Norway / Finnland

Went back from Honningsvåg to Olderfjørd, thats the same way back until EuroVelo 1 changes to EuroVelo 11 - Went to a campsite there.

On the flat sections something felt off, usually I can paddle and have resistance on my feet to up till 40 km/h, now it stops at 30 km/h. After having coffee with a fellow bikepacker in Oldenfjord I sat down at the roadside and oiled the chain to see whats up.

At the last maintenance in Alta where the new chain was installed they missed a few tiny bits... Chain was way to long – merely resting on top of the cogs and hanging through till the frame. Shortened that, took an hour to get the chain lock open, cut it to the proper length and the adjust all the settings again. low and high limit was adjusted to reduce the 1x12 drivetrain to a 1x10 (worked okay for cape north) and the B-Screw adjustment or Umschlingung was opened so wide that there was only contact with a few teeth.

Whatever - it's working fine now 🙃 One of the reasons to build the bike up from scratch - you're not helpless or stuck when you encounter something like this.

The weather has been great the last days, mostly sunny, no rain. Only today a short rain shower before getting on the road to Karasjok, short after it was nice again.

From fjords and the sea the landscape turned into mountains and forests, lakes and rivers broken up by stretches of tundra.

I'm in Karasjok now, not far from the Finish border and back to the European Union – with all its flaws and beauty. One of the most beautiful projects ans concepts of our time, let's continue working on it 🇪🇺🥳☀️

Got to the Finish border with the slowly setting sun in my back. Not much of a border to see. Theres a stereo camera a bit before the border, a bridge and the Tax station up on the next hill with a few more cameras - that’s it.

Went to the K-Markt store just across the border to get provisions for the next days. Well what a surprise the price got cut in half and even lower.

My usual pickings: bread, cheese, a hand full of vegetables and fruit, some nuts and a bar of chocolate - that's usually around 500 - 600 NOK (45 - 55 €) ...now we are back to 25 € 🤷‍♂️.

Next a steep climb with 10% incline, there's not much traffic so I can drive in a zig-zack line. From there on roads, straight into the barren forest. The vegetation in this colder and wet climate is different up here. Trees grow scars and not as tall, more birch and less pine trees, spaced out further apart with the long tundra grass in between. Swampland, lakes and rivers getting more and more frequent.

Stopped for sleeping at the entrance to Kevo nature reserve, with many hiking trails, delicious drinking water 😋🚰 and a gorgeous gorge (could not help myself - if the wordplay is in my head it wants out).

The night was cold with the river just next to me. The kind of wet cold air that makes you shiver. Glad the sleeping pad and sack is nice and warm, slept like one of those bears that I never saw up here - so deep and well on and in it 🥱

I'm not the only one here, it is like a parking lot with a few tent spots attached. A doggy in a tent of a couple next to me is suspicious of me as the new neighbor. Maybe his nose is offended by the cheese im eating.

The next day from there straight on for about 30 km where a road sign offering coffee draws me in - there was a slight glow around the sign but that could have been an imagination of my mind too...cooooofffeeee. Once you read it, you smell it. Theres a little restaurant at a campsite in the middle of the forest. Little wooden huts furnished like a living room - nice, warm and cosy inside.

Had fresh mushroom cake with stinging nettle pesto 😋 and coffee 🙃 – the cake reminded me of grandmas onion cake. I'm so happy - Hallo Oma, bist immer mit dabei 🥰.

The forest here grows on sand with a thin layer of soil, imagine that vegetation is quite fragile and growing slow - let's keep that in mind when choosing the next camp spot. There would be many wonderful opportunities to just stake the tent in the Forrest but sometimes I rather sleep on the edge of it and keep the vegetation safe.

Drove to Inari, along rivers, through forests and although the road is pretty much the highway there's just about one car every 5-10 minutes in the late afternoon / early evening.

Got to Inari in the evening - especially nice with the setting sun in my back gliding down the long stretched roads. The wind calmly traveling through the Forrest and carries a scent of pine and my heart is filled by thoughts on a very very special human being.

I did not know about the many conversation we will be having - you on the other side of the planet – at day, where the sun is shining and me in a little tent in the north. Looking forward to meet you in person and for the many conversations to have and experiences to share 😘

Stayed in Inari at a small campsite attached to the backyard of the local school. The next day - Sunday it is time to eat something nice.

Was delicious but as you can see even under normal circumstances you will leave hungry, so I switch places to PaPaNa - Inari: A nerdy bar / restaurant with very good pizza and better coffee then at the fine dining place 😂

That bar is full of pop culture stuff and hosts everything for the locals - a space to hangout, being the local coffee shop, a bar and concert hall in the evening to video game tournaments 🤓

Drove until the sunset and staked my tent at the side of a Forrest road. It is now getting dark at night, had the first star sprinkled sky - there might be a chance to see aurora borealis 😃.

Good morning!!! Stretch the legs, pack the bags and on the road again. No coffee you might point out - no coffee! Yet ☕️😃
There needs to be a carrot on the stick 😉 As many people have the same problem or looking for a carrot we put a system of distributed "carrot for the stick retailers" all over the place 🥕. Ahhh coffee – good morning 🤓

Road signs pointing to Murmansk add a feeling of beeing very remote – just a feeling 🤷

Next up some hills, mountains as they call it up north to a ski ressort - the most northern in europe. It is sunny, warm and wihile sitting at restraunt there my eyes get heavy and I fall asleep for a short nap - that happens when you replace the saddle with a wide cushioned surface called couch and add Finnish backery goods as a precondition🥱💤😴.

From there it is mostly flat and I enjoy the flowy road, music and podcasts.

Another day goes by: 21:30 time to stake the tent at the side of the road that looked like resting place. Washed myself and wenr to sleep – good night 😴

The next day starts cloudy, both in weather and breakfast. Just a few kilometers from where i slept is a little cafe in those round wooden huts that resembles the Sami lavoo (tent). In there a nice guy is welcoming guests and preparing pancakes you can enjoy while sitting next to a wood oven that makes you feel so well with the warmth it radiates. Oh cloudy... went off topic again. Pancakes with cloudberry jam, some whip cream and a big scoop of ice cream and coffee ☕️☕️☕️'s

With a belly full of pancakes today's tour of 78,9 km went amazingly smooth and the rain did not bother me.

The reception at the campsite was already closed but had a note: Go to the pub on the other side of the street, they will help you – glad they did regarding the campsite. Could have been Viking humor too: go there, get drunk and have fun – who needs a tent...

or let's take the simple answer to the question - both are run by the same owners.

Stayed there for another night to wash all my clothes. Now the whole tent smells like fresh laundry - love that scent 😄.

Further down the road toward Rovaniemi and on the way to Helsinki there are more farms again along denser forrests. At one point driving in a meditating state not paying to much attention to my surroundings I find myself on a road that has eight lanes - in the middle of nowhere. Seems like an emergency airport.

Found a place to wild camp next to a side road and started with coffee the and a chat with Klaus a fellow bikepacker from Bremen the next day.

Cycling through the rain - have it in my face all the time. The "shared" bike lane with the highway, same as in Norway gets anoying, traffic is less but there are loads of busses and trucks and they do not always keep as much distance as I like. Stopped after 50km at the arctic circle nature reserve - a bigger network of hiking trails, shelters. Seems nice and found shelter there next to a river - I'll stay here for the night.

Next to Rovamieni, at the Arctic circle. It's just about 20 km to get there, takes about one hour. Rovamenie might be known to tourists for the Santa village. Passed it anyway so thought to check it out.

Had the strange expectation that this will be a tourists fly trap. A hotel complex on a parking lot with a forced architectural style of nordic block houses and all year Christmas decorations. All Christmas spirit is lost as you be walking around on a huge parking lot, a construction site and the few attractions you see got the Charme of a closed down amusement park...in Tschernobyl... Except the entry fees at the radiation infested happy time paradise in Ukraine is way less. There are multiple attractions where you easily spend 30€ per person just for the entrance. Want a photo with a stranger dressed as Santa? Postcard size is 32€ and for the bigger formats sky is the limit. Guess when you want to spend some time there with your kid(s) you will spend 150 - 250€ faster the you can say: Hmm, this was not so bad. Don’t want to sound like a grinch, just got a problem with people getting ripped off that hard for something that could be really nice. Make sure to stop at the tourist restaurant aka X-Mas Mensa and wash the shock down with a "barista coffee" - brought to you by your favorite George Clooney featuring brand of capsules.

If you managed break loose from the tourist fly trap Rovaniemi has quite a lot to offer. Wen to the Arcticum a museum with a impressive architecture - a long stretched glass-tile roof and a runnign exibition of Suomi life over the centuries and another about the arctic circle and climate change. Both curated very well and suited for children and adults alike.

Spoiler warning 😊

and now a few photos of Rovamieni:

I'm stuck here for a few days. With the rain and dirt of the roads spraying in tje eye I managed to infect my eyes. So I'll rest for a few days and let it heal. Found a litte hotel that seems to be fallen out of a time machine - old funiture that did not change in the last 30 years, a shared bathroom, very friendly hosts and super clean with a good bed.

Try to wake me, i'm the bear in the corner 🧸🥱💤.

Time to move on. I decided to take a night train from Rovameni to Helsinki. I like to spend more time exploring Estland, Lettland, Lithuhania and the roads down to Helsinki are not as interresting to ride on. Besides I do not want to be on a hurry taking in the places and countries.

Have to do something important to me in Helsinki 🤓 - more about that later.

... i'm sad too - getting more and more angry about all the right wing hate speech and racism in plain sight let out under the cover of what these idiots call "free speech".

Start the fuck thinking!!! and use at least some of your braincells to get a grasp on about how much damage you inflict to all of humanity – btw. don't think you are safe or excluded... You are still a part of humanity, yes that global one we built and you don't want to live in a right wing regime, dictatorship or national socialist country – you inflict the damage on yourself ...and still you pave the roads to it... choose wisely 🧙‍♂️ You will feel there is no wiggling room when all the technology we invented the last decades is used against you.

and there I heard the cries of a society that feels opressed by regulations during a pandemic – 🤣😂😄

You know where I found these acts of racism – on a wall at the cycling path next to Rovaniemi's university. My hope is for the thinking spirits to add very clear statements that make it clear that this world has no place for racism.

...two and a half more hours until the train departs.

A nighttrain from the arctic circle to Helsinki, pretty much a little hotel on wheels, there are even showers on the train. The bike goes in a nice spot in a separate wagon, the cabin is on the other end of the train. Slowly sneaking through the wagons. Some of the doors need some more attention and after pressing the button to let the door slide away is retracts with a certain reluctance, but it is working eventually 😝

Next to the cabin a guy is leaning on his cabin door, a smiling and red glowing face looking at me. My new friend is quite drunk and up for conversation and so we conversed with hand and feet drawing in the air or at the door. Glad he is the fun and friendly drunk type 😄

We managed to communicate that he was visiting his best friend who just became a father, that he is living in the depths of the forrest and a bit about my journey. Then we both went to sleep. The bunk bed was comfy and as im quite short had plenty of space to stretch out - guess for somebody with a average size it might look like an magician fitting in a travel bag.

Beeing cradled to sleep by the rocking of the train feels nice – I sleep very well as usual until...

Sleep got roughly interrupted, a finnish voice talking from a speaker next to my ear. Having no Idea what he said and still with one leg in dreamland the adrenalin shoots in and I assumed we might arrive early or that I've sleep to long and missed my alarm. Put of the bed, dress, pack the sleeping bag that i've hanged over the upper bunk bed to air. Few minutes later im ready and checking my phones GPS map, enough time – he woke all the people in the train early so theres plenty of time to prepare...to the restaurant wagon...this sleep interruption needs coffee ☕️😵

It is short before 07:00 and Helsinki is slowly waking up. The train hall reminded my of the train station in Milano - old well preserved and quite monumental. Entering the waiting hall your greeted by high sealings - more ball room the waiting hall. I push my bike out the exit, two large wooden doors and to ger my besrings I turn around. The entrance pf the train station is guardedby two huge stone sculptures a preview of the cities rich architecture.

It's a little cold so I put on my fleeze and drive in a random direction to explore the city.

I love doing that, it's such a great way to get a feel for a city. Helsinky is impressive, modern and old, monumental and large, well taken care off and obvious signs of a rich society as you can see by the decorations of the houses.

Plenty of parks, open spaces, the ocean and lakes of the lush and green city feel nice. After an hour or so the cravings for some breakfast and coffee come up. I find a hip coffee spot up a hill near one of the universities. After breakfast I look for a hotel and onthe way to it I pass by Helsinki technology university - The place Linus Torvalds studied computer science and created the Linux Kernel.

Did you honestly think I cycle around the world for pleasure, nature and it's people – i'm a seeker of the nerdish, chaser of nerdgasmns.

I wanted to go to the universites museum that is said to hold a small but well curated collection of exposes of computee science, among it - the computer Linux was written on.

Might sound like exaggeration to some when I say Linux is one of the best thinks happening to me in my life. Opened up a world of exploration, fun, communities and self development. Besides you rarely find a thing of technology that is not run by or has a relation to to Linux and with it had such an impact to the world.

Linux might have gotten quite some fame for his Kernel, the Operating system (btw. don't forget about GNU, Linus wrote the Kernel for the GNU operating system) but one of the pieces of software that had huge influence on modern software development is GIT (a source code version management system).

Okay okay I hear you shouting quit nerding around and show me the city – show me what you've got!

When your time is short in a city you have to pick some attractions to visit - one place that got mention frequently was the national library of Helsinki - ODI. One might question why got to dusty hall of books... because it is the future and some something different then what I would call a library. After the visit it felt like comparing a ox cart with a spaceship. It is much more a place of gathering, cooperation and creation. A sandbox for exploration way closer what you would find in Germany in youth center.

The first level of the wave shaped building an meeting point, book release events and a curated selection of popular book topics. An open space, followed by chess tables a cinema that seemed to play mostly arthouse movies and a restaurant in the farthest part of the building.

The second level: Your greeted by a pyramid shaped sitting space, the area less open more of many more secluded spaced, chairs and benches. A place for people to hang out, talk of what a gour of 3-4 of them did was meditating while others been talking, listening to music or just having a chat with their friends. It feels like a small united nations, so many nations hanging out there. Just next to it a huge maker space started. 3D printers, big ones for everybody to use. A woodworking shop, laser cutter, printers, about twenty workstations to cut movies or play, followed by a whole sound production section - studios, walls of instruments, sound booths... free to use and always somebody there to give you a friendly and helping hand on how to operate or work with the equipment. In a section in the middle several booths like little living rooms with sofas and a TV with the latest gaming consoles to play with your friends.