We had planned it this way, knowing the transition from England to Spain would create a cultureshock but only when you experience it, you really feel it. We got off the boat, always a bit confusing where to go with people giving directions that may or may not be coherent with the former, but felt … Bilbao / Basque Country
1.5 days with Sheila at The Abbots were wonderfully familiar. A quick visit to St Marie’s together to close it for the night; a takeaway; a nice chat. Monday a couple of hours sweating in the ‘vegetable garden’; stopping by Rosemary and Peter’s on the way to Sainsbury’s to drop off a book for the … Memory lane
Those who arrive in Harwich by car get the impression that it is the ugliest corner of England. However, we cycled through the town and found a different version altogether. We had breakfast in a nice “bus shelter” on the seafront overlooking the rising sun (over the sea, what took some getting used to). The … Castles and cottages
We sit in the lobby of the boat waiting to be disembarked and muse for a while about our Norwegian adventure. It’s strange that other cyclists we meet seem to have had much less rain than us, until we consider that they have been cycling much faster (and/or electric) and have done a lap around … Norway
Is it because the weather is finally clearing up, because we really seem to have concerted the stomach flu, or because it really is so beautiful here? Yesterday we were impressed by the dunes that alternated between sand and rocks, but today we cannot stop calling out oh and ah. We cycle in two short … Magma Geoland
The day after our visit to Bergen, it was almost dry in the morning, so we cycled without rainwear for a long time. Just when we were ready for a break, we saw some kind of hardware store with a cafe. We were hardly inside or rain started to pour down. We didn’t want to … From Bergen to Stavanger and beyond
Bergen had long been a dot on the horizon for us. The point where our route turns south. We studied several routes to it, but the city-in route proved unattractive to cycle (along major roads). Finding accommodation also proved no mean feat; campsites are far outside the city centre, airbnb’s are scarce and expensive, and … Bergen
sorry friends, a Dutch poem is very hard to translate: Mountains, rivers, waterfalls. Lakes, fjords, streams. Clouds, fog, gusts of rain. Wet suit. Slope 5, 6, 7%. 8, 9 sometimes 10. Warms, heats.Hot sweat. Splash, splash, shoes wet. Waterproof socks. Tunnel, button, lights on. Steer steady, concentration. Shadow carousel.Deafening disorientation. Light, sigh, relief. Snacking, eating, … Waterland
We leave Geilo (pronounce Yeillow) with bright sunshine. But we know we are going to clim considerably and this afternoon the weather could turn; so we have all warm and rain gear close at hand. Already in Ustaoset it gets chilly. In the distance we can see patches of snow. We have tea at a … Rallarvegen
After Hamar (Vikinskipet roof seen in the distance), we have to go up. First a tough climb above the valley, along the mountain, via a plateau and then down to Dokka. 1123 altitude metres, we hadn’t done that many in 1 day before! It helped that it was raining that afternoon so we preferred to … Elk trails
We did not know them yet, but in Sweden and Norway we were introduced to them. They are even smaller than a pinhead and they don’t sting, no they bite! According to sources, they have a jaw that causes a wide wound. Very irritating all round! The first time we seriously had a lot of … Knut
We spent our (pre)last evening in Sweden in a ski lodge. A full day of rain was predicted for which we preferred to take shelter. Just after we arrived, hours before the predicted rain, a huge downpour erupted. What a good choice! Fortunately, it did dry for an hour this morning and we were able … Hej, hej
What we had never planned, but just worked out that way, is that the longest day and the most northern point of our trip almost coincided. In Poland we already had increasingly shorter nights, but our first night in Sweden, thanks in part to our neighbours at the campsite who had decided to cellebrate Midsomer … The longest day
Or: an accident never comes alone. We were so looking forward to just trekking again, this time through the Swedish countryside. The two stages to Uppsala were rolling in all respects: low hills that are easy to cycle up and roll off for a long time without pedalling. Fields that follow the curves of forests, … Murphy
In one day we cycled from Nynäshamn to Stockholm. We are clearly in a richer country: at a cosy café a club of several dozen(!) Ford Mustang enthusiasts has gathered, a little further on we cycle across a golf course and again a little further on there is an equestrian event going on. All things … Stockholm
