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Scandinavian

I did get a bit organised in the morning on the ferry but I mostly enjoyed the shower with no time limit (in many campsites you pay for 3-5mins) then I went and stood around on the 'weather deck' to watch Sweden approach. We were the last off the ferry after the excitement of being first on. I found out the Dutch couple not only lived near that big church but also worked for it. I'm guessing that is in part why they see it as a major landmark, whereas, as a card carrying godless heathen, I think churches are just a nice thing to give a landscape scale. I still failed to ask them smart questions but It was nice to know they had toured and enjoyed it enough to come back, assuming it wasn't some kind of penance, which I know is a religious thing but they seemed quite cheerful about it if it was. There was the usual confusion getting off the ship about when we could or couldn't ride the bikes, we were told to keep left. I followed the German bloke as he seemed confident...we were to far left and ended up in a container space, someone yelled something which I'm sure was encouragement and we got back onto the road and escaped the port.

The German sped away, I pedalled steadily, I then realised the Dutch couple had stopped. I felt rude for not saying goodbye but that is how travel is, fleeting connections, as I didn't do it in person, I wish them 'bon voyage' here. I pedalled along the coast in something of a daze, I was here in Sweden, Scandinavia, the place that somewhere, far into the north, had my planned destination of Nord Kapp (North Cape). I was really doing this. It was time to get serious (less of a Marilyn more of Jackie... SERIOUS!... If you get this reference... I love you guys!) Just a warning expect this blog to get much more dull, Hannah is the funny one, she doesn't mean to be that is just how she is. Now I'm on my own.... it may just be a lot of description of trees....interspersed by descriptions of food of varying quality, both the food and the descriptions. My first need was water, I'd failed to take my water bottles from the car deck so was running on empty. In a remarkable stroke of luck I found the toilets at the start of a long distance coastal walk that also had a tap for drinking water. The flow was so slow that by the time I'd finished filling my one bottle someone was queuing behind me from a caravan. If I'd needed to do more I might have suggested he went and got a chair but today was not planned to be a big one, so one bottle should do it. I then headed for the "centrum" of the next place on the coast. I had turned away from Malmo, which although it looks an interesting city, cities and cycle touring are not really a winning combo without a lot more prep. In the town I experienced great cycle paths along the waters edge. I found a supermarket and a cash point, I also found a coffee shop and despite really wanting coffee my anxiety about the language/system was too high, so I grabbed food from the supermarket. Trusting Sweden was, as advertised, a very safe country I left my bike and all the stuff outside (it was fine).


Armed with breakfast, which I ate on the coast. I was very amused by a crow who clearly wanted to steal my bread but, as I was with getting coffee, it did nothing not having quite enough courage. If it spotted me looking it would look away, like it hadn't been eyeing my bread. I kind of wanted to take pity on it and share my breakfast but I also don't want to be responsible for every future touring cyclist being pursued by crows. So it had to settle on some crumbs.


Once breakfasted I loaded a route on the Garmin and set off. The morning was a mixed bag if I'm honest, some of the time the sky was grey, sometime a brilliant blue, sometime the path was wide dedicated and blissful, sometimes it was shared and narrow and for a few quite annoying kms was a rock strewn field boundary. The situation improved in the afternoon as I turned towards smaller roads, where the traffic was much reduced. Something all the traffic had in common was some very considerate passing with people giving me plenty of space. This is always welcome as even the most experienced cyclist can wobble, I mean look how often they crash into each on the Tour de France. It was quite warm and I was glad when I pulled into the campsite. I was though about to embark on talking to someone, potentially in another language, I steadied my nerve. On entry the receptionist was in a complex conversation about parking with another guest, in English. My simple check in request presented no problem. Showers were once again extra but the water pressure was so high I'm pretty sure if they’d let people stay in for long, they'd empty the lake I was camping beside. The campsite was lovely but there were quite a large number of bugs, especially spiders, quite small spiders and I have tried hard whist volunteering at the zoo to change my opinion on spiders. They are vital and impressive, they exist at every altitude and throughout the world; they are the reason we are not overrun with mosquitos and other flying pests, but they still creep me out. The idea of spiders on me is a deep fear, something the primitive bit of my brain reacts to as a threat without my mind being invited. I tried my best not to freak out, yes they were on the bike, yes they were on the tent but they were outside and they were small and I am big. I just about managed it with only a little bit of mad flapping. As I was alone in the tent space there was no one there to see my hard-core adventurer mask slip.


The next day continued similarly to the previous, the roads were mixed though less cycle paths but also less traffic. I cycled beside some lake which occasionally I could see through the trees.

I got very excited at my first sign warning about Moose (or Alg, in Swedish or Elk to Europeans), I am going to use Moose though because like a lot of things, the American just sounds more impressive to my ear, I think it might be because many Americanisms I think of are in the context of action movies. Grabbing Coffee in a 'Diner' just seems to be the precursor to a much more exciting day than getting a 'tea' in a cafe.


So my search for the elusive 'Moose' has begun. They like 'the truth' are out there!

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