Catch Up

Dear friends, it’s been a while. I’m sorry for the long content drought, but life on the road has proved to take up a lot of time and the little moments free of cycling or chores I wanted to spend with my friends. I knew they wouldn’t be around forever, so they had priority over anything. But now things have changed and I finally have time to update this blog again. Since so much time has passend and therefore so much (and I mean so much) has happened I won’t do the day to day report from last time but just talk about some of the experiences we had. I will also leave you with a photo gallery.

Åland

Sweet sweet Åland. For me it already seems like a year ago – the intensity and frequency at which I experience things currently are just out of this world. So was my experience in Åland. It totally captured me with it’s rock formations reminding me of the Engadin – an area back home in Switzerland – the wonderful pine forests and of course it’s island charm. Just like the Turku archipelago, the thousands of of little islands poking through the water near the coast were something so unfamiliar to me and fascinating.

It’s not easy to describe our time on Åland without spending hours on it, but if I had to break it down, I would say that the best part about it was the social aspect as well as our time on the island of Brändö. When it comes to the social aspect I destinctly remember us sitting on the terrace of a roadside diner, eating some fries, ice cream and so on and just joking around and discussing all sorts of things. In my mind I recall it as a moment of feeling very connected and free of any worries or thoughts about anything outside the moment. Oh and of course there was our nightly encounter with a deer when wildcamping on Åland. Did you know that they make horrendously demonic noises when barking? Well we didn’t and when one of them went completely crazy close to our tent we really thought that some massive animal came to feast upon us. Only me researching animal vocalisations on YouTube eventually revealed the truth and at least let me get back to sleep feeling more amused than anxious.

Now Brändö. I think I will struggle to find words. I guess the more you know me, the more weight these words will hold but our arrival and 22km ride on the island of Brändö were probably the most magical moments I’ve ever experienced. Arriving there quite late at half past eight in the evening due to ferry schedules the island welcomed us being bathed in the never ending golden hour that sets in up here during the evening and night. The water sparkled in deep yellows and golds reflecting the low standing sun and a nice soft wind gave it a tranquil movement. The whole scenery of the small strip of road cutting through the sea, connecting island with island whilst completely silent, it really just felt like the ferry dropped us off in a fairytale land. All of it together overwhelmed me and as we cycled the most beautiful 22km of my life, I got lost in the moment, flooded with intense emotions. Recalling all the hardship and struggles I’ve endure to get here, remembering how the dream of this journey kept me going and realising that it’s all come to be. There is no way I could put words to that stream of emotions I had but it was the most magical thing I’ve ever lived through and the most perfect ending of our Åland-trip possible.

Tampere and the way there

Off from Åland our next big route point was Tampere and with that entering lake land. Our way there already feeling quite long ago as well it actually helps me breaking it down to what is still most livid in my head. So let’s start with our first evening back on mainland. It was a day where we didn’t spend much time on the road and thus also didn’t cover too much distance but Frida’s knee needed the break. Initially being a bit bummed out about the slow progress and still being full of energy it didn’t take long to change that. We arrived at a lovely camp site in Uusikaupunki and there was a choir singing, whilst somewhere else there was some strumming on a guitar. All of it was accompanied by a comfortable breeze and a view onto the sea. Somehow I got lost in the moment again, soaking in the wonderful atmosphere and that evening just sits in my head as a time of wonderful bonding with the other two, having great conversations and fun times.

It didn’t take us long to arrive in Tampere after. The next two days we did a 118 and a 124km leap respectively and before we knew it we ended up at a camping ground in Tampere. The view from our tent was as good as it gets and a gorgeous introduction to what Lakeland would hold in store for us.

We would spend considerable time on this camp ground – mainly due to us all needed some sort of electronic gadget and a visit to the bike store (I left my power adapter on a ferry) and since it was the weekend bike stores weren’t open. Thus we spent the weekend here enjoying our time at the beach, dipping into the freezing lake and just relaxing. Very memorable to me was our encounter with a group of motorcyclists camping next to us. They approached us the first evening and told us about tons of Finnish traditions, their time on the road when they were younger and in general they were just really nice chaps. One of them really made me want to try out the deep ski cross country skiing competition in February once. Sounds like a horrible experience in the moment but a memory you would cherish for the rest of your life afterwards.

Jyväskylä and the way there

With Tampere and our electronics shopping behind us we set out towards Jyväskylä. I have to admit that my memories of the way there are a bit cloudy for some reasons but I know that it was the most difficult stretch of the trip at that point. The heat was horrendous and I seriously doubt that us cycling in it was even a smart or healthy move. Now couple that with atrocious rough gravel roads that you sometimes couldn’t even cycle on and had to push and you get a really unfun time on the road. In addition to that there was a bit of a lack of camp grounds along the route which made the whole thing quite uncomfortable. Why? Wildcamping seemed like a pretty dangerous and dumb idea when there were forest fire warnings everywhere and a huge thunderstorm was expected. As if all of that wasn’t enough I had to get a flat tire as well and to round out things, I had to accept that the spare tubes I had with me didn’t fit onto my rim. That meant roadside fixing of the tear in the tube and hoping I don’t get anything unfixable before I can get fitting spare tubes. Eventually we made it to Jyväskylä though. The city surprised me with it’s modern look and size. We rented a cheap (but incredibly nice) apartment for the night. After all the heat and sweating of the last days the shower there must’ve been the best I’ve ever had. Jascha had quite considerable pain around his heart area the two days on the road before so the next morning with me feeling quite down for some reason we decided we’d rent the apartment for on more day. It turned out to be a very good decision. The two went to the hospital and spend over six hours there only returning in the late evening. Jascha now had to take some medication that would potentially make him quite drowzy. That, paired with the horrendous weather report for the next days and the fact that we’d have to wait in Kuopio for the arrival of my credit card sent there anyway we decided to spend the whole weekend in Jyväskylä instead of doing the waiting in Kuopio. We rented another apartment and had some wonderful relaxing days there, spent reading, playing card games and watching the Euros. Oh and I finally got my tube issues fixed. On Saturday evening the two made the decision to head back to Helsinki and then home come Monday. Jascha was quite drowzy from the meds and thus forcing the two days more on the road before they’d have to leave anyway just seemed unreasonable. So on Sunday we just made sure enjoy each others company once more and have a wonderful ending to what was a trip we planned together for so long. An emotional day for sure.

The first days alone

So on Monday it was time to say goodbye. My heart throbs when thinking about it. For so long we’ve spent evenings calling and planning what we’d need to take with us, what we’d need to think of, still organise and so on. And now it was already over. Besides all that there was of course also a considerable amount of anxiety about being on the road alone now. I knew I had everything I needed, I knew I planned for everything down to the smallest possibility and would be ready for it and yet… I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After our goodbye in the morning though the anxiety faded quite quickly. It was replaced by the excitement of what’s to come and the feeling of more self determination, only having to take breaks when I needed them – not adjusting my cadence to the other two. It was a completely different experience with a completely different focus but it felt just as right as the other. And so before I knew it, I cycled 135km in record time arriving in Suonenjoki. From there I set out yesterday with Kuopio as target. It was only 75km but they turned out to be the hardest by a mile. Non stop steep climbs followed by a steep decline just to start it all again. For the first time I could feel my legs approach a territory that felt close to my limit. It felt all the better when I was finally greeted by the cute and lively market square of Kuopio. Some refreshments later I bunkered down in a hostel, now just waiting for this cursed card to arrive so I can pick it up and be done with the topic. From then on, there is finally nothing that will dictate my pace or route. Just me and ultimate freedom. I can’t wait.

Reflection

It’s a wild ride. An emotional ride. I’m collecting all the moments I’ve been dreaming about, experience things I couldn’t even have imagine and in general just get to live a dream. I feel myself growing and learning about myself. But it’s not always easy either. Evenings and mornings especially can feel overwhelming, sometimes bringing me a feeling of being lost or just anxiety about being alone and away from the people closest to me for so long. It’s a lot. But it’s what I dreamed of and it’ll be the most precious experience I will ever collect.

I’d also like to take a moment here to thank Frida and Jascha for coming along and making this first month such an incredible and unforgettable time. It wouldn’t even remotely have been the amazing start it was without you. From Travemünde all the way to Jyväskylä – no from our bedrooms planning all the way to Jyväskylä it’s been precious and I can never thank you enough! Get home safely, have a wonderful time with all the other travels lined up and I’ll see you once I’m in Denmark.