stop for locally grown strawberries. I am tenting tonight close to town in a nice campground. Today was only 35 miles with 3,160 feet of climbing.
The picture of the sign for Hotel Aak is especially for Sam P. The consensus on the last bird quandry was a type of crow (even I knew it wasn’t a Magpie).
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better……After my overnight in Valldal and a short spin I caught a 15 minute ferry from Linge to Eidsdal and began a big climb, not as steep as the Trollstigen, but we’re having a heat wave here in Norway. After the first top, I was again amazed at the scenery, lakes and mountains galore. I continued climbing through an uphill 600 meter long tunnel and finally peaked out at Ornevegan with a glorious view directly down to Geiranger nestled at the end of it’s namesake fjord. Now the fun begins.
There is a serious downhill with tight little switchbacks, grades from -10 to -12%. Coincidently, this hill has 11 switchbacks, the same as the Trollstigen. There were great views the whole way down and a fancy overlook for all the tourists about a 1,000 feet up. Shortly after this point there was a slight problem with one of the giant tour buses. On one of the switchbacks, this bus just did a face plant with his front end into the asphalt. I’m pretty sure no one was hurt, because they are going very slow. Anyway, this caused quite a kerfuffle with traffic in both directions, but I was able to get around it quite easily.
At the bottom of the hill I was just in time to catch the “tourist” ferry (the only ferry) from Geiranger to Hellesylt. I missed exploring Geiranger, but I didn’t want to wait an hour and a half for the next one. This hour long ferry ride goes down the Geirangerfjord, one of the most dramatic stretches of fjord in Norway and I am a believer. It was very special with great sheer cliffs and a number of waterfalls.
The trip ends in Hellesylt, kind of a one horse town, but scenic none the less. This was the shortest day of biking for me, with 21 miles and 2,464 feet of climbing. I found a nearby campground as the heat wave continues.
The next day I decided to again take the road less traveled and was now heading west and actually turned around not wanting to face an afternoon headwind to camp overnight in the town park in Nordfjordeid. There was another vagabond there and he was Norwegian, so somehow this made it okay. Honestly, I had the best sleep of the trip in this park, probably because I got to bed early for a change. Almost forgot, some of the pictures on a path in the woods are actually little bike routes around some of the tunnels. They were sweet.
Got up early to catch another short ferry from Starheim to Isane. I was now on some very quiet backroads. This didn’t prevent the road from climbing for the first 20 miles to 1,200 feet, before dropping down to Svelgen near sea level, and then climbing again, topping off through another uphill long tunnel at 1,300 feet. I thought maybe there would be mostly downhill, but noooo…rollers galore. Finally got to Floro and a campground where I was very tired after 68 miles and 5,107 feet of climbing.
The next morning I boarded a “fast” boat for a 3.5 hour ride to Bergen. That was pleasant and no work at all. I probably skipped about 4 or 5 days of riding. It is hotter than blazes and I’ve included a few pictures of Bergen, but will have more after I do some exploring on foot tomorrow.
Just when I thought the big hills were behind me….I’ll get to this later. I last wrote from Bergen where I stayed at a hostel for 2 nights about 3 miles out of town way up on a hill which was a bitch bicycling up to on a very hot day. My second day, I took a bus to town where people were scurrying like ants to see the tall ships which were having a regatta or a race. Besides the people pollution, the city is quite beautiful and very much made for the access of people with pedestrian only walkways, statues, and other art works. I was quite taken with the unhappy child getting spritzed and the shoeless downtrodden man next to a building.
From the hostel’s vantage point there were some great views of the city and I managed to capture a sunset.
The next day remained painfully hot, but I managed to stretch it out to make 85 miles, mostly due to the lack of camp sites. After the ferry from Halhjem to Sandvikvagen there was a banned underwater tunnel (for bicycles) after Leirvik. To avoid this, I took an extra long detour into an area devoid of traffic and kind of pretty. On this stretch I bumped into a Fin towing a Burley trailer that I had met going over the Trollstigen awhile back. After a short ferry from Langevagen to Buaveg I stretched to make it to Haugesund, another nice town, where I knew there was a campground.
A little trafficky and stinking hot again and a hard route to follow the next day. A nice old guy on a bike helped lead me in the right direction. This route E39 is a main artery and I find myself on it much too often. After another ferry from Arsavagen to Mortavika, I got to Vikevag where I was confronted with no choice but to get a ride through two banned underwater tunnels, both 5 to 6 kilometers long. While waiting for a bus I was waggling my golden thumb when a guy who works for the Rennesoy Municipality stops and gives me a ride through both tunnels. He didn’t speak much English, but gave me a cap as he bid me farewell. Nice guy!
A word about the tunnels; Norway is constantly putting in new road works like tunnels and bridges. When an underwater tunnel goes in, the ferry service in that spot is usually terminated, likewise with bridges. Also, Norway is divided into areas much like our counties and subdivided into municipalities called kommunes.
After the ride I biked into a very crowded Stavanger. More people crowded into the harbor area for a food festival than I could cope with on my touring bike and the stifling heat. It was like a tropical jungle. I finally found the very nice hostel, conveniently attached to a hospital. Another interesting point; hardly any buildings have air conditioning. Just slap me silly!
Now I have been heading south and picking up parts of the North Sea Cycle Route. This route must have been designed by the Brits, because it goes through cow pastures with many gates and into a forest on a dirt road and later up and down some hardly rideable steep gravel paths. You’ve got to laugh to keep from crying on some of this. Needless to say, I’m not a glutton, and avoided some of this fun, because I can take a hint.
About what I said at the beginning. The day from Egersund to Flekkefjord of 49 miles and 4,275 feet of climbing was the hardest day of the trip so far. Why? In fully loaded bicycle touring it is all about the grades, not the distance. This day in southwestern Norway had unrelenting ginormous hills with grades up to at least 12%. I struggle when the road tilts up 3% or more.
Farsund is a beautiful town and I finally asked someone if I could camp on their property just outside of town and I had a
nice spot for the night. I find in both Britain and here they sell these lovely Swedish-like pancakes already cooked in the refrigerated section of most markets. In Lyngdal, I stopped at an Esso station where they let me use their microwave to heat my pancakes. They were great with the blueberry yogurt and jam that I usually carry.
Onward to Kristiansand where I am splurging on a nice hotel room in a chain over here, Thon. It was again a challenging ride, some on the busy and narrow E39, lack of signage for bicycle detours. The last 20 miles were quite hilly, but scenic. I should mention, I went through Mandal, which was right on the water and had a real resort feel to it. What little I’ve seen of Kristiansand is impressive and I’ll check it out some more tomorrow before boarding a ferry for Denmark.
That is right! I am done with Norway. I am very much looking forward to some super flat riding, but I’ll probably complain about that too. It only took me 49 days and 1,833 miles to see more beautiful scenery than a human being should be allowed to see. Coincidentally, last year I bicycled from San Diego to Miami in 49 days, but about 3,200 miles. The difference is in the weight of the bike and the grades of the hills.
I stayed an extra day in Kristiansand because I needed the break and then it took most of the following day getting my ferry trip organized to Hirtshals, Denmark. This exercise provided the only disappointing thing I could find in Norway. There are two competing ferry lines and they both price their trips on a floating basis similar to the way airlines operate. Prices can change by the minute. It took some effort, but I worked the system successfully.
This ferry with Colorline was
the mother of all ferries. I think 3 or 4 decks for cars and trucks and buses and that many again for people. It took 3.5 hours to reach Denmark, where I camped in Hirtshals near the ocean.
The Norwegians know that prices for most things are higher in their country than anywhere else. After we got out to sea and the duty free shops opened, they descended like locusts, buying large quantities of everything from cosmetics to candy to clothes and booze…..lots of booze. A lot of them just take the trip for the buying opportunities both on the ship and in Hirtshals.
I made a decision to bike southeast through this section of Denmark toward the coast, which I did through nice rolling farmlands for the most part. Coincidentally the winds were strong and blowing from the southeast. When you see wind generators scattered around, you know the area has some wind.
I got to the eastern shore and made it as far as Asaa and settled in at what looked like a nice campground. After setting up my tent and spending a lot of time in the kitchen, I come out to my site which I see now was close to a fire ring and a kind of pavilion that several Polish families had decided to make a party in, with a roaring fire and singing and barbecuing and of course smoking. I didn’t mind any of it except the smoke from the fire was blowing right into my tent. I couldn’t handle that for long and retired to the TV room where I slept on the couch.
As evidenced by my photos, the scenery is not nearly as exciting as Norway, kind of ordinary farmlands. I had a little rain the next day to Auning, and a good solid rain overnight, leaving me to pack up my tent in a damp condition.
More rain the first half of the next day, but bright and sunny by the time I reached Ebeltoft and went directly to the huge ferry terminal that was completely deserted. Apparently only one ferry a day from here to another chunk of Denmark on which Copenhagen lies. Besides the bike riding I am getting a huge geography lesson about Europe which I don’t remember ever getting in school.
So, staying overnight in Ebeltoft at a pleasant campground where I met a lovely Dutch family.
By the way, for those who are counting, I just clicked over 2,000 miles in 54 days.
The first picture is that nice Dutch couple that I met at the Ebeltoft campground. I was kicking a soccer ball around with their kids and they invited me for dinner.
I caught the ferry from Ebeltoft to another section of Denmark called Sjaellands or Zeeland and yet another short ferry from Rorvig to Hundestad. Rorvig had a Dana Point feel to it with a short pier, restaurants, a sparkling day, and lots of people out and about. I decided to go around the north and east coasts of this area because it was hot and I wanted to stay near the water on my way to Copenhagen.
A local in a small town directed me through a forest road as an alternative to get to the hopping little beach town of Tisvildeleje. (I can’t pronounce it either). I went a little further to camp in Vejby where I put a hurtin’ on a place with a buffet style all you can eat dinner.
If you are from the east or west coast of the USA, do not come to Denmark for the beaches. The ones that I saw were mostly rocky. I know there are some nice ones and the Danes are as happy as ducks.
Coming down the east coast I could see Sweden across the channel. Helsingor was a neat old town. The castle there is said to be the inspiration for Hamlet.
Ahhh…Copenhagen! Big city with a combination of old and modern structures and the hippie kingdom of Christiana, more or less in a state of decay. Included is a perfunctory shot of The Little Mermaid and many street scenes. The place was crammed with tourists and I couldn’t get a suitable room in town, but a decent huge campground was 5 km out of the center.
I have never been in a city like Copenhagen before. Bicycles rule! Almost all the roads have a separate extra lane in each direction for bicyclists and there are thousands….mostly older utilitarian commuter types. Bicyclists get complete respect from car, bus, and truck traffic. It felt surreal. But cities are not great for bicycle tourists….I was exhausted after a full day of looking around.
Tonight I am near the south end of Denmark in Nykobing and am planning to take a ferry to Rostock, Germany and head for Berlin. It took me a little over a week to zing through Denmark. It’s amazing what happens when the land flattens out.
#19
Aug 9-14 photos
My last couple of hours in Denmark were a little hectic. I thought that I had given myself enough time to get to the ferry terminal about 15 miles away. There was a raging headwind and it was raining so I really had to lean into it, but I made it. A 2 hour ferry ride got me to Rostock, Germany.
Due to lack of planning I had little idea what route to take toward Berlin and I accidentally got on the Autobahn. It was quite a nice road with a speed limit of 130 km/hr and a really wide shoulder. I was getting comfortable when a few drivers started tooting at me. They were either concerned that I would get arrested or were ticked that I was breaking the rules. In either case, I got off at the next exit.
I consulted my maps and chose another route. I was on a very pleasant road in unremarkable farming countryside. I arrived in Tessin and decided to call it a day at a nice little pension. One thing I noticed quickly; there is a lack of camp sites in this part of Germany, a real lack of wi-fi, and this ugly American has found a shortage of English speakers. One fellow later gave me sort of an explanation of the dearth of wi-fi. He said it was a security concern. People might download “illegal” things like porn or music and the owner of the router might be held responsible….oh horrors! At least my room in Tessin had CNN on the TV. I took a walk around this little town toward sunset and it was like a ghost town on Saturday night.
The next day I decided to follow some really little back roads which were all fun and games until a few turned into cow paths or rocky dirt roads or cobblestones (see pictures). A bunch of the little towns that I went through were about 700 to 750 years old.
I went through Malchin, Teterow, and Stavenhagen, before stopping in Neubrandenburg for the evening next to Tollensesee, a big lake.
The next day I got to Neustrelitz, a charming little town, but was on some narrow busy roads most of the way and could expect worse as I got closer to Berlin. I hopped on a train for the last 60 miles to downtown Berlin and then another connector back to the west side of town where I have been staying for the last four nights. I am at the Happy Go Lucky Hotel in a small room in a 4 story walk-up. It took me 3 trips, two for my panniers and one for my bike. Lucky I’m young enough to still do this. Check out the picture of the hotel. It’s bright orange! They have no TV, but great wi-fi.
Berlin is really special. History buffs will go crazy here. I got as much as I could handle without going for the advanced degree. The city is huge. For two days I biked through it and just scratched the surface. It is very livable, friendly in a Teutonic way, beautiful, cultural, artsy, bicycle friendly, and has wonderful transportation, with efficient trains, buses, and subways.
There are many, many different neighborhoods with distinct characteristics. There are a lot of Turkish people here with “doner kebob” stands ever present. The city is a combination of old and new with magnificent architecture and there is a great deal of construction going on presently.
I am very bewildered at how a whole country can come to terms with it’s horror of a recent history, but I guess this is a new generation and let’s be honest….we have a few large peccadilloes in our past, none that hold a candle to the Third Reich, but faux pas none the less.
I met a couple Israeli guys and Taiwanese girls at the hotel and we shared a meal. Today I bicycled to Potsdam and was very impressed with what Frederick the Great did back in the 1700’s. The fellow lived large and most of the town is part of a Unesco World Heritage site.
#20
Aug 15-20 photos
From Berlin I decided to head northeast, going through the city and into the suburbs. It was a very pleasant day with a lot of side paths next to the road which were a little bumpy at times. This is evidenced by my camera jumping out of my handlebar bag and bouncing on a very hard surface a few times. It still works! Thank you Samsung.
I stopped in Eberswalde, a little college town, for lunch. The road got narrow, but was not busy. I arrived in Angermunde and stumbled across the lovely Kohler Pension for a night’s stay. The owner was a gem, bringing me tea at night and a nice breakfast in the morning.
Pushing on the next day mostly along the Oder River, part of which is in a national park, I went through Schwedt, Mescherin, and Gartz before entering Poland. It’s another sad story, but today my solar charger fell out and broke into little bits and pieces. I wasn’t using it that much and now I’m carrying 12 ounces less.
Most of Szczecin was flattened during WWII and has been rebuildt, but still has that old world eastern European feel. I stayed at a youth hostel and walked into town at night. Poland isn’t all neat and tidy like Germany, the drivers are a bit less careful, and they use far too many hard consonants in a row in their words….but I kid the Poles.
The countryside is now quite unremarkable, but I have a tremendous tailwind as I go through Nowogard, Ploty, and a bunch of other tiny villages before reaching Karlino, where I stop at a market to see if anyone speaks English so I can find a place to stay. Finally a guy drives up to me with his wife in the car and says that he rents out rooms in his house. I follow him a short distance to his parent’s house with a sign on it, “NOCLEGI”, which means “accomodation”. Nice place too. I think I’m very lucky.
Onward to Slupsk, another boring bike ride, but a kick-ass tailwind, where I stayed in the nice Hotel Athena.
All of a sudden it’s cooler and cloudy and the rain gear goes on and off several times. I must have the wrong settings on Google Maps, because it keeps putting me on dirt and gravel roads. Anyway I made it to Kartuzy where I ran into a little problem. All 3 places to stay were full due to a Justin Timberlake concert in Gdansk, 25 miles away. I went to the police station for advice. A very nice lady cop was about to let me camp across from the station, when she checked one of the places I had been earlier and they had a cancellation, so there I went. Very nice folks.
I am in Gdansk for 2 nights before taking a 19 hour ferry ride to Nynashamn, Sweden, just south of Stockholm. I am staying with a very nice couple and their 2 year old in a 4 story walk-up that I made contact with through “warmshowers”. They are involved with amber, a very popular local material, used mostly in jewelry. Today and tomorrow I will explore Gdansk.
#21
Aug 21-26 photos
The next day I walked into the old central part of Gdansk, Poland to check it out. It was hopping with people as you can see in the pictures. The old look and feel of the place was very nice, although damaged heavily in WWII, it was rebuilt with some facades that give it that pretend “Vegas look” in some instances. Did some shopping and had a nice meal with my hosts, Michal and Aga and their 2 year old Tymon.
The next day as I was leaving about noon, Aga shows up with a bandage on her elbow. As is her norm, she was bicycling to work, and she had her first accident ever. Apparently, a nun ran a stop sign and got her and her bike. Thankfully nothing broken…just banged up and the bike?…not sure about that. She seemed okay, Michal was on his way, and I had a ferry to catch.
It was one ugly, bumpy, traffic clogged, 4 mile ride to the ferry terminal. The ship was huge as you would expect for a 19 hour overnight excursion. The trip was uneventful and not very crowded as I found two reclining chairs that I could lay sort of flat on and sleep. We arrived at 1:00 PM in Nynashamn, Sweden about 30 miles south of Stockholm on a brilliant sunny day.
At this and many other points on my trip I didn’t have any firm plan, but I did have the advice of a few knowledgeable people.
There was a tempting train sitting right in front of the ferry terminal, but it was too early to go to Stockholm. I headed through town to a nearby campground and on the way, there was this curb that blended in perfectly with the roadway in color and I wasn’t paying enough attention, got caught on the edge, and went down like a sack of potatoes. I landed squarely on one knee, putting a pretty ugly gash into it.
Everything seemed to be working as I dribbled blood through the hole in my now famous “stripey tights”. This was distressing and I was concerned about the effect on my trip. I did some shopping (food first), got to the campground, cleaned my wound, actually sewed my tights, and got to bed early. In the morning, my knee wasn’t as swollen as I thought it would be, just some pain. The tear is just below my knee cap, so it doesn’t effect my pedaling too much. I made a decision to give it a good 3 hours and 15 minutes to heal up on a ferry ride to Gotland, a popular resort island off the coast about 60 miles.
The ferry arrives in Visby, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s history goes back to the Middle Ages in the 12th century. It definitely looks medieval with the ancient wall surrounding the old city. I will be back, but for now, I get a few photos before heading north out of town. I need some exercise after all those ferry rides.
It is getting late in August and summer ends in Sweden by mid-August. Many campgrounds and hostels and restaurants out in the countryside are barely open or closed. I arrive at what looks like a deserted large hotel and after rattling the door, Oksanna from Moldova arrives to let me in. She calls her boss, I have no Swedish currency, she has no credit card thingy, I talk to her boss who just loves California, he lets me stay for free. This place has an ocean view also. I got a sunset picture.
The countryside is very gentle, wooded, and not too exciting. There are many old churches and lots of sheep. Apparently, the place really goes wild in the summer with youngsters and lots of city folks have second homes here. There is another close island, Faro, connected by a very short free ferry. This is where I’m going. It was the home of the famous director, Ingmar Bergman. I stay at a barely open hostel (I’m the only one there), with an adjoining restaurant.
The next day I do a loop of the island, visiting an old lighthouse and some of the geological features called Rauks. These are limestone stacks that are being worn down by the elements over time. The weather is turning windy, cold, and nasty. I am staying at Boot Hostel, the best, and almost empty hostel, that I have ever seen, in Farosund, back on the main island.
At the Boot Hostel I met a guy, Kjell, that would figure into my last few days in Sweden….more later. After leaving the hostel I continued down the east side of Gotland, passing some interesting rauks, and a giant cement plant that supplies most of the cement needs of Sweden.
That evening I landed at the door step of Philip Willner, a connection I made through “warmshowers”. This guy is a real craftsman, making vests, jackets, and other accessories out of sheepskin, both with and without wool attached. In his spare time he is building houses on his property from scratch. He went out in his back yard, plucked a bunch of greenery, had me help him chop it up, and made this really great quiche. Sorry ladies….he’s already married with kids.
This area on Gotland is called Norrlanda and is as far south as I got. People were telling me that it is really nice further south too, but it’ll have to wait for the next trip. Now I was on my way back to Visby through some delightful countryside. There was an old abandoned railway station and some very big beautiful churches in some very small villages.
I arrived in Visby and checked into my cell at the Prison Hostel. My notes are sketchy at this point, but I think it was last used as a real prison in 1997. In my pictures, you might notice some barbed wire on a yellowish building. That is it! The location was good, next to the walled city and across the street from the ferry terminal.
The next day I went directly to the museum. Visby has history going back over a thousand years. The most interesting thing about the wall surrounding the old town is who it was meant to keep out. It was the surrounding farmers. There was a lot of wealth created due to the trading parnerships within the Hanseatic League which encompassed most of Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, Russia, and the Baltic states. Rich folk do like their fences (and walls).
The museum, as you can see, also had this great collection of picture rocks, and some Viking age hoards of mostly silver which are still found scattered around the island. Walking around the old streets is a really nice experience. Some churches in ruins, which are now used for social events, add to the atmosphere. One currently used old church had some interesting and unusual stained glass.
The next day, I took the return ferry to Nynashamn, and started pedaling north toward Stockholm. It was Saturday night and I had no reservation and no plan and it turns out, no place to stay. The place was packed, and I thought I was going to have to sleep on a park bench, but I stumbled into a very nice hotel next to the Central Station. A nice Brit (picture included), working at the Nordic C Hotel, hooked me up with a decent rate on a busy night. The place had a killer buffet for breakfast too.
Stockholm may be the best city that I have ever seen. It really has everything that a great city should have….I won’t make a list. I spent the next 4 nights in a hostel on Skeppsholmen Island, right near everything. Stockholm is made up of islands connected by causeways. I am running out of “tourism energy”, but I did manage to spend one full day in the Vasa Museum. Cutting to the chase, a warship was buildt in 1628 and sunk on it’s maiden voyage in Stockholm Harbor. A gust of wind blew it over. It was a design problem. A little too narrow and not enough ballast for it’s height. They ended up blaming a designer who had died the year before. It was brought to the surface in 1961 after 333 years under water. It was brought to dry dock and the museum was buildt around it. If you come to Stockholm, this is a must-see or even a great reason to come to Stockholm.
I could go on and on about Stockholm, but I’m running out of writing energy too. For my last several days in Sweden, I am staying in the ‘burbs up in Jakobsberg in a little flat with all the amenities except TV and wi-fi, which the guy I met on Gotland arranged for me. I may be taking the train into the city to see more stuff. This will probably be my last e-mail until I get home, recuperate, and have time to reflect in an epilogue. Hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing this.
#22a
Sep 6-8 photos
As it turns out, I was only kidding about the last e-mail. THIS is definitely the last e-mail until I get home. This is a continuation of my Stockholm visitation. Looking at the last batch of pictures I forgot to mention my visit to Drottningholm Castle. This was the giant building surrounded by beautiful grounds with ducks and geese and a ceremonial guard. I bicycled up and back one day when I was staying near central Stockholm. This is the current home of the king and queen of Sweden. I should mention, I don’t think there is a place within 30 miles of downtown Stockholm that you can’t bicycle or walk safely. In addition, trains, buses, trams, and subways go everywhere. Gasoline is about twice the cost as in the USA. I think I might find it difficult NOT jumping into my car for the smallest errand, but it sure appears to work here.
So now I’m up in Jakobsberg without TV or wi-fi, which in itself is driving me a little crazy, but here I am in a convenient library getting the message out.
One day, Kjell and I took 3 buses out to Vaxholm, a cute town east of Stockholm and took a boat, built in 1900, back to downtown on one of the hundreds of waterways in this area. Afterwards I continued on my own to explore Gamla Stan, the oldest and medieval part of Stockholm. The narrow cobblestoned streets are fully evidenced.
Yesterday I did a loop bike ride to Sigtuna, which has several old church ruins that are over a thousand years old. I continued up to Skokloster, a castle built in the 1600’s by a king. It is the big white building with a giant front lawn. The other side overlooks a lake. It was getting late, so I biked to Ballsta and hopped on a train back to Jakobsberg. Today I took the train and a subway into Stockholm to the old Olympic Stadium and walked a bit through Ostermalm before I completely ran out of energy and took a bus and train home.
At this point I’ve logged 3,120 miles of bicycling and I am not pedaling another inch. By the way, we were walking through a sporting goods store next to an Ikea store and came by a bike section and snagged a mountain bike box just as a guy was taking a new one out. This is an example of how serendipitous this trip has been.
EUROPE 2014 – EPILOGUE
It has been over a month since I returned from my European bicycle tour. This epilogue is my chance to summarize and share in detail some of the logistics and statistics of the trip, probably more than you wanted to hear. I believe bicycle touring is the very best way to travel, whether with full camping gear, or motel to motel, with or without a sag vehicle. It literally allows you to smell the roses and to get a picture of each one. The exercise benefits are well documented. You do not have to be an elite athlete, only a bicycle rider with the equipment and motivation.
I started with a general plan of starting in Arctic Norway and heading south to Barcelona, staying within my 3 month Schengen Visa (http://www.schengenvisainfo.com) requirement. This idea changed shortly before I left when my return flight was changed to be from Stockholm, Sweden instead of Spain. My itinerary changed several times after I started my bicycle tour. I ended up visiting 5 different countries, some more thoroughly than others. These were Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Sweden, in that order. These countries each have a different currency. Why did I start in northern Norway? Probably from information and pictures garnered from National Geographic, but it just seemed like a good idea. A very helpful write-up by a couple from Australia that bicycled the length of Norway in 2007 got me even more interested; http://userweb.eftel.com/~wheelbuddies/norway/norway2007/index.htm
Attached is a spreadsheet which has my daily itinerary and shows daily mileage, elevation gain, sleeping arrangements, and the number of ferry rides. In hindsight, I could have kept track of the number of tunnels I went through and the number of bridges I went over. There were quite a few.
This trip was magnificent! The best part for me were the more remote and rugged parts of Norway, mostly in the north. Sure, I had some weather extremes, both hot and cold, and rain, all of which helped make this an epic and memorable experience. For me, Norway was mostly about the scenery, but after spending 50 days there, I really love everything about the country. The roads, tunnels, and bridges were superbly maintained and beautiful to boot. I’m just shooting from the hip here, but I saw very few police and I didn’t hear about any crime. The same goes for firemen and fires. I didn’t get to Oslo which may have some of these problems. Folks in Norway seem to all be working and I didn’t see anything that resembled poverty. The bigger cities that I visited, Tromso, Trondheim, Alesund, Bergen, Stavanger, and Kristiansand all had their own charms and were just delightful to see.
Norway is very hilly, especially when compared to the rest of my trip. Unfortunately for you, I can show this analytically. In my 3,120 miles ridden, I gained 123,500 feet in elevation. This works out to an average of 40 feet per mile. The Norway portion was 52.5 feet per mile and the remainder of the trip was only 21 feet per mile. These touring statistics are meager compared to a lot of the day rides that I do at home which sometimes hover near 100 feet per mile. Why the big difference? My touring bike with gear weighed about 90 pounds. My bike at home is about 25 pounds with full water bottles. Overcoming gravity is hard.
I spent 16 days above the Arctic Circle. The little known secret about Norway is that it’s climate is effected by the Gulf Stream. Northern Norway might be more Siberia-like without this moderating influence. Looking at my itinerary, I was actually moving from area to area about 2/3 of the time and the other 1/3 were rest days, local exploring days, or very short days with a ferry ride. Overall my average miles per day was 35. Just counting travel days I get 50 miles per day. This 35 mile per day figure is very close to all of my previous fully loaded bicycle tours.
I slept in my tent 34 nights or 39% and in a bed 54 nights or 61%. After Norway and Denmark, I only camped 1 night in Sweden. It wasn’t for lack of wanting to, but there just weren’t any campgrounds on or near my route through Germany and Poland, and I really did not travel much once I got into Sweden. I used “warmshowers” 3 times for a total of 4 nights, 1 night in Alta, Norway, 2 nights in Gdansk, Poland, and 1 night in Norrlanda, Sweden. My picture taking was an overall average of 1 picture per mile. From my itinerary, I was on 31 ferries.
Every place after Norway was not as good as Norway in just about every way. Even the drinking water was superior in Norway. That being said, Denmark impressed me with it’s beautiful rolling farmland and very relaxed atmosphere. I saw a lot of wind generators. Copenhagen had the most bicycle riders and infrastructure to handle them that I have ever seen. Northern Germany was lovely and the 700 to 900 year old towns that dot the countryside are neat as pins. Berlin and much smaller Potsdam are in a class by themselves. The history and cultural diversity are unique. Berlin is a wonderful combination of old and ultra modern. The northern part of Poland that I went across was a little rough around the edges. Not nearly as wealthy as Germany, it doesn’t have the sparkle or maintenance of it’s neighbor. The people were friendly enough and the two large cities that I was in, Szczecin and Gdansk, had a lot of old world charm. By the time I got to Sweden, I was sort of like a horse heading for the barn. My tour was winding down and so was my motivation. I did manage to tour around most of the Island of Gotland and it’s medieval town of Visby. Once in Stockholm, I really kicked back, visiting the Vasa Museum and exploring the immediate vicinity on foot, by bicycle, and with public transportation. I cannot say enough good things about Stockholm. It is a magnificent city made up of islands connected by bridges. It has all of the modern conveniences and a very well preserved medieval history. My last week was spent in a suburb called Jakobsberg. It was a convenient, relaxing spot from which to further explore the area, and a little closer to the airport.
I need to mention a few things about my bicycle and equipment. I am a pretty experienced tourist, but even I was impressed with how the bike held up during this trip. I replaced a front derailleur cable as a precaution because it was very frayed from the tip to the lock nut. I adjusted my front brake cable because it had stretched a bit. I tightened a front spoke when it loosened up and started to make a pinging noise. I probably only oiled my chain 5 or 6 times. The most amazing thing was that I did not have one flat tire. I topped them up after every 3 or 4 days. I did not take a spare tire, because I thought that these tires could go the distance and they sure did. Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 SmartGuard Cross/Hybrid Bicycle Tire – Wire Bead
My solar charger broke after the bracket holding it on my handlebar let it pop off a few times. My camera finally developed a blurred spot after I dropped it several times right at the end of the trip. It was still under warranty and Samsung repaired it right after I got home. I lost several electrical adapters by leaving them behind and kept buying new ones. I wore out a lightweight pair of wool gloves while up north that I did not replace. My rain booties are pretty torn up near where my cleat engages the pedaI. My Garmin went blotto in Poland and I had to re-boot it and lost all of the saved tracks up to that point. Luckily, I recorded the elevation gains and distance each day in a separate log.
Norway is arguably the most expensive country in Europe with the rest of Scandinavia not far behind. People inevitably get curious about what a 3 month vacation like this costs. After adding up my flight, food, lodging and all other incidental costs, I come up with an average cost per day of $75. Bicycle touring is cheap! I consider this a mid-level tour on the comfort scale. The more creature comforts, the greater the cost. In my younger days, I would think this trip might have cost $40 per day in today’s dollar. Free camping possibilities exist all over Scandinavia as do the fishing opportunities. This would be a different kind of trip, one with less WiFi and less World Cup football watching on TV.
I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.
Burt
