And so I've arrived in Norway, the country equivalent of a high class stripper: She'll take you for every penny you've got, but you keep coming back for more because she's
Seriously. That's what I managed to capture on a crappy cell phone camera where I could barely see what I had on the screen. Even the laziest photographer couldn't take a bad picture here. It's also obscenely expensive... but I suppose that's what happens when a country strikes oil and decides to use the profits to do right by their own citizens (imagine that, America!).
Anyway, I made a very last-minute decision to cycle out of Kiruna to the tiny mountain town of Abisko, Sweden. The weather had warmed up just enough to where I figured I could make it without incident, and happily I was right! After a night's camping at the local Turiststasjon, I hopped a bus for Narvik, Norway. It did not take me long once we crossed the border to realize that Norwegian roads have never met a mountain or a tunnel they don't like. Tiny roads with barely enough space for the two-way traffic they carry twist and turn their way up, over, around, and straight through the mountains for miles on end. Before the bus even arrived in Narvik, I knew that CycleTour Scandinavia was likely on its last legs. This is no place for a novice cyclist.
I was unable to secure a couchsurfing host in Narvik, wasn't super keen on paying $150 a night for one of the city's "budget" hotels, and was damned sure that I did not want to attempt to cycle anywhere until I got out to Lofoten (which is possibly the only cycle-friendly place in the country)...and so I rented a car. My rationale was this: I had a few days to kill before heading out to Lofoten. I could either spend them in Narvik, paying a few hundred dollars for a hotel room in the city where I would then spend even more money on food/drinks/etc, or I could spend that same money on a car rental, sleep in the car, and have the freedom to explore the surrounding area as well.
So
Damned
Beautiful
Seriously. That's what I managed to capture on a crappy cell phone camera where I could barely see what I had on the screen. Even the laziest photographer couldn't take a bad picture here. It's also obscenely expensive... but I suppose that's what happens when a country strikes oil and decides to use the profits to do right by their own citizens (imagine that, America!).
Anyway, I made a very last-minute decision to cycle out of Kiruna to the tiny mountain town of Abisko, Sweden. The weather had warmed up just enough to where I figured I could make it without incident, and happily I was right! After a night's camping at the local Turiststasjon, I hopped a bus for Narvik, Norway. It did not take me long once we crossed the border to realize that Norwegian roads have never met a mountain or a tunnel they don't like. Tiny roads with barely enough space for the two-way traffic they carry twist and turn their way up, over, around, and straight through the mountains for miles on end. Before the bus even arrived in Narvik, I knew that CycleTour Scandinavia was likely on its last legs. This is no place for a novice cyclist.
I was unable to secure a couchsurfing host in Narvik, wasn't super keen on paying $150 a night for one of the city's "budget" hotels, and was damned sure that I did not want to attempt to cycle anywhere until I got out to Lofoten (which is possibly the only cycle-friendly place in the country)...and so I rented a car. My rationale was this: I had a few days to kill before heading out to Lofoten. I could either spend them in Narvik, paying a few hundred dollars for a hotel room in the city where I would then spend even more money on food/drinks/etc, or I could spend that same money on a car rental, sleep in the car, and have the freedom to explore the surrounding area as well.
Done and Done!
Never in my life have I ever appreciated the feeling of four wheels and a motor more than that first afternoon. Cruising down the road, blasting Norwegian radio, the wind in my hair... it was luxury at its finest! I headed up to Bardu, where I had read there was a zoo featuring local arctic wildlife that allows patrons to go into the pens and play with some of the animals. Unfortunately, on this particular weekend, they weren't running the wolf visits, which was the one I was most looking forward to, but I did get to spend some time playing with their two arctic foxes so it wasn't a total loss.
From there I headed back south, through Narvik again, and as far down as I could get before the road dead-ended at a ferry crossing. It was two and a half days of one unbelievable vista after another after another, and the best part was I wasn't too exhausted or in pain to really enjoy them! It was perfect... except for one little thing. It was kind of lonely. The freedom of having a car pretty much removed me from any instance in which I might meet new people. I had no need for public transport, and the cost of the rental and gas was so expensive that I didn't want to spend money on anything else like hotels or eating out or going into a bar. I was on my own. It was fine for a couple of days, but I'm not sure that I'd want to do much more than that unless I could find someone to ride share with for a while. It's good information to have, anyway, when considering transportation alternatives post CycleTour.
I'm now in Svolvaer, in Lofoten, and of course, it's gorgeous. The weather the past couple days has been the best I've had on the whole trip. It finally feels a little bit like summer, and I'm loving it (though I think the rain is due to set in again tomorrow)! Unlike what I've seen so far in the rest of Norway, cyclists abound here, and I've been told there's a vast network of virtually empty and reasonably flat roads all across the islands for my cycling pleasure. I've got a good feeling about this place. Potential rain aside, I think it may finally be the kind of cycling I've wanted all along: quiet roads, tiny villages, beautiful scenery, the feeling of really being on my own and in touch with nature. If the cycling part of CycleTour Scandinavia really is coming to a close, I can't imagine a better swan song than this!
No comments:
Post a Comment