Heading to Bergen

It’s finally time again to type out my first blog post on my phone. There’s a lot of memories coming back whilst doing this and quite a bit of excitement for what’s to come! I forgot how nice it feels to share all the crazy and wonderful things you experience and know that even though you’re on the road alone, there is people following your adventure. It feels like you have a bit of company.

I headed out from Basel the evening of the 25th of May taking a night train to Hamburg. In general I should mention that getting to Bergen by train with my bicycle is probably the scariest part of the journey. So much can go wrong, as most trains have very limited bicycle space that you have to reserve well in advance, so missing one of those trains means there might be no other way up anymore for days or taking regional trains that will make the way up take multiple weeks probably. So it goes without saying that when I arrived in Hamburg with only 20 minutes delay, I was elated to have dodged the worst that DB can offer. Little did I know that just a bit later I would be stuck in Flensburg as the overhead lines for the stretch between Flensburg and Padborg had apparently been damaged. So just like the last time I had to cycle between those two cities to catch the train on the other side. Long story short I made it to Kolding in the end, just a little more adventurous than had hoped for. One positive out of all of that was that I met some other fellow cyclists who also got stuck in Flensburg and we immediately connected. Another thing that I just love about this way of travelling – you constantly meet like minded strangers that you easily connect with and get to share some nice moments together.

In Kolding I got to crash at Jaschas mom’s place – my friend who joined me for the first stretch last time if you’re newly following my adventure – for which I’m really grateful. From there I took trains to Hirtshals, the almost northern most point of mainland Denmark. There I planned to take the ferry to Kristiansand, the southern most point of mainland Norway. It turns out that the ferry terminal is really hard to find, especially where to go if you bring a bicycle with you. I ended up driving around in Hirtshals for about 40 minutes for something that I assumed would take me no more than 10 minutes. That was a big mistake as I initially decided against putting on my rain stuff as a few minutes in drizzle wouldn’t be too bad I thought. Before I knew it, it was pouring buckets and I was in nowhere trying to find the terminal. So I got absolutely soaked for the first time on this adventure. Before I even really started. And so I was cold and wet until I got to Kristiansand. Which took  quite a while. The ferry crossing was also quite challenging as the sea was very rough and it was obvious I wasn’t the only one this boat that started to feel very ill. Silly me was so cold and focused on how much that sucked, that I forgot to take my anti-nausea pills. Anyhow, I eventually made it to Kristiansand where I cycled 40 minutes to crash at a friend’s place and got to warm up, have some nice quality time with a friend, eat Pizza and get some much needed long good rest. Now, today, I am sitting on a cozy train to Drammen, where I’ll transfer onto the train to Bergen. I’m quite excited for today, as the train rides though Norway are simply stunning and they provide the best service to cyclists as they help you load and unload and the fear of the train leaving whilst I’m getting my bike or bags out of the train isn’t there. Close to midnight I’ll arrive in Bergen and tomorrow the cycling finally starts.

Thoughts before the start & a little tangent about trains

Why am I talking about trains on my blog about cycling through Norway? What does it have to do with my thoughts on the upcoming adventure? Well, in a way, it has everything to do with it. Because just three weeks ago I got the news that my life-long dream of becoming a train driver for the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland has become reality. I got the training spot in Samedan, meaning I get to spend my life doing what I always dreamed of doing in the most beautiful region I know. Thus my thoughts on my upcoming adventure are tightly linked to the sheer joy of having achieved my long set goal. I get to now head out into the wilderness with a newfound sense of calm as I lined up my future and get the chance to really live in the moment and enjoy every second of what Norway has to offer me. No worrying about what the future might hold, no worrying about exams – just really soak up the joy and excitement of the wonderful things life has gifted to me lately. That is not to say that I have no worries or reservations about what lies ahead. This time I’m starting alone, leaving behind a much more deeply rooted friend circle than last time and most importantly a wonderful girlfriend from whom I’ve never been separated this long. I didn’t have the same amount of time to prepare myself mentally as last time and in general my thoughts haven’t been as focused on it beforehand as last time as the recruitment process for the train driver position took priority. All of that means that this time I’m more scared of what’s ahead, especially in regards of weather and loneliness and I’ve had to remind myself a couple of times that it would be completely fine if I ended up deciding to turn around earlier than planned. After all, I do this to experience something amazing, to unwind, to be in an intense exchange with myself and not to proof anything to anyone. Especially since I already made it all the way up last time. So with that, all that’s left is to soak it all up and enjoy. Thank you so much for following along again this time and until soon!

P. S. Just a little heads up that you can still participate in my Cycling for Life initiative and donate to help suicide prevention in Switzerland with every kilometre I’m cycling.