Tuesday 23rd June - Made it! The Arctic Circle and Nordkapp!

On The Arctic Circle

5860 odd miles and 24 days after setting off I've realised more dreams

Nordkapp at Midnight

Crossed the Arctic Circle,



Ridden through Lapland.

..Walked to the most northerly point in Mainland Europe

 

and literally ridden to Hell and back....

And generally had a really good time....

Sunday 21st and Monday 22nd June - The end in sight!

Well, Gary has updated my route again so here's his latest contribution - up to Jonkoping at the weekend..

Now, Angelika.

Well I admit I've done Angelika a disservice. After telling me about deposits for cleaning, bills for electricity used, this that and the other – she never charged anything extra. Also, when she looked for my paper work she didn’t look for a name but her sketch – so perhaps there is a difficulty with figures or reading there. Whatever, her system works -this was my bill

 – I think that’s my crash helmet not my hair!!!

You can easily see I was in Cabin 3, the Duck House,, the electric meter was 3339, she advanced me DK 12 in coins for the shower meter etc. Says it all really, so whilst she still appears as mad as the proverbial the stay was pleasant.

And this must be the most honest bit of self regulation I've ever seen...

(Yes, I know it was for German visitors but give me a break)




This was her shop....

Froggy liked it......

As I said, I slept in “The Duck House

 which was a change for me as there is often a more canine theme to the house I’m in – and woke up to a wonderful view.

I was riding overland from Denmark into Germany rather than using the ferry as I had done on the way up. It was obviously a bit further but meant I wasn’t tied to ferry times. And I wanted to see more of Denmark. And I am so glad I did.

 Look at a map of the north of Denmark and you’ll see it is a series of Island, big islands yes, but islands all the same.They are linked by the now expected incredible roads and beautiful bridges and riding along on a cool but sunny morning from Odense was wonderful. 

I switched regularly between taking the main, direct road – to make up time - to a more country routes – to get a feel for the country. 

That worked well at the start and I think the south of Denmark and the north of Germany around Flensburg was some of the prettiest scenery I’d experienced. Lovely fishing villages and old market town.

The countryside was vast rolling areas of cereals and grass and then smaller hedged fields of dairy cattle. It was in fact very much like the best of England except that – and I say it again – everywhere was so pristine, tidy, well cared for and no litter or fly tipping. A lot of the older houses were thatched which for some reason I hadn’t expected. Others were of a style all of there own but all very classy.

 

One little village just into Germany was having some kind of fete 

– probably still mid-summer – but the local I asked wasn’t very communicative. 



In that same village I saw a memorial to the local men that had been killed in the two world wars - thought provoking.

It was good to see all the cyclist out too. They looked like real people – well, real healthy people – enjoying themselves. You could wave and they responded. Up to that point most of the cyclists I had seen had been hunched over their handlebars, wrapped up in ponchos and heavy gear against the rain or wind – usually rain AND wind – and with their pointy little cycle helmets and more often than not bug-eyed goggles they looked like some surreal insects beetling along on some important errand – and far too occupied to acknowledge a lazy bloke - probably wearing tights - on a motorbike.

I tried to get a taste of the hedgerows but it didn't come out too well.

I stopped at a small town, Christiansfeld to look for something to eat and eventually came across a small non-descript café run by a guy a bit like René  from Allo Allo. It was a bit early for lunch but he assured me all his menu was available. The speciality of the house? – Meatballs. That sounded great, what did they come with? Potatoes – in sauce. Even better. They would take a bit of time René told me but brought me a big jug of coffee and plenty of milk as I sat outside in the sun so I didn’t mind. Now, I don’t usually take photos of meals – why would you – but just to show you René was a man of his word ....







– Meatballs and potatoes – in sauce

It was really quiet, both on the roads and in the towns and I spent far too much time stopping to look at things – hence nipping back onto the motorways every now and then.

It was lovely and I felt very lucky.

I found an amazing windmill but it was now a private home so could't get in to have a look.
















The day went a bit pair shaped towards late afternoon though. I pulled on to a motorway and,glancing down at the satnav, I saw I had exactly 600 miles to go to Calais so felt good.  Glancing up from the satnav however I noticed the traffic beginning to queue. Not usually a problem on a bike because you can easily filter between lanes on roads that wide but eventually the traffic swung into road works were it narrowed down too much for me to make any progress and then stopped altogether. And there I remained for the near enough 3 hours it took for me to stop and start 8 km to the next turn-off at Hamburg.

The upside was it made me drive through the City centre and that again was a thrill. It is hard to explain but on a bike – on a warm, dry evening – visor up – you feel very involved with all around whether that is in the country side or a city. And the traffic was actually light enough to enjoy the sites.

The delay though had put paid to the plans for the day and slight panic set in as I struggled to find a decent place to stay. But I did near Osnabruck so all was well.

This morning found me with about 400 miles to go to The Shuttle – too much to do in a day and then drive back home in the UK.

So am ensconced in a village near Dunkerque and if everything goes to plan and the bike keeps running as smoothly as it has I should be home tea time tomorrow.

5593 miles down, 300 odd to go!

Just a little aside – sitting next to me in a café was an English family with a well-spoken matriarch of the ilk that thinks if you shout in English at these foreign wallahs they’ll understand. They were ordering a main meal and when they shouting tactic failed they resorted to communicating with the waiter through sounds.  She wanted the lamb – baaah!  He wanted the steak –mooo! They struggled with the fish pie – I think the waiter thought the son was epileptic. I wasn’t around to see it but I have a lovely image of the meal arriving and the waiter singing to Old MacDonald “There’s a baah baah her and a moo moo there …..” 

We English don’t travel well do we?

Friday 19th and Saturday 20th June - From Sweden to Denmark

No Wi-fi again last night folks so a double dollop now.

Now, it is admission time. In my quest for popularism I have sacrificed factual accuracy. It has quite rightly been pointed out to me that through ignorance - which I admit - and a little bit of mischievousness - perhaps - I am causing some confusion re the EEC, EU and Eurozone. I am reliably informed by my European Correspondent who knows these things that “The EU includes all Scandinavia except Norway and Iceland. Denmark and Sweden, like the UK are not in the Eurozone. The EEC is an older larger concept which is not very relevant today”.

Well, there you are. So no more Europe bashing

Had a great night in a small hotel in Oresund with a kind receptionist who let me put bike practically in the foyer.

Froggy was really taken with the size of their leggo sets here – we saw it on the way out of the hotel complex - and wants one.   

I intended to take a leisurely ride down to Jonkoping along the eastern bank of Lake Vattern.  I’d heard it was a really attractive route and it didn’t disappoint. It was more on the tourist route than I’d really been on before and as it was a National Holiday Weekend it was busy.

In fact there’s been floods of cars driving north over the last few days - like a Volvo tsunami.

I’ve had a rethink about those guys that name caravans and motor homes. I can now see why they are needed. I saw a motor home today called Home Car which although I guess is technically correct is pretty boring isn’t it. I see they are manufactured in Lommel in Belgium – now, there’s a comment there I’m not going to make!

The ride seemed to pack a lot of different elements of “days out” into one. There was a really old fashioned “sea side” town,  Granna – ok on a lake - with about 10 rock shops in a short street – somehow I’d always thought of that as a British thing – wrong again. Looking on t’nternet I find “Gränna is known for its red and white polkagris (literally "polka pig" in Swedish) stick candy, also known as peppermint rock. This was first made by the widow Amalia Eriksson in 1859”.

I caught sight of this as I rode along ..... 

 and admit my first thoughts were ”How fortunate to be able to build something like that and with that view”.  As I drove passed though I saw the sign Café so went back to have a look. What an amazing place. It is a “Nature House” -  a concept attributed to the architect Bengt Warne -  and is the brainchild of Bodil Antonsson who showed me round. 

 Her father was a gardener and so Bodil had grown up with the rhythms of seasons and plants and told me she had wanted to create somewhere where you could be at peace and at one with nature.   As I sat and had a coffee and one of their beautiful cakes the world certainly seemed to be a pretty ok place.

It was 6 years in coming to fruition but now is a café – though that word really does not do justice to the cakes I saw - a B&B, a meeting place and a venue for courses and small events.  

The “loft” which is where the concerts would take place - has to be seen to be believed – can you imagine listening to live music here on a sunny evening – or better still with a sunset!

I didn’t get a full technically spec but it must be nearly self-sufficient and self renewing And there were solar panels outside.  You can see more pictures at www.Uppgrennanaturhus.se  though most of the text is in Swedish – or better still go stay there.

Vadstena was another beautiful town on the lakeside. It’s got a 16th Castle which was quite magnificent.    

And see, even in a place as steeped with class and history as this they know quality when they see it and put it centre stage.  A Volvo Tractor – what else would it be in Sweden!

At one point the country side was again like the prairies with little red and white homesteads dotted about. On this predominately green canvas the purples of the lilac and lupins had been joined by bright yellow laburnum and pale blue cornflowers. I have absolutely no artistic ability but I can almost imagine what an abstract painting of the area would look like.

These are the ruins of  Brahehus Castle on a hill overlooking the lake but I  couldn’t seem to find a way up to it. Built in the 1600s by a politician as a country retreat – no change there then – it was ravaged by fire in 1708 and was never repaired.

Though you wouldn’t know it from the weather it is of course mid-summers day soon and as I've said one of the biggest holidays. Here it seemed a bit more traditional than the dashing up north to the cabin.  There have been hundreds of people along the way picking wild flowers from cornfields, meadows and even the verges. And in the towns they are adorning everything – and I mean everything -  with birch branches. 

Stopped over night near Jonkoping and then off this morning to Denmark. Another long haul really and more has to be done on faster roads.

I pulled off to have a bite to eat – another picnic -  at this little village off the main road

 and came across a ruined church with this stone outside the grounds.

It is a Brudsten or Bridal stone and was where the bride or sometimes the bride and groom “to be admired by the congregation”.

Then back across the Oresund Bridge and into Denmark.  Now, you will notice a marked lack of photos from this bit of the trip. Well, a) I was on a motorway so stopping was a bit tricky, although I risked it for this snap of the bridge

but mainly b) it siled it down – couldn’t see a flaming thing.

To make sure I clocked up the miles I had e-mailed a camp site near Odense in Denmark to ask if there would be any cabins if I made it. Got a lovely reply back from Angelika who said yes they had a cabin and she would be around until 10 so I’d be welcome

I did make it by about 8.30 and was greeted by Angelika. . Angelika is not like other people. Angelika is a one off – or at least I hope she is.

The reception is a shop for garden gnomes – I don’t know why. She draws pictures all the time she is talking to you. She goes off on tangents in broken English. She explains the “camp rules” in even more broken English. My head is spinning.

Let's see what the night brings - my cabin door is going to be locked!!!!

Night night.......