Neil's in…

Title refers to the sun rising in the North (NNE to be exact) here.

I feel I should fill you in on what I got upto on Tuesday. I kinda skipped that bit. It was a very eventful day. I was just feeling a little ill yesterday.

Back on Tuesday…

I left pretty early skipping breakfast and getting on my bike and riding into Sweden. I didn’t look at the time when I left or when I arrived but I was about 30 or so miles into Sweden when I saw the time was 9:20 so I must have been in way before 9am. After crossing the really long tunnel and then very long bridge in fierce and freezing winds, paid my toll and then entered Sweden I got interrogated at the boarder. They strip searched… my bike. Apparently, it’s illegal to import cats and dogs into Sweden, so that was a close call.

I made it to Sölvesborg in good time and was in the information center/town hall by around 10ish. I was asking about the Lister Court House and was directed the right direction and whilst I was loitering in the information place a woman approached me. Worked out she was writing a book on Erik Gunner Asplund and had requested the keys to the premises to the court house so she could photograph it for her book. So that stroke of luck really put a kick in the right direction for my day. We talked about architecture all the way to the building, she seemed really interesting and her book seems great. Although, ignorantly I totally didn’t catch her name. The building is currently owned by a music school but there is a preservation order on the court room and the jourers deliberating room. However, luck had it that the care-taker knew quite a bit about the building and he talked to us about it in more depth telling us little annecdotes about how the judge used to live in the part above the court and how his wife would open a small observation window to let him know that his dinner was ready.

Here’s a pic:

Anyhow, having not had breakfast and having had that stroke of luck I treated myself to a plush lunch in a really nice cafe. It was totally inexpensive and it was like walking into a venue where only beautiful exist.

The ride to Alvesta was straightforward but that’s where it all went down hill. I had to ride another 20 miles back the way I came to get to a campsite, which I did to save money, but ended up spending as much, if not more than I would have if I had just gone to the Hostel. I had to join the Scandinavian camping association to camp there. Then I got a stomach bug from the water there, which made me really ill yesterday.

Proof:

• All the males have combed their hair, with a wet look effect… straight out of a magazine cover
• The locals speak as if they have speech impediments.
• When you feel like you’re the ugliest thing on the planet.

Well it took me just over an hour to get here today, I spent 11 hours in bed last night. I was pretty ill. Although, the (3 course) steak dinner and lemon curd tart cake thing I had last night did make me feel great.
I also had breakfast this morning, scrambled eggs and bacon and all the other nice things that go with a good breakfast. Feeling a lot better.

Bike shop I went to this morning… was more of a “riding” shop, they sold equestrian and motorcycle riding gear. The woman was incredibly unhelpful and sent me on my way. I’ve been to the tourist information here in stockholm and found that there is a garage down in the south of the city. I’ll phone them up in a bit. It’s baking hot here in Stockholm and my hostel is right up in the north of the city. It’s really really hot.

Anyhow, I’ll write more tomorrow when I have worked things out a little better.

Here’s a photo for Emma:

Sadly (for my mum that is), I will not be rushing home just because I had no brakes. I’ve done a little asking around at car mechanics and then a harley rider who reminded me of Martin (only a little chunkier and in his 40s), his English was superb and sent me to a mechanic who dealt with Triumphs amungst other brands he even sent his regards to his favourite mechanic… i.e. “ask for that guy when you get there“.

Regretably they were too busy to fix it. However, they sold me the brake shoes and I was on my bike (excuse the pun). Cost me about £60-70 (depending on how much the bank is charging me for the exchange rate) for two pairs of shoes (front has two discs). I can honestly say I had no idea what I was doing, but a little intuition and a whole lot of grunt I managed to prize the damned things off and slipped the new ones back in. I tested it around the car park and they need a little bedding in but they’re brilliant. Such a relief.

See:

Going to give myself an oil change tomorrow after I’ve done Asplund… I think I may in fact do it the day I’m off to Helsinki…. yes that’s right. I’m going to do this regardless of the hick-ups I get on the way. Which reminds me. I’m in need of some long johns and some bed-sheets (renting bed sheets every place is turning out costly).

Well, I’ve done everything in Stockholm that I’ve wanted to. I have been up at the crack of dawn, checked the ferries, went to see the Stockholm Library, and drove down south to a place called Farsta where the Woodland Cemetery is, to see that. Both things were epic, the amount of consideration and detail put into all of Asplund’s work is amazing. It’s as if he spent an eternity on each project thinking about every last thing. The man even designed door handles, lampshades and soft furnishings for all of his work, in every room, and yet at the same time executed his projects to have a large scale context thing going on there too… so it made sense on whatever scale you were looking at his work.

Anyhow, walking around Stockholm has given me the giggles seeing all the absurd signs about. I’m sure in Swedish they make a lot of sense but in Dyslexic they’re pure comedy.

Side note

I left my jacket and helmet under my bike whilst at the cemetery. It was too hot to wear them or carry them. My biggest fear was that they’d get stolen and figured that no low-life would go to a cemetery to steal anything so I reassured myself and walked away. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that ants would be festering over the dead beasties stuck to my helmet that i’ve not cleaned off since I left Copenhagen. The ants were everywhere.

Last point!

Finally, the ferries… I couldn’t book a crossing until Monday, I wont be going to Helsinki afterall. I should of factored in the weekend. Next stop.. Kristinehamn onto Oslo the next day. Then I’ll be heading up to Sognefjord to see the Stave Churches.

Did you know there are such things as swedish miles… that equate to about 10km? So when someone in Sweden is being helpful and telling something is only a few miles away… expect to be walking a while.

Anyhow,  I made it to Karlstad, about 210 miles away from Stockholm due west.  Tomorrow, I have the choice of trying to get a reservation in Oslo when I turn up (which looks unpromising, the hostels international website is not telling me there are any availabilities)… or avoid Oslo completely and just head north west. Where I am at the moment I can do both things from here. Head for Sognefjord and see how far I get.  Which, is probably what I will do.

Can’t write much, I’m on a tiny little keyboard in the tourist information center.  Just to let you all know I’m ok. 

Ciao

Finally found a place where I can write on my blog.  Been in Norway for 3 days and what can I say. This place is amazing!!!! Not enough exclaimation marks certainly.

I’ve seen so many beautitful things but given this is probably the most expensive place I’ve ever been to I’ll keep it short and save the photos for when I get home.

I’m currently in Bergen. Which is, from what I gather, a fishing town with lots to see.  However, I’ve only been here an hour and spent most of the time trying to find a boat home or a bed for the night. So not exactly seen much of it yet.

Yesterday I rode up to Luster seeing various Stave Churches (photos pending). They were amazing. However, these roads over here are possibly the slowest roads I’ve ever riden on. The MAIN roads like the E16 (which if this were in Germany would be a 284758 million lane Autobahn) was a single lane track with more pot holes and bendies than a nightmare.  It was awesome, but 8 hours on the road only got me 200 miles… do the sums.

Anyhow, very tired, not eaten yet. Tell you more when I have time/money.  I was stuck for 2 hours 45 minutes on a road closure in a valley today whilst they were tunnelling.. I literally had no choice where I was. I just had to sit there…. and that was over an hour longer than they said they’d take.

Must shoot, need some food.

Ciao!

After much messing around this morning by different people (including the tourist information in Bergen), being sent from one travel agents to another and then finally to the ticket office at the DFDS Seaways office in the port I finally discovered that I could only buy a ticket home by telephone or by internet. Reason I was hesitant about this was the fact I had to buy a cabin and suchlike… kicking the crossing price to about £300.  Anyhow, I bit the bullet and spent the money.

After that, I hooked up with my dorm buddies and we went up the mountain here in Bergen and went for a hike, I got totally sunburnt, took a swim in a reservoir (which was freeeeeeEEEEeeezing), and just had fun with the guys.  They’re over here to do kayaking in the fjords, how awesome!

Anyhow, I’m going off to have dinner with them before I leave. Catching the Queen of Scandinavia  tomorrow at 9:00, arrive in Newcastle the next day at 10:30.  Shouldn’t take me too many hours to get home down the A1M.  I cannot wait!!

So the last leg of my trip was the longest I’ve had to ride in 1 day. 320 miles, and you’d think to add it up doing over 60 miles an hour you’d be home in under 6 hours. Sadly, with road works, and phantom traffic jams, It’s taken me just over 8 hours to get home.  I’m knackered.  Going to take a bath and get some photos ready to write a bit more in detail about what’s happened the past few days.  Norway was fantastic, sadly it was a bit internet inaccessible… incredibly expensive.. and terribly fun.

Watch this space.

I’ve not yet perfected the way of putting photos on wordpress so I’m going to make a gallery for each place of interest… or country as it may be

Hopefully they’ll all be in order.

France & Belgium

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Germany

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Denmark

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Sweden

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Norway

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I’ve been back 4-5 days (depending on how you look at it), I’ve so far already gathered 2/3 punters for next years trip, I’ve planned the theme, a vague route, and honed down the bike for the job, which we all should get, figured out a supplier for the adventure components (oversized tank, comfortable seat, recommended modifications) . Been to 3 dealers, test ridden the bike and started prep’ing the tiger for its sale.

Interestingly, I was changing the oil earlier on the tiger, the manual recommends you put 4 litres of oil in, I drained it to find that I only had 2 and a bit litres in it. No, wonder it was gritty gear changing. Oh well.