So here's the tale of my travels from Oslo to Gothenborg:

I have to start by saying that I take back everything I said before about Norwegians. Either there was a big sampling bias, or in the south of Norway people are just much friendlier (colder climate - colder people). Whichever way it was, literally every single person I interacted with in Norway after arriving to Oslo, was extremely nice and friendly. So apologies for my prejudices and thanks for being nice!

In fact, I should probably start with my train journey from Trondheim to Oslo. Because the route was really, really beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that I almost wished I would have biked that way too - until we reached a stop that was indicated with 1000 something metres above sea level, at which point I was very glad that I was in the train instead. Although, maybe, taking the train up there and then going downhill would have been an option.

From Oslo, I cycled on for a few kilometres on the same day, to be able to get to Gothenborg for the day that I had booked my ferry. Cycling seems to be a very popular sport in all of Norway, as both around Trondheim and around Oslo there were so many cyclists everywhere. Although, I must say, that probably the Trondheim people are quite a lot fitter than the ones in Oslo, simply because of the relief of the place where they train. Anyways, biking in Oslo (or out of Oslo really) was very nice in so far that there were cycle paths everywhere and I basically just had to follow the many other bikers if I got lost (because of construction blocking the cycle path which happened a lot throughout the whole trip). On the other hand, I quickly felt like being in the way as there were so many cyclists on the bike path and a traffic jam on the road next to us so it was getting hard for them to pass me by. But exiting Oslo quickly the numbers of cyclists decreased and soon I was left to myself again. I must say that closer to Oslo cars were driving much more carefully and actually following the law when they passed me, which became less so when I was further away from the city but still much better in general than what it was like in the north of the country.

Also, I thought that literally cycling straight south, following a major highway could not be so difficult, so I didn't look at the map too closely and soon I was lost for the first time. Now, I should mention here how I navigate: I have google maps images downloaded onto my computer so I can access them without internet. I do not have any printout map at all (mostly because I didn't fancy carrying cycling maps for the whole stretch from Trondheim to Izmir, which would be a small library and too much for me to carry. Also, of course, there is at least one major international bike route going from Oslo to Gothenborg so I never thought it might be difficult to find the way. And it was not, in the beginning, as I was just following the signs for the cycle route that went in the right direction (i.e. south). The downside was, that I always had to be on the look-out for the next bike sign, meaning that I had very little time and focus left to enjoy the countryside. I knew already from getting there by ferry a month ago that the Oslo Fjord was also very impressive but there was not really a place with a good view on it anyways. And soon I left the coast and was just biking inland through villages, forests and fields. The cycle route I was following took a wrong turn at one point and I ended up following a different one for a while but suddenly I was in a small village and the cycle route turned north and I was lost. There were not really any people I could ask so I stopped, turned on my computer, tried to find where I had ended up and decided that I had no option but to go back the way I came to find the proper way again. Going back the way I came soon brought light to the problem as it turned out that I had followed a route that would actually take me to where I was supposed to go, only I had followed it in the wrong direction from the last turn. That's the problem when the signs just consist of a number and an arrow and don't say which place (or direction) they are going to. So I followed the right way again but again, due to the fact that I did not recognize any of the names of the little villages and that there were no signs anywhere telling me how far it is to the closest city (of which I memorized the name), I didn't know really where I was and how far I should still go on that day and seeing that I had made plans to bike rather easily to Gothenborg in the time I had, I decided to stop when I came into a nice forest and I was tired. It was still quite early and I could have gone on but I was frustrated with the bike path and my legs were still tired even though I hadn't biked that much lately. I found a nice spot to sleep (although without a river nearby this time), went for a short walk and then laid down to sleep. At night I got woken up by a mouse family that tried to conquer my backpack which I used as pillow. I also saw the moon and the stars and there was no rain this time. In fact, since Oslo the weather was actually better than the forecast, for once! The next day I continued and soon arrived at the lake that I had actually planned to sleep at. I stopped anyways to take a swim, as I hadn't had the chance to wash myself the day before. To be honest, since Oslo washing has turned from something I did every night before going to sleep to something I did whenever there was a lake or river. Contrary to what it was like in the north, rivers and lakes here had to be searched for and water was not ever present. And even when there was a river, often times the water was not suited for drinking, so my drinking water supply soon came from shopping centres, fastfood restaurants, football fields and the like. Luckily I always found something but it was very different from the Trondheim area where I could always rely on finding something whenever I needed it. Here it was more necessary to use the few places I found and fill up all the bottles I had whenever I could.

So, after the swim I continued and I knew that, if I wanted to arrive in Gothenborg on time, I needed to cross the border to Sweden that night. It was more than 100 km because I hadn't biked as far as intended on the day before but it was also quite flat (compared to Trondheim in any case), and I knew I could do it. And getting to the border was no problem really, only, there was one bridge for the highway and one for everyone else. And I could see how I could cross the highway bridge, had I been allowed to go on there but I just couldn't find how to cross the river into Sweden on a bike. I was lost for about 3 hours (no lie) about 10 km away from the border. Everything had been going according to plan but I would never have thought that it could be so difficult to find the bicycle trail that crosses into Sweden. It was quite ridiculous and I only found out way too late what was going on: because some of the maps that I found next to the road weren't detailed enough to show both bridges I just never knew that the bridge I needed was right next to the highway bridge but I thought I would have to go to the village that was about 15 km away. So I followed the bicycle signs there only to find out that I had been almost where I had had to go but the bike sign was not by the intersection, it was a few hundred meters down from there. I would have seen it, had I known which way I had to go. It seemed quite stupid to place these signs so that you have to know which way to go in order to be able to follow them. On the other hand, I must admit that sometimes these signs get lost or turned or vandalised (actually I think a sign that had been turned deliberately to face a different direction was the reason why I had gotten lost the day before). But still it wouldn't have been nice to have a sign actually at the intersection and not a hundred metres further down.

Well, so I finally managed to cross the bridge getting into Sweden at sunset. Remember the less than impressive border crossing into Sweden coming from Trondheim that I wrote about? Well, this one was quite impressive because of the deep bed that the river had carved into the rock and the sunset looking fantastic on it (I have pictures which I will upload soon) but other than that, the actual border was basically not there: there was a white line painted on the road saying "Norway" on one side and "Sweden" on the other. That was it. Welcome to the European Union! (There was not even an EU sign anywhere this time!)

And arriving in Sweden - no surprise this time: the first thing you get to before you get into a "real" village" is a big shopping place with lots of stores - luckily open until 9. I paid with Norwegian cash and (unexpectedly) even got my change back in Norwegian money. Why on Earth they make a country border only so you can buy cheaper stuff but then you are basically still in Norway... The whole system seems very stupid to me. I mean: honestly: there was a white line painted on the ground to indicate the other country, the use Norwegian cash in the supermarket but sell the products by Swedish prices. What is all of this for? Countries seem to be so outdated really!

Either way, I had achieved the goal of crossing the border, it was getting dark and next to the shopping infrastructure there was an outcast infrastructure in the form of a nice forest to sleep in. I went there, laid down, looked at the moon and the stars until I fell asleep and was woken up in the early morning by a fox barking, whose territory I had clearly violated with my choice of sleeping spot. He did not dare come closer (luckily) he just stayed barking at me for a few minutes and then went off to defend his territory at a different place. I was awake early and I was somewhat behind schedule so I got up immediately and had breakfast. I had gotten used to buying milk and yoghurt and müsli in the evening to have it for dinner and breakfast, which worked well. Over night the milk wouldn't go bad and I didn't have to transport it for far. And, honestly, because of all the exercise I did, it became quite hard to eat enough to keep up with the energy spent, so eating müsli helped a lot. Also, I forgot to mention: since Oslo it was always nice and warm, which was a really nice change from Trondheim. Even the nights were warm and dry, so it had gotten quite comfortable to sleep outside in the forest.

In Sweden, unexpectedly, things became easier: there was a road literally following the highway and it also had the same name (E6), so it was obvious that it would follow the E6. There were rather few cars on it and the few that there were drove fast but passed me with enough distance so it was fine. Because of this road, the next 100 km were quite an easy task: literally just follow this road. Of course, it would have been too easy had it only been that, end every now and again there came an intersection where it was unclear which road was the E6, and once even there was a "no bicycle" sign on the E6 and the bicycle route (luckily with signs) went a different way. I followed that one (not voluntarily but I had no choice) and landed far off the highway on an unpaved road next to a beautiful fjord, but what did all the beauty help me when I didn't know where to go and when, rather than going south, where I needed to go, I went west? I was just getting pissed, when, for the first time on the whole trip I saw a sign indicating what I had actually been looking for all this time: the North Sea Cycle Route! I had finally found it. This, honestly, was the very reason why I was here. Years ago, when I first learned about the existence of this route, I decided I wanted to bike it one day. And since then, every single summer I planned to do it, but, by March, at the very latest, I knew every year that I wouldn't have the time or money to do it that year. When I moved to Kiel last year, I decided the time has come and I would definitely bike at least part of it (in total it is 6000 km) while I still live there. So, since I am moving away, I had to do it now. I also thought, for two minutes, that I was finally saved and all I had to do was follow the signs from now on. I was clearly wrong! I followed the North Sea Cycle Route for maybe a kilometre - and literally all of it I had to walk my bike. First there was an uphill slope so steep with my luggage I had troubles even walking my bike up there. And as soon as the slope ended the bike route turned onto a gravel path with gravel so big and pointy I was scared it would break my tires even when I walked my bike (riding it was no option at all with the luggage I had). So as soon as I saw a major road with the E6 sign on it, I said good-bye to my dream and followed the road again.

The weather forecast was a little worse than reality this time but most of all it was widely correct so I knew there was rain coming that night. So I had to go on a look-out for bridges. Which is difficult in a place where there are barely any rivers. I ended up sleeping under the highway bridge, which was not the nicest place but it was fine for one night. And the next day I only had about 80 km left to get into Gothenburg, which was a relief as I was getting really tired and every day a different part of my body hurt (well, my legs mainly but different parts of them). So the last day I was very glad that I could mainly follow the E6 road. Only: it had been raining at night as forecasted but the rain stopped before the morning. But I woke up to very dense fog and I did not want to arrive in Gothenburg too late as I still needed to check into a hostel and I hadn't reserved anything so was prepared to have to try one or two before I get a place. I didn't book because there were so many hostels in Gothenburg but that meant I didn't want to wait for an unknown amount of time for the fog to disappear. But cycling on the road with cars that drive rather fast felt really dangerous with what felt like 10 m visibility. So I decided to set off as early as I could. It was Sunday (I vaguely remembered) and there were very few cars on the road (even on the highway) in the early morning. Obviously the view of the countryside was 0, but then it hadn't changed much since I had left Oslo, really. Of course, following the coast would have been nicer but it would also have taken more than twice the time. I started wondering if I should have planned this better...

Well, to make this short: I survived, the fog stayed forever but was not so dense any more after an hour or so when cars started to become more frequent appearances. I arrived at Gothenburg safe and sound at 5.30 pm, which I was quite proud of. I even managed to find the youth hostel immediately. Only problem was: it was closed. At 5.30 on a Sunday afternoon. Which felt quite ridiculous and I was clearly not prepared for that. So I asked around for another hostel, which I was easily directed to and paid double the price there for a room for myself. After not being able to sleep in the hostel in Trondheim I thought maybe that would not be such a bad idea and - more importantly - I knew that most other hostels were in a different part of town and this one was very close to the ferry that I was going to take the next morning at 8 am (i.e. I had to be there at 7 am), so this was my best option.

And, next to that, getting to the hostel I was very surprised to find that Gothenburg was actually really nice for a city. Not only did it have perfect cycling infrastructure - separate from walking paths and with lots of signs doing a pretty good job at directing you where you needed to go. Which, by the way, was also very helpful (and very different to Norway) when entering the city in the first place. But it also had nice canals, and a very relaxed feeling to it. So I just dumped my stuff in the hostel, had a shower and left again to take a walk through the city. And again I wished I could have stayed there for a day, but my ferry was booked. So I took the time I had, and enjoyed a nice stroll and decided to leave the internet stuff until late at night.

Stupidly, again, I did not sleep much in my single room with nice bed. It seems like my body didn't like beds any more. I left early in the morning to go on the ferry. I just got onto the ferry when a beautiful rainbow advertised the rain to come. Actually, rainbows had been the theme of my stay in Sweden and Norway, only, they are really hard to photograph, so I do not have a good picture but I certainly saw many. And it fit very well to see one upon departure.The picture of this post was taken from the ferry looking towards Gothenburg when the rainbow was almost vanishing.

I will write about the Denmark part in the next blog post, but wanted to add a few more thoughts on this blog (the 4 pages are not full yet :P ).

Sleeping outside under the stars in the forest, on the beach or even under a bridge has quickly become so normal to me, it didn't bother me any more. Also, since it is legal in Norway and Sweden, this made it quite easy. And in Sweden houses seemed to be more concentrated around actual villages, which made it even easier to find unpopulated areas in-between where I could easily find a place to put down my sleeping bag. So the sleeping part was no problem. The washing part became more problematic, as mentioned, in the south, due to lack of water, but I also got used to being sweaty and smelly and I stopped feeling bad about it. At the start I felt like I couldn't just go and sit in a café (for internet access, for example) when I smell like I did, but by the time I arrived at Gothenburg I had stopped caring. As I mentioned, I had also found my ways to get drinking water when I needed it, and even when there was no bridges, for a short rainfall there were always bus stops or something the like where I could find shelter for an hour or so. So all of this was fine. What did bother me was the food, actually. Because, on the one hand I had wanted to get away from civilization and I was sleeping in the forest and refusing motorized transport but I had gotten into a habit of buying at supermarkets at least once a day. Of course, I could just have bought bread and cheese for several days and eaten only that but it got boring very soon, it was not enough anyways, and I passed by supermarkets so often, so why not just go in there? Also, it was easier than transporting a lot on my bike. So this felt very much like a contradiction to what my original goal was, so I had to start thinking about what my original goal was and whether I was actually achieving it. And I found that my original goal was not so much about sustainable travel (although that would have been nice but it was not my first goal), and more about slow travel. My life has become so fast in many ways in the past years that I just wanted time to relax and, for a change, to actually experience the road and not just get on a plane and end up at the other end of the world and go on with life there. Only, I had to admit to myself: I was not relaxed and I was not travelling slowly. I was basically just rushing through life on a bike rather than on a plane this time. I often saw nice places on the road and thought: "oh, this is nice", and went on, because I needed to cover the distance I had planned and did not have time to stop. Even now, I remember single places and episodes of the last few days but I cannot even remember in which country they were. So I had to acknowledge that I had to give up on my original plan. Which was difficult, because it was exhausting and I had gotten into a competition with myself, but the goal was never to convince myself (or anyone else) that I could bike 6000 km in two months. The answer, if you want to know, is no. I can't. At least not with that much luggage. And I don't care too much really (now), because the goal was to have a relaxed journey to Turkey and not to prove that I could do it. But it took my quite some time to accept this, as I had been really convinced of my plan until then. But, okay, I gave up and I decided to take the train from Kiel to Austria in order to save time and to be able to enjoy at least the last part of my journey along the Danube to the Black Sea. And it would give me some time to think about things still. So: no, it was not an enjoyable experience to bike the fastest way from Oslo to Gothenburg, but at least it helped me find out what I really wanted and I finally got to terms with my supposed failure of achieving my goal to bike the whole way. Should I ever go back to the area by bike I would definitely take a lot more time and follow the coast, but I still do prefer to bike on asphalt so I am not sure if I would actually take the North Sea Cycle Route after all. But in any case, the plan is not to be back there any time soon.