Turns out the last blog post didn’t age too well as I ended up spending another day in Inari. I got up in the morning feeling extremely tired and paired with the absolutely horrendous weather I got to witness outside everything inside of me just didn’t want to get onto the road that day. So I just stayed in bed and did literally nothing but sleep and read. I think I actually really needed that break.
Day 42
Oh my… What an enormously tough day. That day and the next are the reason I’m keeping this real, real short. I had 118km of cycling to do through literal nothing, meaning no chance to call it a day earlier. And I so wished to call it a day earlier. The weather was terrible, with constant very strong headwind and heavy rain that turned into hail from time to time. Combined with the absolutely ridiculous road that just kept going up and down at 10%+ gradients I soon found myself way past my physical limits. But there was still so much distance to cover. I eventually had a bit of a breakdown, thinking I can’t make it and so on. Just really not fun.
After a long, excruciating ride I made it to the Finnish border town of Karigasniemi taking a long, long break before crossing the border and entering Norway. Entry went smoothly which was quite a relief, considering Covid and all. The border patrol was extremely nice and helpful, walked me through the registration process and after waiting 15 minutes for me test result I was good to go. I really want to compliment the Norwegian government for their modern, efficient and digital handling of the situation and for providing a free 15 minute return test in nowhere. Really showed me yet again how absolutely awful Switzerland is handling things. Anyway, ahead of me lay the last terrible 20km and as I arrived in Karasjok I really just crashed in the hotel bed not moving as everything hurt and I thought I’d never find any energy anymore. Which was of course wrong as after quite a while I went to eat something after my dad was the nicest guy ever and sponsored it. I ended up going to a restaurant ran by Sami, with Sami food, furniture, music and so on. It was an absolutely amazing, authentic experience and sitting in front of that open fire in the dim light, with the soft music playing in the background was an absolute keeper of a moment. Not to mention to super tasty food. After that I called a dear friend of mine before quickly catching up with my dad as well and then just falling fast asleep.
Nom nom
Route: Inari – Karigasniemi – Karasjok
Distance covered: 118.3km (1011m elevation gain)
Total distance covered: 2309.66km
Day 43
And another day of purely having to push through with little enjoyment. The weather got even worse, the wind sometimes almost holding me in place and the hail battering down on me. What was only a mid 70km distance felt like a never ending nightmare and I could feel myself really being past my mental and physical limits. Not much to say about it, the scenery over the fjells was quite epic but with the weather that really wasn’t that much of a mood lifter. I eventually made it to Lakselv, totally knackered and wet where I against all odds did finally encounter a massive morale boost. The couple running the camping gave me a huge discount on a room because they saw I came by bicycle and was completely battered. I’m eternally thankful for that! Because budget is the next worrying thing. All the ordeals of the last week have stretched my budget really thin and I’m worrying quite a bit about how I’ll best move forward from here. But oh well for now all that was left to do for me was yet again crash in my bed, dreading another day on the road with the same conditions.
What a wonderful day to round off my time in Finland. I’ve decided to stay in Inari for one more day as I just felt too at ease and home here to already leave again. So I made the most out of that additional day, visiting the “Siida” – a museum about Sami culture and history – and going onto a cruise around Inarijärvi, Finlands third biggest lake. Unfortunately the Siida is in the process of redesigning and expanding their main building so only the outdoor museum was accessible. That wasn’t an issue though since that was already an amazing experience! As a bit of a history geek I love being put into places and scenarios where one can really feel and imagine what things must’ve been like. And that’s exactly what they offered. There were plentyful historic buildings and other constructions from the typical way of life of the Sami back in the day and I found myself in awe of the skill and endurance that lifestyle must have and still must require. All the information provided with the exhibits made for a really well painted picture of the culture as well as the history and way of life of the Sami. As always when visiting a museum it also left you with a somber feeling, for the Sami face a lot of the difficulties and injustices all other indigenous people do as well. Non the less I was very happy to have learned so much about this fascinating culture, the many different facets of it and having walked past the Finnish Sami parlament I also felt a bit hopeful as it seemed through the information given at the museum and from what I have seen here, that there might still be a way to improve the co-existance of indigenous people with western settlers.
The Finnish Sami parlament
The recreation of a small Sami village
Another look
The cooking place
The sawing contraption
A small food storage, away from the ground to keep the animals from it
A bigger food storage
A general storage building
A Sami house
The inside
Another look
The living area
Another look
The cold storage room in the winter, the kids room in the summer
A hay storage, far up to keep the hungry reindeers from it
Yet another storage hut
Boats. Lots of it.
Guess what this is?
A quick scenery shot
A hut for the summer
You know what it is
A leather softening contraption
A wolverine trap
A small predator trap
A wolf trap
Another wolf trap
A bear trap
Afterwards I sat on a bench next to the lake and wrote last day’s journal entry whilst waiting to board the boat for the lake cruise. I don’t think I can really say too much about the roundtrip, as the best part about it happened in my head. It was an instance of getting lost in the moment, the beauty of it, the wonders of nature and life and for a long time I just sat there reflecting on how I got here and feeling a great sense of pride, to have made it. The ones reading this that know me well and for a long time, probably know what sort of things I mean but it was really quite magical to realize what things I’ve been able to overcome and how I’ve been able to move forward not letting myself get consumed by the past and deeds of other people. As for the scenery, I think the photos will speak for themselves. It was gorgeous and breathtaking and the hundreds of little islands and rocks scattered through out the lake paired with the sun rays breaking through the low hanging clouds made for an unforgettable trip.
The shoreline of Inari
Some scenery
The light really was quite epic
I mean
Some of these islands served as burial grounds back in the days to protect the tombs from animals
Quite otherworldly
The most famous island in Inarijärvi. Love by rock climbers and used as a ritual site back in the days. Quite eerie to know how much death has occurred on this small island.
And that leaves me with only one thing left to do. And that is say goodbye to Finland. It’s with a very warm heart, a big smile and also some tears that I’ll be crossing the border tomorrow. I’m very excited and also slightly scared for what the future in Norway and Denmark holds but for now I’d like to thank you Finland and every soul I met here for making this what will probably always be my most memorable time of my life. I might leave, but you will always hold a part of me. And I’ll come back. I promise.
As a disclaimer upfront, this day and the next were mentally very difficult days due to the suicide of a friend of mine and as such I don’t want to dive into them too deeply. I’ll focus on the less personal things and keep it brief.
I started out quite early in Sodankylä, knowing I’d have a long stretch ahead of me. To be honest I wasn’t too thrilled about the prospect, knowing that 119km in absolute wilderness could become quite a drag without water to refill and places to get a proper snack like a cinnamon bun or something. And it turned out to be just that. A very long stretch. There are a couple factors that contributed to it turning into nothing more than a torture where I had to mentally just keep forcing myself to keep going even though I just didn’t want to anymore. The first was that after just about 30km my left knee started to hurt quite badly whenever I’d apply any downwards force into my pedal. That turned out to be extremely tough as I made it into the land of the fjells and long, quite steep climbs were very prevelant. To further add to this very painful experience there was a constant, very strong headwind forcing me to pedal in second gear when cycling downhill. That’s just not fun. The last aspect is not just a negative but parts of it are. The absolute wilderness. Nothing like I’ve ever experienced. I started to see the scope of this planet, started to feel like a tiny atom in the great infinity; insignificant but yet part of everything. It was honestly an amazing experience and feeling but to come back to the negative aspect of it: No chance of ending it earlier, to call it off. It was either spending the night without water and only uncooked food and get back on the road the next day without energy or keep going. So I kept going, kept pushing, kept forcing myself to get back on the bike after taking breaks in an almost ten minute interval by now. The whole experience was further underlined by a extremely loomy sky, dark grey clouds stretching out into every direction, blocking the sun giving you the feeling of thunderstorm just around the corner, even though that never came. A slight edge of doomsday. Paired with the now more and more sparse surroundings; shorter, further spaced fir trees, dark grass and rolling rocky hills it really made for quite the epic and memorable experience that if not pushed past my limits would’ve made for an awesome day!
The timing of my two motorcyclist friends couldn’t have been better. We knew that we’d cross paths on the road again today, since there really only is one road further up north and so just as I was really starting to lose it, around five kilometers out of the camping I aimed for, they drove past me waving and pulling up on the side of the road for a little chat. Absolute legends! I hope you have save travels and a wonderful time! But yeah, that gave me the uplift to kill the last 5km as well and just crash at the camping there. Aaaaaand… The camping was closed. At that point I was really not doing well anymore, physically as well as mentally and as I used my phone to check my possibilities I got word of the passing of a friend. At that point I was 10km out of Saariselkä and I just booked a room at an inn there, the world being too much to handle right then and there. After a mentally just as painful last 10km as it was physically I crashed at the inn, sobbing and being done with the world for today. Mindfulness exercises in the sauna and a phone call with my sister as well as my parents were the best thing to fill the remainder of the day with.
Already back then, but even more so now, I’m torn looking back at this day. It was filled with milestones that make me incredibly happy and proud, having broken the 2000km mark and entered Inari, the last municipality I’ll be cycling through in Finland. But it was also filled with grief and incredible mental strain. I suppose it is a good reminder of life – never black and white and the best way to get through it is to laugh and celebrate every little fleck of white, no matter how dark it’s gotten around you.
Route: Sodankylä – Vuotso – Saariselkä
Distance covered: 131.69km
Total distance covered: 2119km
The last one of those I’ll be passing. All the more meaningful since Inari holds a very special place in my heart. More on that later.
Day 38
This was a very personal day. Spent mostly thinking and reordering things in my head. And resting my knee I suppose. I stayed in Saariselkä one more day. I’ll just focus on my impression of the little village. Because it is so worth talking about. I completely fell in love with this place. Located on what you could call the top of the “mountain pass” (as a Swiss guy I can’t help but smirk calling this 350m hill climb a mountain pass) it’s a winter resort. Visiting there in the summer is the best accident that could’ve happened. There was such a magical air to the place, like it was resting, in a deep sleep, recovering from the bustling winter days, waiting to bring people joy again over Christmas. Everything seemed slowed down. There were mostly locals and not a lot of them, the street lamps still had their Christmas lights strung onto them, everything advertised various winter activities, there were skilifts on the hills in the distance and all the winter cottages stood there, remnants of another time it felt like. And throughout that whole picture there would be the odd one or two reindeers with full antlers just calmly strolling across the streets and in between the cottages. One even put its snout into my window. It was like the whole world had slowed down, taking slow calm breaths. I’ve rarely felt that at peace and home somewhere. Saariselkä I think you stole my heart.
I took some photos on my phone but they fail to convey the true atmosphere and so I’d rather leave you with my description so you can paint your own picture in your head.
Day 39
What a day yet again. After a wonderful breakfast at the cozy restaurant of the inn, I set out again, knowing today would be special. The last full road day in Finland, the day I’d arrive in Inari. Now what’s so special about that? Well, Inari is the place of my dreams. It’s been the place I’d dream about when my mind would wander off, Inari was the beacon, the lighthouse of my stretch in Finland, knowing it would all lead there. Inari is true north, Inari has a place in my heart that no other spot on this planet has. And now I’ve made it. I can’t even begin to describe how proud and overjoyed I am. But let’s wind back a bit because the way here was already a dream and packed with memorable events, be it not all of them for reasons you would want. The road led me up the final few meters of elevation over the “mountain pass” and then came the most wonderful descent of the trip so far. Multiple kilometers of just letting it go, no force needed. Accompanied by a scenery that stayed true to what made me fall in love with Saariselkä. This land seemed to breathe slower than the rest of the world, seemed to be in a peaceful slumber. Soon this scenery, that is now me strongly connected to Lapland for me started to mix with what I’ve seen in lakeland further down south. Bodies of water wherever I’d look, mixing in with this sleeping beauty of a landscape, dotted with islands and rocks. But unlike what I saw in lakeland, these lakes just fit right in with the rest of the scenery, seemingly rippling at a slower pace than they should, more quiet, more tranquil. It felt like Finland wanted to give me a last, warm, long embrace before letting me leave for Norway and I can say without a doubt that today’s stretch has been the most magical and beautiful ride I’ve ever had. Not once did I feel so at peace and home on the road. I already know that my heart needs to go back to this area more than once in my life as I’ve left a piece of it there.
Now to the negatives, that today really get outshone by all the beautiful moments and feelings. But I feel they are worth mentioning anyway. There are mainly two. The extremely strong headwinds (technically the wind blows from northwest to southeast) with gusts that make it really hard to stay on your bike. Cycling becomes a whole less fun when you have to work to get downhill and when you almost can’t get up any hills anymore because even before the elevation hits, you’re already forced into a low second gear. And it becomes even less fun when a gust hits you so hard on a downhill that you crash and fall onto the side of your head. Which is what happened. Luckily I had long sleeves and trousers on due to the wind so I don’t have any flesh wounds but a few bruises and one hell of a ringing head. It was quite the shock and not too pleasant, not going to lie. But I was almost at Inari by then so after making sure I’ve got my wits together and am actually road ready I got back onto my bike thinking I’d might as well make use of the adrenaline and get there before it wears off and the pain gets worse. Turns out even without adrenaline the arrival in Inari is more than enough to brush over any physical pain. Very exhausted from all the cycling in the wind I made it to the church of Inari where, overwhelmed by a feeling of pride, joy and coming home, I started laughing, just admiring the fact I’m standing there, having made it all the way from the South in Helsinki to here with nothing more than my bicycle. Then I went to go into the church and was greeted by a sign saying free water and cookies. At that moment I don’t think there could’ve been a more pleasant sign there. It felt like even the church wanted to give me a warm welcome and congratulate me on my feat. In fact the stunning, simple but incredibly gorgeous inside of the church felt very much like what I always thought the function of a church should be. A humble home for everyone, providing kindness, comfort and support to anyone who needs it. And in that moment it provided me with exactly that.
Afterwards I wanted to go set up camp, just to get told that I can’t erect my tent today due to the gusts and so I just asked if I could get one of the small huts instead. But nope – they’re all occupied. So I have yet again landed in a hotel straining my budget. Quite bummed about that but I think today literally nothing could hamper my mood. I made it home, so far from home. It’s the most magical feeling I know.
Well that was certainly one hell of a day. What a roller-coaster. It started of on quite a bad note with me having had nightmares throughout the whole night and thus really not being in a good mood when getting out of bed. Pushed myself onto the road though, knowing that it would do me good. Which it did! Soon I found myself going at an incredible pace along a very quiet and comfy E75. Just eight kilometers in I crossed the Arctic circle, marking quite a big milestone for me. I was truly north now. And as if to underline that fact I came across the first reindeer on the road not later. It really didn’t care, staring me down in the middle of the street not budging what bit. I definitely back the attitude! Again this felt quite monumental to me. It all drove home the realization of just how far I’ve gotten. From there on, the reindeers kept popping up as I approached Kemijärvi at an incredible pace. I don’t know what happened, but despite there now being true climbs over longer periods of time, I hit a higher average speed than ever before. And so before I knew it I was already at the camping at not even half past one. My mood by then was delighted, having enjoyed the scenery, the reindeers, the progress and being extremely happy I could get my tent up before the rain that was supposed to already come down by now. And when I got to the spot where I could do just that, my mood went through the roof. It was the most gorgeous tent spot I could’ve imagined, making me just stand there for a while, mind blown. Unfortunately all the good mood took a nosedive after setting up tent. I had to restart my mobile phone and as it asked for my SIM card pin I stood there dumbfounded. I forgot it. I’ve remembered it for the last three years, last entered it not even a week ago but I just blanked out completely, only remembering three numbers that were in it in some constellation. Obviously there was no way for me to go look it up or contact everyone as my phone was locked and not usable. I entered the wrong one three times, locking the SIM and so now I required my PUK code. Panic set in and suddenly I felt very, very lonely and far away from anything I could anchor at. I had a rough idea where the card with the code was back home, so I begged the camp ground owners who all didn’t really speak English to use their phone so I could call my dad. I knew though that he was working and I’d have to wait until quite late in the evening before he’d be able to go look for the code at home. By that time, there was a good chance the reception would be close, Finland being one hour ahead of Switzerland and all. Unsurprisingly he didn’t pick up and my anxiety spiral kept going downhill. But eventually my dad called back and the camp ground owner actually went and looked for me to tell me and let me call back. Never was it that good to hear my dad’s voice. I explained my situation and he went home, telling me to call again in an hour. That hour I just prayed that he’d find the card with the code, as otherwise it could mean an early end to my endeavour. Since you’re reading this, you already know that he found it and all took a happy ending. I can’t describe the weight that fell of my shoulders. The following phone call with my dad – using my own phone – was a much needed mental reset and afterwards I felt a lot more calm, be it still quite shook. I would like to thank the camp ground owners of Kemijärvi Camping for their incredible kindness and will to help, letting me call to Switzerland many times, trying to reach my dad. I truly and deeply appreciate it and I should you ever find yourselves looking for a camp ground in Kemijärvi, or aren’t sure where to go camping, pay them a visit! It’s gorgeous and they deserve it! And of course, thank you Paps! You really are an anchor during this not always easy adventure!
Route: Rovaniemi – Kemijärvi
Distance covered: 86.59km
Total distance covered: 1877.89km
The only house I saw for around 35km
This is what it looks most of the time.
The most gorgeous tent spot so far. My very own peninsula.
To the right of the tent
Is it a ski jumping ramp? Where would they land? A mystery.
There even was a beach!
I thoroughly enjoyed this view once I had access to my phone again.
I mean…
Go Denmark I suppose? This one is for you Danes.
Day 36
Definitely a less stressful day. The weather has been wonderful and nothing scary happened. But boy was it a ride. The climbs today have been ridiculously steep, sometimes bringing me close to pushing my bike. My legs were definitely not happy today and I am thoroughly exhausted. The stretch of absolute hell and wreckage of a hell did not help and I am just relieved my bike survived all the pot holes and stones peeking out of the road. My poor backend though. It hurts. But yeah the scenery was gorgeous but nothing new or too extraordinary to me as it still is very similar to areas in Switzerland bar the bike bodies of water. Got really close to a reindeer during a break today though which was a surreal experience. In general that break was quite magical with the very unexpected hill of flowers. If only there weren’t the mosquitos that are legit a plague up here. It’s beyond any reason.
When arriving in Sodankylä I was just longing to get off the bike and rest. The receptionist of the camp ground was a wonderfully sweet woman, noting that I’m very far from home and we got chatting a bit. It really does fill me with pride to see their genuine awe when I mention the route that’s already past me. I really am doing something quite remarkable it seems. The pleasant surprises didn’t end here though as when I set up my tent I noticed the two bikers next to me talking German and one of the number plates being Swiss. I couldn’t actually believe it. How small is this world? During the pandemic I end up setting up my tent in a now truly remote area of Finland and there is a Swiss guy next to me? We got chatting and I can’t explain how good it was for me to just… Feel a bit of home for once, speaking German with someone next to me for what felt forever. They’re both – the other guy being German – proper nice and funny and before I knew it it was already past four. I called my grandma afterwards, having planned on doing so yesterday already and after all the amazing talks I now feel very much at ease and truly happy to just be.
Route: Kemijärvi – Suvanto – Sodankylä
Distance covered: 109.42km
Total distance covered: 1987.31km
Lots of big bodies of water today
Never gets old
For every scene like this that I photograph, there are three just like it that I cycle past
What a wonderful day. I’ve been looking forward to it for a couple days and it lived up to it in full. Remember my friends colleague and friend that helped me with my card issues in Kuopio? She has rented a cottage with her family in Rovaniemi for holidays. So funnily enough our paths crossed again and she was unbelievably kind in inviting me for dinner and giving me advice for things to do in the city. So after a very long and needed slumber I headed out in the late morning to go hiking a trail she recommended, not far from the city. Unfortunately, when I arrived there was no signage for the trail and with me not being to keen on getting lost in the forest I simply decided to instead head to the resteraunt and traditional sauna at the river, where I’d meet Reetta and family in the evening. After all, a day of reading at the riverside with gorgeous views, sauna and the possibility to take a dip doesn’t sound bad at all, does it? And well, it was wonderful. Since I had forgotten my towel a visit to the sauna and a dip in the Kemijoki would have been a bit of a risky move, considering just how cold the water was. But that didn’t matter. The place was so peaceful and gorgeous I just got lost in the moment, admiring nature, being overjoyed with life and where I am and in general just feeling a deep state of peacefulness. Oh and of course the final stages of the book I was reading also proved to be extremely thrilling, so before I knew it, it was already evening and time to meet up with Reetta.
That evening was definitely one of the best moments of the trip and will be a cherished memory for years to come. The whole family was so incredibly nice, warm and welcoming, I felt like I belonged there, feeling at ease and home. It’s been a long time since I laughed that much and when we went to the cottage, escaping the thunderstorm, it felt like I was part of the family having a cozy evening chat in the most home feeling cottage I’ve ever been to. Time flew by and way too soon it was time for me to say goodbye and head back to the apartment. But what I’ve gained was new friends I felt truly connected to, priceless memories and a new dream: Christmas in a cottage just like that, with someone/people I love. Thank you Reetta and family for making this an evening for the ages. I can not thank you enough for it!
The newer on of the two Bridges in Rovaniemi
A view across the river Kemijoki
Fir forests just outside of Rovaniemi
Almost feels a bit like the Engadin back home
Breathtaking woods
My view from the sauna place
A day of reading in paradise
The peer of the sauna place with the older one of the bridges in Rovaniemi
More views from the sauna restaurant
Remnants of the winter
Day 32
Ouch! Not much more to say. I originally had planned to visit the Arktikum – a museum about the culture, history and science of Lapland and the Arctic – another tip from Reetta. But when getting out of one of these chairs on the peer yesterday I felt a sudden back pain. I already feared that it would be a lumbago at that point but being used to ignore severe back pain I didn’t give it any attention, hoping to ignore it out of existence over night. That didn’t work though. I could barely move so my precious second day of rest and exploring Rovaniemi ended up being spent in bed reading. I mean, that was really relaxing and nice as well, but the pain and frustration about not being able to go explore really dampened the mood.
Day 33
I really wanted to get back on the road – so close to the big goal – the Nordkapp – I can feel myself being very eager to get going, get close to it and soak up all the new landscape that will await me when I get closer and further into Lapland. So my mood was really not in a good place when I, instead of heading for Kemijärvi, had to book two more nights in Rovaniemi to wait out my lumbago. Financially it makes me anxious to spend so much more money than planned and I also found myself having more anxiety issues when not progressing. But there just wasn’t any other way. So I packed my things as I had to switch apartments, went back to the sauna place until I could move into the new apartment where I went to rest my back again and call my dad to just have a nice chat and calm my mind a bit. Would like to note here that he really is just the best.
Day 34
Finally my back is better. I can still feel it quite a bit, but my practice of years with incredible back pain really come in handy right now. At least it’s in a state where I can move again. So I went to visit the Arktikum today, really not wanting to miss out on that. And boy am I glad I didn’t. It’s an incredible place with very interesting and captivating exhibitions about the history of Rovaniemi and Lapland, the fauna and flora of Lapland and the Arctic, the culture of Finland, Lapland and the Arctic as well the impact of climate change as well as politics on the Arctic and it’s indigenous people. Oh and not to forget the big current exhibition about Petsamo, a former province of Finland in Lapland that is now part of Russia after the second World War. Each one of these topics were very well presented and thought provoking. Supremely interesting, although I left the building with a somber feeling. The destructive force that we humans represent is just saddening. Be it the mass extinction and destruction of the Arctic as we know it, or the wars and terror these people had to endure. Yet I also leave in awe of nature and the incredible resilience of the people in Lapland. Living in such a difficult environment, having been pushed around in the theatre of war like a playball, getting their home scorched during the German retreat and yet the just kept on, never giving up their way of life. Not to forget the new insight I got into the life and circumstances of the many indigenous groups living in the Arctic. I wish we’d take better care of their rights, beliefs and culture for there is such priceless value in them, as is in any culture. In general I left the building feeling that we’ve just got to do better. So much better.
Heyaaaaa. Yup, I didn’t write anything yesterday but I did what I told myself I’d do from the start and what is a big part of this adventure. I did what felt right in the moment. And yesterday I needed a mental break and rest, some “me time”. Why? Well I started from the camp ground in Oulu very early as I woke up at 6.15 already. I already knew that it would be a tough day, with 130km ahead, most of them on the E75, a big and busy road, used by loads of trucks. I wanted to get to Tornio, just because the fact that the city is basically cut in half by the border to Sweden seemed quite curious. I did not make it to Tornio in the end. I actually don’t want to go too in depth about what happened, some of my closer friends and family reading this might know about certain difficult symptoms and situations regarding my mental condition. All in all I could summarize the time on the road as an incredibly hot one, to the point of it being very uncomfortable and physically oppressive. I didn’t even want to take any water or food breaks anymore because without the wind whilst cycling I’d legit feel myself getting a heat stroke on the spot. That coupled with the big road with all the trucks barrelling by me already made for quite an uncomfortable time. Luckily the side strip was quite broad and I didn’t feel unsafe. Until my best friend, the roadworks came back to visit me. It looked like they were building a second lane, but whatever they did, they blocked off the side strip forcing me onto the road. Now the trucks and cars drove past me with incredible speed so close that I don’t think I could’ve had any broader bike bags or they’d touch them. Incredibly stressful. Eventually I had a very uncomfortable encounter with the biggest truck I’ve ever seen that trigger some things in my mind that made the 50km to the next city where I could actually catch a break hell. And that is why I ended up stopping in Kemi for the day. Mentally in an awful and totally drained state I decided to not go further and seek shelter and comfort for the night, booking the cheapest hostel I could find. It turned out to be the best decision, even if it bummed me out as I was trying to cut down on my expenses a bit to make room for more activities in Rovaniemi. But I really needed a retreat and time to just rest my head. And that I did. The hostel was an incredibly cute, old and traditional house with a warm and intimate feeling. Later in the evening I had a wonderful encounter with a woman sharing the dorm with me. We ended up talking about Finland, Family, language, travelling and much more. Maria, if you read this, thank you so much! You don’t know how good that talk was for me just then! You got me thinking about going on a pilgrimage as well some day.
I closed off the day with another wonderful moment of togetherness calling a person close to me whilst walking to the sea and having such a fun, relaxing talk and catch up. Considering how bad of a friend or family member I was for the longest of time due to my mental struggles, I can only consider myself blessed by the beautiful souls I have surrounding me. Even if I made it all the way into Lapland today. It’s good to not feel alone.
Route: Oulu – Ii – Kemi
Distance covered: 116.29km
Total distance covered: 1672.74km
A cute little seal statue in a lake outside of Oulu
The church in Kemi
The harbor in Kemi
The beautiful evening sun
Tromsø is just 500km away. I’ll have quite a bit to go though.
Day 30: Arrival in Rovaniemi
I am so excited about today. Or happy. Or proud. Just all of it! I mean think about it! I made it to the capital of Lapland with my bike all the way from Helsinki. Knowing where I was at mentally just one or two years ago and having had my last big back surgery just this January, it’s all just so empowering. And of course it’s also just very exciting to arrive in a city I was looking forward to exploring for a long time. Home of Santa, capital of Lapland, end of the Finnish railway network, it is truly north now. What a milestone! So how was my way there? Exhausting. My legs have quite a big kilometer count on them over the last few days and I definitely felt that. But still it was not too bad as for once the temperature was extremely comfortable with clouds covering the sun for most of the time and the roads being very flat. Only for the last 15 kilometers – as if some divine power was trying to bully me – the sun came out to roast me once more just as the steep climbs came back as well. And now they’re getting longer as well. I knew they would though, considering that Lapland has this interesting mix of depressions and quite high elevations. But there really isn’t much more to say about it – the scenery was still mostly forest as I drove on the E75 for the whole time, just the lakes are more sparse now and the trees are less tall.
Arriving felt absolutely wonderful though! I was looking forward to the cheaper apartment I rented for the next two days so much, knowing I was going to be able to truly relax for a time, do laundry the easy way and have a proper shower. And buy snacks that didn’t need to fit into my full backs. Exciting times! But truly, I’m so very excited for the next two days. The same friend that helped me with my card issue in Kuopio is now in Rovaniemi and give me some amazing suggestions on what to do and what to see and even invited me for dinner tomorrow! It’s going to be a good, good time. And with this I will leave you so I can go devour my snacks, catch up on my journal, do laundry and then relax. Extensively.
It’s already quite late at the point of writing this and I have yet to cook, so please excuse the possibly somewhat short post.
The day started off on a really good note, I woke up before my alarm already feeling energized, so I just got up, packed my stuff ate breakfast and headed on the road. I think I never hit the road before eight in the morning yet, so it was a new experience. Good thing I did though. The heat got nearly unbearable quite quickly, so I was happy to have covered the first 40km before being cooked. That still left me with 75 more kilometers being fried. At least the roads were flat. Yes, you heard right, for the first time they were truly flat through and through. It made for quite easy riding but it showed me a new problem. Progress seems incredibly slow when your scenery doesn’t change and the road just keeps stretching out into the horizon. I found myself feeling stuck and the 115km today felt longer than any other stretch I made so far. The heat definitely contributed to that though.
But like all things, this leg today came to an end as well, with Oulu greeting me. What a city. I spend around 100km in complete wilderness today, not seeing any human soul but the odd old, rather grumpy farmer. And now I enter this city and get hit with what feels like Paris during fashion week. Everyone looks like a model, gorgeous and dressed in the most stunning ways. It really was quite a surprising and amusing change.
I found shelter at a camp ground just outside the city next to the beach. It’s a really big one with loads of people but it makes sense with how gorgeous it is and the beach right next to it. That’s exactly where I wanted to head to as well after setting up camp and showering. Since the spot was perfect for it, I decided to take out the hammock for the first time and leave the tent stowed away. So far it proved to be an absolutely brilliant idea, it feels like a cozy dream. Anyway, I went to the beach and decided to not go to the main area. It was super overcrowded and even though I by now knew that Finnish people very extremely lax when it comes to Corona, I was still a bit shocked. Instead I found a nice shaded spot a bit away from the main beach where I sat, wrote my journal, texted friends and snacked away. From there I went for a walk, calling a friend and then family. All around good times!
Heya there. I am knackered. Today’s been one hell of a ride and I’m enjoying every second of rest.
The first night alone in the tent I have to say that one sleeps considerably better if not crammed together to the point where the edge of the tent touches my nose. Even with the good night of sleep the day started off on a bit of a low note due to the weather report. When I went to bed it told me that the next couple of days I’m going to have good (be it way too warm) weather. When I checked it again after waking up it said I was going to be in an intense thunderstorm from noon until almost midnight. Not necessarily exciting news when you just woke up – especially when you’re still not quite sure on how to get the tent up dry when it’s pouring buckets. A bit hurried and worried I broke down camp, ate breakfast and headed towards a camping site in Säräisniemi, halfway to Oulu. I knew it would be a rough ride as I was expecting long stretches of unpaved road. Well and that’s exactly what I got. Out of the 116km I did today around 80 were on very tough terrain combined with non stop climbs and descents. Together with the heat I started to feel my limits, especially as water was getting dangerously low and hard to come by. It is definitely slowly becoming more tangible that I’m heading north enough for civilization to become really scarce. Luckily Vuolijoki came to the rescue just in time marking the end of unpaved roads as well as being the oasis I needed so very much. A nice and comfy lunch break later and stocked up in water I went on to tackle the remaining 40km. That’s a good place to talk about the scenery. I almost feel blasphemous saying this but I really was quite bored with it today. Don’t get me wrong, the sheer endless forests – that sheer wilderness and the little opening revealing a hint of lake are gorgeous. But it’s been a lot of the same now lately and especially this last stretch dragged on forever. The road just a straight line, the scenery never changing, the kilometers seemed to just not go past.
All of the sweat and effort were well worth it in the end though. I arrived on a huge camp ground, basically a whole forest where you could park your camper or set up your tent with a beach nearside. And it was exactly that beach I went to after showering and setting up tent. There, rewarded with a breathtaking view I relaxed my aching legs and just enjoyed life and the moment. Eventually I went for a dip in the lake as well but the water was this freezing I couldn’t get to dip past my waist line. Non the less the refreshment and escape from the blazing heat were very welcome.
This already leaves me at the moment of writing. There isn’t much to say – time is flying by and I’m very surprised and excited by how fast the milestones are coming at me. Oulu is already the next goal for tomorrow.
Heya again. I’ve decided to try a different approach with my blog. Whilst the lengthy posts got me quite good feedback I feel like the time between them was quite long and after a certain amount of time, so much happened that the task of writing them seemed quite daunting. Now that I am alone on the road though, it leaves me with more time during the evenings to sit down and write something up. So I will try to do daily or at least a lot more regular but shorter posts. Now that we got this out the way, let’s dive into the adventure.
Today was exciting in many ways. The whole card drama has now been resolved and I no longer have to wait and or time me days around the arrival of letters and other annoyances. So today it was truly a new start. Even though I’ve been on the road alone two days before, this was the first time where I could just head out, free of places to be at a certain time. It was also exciting because from now there really only is one direction: north. Up to this point whilst already going north for most of the days, we also took a lot of detours and headed more west or east. From now on the main heading will be north. Something about that really gets me all hyped up. After all it’s this call of the North, this love and fascination for it that made me do this trip here in the first place. And now I’m following this call.
For today that meant 109km on through and through wonderful roads. The planning of the route was actually quite difficult as I was trying to avoid the big European road but also not have to take too much of a detour. The end result was amazing though. For the first half I had a bike line which made for super easy and relaxed pedalling. Afterwards I was on an extremely quiet road that kept bending and going up and down for what seemed forever. Very nice riding again, but sometimes I could feel my legs quite a bit. The near 30° Celsius didn’t help and me running low on water just topped it all off. All the more I was happy about my arrival in Iisalmi, getting myself a fresh cucumber, some ice cream and stuff for supper as well as breakfast. After a nice extensive break I went on to tackle the last few kilometers to the camp ground nearby. Thanks Google Maps for leading me astray and making this another half an hour. Still, I made it to the camp ground at around half past two and had plenty of time to set up camp, shower and enjoy the lakeside that looks like a river. A really lovely spot, be it bug infested.
A quick thank you to two really good friends for amazing phone calls that got me through a bit of a lonely feeling stretch of the day! Whilst this trip is the time of my life and it probably seems like one hell of a ride from the outside, it can be difficult from time to time. Personal growth and new experiences don’t alway come easy.
I will leave you with a couple of pictures from today and will update you again tomorrow. All the best!
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.
Brändö
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.
Imagine waking up to this.
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.
Tampere
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.
Raphael's Travel Blog 