Wednesday, April 8, 2015

A summary of my five-week trip to Nordkapp, summer 2014

In June 2014, which was one year after I had returned to Stockholm I decided to spend my Summer vacation biking to Nordkapp.
Nordkapp is a place in Norway, actually the northernmost point of Europe, which I thought was in the right remoteness for a summer trip. Because of the reason that I did not go around the Baltic Sea on my world around trip (which I finished one year before) I decided to take a ferry again to Riga and from there I pedaled via St Petersburg, Murmansk, Kirkenes (a small town in Northern Norway) to Nordkapp. Back home I went the shortest way through Finland and then along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.

In Riga I had planned to meet a french bicyclist called Frederic who wanted to join my trip, at least to St. Petersburg.
Fred was delayed so I spent two days waiting  for him and exploring the town and surrounding.
I had been to Riga about five times before but I discovered many places I had not seen before!
Finally we left the town, me on the same bicycle I used on my previous trip and Fred, who had some problems with his back, on a recumbent bike he had bought in Switzerland.
In the beginning there were some bicycle paths but the often ended up on strange places. Anyway, Fred was used to ride in the traffic.

Along the road to Pskov, the first city in Russia, we visited some National parks and visited also some very nice members of warmshowers.org.



Latvia is a really good country for bicyling!
 After we passed the Russian border, we soon arrived in Pskov, a beautiful old town.


 We came in contact with a retired structural engineer who showed us around in his Lada.


 In Pskov Fred decided to take a bus to Moscow and I continued by myself to St Petersburg.
Soon after I had taken this picture the owner came out and told me it was painted with Norwegian paint.
 St Petersburg is a big city and actually there are some highways where you are not allowed to bike.
 I spent several days in the city and visited even the Eremitage in the Winter Palace
 and the Church of the Savior on Blood
 The day I left I also visited a famous Russian bicyclist called Vladislav Ketov.
 Then I continued towards Murmansk.
 The weather was very rainy in the beginning, but when I entered Karelia it became better.
 I really enjoyed my wild-camping-life.
One morning I was discovered by some residents who told me they had seen a bear only 500m from my tent!
 In Kandalaksha I had a good view over the White Sea. Of course I took a swim in the ice cold water.
 Finally I arrived in Murmansk
 where I spent some rainy and cold days
Then i continued towards the Norwegian border. The weather changed and suddenly the temperature was around 27 degrees (Celsius).
 Here I touched snow for the first time since several months.
 Northern Norway is very beautiful!
 This church was built about hundred years ago, not far from Kirkenes. They built it to confirm that the land, which on many maps was described as no-man's-land, actually belonged to Norway.
 The problem with the mosquitoes became better when I turned north, towards Kjöllefjord.
 From there I took the Hurtigrutten four hours west to Honningsvåg.
 Then I had only 35 km to Nordkapp
 The road from Honningsvåg to Alta was dramatic along the coast. I had to pass many tunnels.
 But the weather was very good. Except from Mosquito-problems in Finland it was a wonderful trip.
 In Sweden it became really hot and I found nice lakes to take a swim.
The roads were well paved but not so good for bicyclists, because the wide shoulders often have become replaced by on modern Swedish roads without any space for bikers. I often used Google maps to find alternative routes but more than once I got lost on tiny paths in the woods.

After five weeks was back in Stockholm. I had travelled about 4500 km (without emissions?) and this time my only bike-problem was a broken spoke. No puncture at all!

In the end of the trip I was thinking about where my next trip should go. Maybe to Africa? Should I continue my trip from Cape (Nordkapp) to Cape (Cape town)?