New rule for CycleTour Scandinavia: No more cycling on highways with obscenely small shoulders. It's bollocks! Finland, a country which I've observed to pretty much bend over backwards to accommodate cyclists, really dropped the ball on the route from Oulu to Tornio. While it was about the flattest ride I'll probably get on the whole trip, I was unable to enjoy it because I was forced to spend the majority of the two day ride white-knuckling it down what I have come to affectionately call "The Road of Death":
Not cool, Finland... Not cool.
Couple the ridiculous traffic with the ever-present gale-force winds and it's a miracle I made it off of that thing in one piece. Somehow I did, though, and even managed to make a friend in a fellow cyclist from Sweden, on his way back home after spending a week cycling more km than I have in three weeks time. The company was enough to get me through the last 20km to the campsite in Tornio, and it was good to have someone to share stories, beer, and a whole lot of pizza with for a change.
And then there was Sweden. I was really hoping to get a nice photo of my bike in front of a "Velkommen til Sverige!" sign as I crossed the border from Tornio to Haparanda. Unfortunately, there was no sign. Instead, I got this:
Yup, that's an IKEA
Good enough. From Haparanda I caught a bus north, sending me once again through the Arctic Circle. Turns out, even in mid June, the Arctic is COLD! Snow capped mountains (not that much higher than my current elevation) surround the mining town of Kiruna, where the trees are only just beginning to blossom, and the crazy winds continue to blow, this time with a little more bite in them. The locals all continue to insist that it's much colder and windier than usual. I'm starting to think this is a line they feed tourists so they'll actually consider coming back. Ah well, who needs summer anyway, right?
I made another friend on the bus, this time a non-cyclist, on holiday from Switzerland. After an introductory night out on the town (which, despite the midnight sun, shuts down around 10pm) he took off this morning by train for points south. I think he's got far more sense than I! My own plans have changed slightly, as the idea of cycling farther north from here to Narvik in Norway has been put on ice (literally...there could be ice and snow on the roads). This leaves me a good five or so days ahead of schedule, and seeing as how everything in Norway is obscenely expensive, I think it's in my best interest to stay in Kiruna, where I've found (relatively) cheap lodging, for a couple days. Even so, I'll still likely wind up in the Lofoten Islands a little ahead of the summer solstice, and if the weather here is any indication, my dreams of sun-drenched fjords and warm summer kayaking in crystal blue waters might not exactly pan out. Global warming, my ass!**
And so as I settle in for a night of catching up on Game of Thrones, thanks to my recent discovery of HBO Nordic (one month free subscription!), I leave you with this little bit of inspiration brought to you by the good people of Kiruna, who really ought to consider aiming just a little bit higher:
**I'm only joking, kids. Climate change is a very real and serious thing.
Couple the ridiculous traffic with the ever-present gale-force winds and it's a miracle I made it off of that thing in one piece. Somehow I did, though, and even managed to make a friend in a fellow cyclist from Sweden, on his way back home after spending a week cycling more km than I have in three weeks time. The company was enough to get me through the last 20km to the campsite in Tornio, and it was good to have someone to share stories, beer, and a whole lot of pizza with for a change.
And then there was Sweden. I was really hoping to get a nice photo of my bike in front of a "Velkommen til Sverige!" sign as I crossed the border from Tornio to Haparanda. Unfortunately, there was no sign. Instead, I got this:
Good enough. From Haparanda I caught a bus north, sending me once again through the Arctic Circle. Turns out, even in mid June, the Arctic is COLD! Snow capped mountains (not that much higher than my current elevation) surround the mining town of Kiruna, where the trees are only just beginning to blossom, and the crazy winds continue to blow, this time with a little more bite in them. The locals all continue to insist that it's much colder and windier than usual. I'm starting to think this is a line they feed tourists so they'll actually consider coming back. Ah well, who needs summer anyway, right?
I made another friend on the bus, this time a non-cyclist, on holiday from Switzerland. After an introductory night out on the town (which, despite the midnight sun, shuts down around 10pm) he took off this morning by train for points south. I think he's got far more sense than I! My own plans have changed slightly, as the idea of cycling farther north from here to Narvik in Norway has been put on ice (literally...there could be ice and snow on the roads). This leaves me a good five or so days ahead of schedule, and seeing as how everything in Norway is obscenely expensive, I think it's in my best interest to stay in Kiruna, where I've found (relatively) cheap lodging, for a couple days. Even so, I'll still likely wind up in the Lofoten Islands a little ahead of the summer solstice, and if the weather here is any indication, my dreams of sun-drenched fjords and warm summer kayaking in crystal blue waters might not exactly pan out. Global warming, my ass!**
And so as I settle in for a night of catching up on Game of Thrones, thanks to my recent discovery of HBO Nordic (one month free subscription!), I leave you with this little bit of inspiration brought to you by the good people of Kiruna, who really ought to consider aiming just a little bit higher:
Kiruna is like Detroit.
It's a little bit
Of everything.
It's contemporary.
It's vintage. It's artful.
It's Rock & Roll.
It's sometimes pretty,
Sometimes Gritty.
It's musical. It's uplifting.
It's my city, And I love it.
**I'm only joking, kids. Climate change is a very real and serious thing.
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