Another couple of terrific days –
and it has to be a couple as the “Free Wifi” at last night’s small hotel was
more an aspiration than a commitment.
Yesterday the weather
still was a pain – sunny enough but the wind took the edge off riding
It may sound as
though I disappointed - I’m not, but the countryside seen up until yesterday
afternoon had been very “samey” and if I’m honest not what I’d expected.
However
after 5 countries of flat, lush countryside and the 6th, Sweden,
appearing to be the same, things slowly changed north of Gothenburg – the
countryside began to take on some of the characteristics I somehow thought
Sweden should have. There became more wooded areas and the trees included more
birch – which I know – and more fir trees – which I admit I don’t know much
about.
The terrain became very rocky and the vast fields of cereals were
replaced by small pastures and hayfields - still lush but fitted in between
crags and forests.
The two things
which really hit you as you ride along are the Churches – magnificent white
buildings - and the bridges – all so elaborate.
I rode past
this “castle” which I now know is Bohus Fortress from the 14th
century
– and this which I think is Late Disney Period.
Why was this
random Struts – that’s Swedish for
ostrich, there’s your bit of education for the day – on an embankment miles
from anywhere – no idea!!!
I read that people
in the area in the south of Sweden where I was early yesterday morning apparently
“speak a guttural dialect which betrays their Danish origin and have difficulty
pronouncing the letter r”. Rather
unfortunate then that the first place I stopped for petrol was a town called Bastad
– I kid you not!
Just dawned on
me that since I entered Belgium 1000 miles ago there have been cycle paths on
nearly all the roads but motorways. They are really well maintained and I can
see the attraction of using them – on a bike that is – some crazy souls “ski”
along them on long in-line wheeled skis – now that looks really hard.
Stopped in
Falkenburg (falcolns were apparently once used for hunting there) for a cup of
coffee and as it happens a Danish. Falkenburg was apparently loved by Wealthy
English gentlemen because of the great fly fishing in the 19th
century.
I wandered round
the old town which was very small but had some original buildings from 1700
which had escaped the dozen or so fires that had devastated the town over the
centuries. 
The views
yesterday had been great then I rounded the corner into Uddevalla where I
was going to spend the night they got better – the view over lake and another
wonderful bridge.
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| Uddevalla |
Woke up to a
lovely calm, sunny weather this morning - am off to Norway!
Today has been
a slow day in terms of mileage north as I had a couple of specific Methodist Churches
I wanted to see to get some material for the Epworth Old Rectory Newsletter I
help run.
Methodism in
Scandinavia didn’t spread, as you’d possibly expect, from England but apparently
was started by Scandinavian seamen who travelled across the Atlantic and spread
or discovered their faith in America.
One of those
seamen was Ole Peter Petersen from Fredrikstad in southern Norway. Petersen was
later ordained a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America but in
1853 he returned to Fredikstad where pulled together a Methodist congregation and
then in 1857 built a Methodist Church in nearby Sarpsborg – the first in Norway.
Unfortunately the original building has burnt down but I wanted to see the site.
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| Pator Ole with bust of Ole Petersen |
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| Site of First Methodist Church in Norway |
The help I got
from Margarethe at the Sarpsborg Tourist Office was terrific – She phoned the
Pastor of the Sarpsborg Church who wasn’t in town but said I could have the key
to have a look round! She then called
the pastor at Fredikstad and arranged for him to meet me. He did - now if you
think you have an image of a Methodist Minister – think again!
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| Inside Sarpsborg Church |
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| Fredrikstad Church |
Late evening I rode on through countryside like this;
to Oslo where I’m having tomorrow off – I know what a wimp.
