Tuesday, August 28, 2007
So you want to ride across Finland?
Tips for New Players:
1. Consider riding south to north. Sure, most of the cities are in the south, and it makes a more convenient end-point, however the prevailing winds are southerlies, and my ride would have been much more pleasant with these at my back, rather than in my face.
2. Watch your dates if you are riding towards the end of summer. Some accomodation only operates until a certain point of the summer holidays. We showed up in Muuruvesi and the place we had planned to stay at had closed the previous weekend. Fortunately, there was an alternative place to stay, but if there wasn't, it would have been at least another hour on the bike to the next town.
3. You can drink the water in the rivers and lakes with little to worry about. Well, I did and I didn't have any problems, anyway. Sometimes it is a little on the murky side, but generally the water in the larger lakes and certainly anywhere with much of a current is fine if you empty your water bottles before reaching somewhere to refill them.
4. Eat the berries. Blueberries, raspberries, lingon berries - just wander into the forest and grab a handful every now and again to give you a bit of a boost if you need it. It's tasty, healthy and free! (Be a little careful and stick to the ones that you recognise though, as there are a couple of poisonous options out there)
5. Pack light on clothes and take a clothesline and a bit of detergent. I took way too many clothes with me (beginner's mistake, I guess). Weather you are staying in hotels, little cabins or even outdoors (with the lakes and rivers around) you will have the chance to wash your clothes pretty often, and given the long hours of sunlight, they tend to dry pretty well too. The lighter your pack, the less weight you are dragging up those hills.
6. It seems that the east of Finland is hillier than the west. Having taken the train and bus up along the west side, and ridden down the east, I think I like the eastern scenery more - however it is a harder ride.
7. The people are amazingly helpful and friendly. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because you will get it in spades. A lot of people also speak a little bit of English, which is a great help as Finnish is a terrible language to learn.
8. Highly reccomended. If you are considering doing something stupid, like riding a bicycle across a contry, try Finland.
1. Consider riding south to north. Sure, most of the cities are in the south, and it makes a more convenient end-point, however the prevailing winds are southerlies, and my ride would have been much more pleasant with these at my back, rather than in my face.
2. Watch your dates if you are riding towards the end of summer. Some accomodation only operates until a certain point of the summer holidays. We showed up in Muuruvesi and the place we had planned to stay at had closed the previous weekend. Fortunately, there was an alternative place to stay, but if there wasn't, it would have been at least another hour on the bike to the next town.
3. You can drink the water in the rivers and lakes with little to worry about. Well, I did and I didn't have any problems, anyway. Sometimes it is a little on the murky side, but generally the water in the larger lakes and certainly anywhere with much of a current is fine if you empty your water bottles before reaching somewhere to refill them.
4. Eat the berries. Blueberries, raspberries, lingon berries - just wander into the forest and grab a handful every now and again to give you a bit of a boost if you need it. It's tasty, healthy and free! (Be a little careful and stick to the ones that you recognise though, as there are a couple of poisonous options out there)
5. Pack light on clothes and take a clothesline and a bit of detergent. I took way too many clothes with me (beginner's mistake, I guess). Weather you are staying in hotels, little cabins or even outdoors (with the lakes and rivers around) you will have the chance to wash your clothes pretty often, and given the long hours of sunlight, they tend to dry pretty well too. The lighter your pack, the less weight you are dragging up those hills.
6. It seems that the east of Finland is hillier than the west. Having taken the train and bus up along the west side, and ridden down the east, I think I like the eastern scenery more - however it is a harder ride.
7. The people are amazingly helpful and friendly. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because you will get it in spades. A lot of people also speak a little bit of English, which is a great help as Finnish is a terrible language to learn.
8. Highly reccomended. If you are considering doing something stupid, like riding a bicycle across a contry, try Finland.
Days 7-19 or Where Did All the Net Cafes Go?
I really did want to do a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of this ride.
Sadly, due to extreme difficulty finding computers with internet access (and the inability of my phone, for all it's 3G prowess to handle Blogger) I won't be able to see that grand plan make it into reality.
What can I say about the last 12 days?
1. Finland is not flat. Don't believe the hype. When discussing the ride with people who seemed to know what they were talking about, I was reassured that it would be a pretty flat ride.
Clearly, they took a different route to me.
Whilst the ride from Sodankylä to Savukoski was probably the hilliest, there were a few more days of consistent ups and downs. My hill-climbing ability on the bike has greatly improved as a result, and there were only a couple of hills that forced me off the bike and saw me trudging dejectedly upwards.
2. The scenery is STILL gorgeous.
Granted, pretty as they are, the lakes and forests can get a little monotonous after a while. The last few days however, we came through some really nice countryside. The stereotypical red barns, swaying fields of grain and cow-filled pastures... there is just something so darn nice about the whole place!
3. The weather was reasonable.
We had a few really beautiful sunny days, a couple of cloudy ones and one storm. With lightning and pelting rain.
To be really honest, I didn't mind it. It probably has something to do with my overly-developed sense of competition and general stubborness, but when I have 80 or so km to ride in a day, I tend not to let the weather faze me. Despite the fact that my shoes were totally waterlogged and visibility was complete rubbish, I still managed to keep up a reasonable speed and press on.'
The worst day we had as far as the weather was concerned was Friday before last. The sun was shining, it wasn't a terribly cold day - in fact, if you saw a still picture you would think that it was just another nice summer's day. And it was. Except for the fantastically strong headwind that made forward progress especially challenging, and every now and again would turn into a crosswind determined on blowing me either off the road, or in front of a passing truck.
Not pleasant, but (as my old swimming coach would say) 'character building'.
4. My bike held up very well.
I am very happy with the bike that I ended up with (a Crescent Hamra, about 3 years old, I think). No punctures, in fact no real grief at all. My brakes are now a little bit worn (OK, very worn) and I did manage to knock the chain off once, but otherwise it did the job brilliantly.
Sadly, due to extreme difficulty finding computers with internet access (and the inability of my phone, for all it's 3G prowess to handle Blogger) I won't be able to see that grand plan make it into reality.
What can I say about the last 12 days?
1. Finland is not flat. Don't believe the hype. When discussing the ride with people who seemed to know what they were talking about, I was reassured that it would be a pretty flat ride.
Clearly, they took a different route to me.
Whilst the ride from Sodankylä to Savukoski was probably the hilliest, there were a few more days of consistent ups and downs. My hill-climbing ability on the bike has greatly improved as a result, and there were only a couple of hills that forced me off the bike and saw me trudging dejectedly upwards.
2. The scenery is STILL gorgeous.
Granted, pretty as they are, the lakes and forests can get a little monotonous after a while. The last few days however, we came through some really nice countryside. The stereotypical red barns, swaying fields of grain and cow-filled pastures... there is just something so darn nice about the whole place!
3. The weather was reasonable.
We had a few really beautiful sunny days, a couple of cloudy ones and one storm. With lightning and pelting rain.
To be really honest, I didn't mind it. It probably has something to do with my overly-developed sense of competition and general stubborness, but when I have 80 or so km to ride in a day, I tend not to let the weather faze me. Despite the fact that my shoes were totally waterlogged and visibility was complete rubbish, I still managed to keep up a reasonable speed and press on.'
The worst day we had as far as the weather was concerned was Friday before last. The sun was shining, it wasn't a terribly cold day - in fact, if you saw a still picture you would think that it was just another nice summer's day. And it was. Except for the fantastically strong headwind that made forward progress especially challenging, and every now and again would turn into a crosswind determined on blowing me either off the road, or in front of a passing truck.
Not pleasant, but (as my old swimming coach would say) 'character building'.
4. My bike held up very well.
I am very happy with the bike that I ended up with (a Crescent Hamra, about 3 years old, I think). No punctures, in fact no real grief at all. My brakes are now a little bit worn (OK, very worn) and I did manage to knock the chain off once, but otherwise it did the job brilliantly.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Days 4-6
Day 4: Ivalo to just past Vuotso (90km)
The weather has turned! This morning just as we were strapping on the saddle-bags, the skies opened and let fly with a huge downpour. I have to admit, this had me a little peturbed. The summer rain here isn't something you dance in and sing about later, it is freezing.
Thankfully, the rain only lasted long enough for me to go to the supermarket, buy a few bits of plastic and cover my bags. It should be noted that this was all a complete waste of time, as it didn't rain again the whole day.
It was a lot cooler though (about 13 degrees when we left Ivalo, and probably topped out around 16 or 17) and this made riding a bit chilly to begin with, but once my body had warmed up, it was actually very comfortable.
The ride itself wasn't too bad - a few hills - but for the most part we were just crusing along with forest gliding by on both sides of the road.
We had originally planned to stay in Vuotso for the evening (70km from Ivalo) but upon arriving there, we found that the only accomodation in town was closed (!) To be honest, I'm a little glad, the whole place had a bit of that ghost-town-from-a-slasher-movie vibe to it anyway. The downside was that the next accomodation was another 20km away. Like we had a choice! So we pressed on, and were rewarded with a small cabin and some really tasty home-smoked fish. And waffles.
I love being able to eat pretty much whatever I like and simply think 'doesn't matter, it'll be burned off tomorrow'. It's a nice way to live. Well, except for the whole '4 hours on a bike every day', but I suppose you get used to that too..
Day 5: Just past Vuotso to Sodankylä (70km)
This was the easiest ride I think I've done so far. There were a few small hills, but for the most part it was just lovely, flat road and rushing through the forest and past the marshes. The weather stayed cloudy and cool, which helped.
It was a Saturday night, so I attempted to integrate myself into the nightlife of the town, only to find that there was very, very little. There were a few guys doing hot laps in Corollas and a couple of old guys practically installed at the bars, but not a whole lot else. I guess most of the young folk have better places to go on the weekends...
Today would be the first day that we have arrived at our destination and I have thought 'I could totally keep on going and do another 40 or 50 ks'
Day 6: Sodankylä to Savukoski (90km)
Someone we spoke to in Ivalo mentioned that this was a lovely scenic route to take to Salla (tomorrow's destination) and I have to admit, he was spot on.
The forest was serenely quiet - and we probably only saw about 30 cars the whole trip. 3 of which ended up waiting for about 4 or 5 minutes for a large herd of raindeer to get off the road so that they could pass. In true tourist form, I took photos and video of the whole thing.
What the guy in Ivalo neglected to mention was that the entire road consisted of rolling hills. Let me explain what I mean by that: Take a sheet of corrugated iron. Now upsize it, so that it's nearly 90km long, with corrugations 30-40 metres from peak to trough.
That was pretty much it. Ride up the hill, ride down the hill. Repeat until you get to Savukoski. To be honest, I didn't mind it too much, because I enjoy the downhill runs (I clocked myself at over 60km per hour down the biggest slope - which is a new record for me). My thighs started to protest towards the end of the ride, but I'm sure they'll get over it.
Now, I am sitting in the hotel internet kiosk in Savukoski sorely in need of a beer and thinking about heading off for some dinner. I'll be sure to put up another update when next I have the chance.
The weather has turned! This morning just as we were strapping on the saddle-bags, the skies opened and let fly with a huge downpour. I have to admit, this had me a little peturbed. The summer rain here isn't something you dance in and sing about later, it is freezing.
Thankfully, the rain only lasted long enough for me to go to the supermarket, buy a few bits of plastic and cover my bags. It should be noted that this was all a complete waste of time, as it didn't rain again the whole day.
It was a lot cooler though (about 13 degrees when we left Ivalo, and probably topped out around 16 or 17) and this made riding a bit chilly to begin with, but once my body had warmed up, it was actually very comfortable.
The ride itself wasn't too bad - a few hills - but for the most part we were just crusing along with forest gliding by on both sides of the road.
We had originally planned to stay in Vuotso for the evening (70km from Ivalo) but upon arriving there, we found that the only accomodation in town was closed (!) To be honest, I'm a little glad, the whole place had a bit of that ghost-town-from-a-slasher-movie vibe to it anyway. The downside was that the next accomodation was another 20km away. Like we had a choice! So we pressed on, and were rewarded with a small cabin and some really tasty home-smoked fish. And waffles.
I love being able to eat pretty much whatever I like and simply think 'doesn't matter, it'll be burned off tomorrow'. It's a nice way to live. Well, except for the whole '4 hours on a bike every day', but I suppose you get used to that too..
Day 5: Just past Vuotso to Sodankylä (70km)
This was the easiest ride I think I've done so far. There were a few small hills, but for the most part it was just lovely, flat road and rushing through the forest and past the marshes. The weather stayed cloudy and cool, which helped.
It was a Saturday night, so I attempted to integrate myself into the nightlife of the town, only to find that there was very, very little. There were a few guys doing hot laps in Corollas and a couple of old guys practically installed at the bars, but not a whole lot else. I guess most of the young folk have better places to go on the weekends...
Today would be the first day that we have arrived at our destination and I have thought 'I could totally keep on going and do another 40 or 50 ks'
Day 6: Sodankylä to Savukoski (90km)
Someone we spoke to in Ivalo mentioned that this was a lovely scenic route to take to Salla (tomorrow's destination) and I have to admit, he was spot on.
The forest was serenely quiet - and we probably only saw about 30 cars the whole trip. 3 of which ended up waiting for about 4 or 5 minutes for a large herd of raindeer to get off the road so that they could pass. In true tourist form, I took photos and video of the whole thing.
What the guy in Ivalo neglected to mention was that the entire road consisted of rolling hills. Let me explain what I mean by that: Take a sheet of corrugated iron. Now upsize it, so that it's nearly 90km long, with corrugations 30-40 metres from peak to trough.
That was pretty much it. Ride up the hill, ride down the hill. Repeat until you get to Savukoski. To be honest, I didn't mind it too much, because I enjoy the downhill runs (I clocked myself at over 60km per hour down the biggest slope - which is a new record for me). My thighs started to protest towards the end of the ride, but I'm sure they'll get over it.
Now, I am sitting in the hotel internet kiosk in Savukoski sorely in need of a beer and thinking about heading off for some dinner. I'll be sure to put up another update when next I have the chance.
Friday, August 10, 2007
On Blueberries, Beers and Saunalahti
Blueberries & the law of the forest:
One of the reasons that I love this place: You know those things you could pay $5 or more for a tiny little punnet of back home? They grow here. Wild. Pretty much everywhere. Any you can pick them and eat them. Free.
One thing that I like about Finland are the laws surrounding the picking of things in the forest. Provided it isn't a national park - anyone can wander into pretty much any forest, pick some berries, mushrooms or whatever, take them home and eat them (or just eat them on the spot, as I tend to do).
My uncle's girlfriend-partner Anne-May made the most amazing blueberry pies with the 4 or so kilos that we picked the other day, and an equally fantastic mushroom sauce with some mushrooms we collected to go on the elk-meatballs we had. Mmmmmm. For the record, elk is very tasty.
Beers:
I haven't evern noticed it in the bottle shops back home, but I will look for it when I go back (although I am sure it will be hideously expensive) but Finnish beer is, by and large, very good. As good as most other European beers for my taste. Lapin Kulta and Koff seem to be the main brews, of which I prefer the Koff. There are also a range of 7-8% beers, which (as you would imagine) have a much stronger flavour, but sure would get you hammered. Overall, Finnish beers gets my seal of approval.
Saunalahti & drinking ettiquette:
If you are going to get hammered, my uncle's beverage of choice is a clear liqour called Saunalahti. It looks, smells and tastes a lot like Vodka (I belive it is actually made from wheat though) and it is correctly imbibed by giving a 'Skall' (cheers), tilting your head back and tipping it down the hatch. It's perfectly fine until about the 5th one (during a meal) when you start thinking about slowing down and the person opposite you pours a fresh one, raises their glass and gives you a hearty 'Skall!' It would be rude not to, right?
On the plus side, I have not noted any particularly bad hangovers as a result of over-indulgence, which is always a good thing!
One of the reasons that I love this place: You know those things you could pay $5 or more for a tiny little punnet of back home? They grow here. Wild. Pretty much everywhere. Any you can pick them and eat them. Free.
One thing that I like about Finland are the laws surrounding the picking of things in the forest. Provided it isn't a national park - anyone can wander into pretty much any forest, pick some berries, mushrooms or whatever, take them home and eat them (or just eat them on the spot, as I tend to do).
My uncle's girlfriend-partner Anne-May made the most amazing blueberry pies with the 4 or so kilos that we picked the other day, and an equally fantastic mushroom sauce with some mushrooms we collected to go on the elk-meatballs we had. Mmmmmm. For the record, elk is very tasty.
Beers:
I haven't evern noticed it in the bottle shops back home, but I will look for it when I go back (although I am sure it will be hideously expensive) but Finnish beer is, by and large, very good. As good as most other European beers for my taste. Lapin Kulta and Koff seem to be the main brews, of which I prefer the Koff. There are also a range of 7-8% beers, which (as you would imagine) have a much stronger flavour, but sure would get you hammered. Overall, Finnish beers gets my seal of approval.
Saunalahti & drinking ettiquette:
If you are going to get hammered, my uncle's beverage of choice is a clear liqour called Saunalahti. It looks, smells and tastes a lot like Vodka (I belive it is actually made from wheat though) and it is correctly imbibed by giving a 'Skall' (cheers), tilting your head back and tipping it down the hatch. It's perfectly fine until about the 5th one (during a meal) when you start thinking about slowing down and the person opposite you pours a fresh one, raises their glass and gives you a hearty 'Skall!' It would be rude not to, right?
On the plus side, I have not noted any particularly bad hangovers as a result of over-indulgence, which is always a good thing!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Days 1-3
Finally! A computer!
Day 1: Nuorgam to Utsjoki (45 kms)
Not a bad way to start the ride. We got up fairly late, not surprising considering that we didn't arrive in Nuorgam until after midnight. Before leaving we walked to the river which is effectively the Norweigan border (and nothernmost part of Finland). It was just about 100m out the back of the cabin where we stayed.
I did the ride in one hit, with just a couple of short breaks to get some water from the streams flowing by the road, and to take some photos and video. The road was all sealed and pretty flat single carriageway. Even so, one thing I have learned is that Finnish drivers are significantly more tolerant of cyclists than Australians - probably as a result of the sheer number of Finns who cycle...
The scenery was beautiful (get used to reading that... I'll be saying it a lot). Riding through this country is like riding through a really nice coffee table book. Day 1 a lot of the road followed the Finland-Norway border (ie. a beautiful wide river) so we were riding with a mountain on one side and the water on the other. Granted, the constant wind blowing up off the water and slowing my progress wasn't ideal, but it sure was pretty!
We arrived in Utsjoki around mid-afternoon and booked into a cabin before I explored a little (there wasn't much there) and we did some groceries prior to dinner.
Dinner was excellent. We went to one of the two eateries in town and I had a reindeer pizza. With lingon berries on it. It was utterly delicious. I am all for countries that aren't afraid to eat their iconic national fauna.
Day 2: Utsjoki to Kaamanen (97 kms)
Whoa. This was a BIG day. 6 hours of actual riding, and including our breaks, it took us nearly 8. I just want to talk about about how deceptive topographical maps can be for a moment.
On the map of Finland that I have, the topography is broken down into 50m increments. Utsjoki is about 80m above seal level. Kaamanen is about 160. Not a big difference when spread out over nearly 100km, right? Technically, yes. Practically though, a day with a lot of long (albeit gentle) inclines and few consistently downhill sections really takes a toll on your legs. Up-and-down hills I don't mind - the long rises with no get-go-go-really-fast-down-the-other-side-payoff are the one's that I dislike.
Once again, the scenery was picturesque - (I know I'll say this a lot) plenty of lakes, but not much forest. Being a really warm day probably didn't make things any easier either, nor did the afternoon headwind that started blowing off the lakes.
I did end up taking a few extra breaks for mum to catch up with me (she felt that I left her behind a bit the day before - honestly I thought it would be the other way around. Clearly my time in the gym has paid off). Even with the breaks though, I slept really well by the time I was bedded down in Kaamanen.
Day 3 - Kaamanen to Ivalo (70km)
Today felt good. It was a bit cooler and we left Kaamanen around 8am so conditions were very comfortable. We did the 25 or so ks to Inari (on the shores of Finalnd's biggest lake) quite quickly. There were some uphill stretches, but plenty of downhill to make up for it. I even saw a couple of squirrels running around (which to people who live in places with squirrels will sound strange - but the only other time I've seen them was a couple years ago in Central Park in NYC and for some reason I find them facinating.)
There was also a really long winding mountain road through the forest, from which I was able to get a few glimpes of the lakes below. Here's me talking about the scenery again... It's a shame I probably won't be able to upload photos for a few weeks because if you could see the natural beauty of the place, you would probably forgive my constant harping on about it..
Inari was a bit of a non-event, but we stopped for refreshement and to stretch our legs a bit. I had a fantastic doughnut filled with some kind of blueberry sauce or jam. Really blood good.
Inari to Ivalo involved a few hills (some bigger than others) but for the most part the road wound it's way through a collection of large lakes. Being able to ride along witha gentle breeze on a cool clear day with the water lapping metres away and the forest strestching from the far edge of the lake right to the horizon... It's really like nothing else. Well worth the price of admission.
The highlight of the day (so far) for me was about 5km outside Ivalo when a whole herd of reindeer had commandeered the road (and the grass on both sides of it) to do a bit of grazing. It's not an uncommon occurence, but the first time I had been a large group of deer together - espeically that close (I did have to ride through them after all). For the most part, both the Finns and the deer seem pretty used to the situation. There is no honking - as I guess it would probably make the deer a bit skittish - the cars just wait for an opening and hope the deer have the good sense to move out of the way.
And now, here I am in Ivalo. I think there are about 70km to be done tomorrow - which given today's effort shouldn't be overly difficult. All in all, things are going well on the ride, and at this stage, I'm pretty glad that I decided to go through with it and actually do it!
Day 1: Nuorgam to Utsjoki (45 kms)
Not a bad way to start the ride. We got up fairly late, not surprising considering that we didn't arrive in Nuorgam until after midnight. Before leaving we walked to the river which is effectively the Norweigan border (and nothernmost part of Finland). It was just about 100m out the back of the cabin where we stayed.
I did the ride in one hit, with just a couple of short breaks to get some water from the streams flowing by the road, and to take some photos and video. The road was all sealed and pretty flat single carriageway. Even so, one thing I have learned is that Finnish drivers are significantly more tolerant of cyclists than Australians - probably as a result of the sheer number of Finns who cycle...
The scenery was beautiful (get used to reading that... I'll be saying it a lot). Riding through this country is like riding through a really nice coffee table book. Day 1 a lot of the road followed the Finland-Norway border (ie. a beautiful wide river) so we were riding with a mountain on one side and the water on the other. Granted, the constant wind blowing up off the water and slowing my progress wasn't ideal, but it sure was pretty!
We arrived in Utsjoki around mid-afternoon and booked into a cabin before I explored a little (there wasn't much there) and we did some groceries prior to dinner.
Dinner was excellent. We went to one of the two eateries in town and I had a reindeer pizza. With lingon berries on it. It was utterly delicious. I am all for countries that aren't afraid to eat their iconic national fauna.
Day 2: Utsjoki to Kaamanen (97 kms)
Whoa. This was a BIG day. 6 hours of actual riding, and including our breaks, it took us nearly 8. I just want to talk about about how deceptive topographical maps can be for a moment.
On the map of Finland that I have, the topography is broken down into 50m increments. Utsjoki is about 80m above seal level. Kaamanen is about 160. Not a big difference when spread out over nearly 100km, right? Technically, yes. Practically though, a day with a lot of long (albeit gentle) inclines and few consistently downhill sections really takes a toll on your legs. Up-and-down hills I don't mind - the long rises with no get-go-go-really-fast-down-the-other-side-payoff are the one's that I dislike.
Once again, the scenery was picturesque - (I know I'll say this a lot) plenty of lakes, but not much forest. Being a really warm day probably didn't make things any easier either, nor did the afternoon headwind that started blowing off the lakes.
I did end up taking a few extra breaks for mum to catch up with me (she felt that I left her behind a bit the day before - honestly I thought it would be the other way around. Clearly my time in the gym has paid off). Even with the breaks though, I slept really well by the time I was bedded down in Kaamanen.
Day 3 - Kaamanen to Ivalo (70km)
Today felt good. It was a bit cooler and we left Kaamanen around 8am so conditions were very comfortable. We did the 25 or so ks to Inari (on the shores of Finalnd's biggest lake) quite quickly. There were some uphill stretches, but plenty of downhill to make up for it. I even saw a couple of squirrels running around (which to people who live in places with squirrels will sound strange - but the only other time I've seen them was a couple years ago in Central Park in NYC and for some reason I find them facinating.)
There was also a really long winding mountain road through the forest, from which I was able to get a few glimpes of the lakes below. Here's me talking about the scenery again... It's a shame I probably won't be able to upload photos for a few weeks because if you could see the natural beauty of the place, you would probably forgive my constant harping on about it..
Inari was a bit of a non-event, but we stopped for refreshement and to stretch our legs a bit. I had a fantastic doughnut filled with some kind of blueberry sauce or jam. Really blood good.
Inari to Ivalo involved a few hills (some bigger than others) but for the most part the road wound it's way through a collection of large lakes. Being able to ride along witha gentle breeze on a cool clear day with the water lapping metres away and the forest strestching from the far edge of the lake right to the horizon... It's really like nothing else. Well worth the price of admission.
The highlight of the day (so far) for me was about 5km outside Ivalo when a whole herd of reindeer had commandeered the road (and the grass on both sides of it) to do a bit of grazing. It's not an uncommon occurence, but the first time I had been a large group of deer together - espeically that close (I did have to ride through them after all). For the most part, both the Finns and the deer seem pretty used to the situation. There is no honking - as I guess it would probably make the deer a bit skittish - the cars just wait for an opening and hope the deer have the good sense to move out of the way.
And now, here I am in Ivalo. I think there are about 70km to be done tomorrow - which given today's effort shouldn't be overly difficult. All in all, things are going well on the ride, and at this stage, I'm pretty glad that I decided to go through with it and actually do it!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Finally - to Finland!
OK. Onto the real meat and potatoes here:
We arrived in Helsinki a week ago and spent the first few days sorting out bikes, train and bus tickets.
As I write this we are in Rovaniemi, having taken the train up from Helsinki yesterday, and we will be on the bus to Nuorgam - 3km south of the Norweigan border (the starting point of our bike ride) this afternoon.
All the buses and trains were pretty easy to organise through the travel agent in Loviisa (the town nearest to my Uncle's place where we have been staying). The bikes took a little longer - for me anyway.
The day we walked into the bike shop someone had just brought in a fairly new 2nd hand ladies bike that fitted mum perfectly, so she was sorted out in about 5 minutes flat. The problem for me was that the store didn't do much trade in 2nd hand stuff - and the owner wasn't overly keen on selling me a new bike and buying it back in a month's time.
In the interim we checked out the 2nd hand bike store in town, with very little success.
By the time we went back to the original store, the owner had arranged for me to rent his brother's bike for the duration of the trip. The upshot of this is that our bike costs came in waaay under budget - thanks in part to luck and also the downright helpfulness that the Finns seem to have in spades.
We also managed to get some saddle packs and all the associated paraphenalia that we required - buying it all in the one store helped greatly, as we got a good discount on everything as well.
I also took the time to map out a rough course, and predict that we can knock this over in 24 days and still only have to spend 3 or at the most 4 hours a day on the bike. Since being here, I have been thinking that this could be done in a fortnight, but mum wanted a relaxing holiday, not a Tour de Finland, so I guess I might have to hold off on that idea until I'm willing to come back and do it again on my own.
I must say, I am absolutely loving it here. The days that literally do not end, the people, the setting (we have been staying in a cabin, by the bay in Southern Finland - surrounded by forest) is all just brilliant. I never really had much of a Finnish identity, despite the passport that I carry, but in just a few short days I am also feeling like I'm 'home' in a sense. I am seriously thinking of putting some money together over the next few years to get a place here so that I can visit more regularly without having to rely on the rellies.
Now, as far as the bike ride goes - we are ready, packed and start tomorrow morning with a leisurely 50km from Nuorgam down to Utsjoki. Should be a good warm up for the 1500 or so kilometers to come!
We arrived in Helsinki a week ago and spent the first few days sorting out bikes, train and bus tickets.
As I write this we are in Rovaniemi, having taken the train up from Helsinki yesterday, and we will be on the bus to Nuorgam - 3km south of the Norweigan border (the starting point of our bike ride) this afternoon.
All the buses and trains were pretty easy to organise through the travel agent in Loviisa (the town nearest to my Uncle's place where we have been staying). The bikes took a little longer - for me anyway.
The day we walked into the bike shop someone had just brought in a fairly new 2nd hand ladies bike that fitted mum perfectly, so she was sorted out in about 5 minutes flat. The problem for me was that the store didn't do much trade in 2nd hand stuff - and the owner wasn't overly keen on selling me a new bike and buying it back in a month's time.
In the interim we checked out the 2nd hand bike store in town, with very little success.
By the time we went back to the original store, the owner had arranged for me to rent his brother's bike for the duration of the trip. The upshot of this is that our bike costs came in waaay under budget - thanks in part to luck and also the downright helpfulness that the Finns seem to have in spades.
We also managed to get some saddle packs and all the associated paraphenalia that we required - buying it all in the one store helped greatly, as we got a good discount on everything as well.
I also took the time to map out a rough course, and predict that we can knock this over in 24 days and still only have to spend 3 or at the most 4 hours a day on the bike. Since being here, I have been thinking that this could be done in a fortnight, but mum wanted a relaxing holiday, not a Tour de Finland, so I guess I might have to hold off on that idea until I'm willing to come back and do it again on my own.
I must say, I am absolutely loving it here. The days that literally do not end, the people, the setting (we have been staying in a cabin, by the bay in Southern Finland - surrounded by forest) is all just brilliant. I never really had much of a Finnish identity, despite the passport that I carry, but in just a few short days I am also feeling like I'm 'home' in a sense. I am seriously thinking of putting some money together over the next few years to get a place here so that I can visit more regularly without having to rely on the rellies.
Now, as far as the bike ride goes - we are ready, packed and start tomorrow morning with a leisurely 50km from Nuorgam down to Utsjoki. Should be a good warm up for the 1500 or so kilometers to come!
A Brief Chinese Holiday
OK, this has been my first chance to use a computer that will allow me access to Blogger since I started my trip. For some reason, China is perfectly happy for me to use facebook - but blogger is a no-go zone.
So, here's the news:
Beijing absolutely flew by. It's a huge city and there is a lot to see and do - far too much for the time I had. Fortunately we were staying in a fairly central hostel, so access to buses, subway and the like was pretty easy.
I managed to get a good look at the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, White Pagoda, Tieneman Square and also to have a nice long hike along the Great Wall - so as far as fulfilling my quota of touristy activities, I think I did well.
I didn't like the fact that the sky was obscured permanently by smog, but overall I quite enjoyed my little stay in Beijing. The people were generally friendly, the food was great and stuff was generally cheap - so points there.
I was also blown away by the amount of construction going on. They are clearly trying to tidy the whole place up for the 2008 Olympics, and a lot of time and money is being poured into this endeavour. I would be interested to see just how much of the job they get completed on time, becuase this certainly appears to be a task of Herculean proportions.
So, here's the news:
Beijing absolutely flew by. It's a huge city and there is a lot to see and do - far too much for the time I had. Fortunately we were staying in a fairly central hostel, so access to buses, subway and the like was pretty easy.
I managed to get a good look at the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, White Pagoda, Tieneman Square and also to have a nice long hike along the Great Wall - so as far as fulfilling my quota of touristy activities, I think I did well.
I didn't like the fact that the sky was obscured permanently by smog, but overall I quite enjoyed my little stay in Beijing. The people were generally friendly, the food was great and stuff was generally cheap - so points there.
I was also blown away by the amount of construction going on. They are clearly trying to tidy the whole place up for the 2008 Olympics, and a lot of time and money is being poured into this endeavour. I would be interested to see just how much of the job they get completed on time, becuase this certainly appears to be a task of Herculean proportions.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Nearly Gone!
Advice for new players:
If you are planning an 8 week overseas trip that requires physical training... let's use the example of riding a bicycle 1500km across a Scandinavian country.. Do NOT..
I repeat DO NOT try to renovate a townhouse at the same time. Especially if you are still working your job. The resulting workload will make it very difficult to do as much training as you want and generally leave you largely unprepared with less than a week until your departure.
I haven't even THOUGHT about packing, I've been too busy choosing floors and having bricks smashed. I cannot wait to get on the plane for so many reasons! It will all fall into some kind of place by early next Wednesday - the question is what...
If you are planning an 8 week overseas trip that requires physical training... let's use the example of riding a bicycle 1500km across a Scandinavian country.. Do NOT..
I repeat DO NOT try to renovate a townhouse at the same time. Especially if you are still working your job. The resulting workload will make it very difficult to do as much training as you want and generally leave you largely unprepared with less than a week until your departure.
I haven't even THOUGHT about packing, I've been too busy choosing floors and having bricks smashed. I cannot wait to get on the plane for so many reasons! It will all fall into some kind of place by early next Wednesday - the question is what...
Friday, June 15, 2007
Me 1: Road 0
Well, this morning I took the new bike out for what was probably my first ride outside of the gym for about 4 or 5 years.
I have to say that the whole 'riding a bike is something you never forget how to do' rang true (thankfully) and that the past few months in the gym made the whole experience much more pleasant that I think it could have otherwise been.
I also managed to use the clipless pedals without any kind of drama or disaster, and I have to say the difference between riding locked in vs. riding regularly is quite noticeable. As apprehensive as I had been about this whole 'riding across Finland idea', today gave me a great confidence boost.
Finland ain't all that.
I have to say that the whole 'riding a bike is something you never forget how to do' rang true (thankfully) and that the past few months in the gym made the whole experience much more pleasant that I think it could have otherwise been.
I also managed to use the clipless pedals without any kind of drama or disaster, and I have to say the difference between riding locked in vs. riding regularly is quite noticeable. As apprehensive as I had been about this whole 'riding across Finland idea', today gave me a great confidence boost.
Finland ain't all that.
