Bike packed, route planned, all 30 stops booked, fired by
determination and expectation, with a tad of apprehension, I set off in early
July from the middle of England via the Channel Tunnel to stops in Bruges,
Osnabrück & Lübeck, before taking a ferry across from Puttgarden to Rodby
in Denmark to begin the journey proper.
As I left in showers, a frequent feature of recent weather in UK, it occured to me that UK had decided to exit Summer as well as the EU! But the showers cleared after 50 miles and I enjoyed the rest of the journey via the Chunnel in dry warm weather to outside Bruges.
The temperature climbed as I breezed through Belgium, avoided Antwerp on its ring road, flowing for once, nipped through the Netherlands without a sign of Nexit, got to Germany and Osnabruck in 29deg and so hoooomid! No wonder I dripped on the Reception desk at check in! 560 miles down and on the way to the real starting line.
The fine weather and shorter journey to Lubeck misled me! I encountered a 40km stop & go queue, later revealed to be a truck that had slewed across 2 of the 3 lanes and hit the barrier! I managed to 'white line' (Germany thankfully has wide lanes) most of it but as the merging blocked this and I had to stop for prolonged periods, I could tell the engine was getting very hot and, just as I cleared the queue, the clutch failed and I couldn't get out of 2nd gear! Fortunately a parking lay-by was close and I cruised in to a very tidy stall in one of its bays! Leaving the bike to cool slowly brought hydraulic pressure back, confirming that the fluid had boiled, so with that restored and the engine cooler again, I was able to set off. No drama, but that H-D advanced riding course of a few years ago paid off with stalling on a line practice . I had my brake fluid boil once going down the Dolomites years ago, so was aware of the symptoms - water in the fluid. So, a fluid change was booked for Tromso.
Lubeck is a medieval city, although some of its fine buildings appear to have been erected when strong beer was very cheap and/or the plumb line hadn't been invented! I enjoyed a pleasant meal by some of them alongside the river.
The towers lean inwards, no lens problem!
And what about those windows' lines in the middle!
Nyhavn
Under a blue sky and sunshine, I set off over the Oresund tunnel/island/bridge system leaving Copenhagen and Denmark and crossing into Sweden. It is an excellent piece of engineering and construction fit for purpose - a tunnel to allow shallow draught vessels to pass overhead, an artificial island to transition from tunnel to bridge, and a high bridge to allow tall vessels to pass underneath, over 20km in all and well worth the experience and toll.
Not my photo, of course
and you can't quite see me at the top of the centre span!
From there, it was a steady ride north to Gothenburg, passing 1,100m, where I was able to wander the town for a while before rain stopped play.
Central Station
It has a canal system, extensive tram network, and lanes of militant cyclists, the lanes not always clearly marked, so take me back to the road! The buildings are quite grand, but were probably not shown off at their best in the overcast conditions.
The weather is getting cooler and rather blustery, good reason for the many wind turbines I passed along the way. It's feeling like a bit of a dash through Denmark and a swish through Sweden, but Norway will take some time, oh yes!
The gloom of Gothenbug was left behind and, as the skies darkened further and became more threatening as expected, it was time for wet weather gear in anticipation. The road was very wet for many miles and I wondered if the weather window might stay with me. But no, eventually I ran into heavy rain and took respite with coffee, fuel and lunch stops. As I got going again, the skies did clear slowly and it seemed the deluge expected in Oslo may have moved south to meet me, so I cruised to the hotel in the dry, rather warm after a road works stop/go for a few kilometres as the sun came out, but once again avoiding forecast lightning! The scenery was now changing to trees, exposed outcrops of rock, tunnels under mountains and bridges over ravines, with occasional glimpses of fjords and deep valleys below. Oh yes, Norway has definitely begun!
What a glorious day of sunshine to see some sights in Oslo! I set off with Oslo Pass, which covered the Metro, ferry and museums' entrance, and is tremendous value. After a short ferry across to Bygdoy, location of the Fram and other museums,it was first to the Viking Ship Museum.
The Vikings were clearly hardy seamen, great navigators, and reached Newfoundland over 1,000 years ago in these rather shallow and open craft, but I felt they must also have been great balers given the cracks caused by the metal rivets and other damage to the relatively thin timber!
Next, I found the Holocaust Museum, housed in the villa of the German-appointed President and Nazi sympathiser during WWII. Outside was a mirrored representation of the punched card system used to code Jews during a census. Most were shipped to Auschwitz and few survived, on SS Donan, which was ultimately sunk, but was later recovered, and whose bell is on display.
The Norwegian Maritime Museum was of widely themed, from cruise liners to oil rigs and sailing to high tech rescue vessels, very interesting and well laid out, as befits a nation of seafarers.
Thor Heyerdahl is celebrated in the Kon Tiki Museum, with the actual raft that he used to drift from South America to Polynesia, to prove the the Polynesians have their roots to the east and not, as had been thought, to the west in Asia.
Kon Tiki
An hour long documentary showed the bravery, and perhaps a degree of madness, undertaken by him and his crew setting off without any trials or training on a vessel that could barely be steered,missed the first islands it encounteed, and was ultimately shipwrecked on a later one. Also on display was Ra2, the second of two reed boats, on which he and his crew succeeded in crossing the Atlantic from Morocco to Barbados.
Pride of place is the Fram Museum, housing the vessel developed for and used by Roald Amundsen to become the first to the South Pole, only just ahead of Scott. It is a smooth heavy duty wooden hull vessel, which will 'pop up' out of the ice rather than be caught. To the horror of many observers, he had it frozen in an Arctic ice pack to prove the design, which included a prop shaft and rudder that could be withdrawn up a channel for protection. Clearly, it worked and it was also designed to house 12 crew on board for 5-6 years, if required.
Last of all I visited the Nobel Peace Museum and saw the tributes to those to whom it had been awarded. I was slightly surprised to see Edward Snowden mentioned alongside other notable human rights activists, a somewhat different perspective than that of vilification by the US as a traitor.
I very much liked this clean and tidy city, such as I was able to see, with its pleasant and varied architecture, nothing too weird or conflicting, wide streets, pristine public transport that seems to run smoothly, and a very attractive waterfront that has been tastefully arranged with flats and restaurants in addition to its main maritime function.
Departing Oslo under eerie showery conditions with clouds spilling off hilltops, I thought I was in for a wet one, but it turned out not to be so and was the best riding day yet! Shortly after leaving, the wets came off as the sun came out, and only went back on for the last bit when some showers returned.
It was a fantastic ride along the valley floor alongside lakes and river, tree-covered mountains rising each side, occasionally with snow caps, over a few high bridges and through some tunnels, as the highway wound its way north. Norway's 50mph highway speed limit is just perfect for enjoying the view and everyone sticks to it.
Lillehammer and its famous Olympic ski jumps
One thing that struck me as very strange, not far out of Oslo, was that none of the overhead bridges, lamposts or crash barrier were treated, just rusted. Strip away the modern highway and it gave a feeling of the Old West, reminding me of Route 66 and some of the run down places we passed through. The temperate was a very pleasant 16degC pretty much for the whole ride.
Over the last 30km or so, the road started to climb to Dombas, a ski resort in the season with lifts all around and a few snow remnants visible from the hotel.
Selfie on arrival, 'scuse the van!
That's the proper view from the hotel
The hotel has had another building erected in front since I booked:
And this was the view from my room
With about a quarter of the distance done and I am expecting the next/middle half to be the best and what the trip is really all about.
From Dombas, the climb continued above the tree line and onto a rather barren plateau for quite some distance, just heather and bushes, with little to no traffic (Sun morning of course) and a wonderful riding road. The snowfield remnants seemed just a little above me and the temperature was just 5degC. The forecast rain meant I had left in wets and with thick gloves on, and here it paid off!
Snow just visible in the background
Don't be fooled by the apparent cleanliness - heavy rain last night!
In some respects the scenery reminded me a little of Scotland and some of its Glens and it was a delight being on such a great quiet road. After a very long slow descent alongside a river of glacial water, the trees returned and I was looking forward to a coffee. At the first small town of very few, everything seemed to be shut so I carried on. The few roadside cafes were also shut and the only presence at the large churches I passed, sometimes in the middle of nowhere, was underground! They didn't even have car parks,so that also made me wonder some.
I continued on to Trondheim, which I knew was bigger, which it was but was also closed. I saw a couple of Swiss riders, whom I had followed for many miles, also cruising town looking for somewhere. In the end, I settle for a Shell station that was open and had a bottle of water and a sandwich, the filling of which I have yet to identify. The rain had begun before Trondheim and it continued almost to Steinkjer, which was a shame as a lot of that section hugs the coast and the view to outlying islands was impaired as well as greater concentration being required. I had a quick wander around town and found nothing worthy of note about it!
I decided that today was Gateway Day! The reason is that I havenow officially crossed into Northern Norway:
There is still a long way to go to the top, but it seemed worthy of note! Along the way, I rode alongside more rivers and lakesides, through sweeping bends that are a joy to ride, looked up at snow either side and narrower gullies of fast moving whitewater wherever possible. Apart from some rain that hindered vision at times, the only thing absent was an abundance of lay-bys to stop at and take photographs. But, here are a few I managed:
Ideally busy road! Same in the other direction.
It was definitely getting more remote with fewer places to grab a coffee and only one fuel stop, and I was very pleasantly surprised to coast into Mosjoen and discover what a pretty little place it is, despite having an Aluminiumsverket as a dominant feature at one end.Very quintessentially Nordic and worth a few photos:
View alongside hotel (seaward)
Looking the other way (inland)
Even an historic Shell station
Departing Mosjoens, it was chilly and overcast, but the road soon became interesting as it wound its way up and down, initially inland but returning to the coast, alongside more lakes and river, and the railway line, not previously mentioned. Along the way, there were many areas of rock works for road improvement, but all the dumpers, dozers and diggers were neatly lined up, as if on parade, and many of the blades had "God sommer" spray painted on them! I guess they were all on holiday, but how tidy!
As I got to the coastal town of Moi I Rana, which seems to occupy itself with offshore work, the sun had come out and from there it was a steady climb over many miles, only becoming evident as I rose once more above tree line onto a pretty barren plateau with snow deposits all around.
Shortly after this stop, I passed a sign "Arctic Circle 2km" and, at 66⁰ 34' North, here it is:
It was moderately busy with stoppers and its centre was inevitably abound with trinkets as well as some interesting information. I had expected to cross today, but wasn't sure exactly when, and clocked it at exactly 2,004.9 miles since leaving home. I was so lucky to have such spectacular weather to experience this today and this persisted as I then descended steadily for about 30 miles next to a fast flowing rocky river, much of it white water. The scenery was just amazing as the mountains increasingly climbed either side, the tree line returned, and every bend brought a new vista to enjoy.
The river widened towards the bottom as the gradient flattened out and then the road transitioned to a stunning coastal route, which sometimes hugged the water, or climbed up the side to go through tunnels in spurs of rock. Two of them were a bit tricky - road works and tunnel lights not working, with road width reduced! Although concentration had to be held high for the cliff-side riding, there were still some outstanding views on the final approach to Fauske.
It will be a difficult day to better in terms of weather and scenery. But........never say never!
The sun was already shining as I made an early start from Fauske for Bognes, some 2.5 hours away, to catch a ferry to Skaberget. It's only a 25 minute crossing, but is the only way to continue on Norway's main north/south road, E6. Sometimes I have wondered about why I have been using SatNav when the instructions can be "Continue on E6 for 204km" for example! Actually, it has a secondary use to judge the tightness of bends coming up. Despite all the ups and down, I have only had one true hairpin, and today was the day!
Scenery once more abounded and I had the conflict of wanting to stop to photograph more of it, but not put my ferry at risk. Here are a couple of those fine views:
I have neglected to mention waterfalls before, even though I have seen many, flowing down gullies with surface and melt water from above. But, what I saw today was something quite different - huge bare rock faces with waves of water flowing out of them over hundreds of feet wide:
The above was not the best example but the only one I had a chance to photograph, many others being much more vertical with the sun reflecting off the water. Building the E6 in this part of the Norway did not come cheap or easy. Lots of this route hugged the edges of fjords in cuttings, but many tunnels have also been needed to connect through the mountainous spurs, some of them very long indeed. The other aspect that struck me was entering one halfway up a mountain, riding downhill for quite a few kms inside and then coming out at sea level on the other side, or vice versa!
Somebody's place Bognes ferry terminal
Sailing towards Skaberget
Volcano crater?
My latest stop, Narvik, is a port at the narrowest part of mainland Norway,only some 25km to Sweden. Perhaps, not surprisingly, it is rather industrial in its look and there were several bulk carriers moored just offshore. But a couple of pictures of the hotel and the view from the bar on the 16th floor are probably deserved of showing:
Scandic Narvik
I didn't think yesterday's scenery could be topped, but today came pretty close and was very different in any case. I'm now in a part of Norway where the straightest distance between two places is considerably less than that by road, which hugs the coast or passes through valleys and tunnels inland. I also concluded today that I had enjoyed so much fresh road surface because they can only do it once winter is over, but also that they do it properly!
The mountains have become more rugged and look higher than before, more dramatic.
Riding from Narvik to Tromso was just another perfect day in the sunshine, craggy and rolling mountains, waterfalls, rivers and lots of fjord coastline.
It seems it can't get any better, but it certainly keeps amazing........
Guy fly fishing
Road all the way around the shore of this fjord as far as can be seen
And then some more!
The approach to the island and city of Tromso was over a high bridge fenced with what I guess is wind and ice protection. It descibes itself as the northernmost city of over 50,000 people in the World, and claims the greatest number of wooden houses. The only thing I have so far discovered is that it has an underground road system with roundabouts! It's a first for me, but the worst snag is that SatNav loses GPS signal in the tunnels, so you're on you own and in the dark! The second thing is that it is, quite hostile to parking, even producing a leaflet among the normal tourism documents and despite having many wide open areas and undeveloped land! I parked on the pavement next to the bicycle rack, at the invitation of the Receptionist I should add.
Yes, it has a goodly collection of wooden houses:
Even the omnipresent Irish pub in one!
Arctic Cathedral
Bridge to island, cathedral to right an hotel peeking out extreme right
Wooden church
Graffiti?
Importantly, the bike had a good checkover at the northernmost Harley dealer in the World, the air filter clogged with oil from the overheating, so changed, and hydraulic fluid changes, both of which should see me good to home. This was the view from my room, 10 mins after sunset(12:24am) and sunrise destined for 1:18am, land of the Midnight Sun!
Tromso is a busy city with cruise ships arriving and departing daily, and it is easy to understand why - pretty and accessible.
But, it was time to get back on the road to see what surprises the day could bring, and they continued. A prompt start gave me an earlier first ferry than planned for a short crossing from Breivikeidet to Svensby, then a short ride across to another earlier one from Lyngseidet to Olderdalen. This island hop enabled a short cut back to the good ole E6, rather than backtracking from Tromso and the winding road could not be rushed. It had the added bonus of giving some more outstanding views of millpond fjords with mountains, glaciers and clouds to complete the scene:
It was a ride of mostly hugging the shores of the fjords and winding my way around the coast, always able to look forward and back at where I was going and where I had been, not the shortest route! There were some mountainous climbs across some of the spurs, which afforded a wider still view of the outstanding scenery with blue waters and dramatic mountains, but not often affording safe places to stop. I saw many snow fences, for the first time since the high plateau north of Dombas, the wind explaining why!
For many miles, I had passed signs warning of reindeer on the road, as you do, only to discover it was on the menu of the cafe at which I stopped, and I don't think it was road kill! At the northernmost headland, round the corner from the above photo, there were some vendors selling pelts at the roadside. How ironic it then was that I encountered two in the road just a few clicks further on:
It was a bit of a scramble to stop safely, get a glove off and the camera out to snap them as they moved on ahead. A few clicks further and I saw another pair, but other traffic prevented and stop for pictures. So, that was today's surprise en route to Alta, my penultimate stopover before Honningsvag and access to Nord Kapp!
From Alta, it was a shortish ride up the west coast of the headland, then a steep climb onto a high plain for most of the crossing to the east coast.
West coast and some sea fog in the distance
Many small shacks and houses, but no sign of power
On reaching the east coast, I stopped at a cafe and was horrified to discover several coaches had discharged their passengers to wander the car park in confusion, fearing they would be going my way!
East coast
Can a road get any better?
More reindeer
I had thankfully decided to stop for a photo of the Nord Kapp tunnel, and 3 reindeer emerged across its entrance! The tunnel connects the mainland to the island of Nord Kapp, is nearly 7km long and passes 210m beneath the fjord, quite spectacular.
I had carried on to Nord Kapp, rather than wait until the next day, because of changes to the weather forecast, but it was shrouded in fog by the time I got there!
There was a pretty fierce wind on the climb to the cape as well as the fog to contend with, and the temperature dropped to just a few degrees. It's only 2,093km to the North Pole, but the tunnel's not ready yet! However, after 2,754 miles from home, I had reached the top of Europe and, on the way down and clear of the fog, there was this bonus to bring a smile:
With a full day in hand, there was another chance. Meanwhile, this is the small pretty port of Honningsvag, my last stop in Norway:
From the hotel at midnight!
Overnight, clouds came in over the hilltops, it had become cooler, and it initially looked pointless to pay another visit. I captured a few more scenes around Honningsvag.
King Crab fishing is a major industry.
Later in the morning, the Nord Kapp webcam revealed moments of less cloud, so I added an extra layer and took to the road again. Battling a stronger sidewind than yesterday, and with the cloud coming and going, I did begin to wonder, but it paid off and there were relatively very few people compared to the weekend crowd of yesterday:
The Monument of Nord Kapp
And, the sea was visible 300m below, which it certainly had not been yesterday.
Wow, the wind did blow, exposed parts began to tingle and I did feel as though I was inside the Arctic Circle! The cloud cover worsened and visibility fell to about 25m for the first part of the return journey which, together with leaning into the broadside wind, did make the riding a rather unpleasant challenge. Below the cloud and able to see more clearly, I noticed the dirt that had been whipped up off the car park in the heavy mist and caked onto one side of the bike, making a cursory clean necessary. Fuelled up for tomorrow, it was then relax for the rest of the day.
What an experience Norway has been! The breath-taking scenery in exceptional weather a lot of the time, the vistas, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, lakes, largely desolate plateaus, isolated homes and communities, the ascents and descents, long & cold tunnels, plus several 'northernmosts' along the way with Nord Kapp as the finale. I see some brightness to the south, I will miss those mountains erupting from the fjords, it's a sad farewell, but onward it has to be!
Departing Honningsvag, it was damp and cold although the cold wind lessened some when I got back on the east coast and protected by the mountains. It was a backtrack via the Nord Kapp tunnel to the mainland and Oldersfjord, and I was so appreciative of the upward journey in the sun. Heading south from there was to new territory, but the weather deteriorated to wet and cold with steady rain. There were quite a few bad patches of road surface with unforeseeable bumps sending me up and out of the saddle, and a couple of major roadworks to contend with.
Crossing into Finland, land of thousands of lakes and 2 million saunas, was over a river bridge and past a smart, but unmanned, border post on the Finnish side. The landscape seemed to change quite suddenly, less mountainous and long straight stretches of road bordered by forest. Occasionally, a small lake, not much more than a flooded field and devoid of features. In fact, for a long time, the ride was boring with the monotony of straight road as far as I could see and with little to see from it.
Changing onto another road as I entered Lapland towards Inari, this seemed to change to more curves and gaps in the trees with larger lakes, which I'm sure would have been very nice in sunshine! The rain finally abated towards the end, the road dried, and I noted the temperature had risen from single figures to 20deg by the time I reached the Hotelli Ivalo. It has a hybrid charm about it - a cross between a slightly decaying south coast English hotel, bits of austere Soviet, and some modernisation. Ivalo also seems to be a place that people pass through. But, it does have a nice outlook to a river, otherwise it would have been a day without photos!
I'm over halfway now, having breached 3,000 miles, so I celebrated with a reindeer burger! Actually, I went A La Carte because a bus tour was hoovering up the buffet like the end of the World was nigh! I don't think it was Rudolf.
Setting off from Ivalo for Rovaniemi, the weather forecast was not good, so wet weather gear on to start, but what a cocktail it turned out to be:
Not good, and glad the roads are straight!
Better, gear off
Much better, all vents open
Approaching Sodankyla, about halfway, the sky blackened and rumbled, so it was back on with the gear and then:
Refuge in Sodankyla while the lightning struck all around
Once the worst had passed, it was back on the road in heavy rain until close to Rovaniemi when it started to dry out. A few miles outside, I left the Arctic Circle after some 1,000 miles, where everything and anything that can be spun from Santa Claus is available:
Crossed the Arctic Circle again
Santa's 'everything' is on the other side of the road but I passed!
Arrival in Rovaniemi, considered the capital of Lapland and destination of those seeking Santa, was in dry muggy conditions, which shortly turned to thunder & lightning!
By way of contrast, the ride to the west coast and Oulu was dry and became sunny, albeit rather uninteresting. I figured out why the lakes look like flooded fields - because there is no shore as such and the water just disappears into grass at the edge. I also noted that many are only a few feet below the level of the road!
I liked Oulu, less of the block buildings of late, some traditional and shapely architecture, wide open streets, many pedestrian, although bicycles go everywhere and the 'rules' didn't seem clear at all! It opens out to the Gulf of Bothnia that ultimately connects to the Baltic Sea and the smell of the sea was evident over the last few miles, as well as bringing a cooling breeze onshore. There were also people! I couldn't figure out why everywhere to now looked dead, closed, so maybe they're all here?
Oulu waterfront
Nice to see some traditional architecture again
My choice of hotel was driven by in-town parking availability, anticipated to be to the detriment of the room. Yep, it's basic, but I hadn't expected to not be able to raise the hands of my outstretched arms above my waist in the bathroom! It's an all-in-one, where the order of events is important, importantly finishing with the shower, which is barely screened from the light switch and power point, not at all from the sink, and just about from the loo. A converted wardrobe came to mind! Onward and upward..............
It was another dry and rather uninteresting ride from Oulu to Kuopio to the only place where I could find accommodation 6mths ago, rather more east of Helsinki than I had wanted. The corridor of trees rather obscures views of the lakes, but most was in light traffic.
But there was one I managed to stop by:
Some are very large indeed.
From Kuopio to Helsinki, the sky threatened and teased enough to provoke wet gear on, then it cleared after a while and became mostly blue with nice big stable cumulus clouds. But, it fooled at the last with a short lived deluge, so sudden it was not foreseeable and I just managed to get my jacket vents shut in time. Otherwise, it was uneventful.
Four bikes from Rolling Hills Chapter arrived in Helsinki by ferry from Germany on my day out of the saddle, just a coincidence, and they came to The Esplanade and we had a coffee:
Then they set off for a 375m ride to Oulu, 2 stops ago for me! Heading counterclockwise to Norway via Nord Kapp, they will typically ride double my daily average, but are time constrained. I look forward to comparing our experiences.
After seeing them off, I had a walkabout, a boat tour of some City islands and then a bus tour. The City has wide streets, albeit with cobbles and tram lines perilous to riding, large smart classical buildings for the most part, plenty of places to eat and drink, and a vibrant market by the quayside.
City Hall (blue) and Swedish Embassy far right
And knives?
Central Station
The islands were a bit like the roads - most of what they held was obscured by trees! It was just as well there was a good commentary. But, I liked what I did see of Helsinki and am glad I set aside some time here.
So, it was Farewell Finland and 'Ello Estonia after a smooth ferry across the Baltic. Had enough spare time to walk into the old walled city centre, even though it rained most of the time. It's got a very fine feel about it, walled and cobbled, with grand buildings, a teensy bit touristy to suit the cruise ships, but I liked it lots. I managed to find a high point on the walls to look out over the city as well as meandering through the streets. There is a medieval slant to some of it and I succumbed to an early dinner in one such place, with a knuckle of pork leg supplemented by a very meady sauce, sauerkraut, horseradish, pickled turnips and something I didn't recognise, all washed down with a Dark Honey Beer and a schnapps! I also encountered an interesting trio on an adjacent table - a rather loud Egyptian living in the US, a quite and thoughtful chap from Central African Republic living in Abu Dhabi, and a Lithuanian girl, to talk about Trump, Clinton, Brexit and quite a few other things, although I was unable to figure out how they had met!
Estonia's Parliament Building
At 3,850 miles down, this is now my longest ever trip,although it has been well paced. The next few sections are quite short so there should be plenty of time to repeat the discovery of old towns before I start the longer hauls homewards. The other thing I've noticed already is how considerably cheaper things are now that I've left Scandinavia!
With a short ride ahead, I nipped across the road to the KGB Museum, housed in the Hotel Viru. Sadly, I didn't learn much as the only tour I could join was in Finnish!
A storm lurked over the area and I got well doused in the ride from Tallinn to Tartu.The little I could see I liked - varied, some forested but with different trees, some turned over to crops, and the road quality was good. I also saw some enormous crane nests with pairs in residence. On arrival, I thought I would have to forego the old town but, perhaps driven by guilt, the storm moved to the side and the sky turned blue, mostly.
What a delightful place is Tartu. Quieter because it doesn't have docking cruise ships, nice wide streets, cobbles of varying kinds, a lot of al fresco drinks and dining, alleyways to the courtyards of bars and restaurants, many pastel painted old buildings, some smart new modern ones of shops and offices, old churches and the finest University building dating from early 17th century. I liked it very much and it stayed dry for a good walkaround.
University of Tartu
St John's
I think the Lubeck builders helped on this one!
I'm very pleased I came here. Estonia ranks high in Europe in terms of GDP/capita and how it looks in Tallinn and Tartu seems to fit.
Departing Tartu there was a marked change to the apparent prosperity with corrugated roof wooden dwellings the further soutwest I rode. The smell of baking bread and cakes in the small hamlets was very tempting! At the border at Valga, there was a further and sudden further decline in the state of repair and quality of dwellings as I crossed into Latvia, some dilapidated and unoccupied. There was also a market deterioration in the quality of the road with many patch repair bumps, but there were helpful roadsigns saying for how many kms they would continue! I thought that was the worst............
Oh no, it had only just begun. Further on for about 30km, the tarmac had been removed, an EU funded road program, and little to no effort had been made to brush or clear the gravel, which was quite deep at times, causing the bike to drift from side to side at times. There was no evidence of resurfacing work and some long single lane working slowed matters even further. It was very dusty, until it rained, but then the offset was that it became slippery as well! This alone, decided me to name it Latvian Road Day as I learned new skills today.
Eventually after clearing that, I did manage to stop for a very pleasant caesar salad and coke, all for €6.30, at this little Motelli:
I felt recharged and set for the final leg to Riga. Then some different fun began. A dual carriageway, which I believed was motorway, had fairly deep longitudinal ruts catching the front wheel, more patch repair to raise me out of the saddle, pedestrian and even railway crossings with lights. As I got closer to Riga, the roadworks began again, this time with random holes here and there, frequent narrowing or truncation of lanes to contend with, then uneven cobbles and tramlines to spice it up further. Lastly, a one way system has been introduced that my SatNav doesn't know about, sending me off on detours and adding fruitless loops and several kms. The final straw seemed to be when a police checkpoint pulled me over and asked me the address of where I was heading! Pulling it up on my phone, the policeman confirmed I was on the right street and just a few hundred metres from my hotel. Phew, what a mini adventure today was on the road! I wasn't sure I could muster the energy to check out the old town of Riga.
But I did and was I more than just a little glad I did so! It has a magnificent number of buildings and churches, some hundreds of years old and others very decorative. Every corner turned seemed to reveal another spire or another row of great architecture.
More large streets and squares, plenty of space for al fresco drinking and dining.
But, there was some evidence of the days of occupation, Nazi and then Soviet, from 1940 to 1991:
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia in the background
Regrettably, I did not have enough time to visit the KGB Building, but I was very glad to have included Riga in the Itinerary, despite the road problems of getting here! I had also noticed that there was a gradual improvement to the prosperous look of dwellings near the road the closer I got to Riga, and they fell away again on leaving.
Departing for Vilnius and Lithuania was ominous weather-wise - dark skies, heavy rain and concerns as to whether SatNav could get me out! It did seem to know the route today, although there was one serious challenge to change direction - a U-turn across twin tramlines set in uneven wet cobbles, safely traversed! Once clear of the city, I became glad to be on a very good quality road with fresh road markings in the heavy rain conditions. These continued to Lithuania and I had a slight concern at the abandonned border posts that the road quality would cease, but it was just the Latvian surface patchers in No Mans Land, phew! About two thirds of the way, the sky started to brighten and the rain became a bity lighter and it was dry on a wonderful new EU-funded motorway the rest of the way.
I did notice several huge logistic distribution centres along this motorway, which I'm sure one sign described as the Trans-Europe Highway. As I neared Vilnius, I also noticed some large factories and showrooms, all modern and smart. The dwellings look pretty smart too with their tiled roofs and brick walls. The approach highway was also pretty new and orderly. Recharged after a rather grim ride, I ventured to the old town, starting with the Cathedral Square just across the road from my hotel.
Leaving the Square in search of other sites, I quickly began to find a rather more drab and less cared for old town than those to date:
Next door to the Presidential Palace
Museum opposite the Palace
Ministry of ? opposite the Palace
Church steeples peeked above other buildings but not with the same awesomeness. Most rendering and paintwork was not well cared for, even allowing for the dull light conditions, and it was such a contrast to the buildings and development just outside the city, as well as the other old towns I had visited. Perhaps, it has not come as far economically since '91 and its Soviet shackles, or perhaps the priorities are just different? There was certainly evidence of tourist visitors and I wonder if they felt the same?
But then the evening can surprise!
The ride from Vilnius to Kaunas was short and simple and I noted that Kaunas had the same selection of modern showrooms, factories and other premises on it outskirts. Kaunas was briefly the capital of Lithuania after WWI, but only because Poland annexed the Vilnius region up until the start of WWII. It had its share of the horrors of the holocaust and a mass extermination camp.
On the fairly long walk back from the old town, I found some trouble synthesising what I had seen and this is my best shot. There is a lot of Work In Progress - old parts (16th & 17th century) being refurbished, some that just looks a bit neglected, but nothing is being done (yet), some very ugly concrete shells of new buildings that have been stopped for whatever reason, some rather Soviet style buildings, and some very modern and almost out of place glass buildings.
The first of the buildings having attention is St Michael the Archangel (Garrison) Church, which looks very grand from a distance, sitting at the end of the longest pedestrianised street in Eastern Europe, while up close the paint is peeling and it wasn't open.
The street is long, tree-lined and pretty:
It leads all the way to the old town, has many shops of a wide variety, and cafes, but was largely absent people in both!
Some of the older buildings caught the eye:
while others were rather more austere:
I think this might be the Post Office?
Some people!
St Peter & St Paul Basilica, undergoing renovation
My city map listed the above as the Town Hall, but it had this netball court set up in front, a main stage off to the left, it looks more like a church and there were lots of wedding parties around and about, plus their debris:
I never did make my mind up which it was. Now, the ugly side:
The old town is on the peninsular separating the rivers Neris and Nemunas (below) at their confluence.
Vutautas the Great Church (c1400), the oldest in Kaunas
So, a real mixed bag but, like the Estate Agent, I see potential as it is mostly inherently attractive if it can be better presented, and there are plently of places to look at and enjoy a bite or a beverage in Kaunas. I went out to a shopping centre to find a restaurant close to the hotel. It was enormous, rivalling anything in the UK, modern and filled with the regular designer stuff, and I found some of the people there, in the cool! I rethought my summary after the visit - perhaps In Transition is better, as the centre was right next door to the first of my ugly structures above.
It was a smooth ride from Kaunus to Bialystok, a few light showers at the start but on excellent road, once more compliments of the EU, in light traffic. The border had a few police each side but was otherwise unmanned and seamless. The only issue I had was at a fuel stop near my destination. Stopping by the pump, it wasn't zeroed, so I waited and tried several times by lifting the nozzle out of the holster, eventually topping up, paid, then parked to have a bite and sip of something. Entering the shop again, I was aggressively confronted by all four cashiers and accused of filling up twice! The guy who served me then demanded that I could come in the back so he could prove it. On the video, he could see that I had tried to start fuelling before ultimately being successful, looking around at the kiosk when it wouldn't work. He quickly conceded, then apologised,and went back tracking through the recording to see who had done a runner! I contented myself with a Polish sausage and drink while this happened. They all said cheerio when I left, so I guess they identified the offender. Initally, I thought it was a scam.
My hotel was right by the old town, so I went for a look as soon as possible as the sky was darkening and the wind getting up.
Once again, it's a large pedestrian paved area with lots of smart and interesting buildings around, some painted, some carved (cast?) and painted:
I bet these buildings are quite spectacular in the sun!
Katedra Wniebowziecia
I did manage to snap a wedding taking place inside:
It was one of several taking place (Sat) in town, with guests sheltering from the elements where they could and stretch limos in evidence.
I passed several interesting looking museums, but they were only presented in Polish, but I did find this outside one:
Beside it was this list of names, some with photos, presumably exterminated, and a deportation carriage outside. Two policemen were unable to explain it any better to me.
Unfortunately, the rain and wind truncated the walkabout of this interesting and picturesque old town.
As an aside, I do still find it difficult to believe that Polish names are not made up from anagrams of letters picked at random from eye-test cards! The combinations of consonants is a mystery most of the time. Even my SatNav is quite incomprehensible with prompts!
The ride from Bialystok to Warsaw was mixed. The temperature was lovely and the road started with smooth new (more EU) motorway, which I thought would be boring. Oh no, because the middle third hasn't been finished yet! The old and tired highway criss-crossed the roadworks with many bumps, diversions and speed limits. The last was again fine, but the road was much more busy and the drivers neither respect the speed limits, nor comply with the road markings, so it was a wits to the fore ride!
With superb weather for a walkabout, it turned out to be a day of being wowed by Warsaw! Armed with a Warsaw Pass, I took in the Old Town, the Palace of Culture & Science (explained below), a couple of museums and just ran out of time to take in even what I tried to do.
First, the Palace of Culture & Science:
Described as a perfect example of socialist-realist architecture (read Soviet Wedding Cake), it was erected in 1955 as a "gift from the Soviet nations", was seen more as one of Stalin's domination, it is liked by a few but despised by most. It does have lots of culture - 4 theatres, a cinema, 2 orchestras, 2 museums, 2 public libraries, a Tourist Office and, most importantly, a viewing terrace on the 30th floor:
It does offer a commanding view of the city and all its components, old and new:
I was impressed with the public transport - trams, buses, trains - which are all modern, clean and seem to run efficiently. Warsaw Central Station is under the flat roof above+1, and all the station and track are underground, below the multi-lane highway and tram tracks seen in the same photograph.
The Old Town was destroyed during WWII, as was much of Warsaw, but was faithfully rebuilt using paintings:
The (rear of) the Royal Castle is also alongside:
The Old Town square has many very pretty buildings:
I visited two museums - the Polin and the Warsaw Rising and it was in these that I seriously ran out of time. The Polin is an enormous and very modern museum that catalogues the 1,000 years of history of the Jews in Poland. The core exhibition is contained on two floors below ground level!
It would take several days to absorb the very well presented account up to modern times, and it is a very impressive place.
Replica of the Gwozdziec wooden synagogue interior
In 1970, German Chancellor Willy Brandt knelt in front of the above Monument, which was read as an apology for the atrocities and crimes of the Holocaust.
The Warsaw Rising Museum was very interesting - a 1944 63 day failed uprising that saw 200,000 people die, many more injured, and what little was left of Warsaw being razed as a reprisal. Some evidence remains of the damage done during WWII, with these bullet holes in the walls of a building opposite my hotel, kept as a reminder I'm told:
Warsaw seems mostly modern and vibrant, although it still has areas of decay or dilapidation to be redeveloped, but it is very much on the move. I should really come back to do it more justice!
Mixed wet and dry conditions prevailed on the motorway ride from Warsaw to Poznan. Fortunately, the rain held off a little such that I could get a walkabout to its old town, and it was well worthwhile. Different once again, it centred on a large square with some really pretty painted and textured buildings.
The drizzle and lighting probably took some of the prettiness away, as well as some people!
Elsewhere, there were magnificent stone buildings, no doubt some reconstructed, but done so with their classical grandeur:
But, then you get the product of progressive (?) planners putting a mess in the midst of it:
How does anyone think that's a good idea?! Oh, yes, it's a shopping mall so that'll fit in nicely, thank you! Marries up to its neighbour in harmony don't you think?
I'm glad I haven't (yet anyway) had to ride over Poznan's tram tracks. This set at least had some tarmac, whereas other just had cobbles sticking up at all sorts of angles and levels!
I confess I didn't see that much of Poznan but it does possess many of the appealing characterisitics of the other cities I have visited. Each has its own flavour and identity and that has been what has made each stop worthwhile. Its a bit of a closing chapter now as the last 3 stops in Germany, Holland and France are just to get me home, a bit like the outward sections getting me to the start.
So, who turned the thermostat down? Promised 18, I got 10deg and a wind chill shortly after leaving Poznan, causing me to put on my jacket liner for the first time on the trip, as well as changing gloves! What a lovely motorway - flat, wide and quiet, albeit toll based out of Poland, transitioning to bumpy concrete German autobahn with a nose to tail line of trucks taking up one lane and traffic coming up behind at double your speed, another wits about day!
It did warm later, just in time for the long tailback from roadworks near Magdeburg, the engine gave some signals of getting hot but the clutch hydraulics were unaffected. But, I could have done without the liner by then!
As I begin to reflect, the first thing I think about is the two principal themes of the trip - scenery in Scandinavia, changing to old town architecture in the Baltic States and Poland. This was an important distinction, because it would be difficult to have followed the awesome scenery of Norway and that perhaps led to a bit of perceived disappointment in Finland, which could not have been as interesting. However, had I not ridden down Finland, I wouldn't have got to the Baltics and Poland and their delightful old towns.
Secondly, I have been busy with little time doing nothing, so the time and the miles have flown by. I probably got the days off in Olso, Tromso, Helsinki and Warsaw about right within the overall timeframe, but could easily have spent more time in the three capitals. However, I think I also got the overall pace of distances and stopovers right, to allow time to enjoy the journeys as well as the destinations. The planning time paid off.
Reflecting on those two key points, I'm beginning to feel a tinge of disappointment that it is coming to a close but, as I passed through 5,000 miles earlier today en route to Magdeburg, I have felt a considerable sense of achievement too. I won't miss the loading and unloading the bike almost every day, only 3 of each to go, or the uncertainties of weather or road conditions to anticipate.
Meanwhile, the thermostat stayed down and the tap was left dripping until towards the end, when it was turned on and the wind was cranked up for the last part of the longest ride of my trip, from Magdeburg to Eindhoven. I was, however, lucky with the several lots of long roadworks in Germany as the traffic was moving even though it was quite heavy, and there was no other purpose than to get from A to B, which I did!
For the last leg into France, the thermostat was up again, the tap off, thank you, and it was simply idyllic weather conditions to arrive in Calais, rather like those I left behind here as I passed through 5 weeks ago. I didn't succumb to the temptation of taking a train a day early across the channel and get stuck in the Friday rush hour on the M25, so I stuck to the plan to take it easy and stop overnight. I was, however, slightly alarmed to find the hotel car park well occupied by some 30 or so vans of French CRS, the National Police, most in uniform and armed, but thankfully not in full combat kit! I was assured it was just a conference, so it was a good place to be safe if something was going to kick off at the end of the trip!
An early rise made an earlier tunnel train than booked which, in turn, enabled me to make it round the M25 before it turned into a car park! So, it was a smooth ride in decent weather on the last leg home. Musing as it went along, I wondered "What on earth do I do next?" - my expectations were surpassed and the mix of the trip was great, so it would be difficult to better it, especially when taking account of all the previous ones.
At the end, I had visited 12 countries, some twice, a few traversed top to bottom or vice versa, or side to side, contended with a variety of road and weather conditions and an overheating problem, but I had seen some fantastic scenery and architecture, sampled some different cultures and clocked 5,837 miles in the process. Maybe I should just enjoy the memories and the photographs for the moment, and deal with the "To Do" list that has accumulated while I've been away for 5 weeks!
4 comments:
Only just discovered that I can leave a comment!
Some great photos there, Peter, seems like a fantastic tour.
Photo number 136 (I think), I thought that you'd had a good night out.
Bernard.
That should be photo 163 in previous post, but I guess you worked that out.
I did,know which one you would have picked up on, I wonder why?!
What a memorable trip, Peter, with some wonderful photos and interesting comments and observations. It must have taken ages to plan.
I actually checked in to your blog to remind myself of your South Africa adventures, which is where we are going in two weeks.
Judy
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