Monthly Archives: April 2015

Cruising down the Adriatic

Time for an update!

It’s now almost two weeks since I crossed into Croatia and made my way down from the mountains to the Adriatic Sea. Reaching the sea really felt like a big checkpoint for me, and the last days of climbing the hills in Slovenia I’d really been looking forward to this new leg of the trip.

This photo is from when I got my first view of the Adriatic, and had nothing but a 700 meter decent between me and the waterfront. Best feeling in the world.


Down on sea level everything was suddenly so lush and green, and I could even spot the first palm trees of the trip. Seems so werid that those, to me really exotic trees, are actually within biking distance from the Swedish forests.

Rolling down the coastal road was sweet! Probably this road is getting very busy during the summer season, so I was really happy to have it all by myself and actually be able to enjoy the scenery instead of having to focus on dodging traffic.




I decided to go for one of the thousands of islands along the Croatian coast – Pag. Getting off the ferry I felt like I had landed on the moon. There was just. Nothing? I got there quite late in the evening and didn’t really get to see anything apart from this rocky landscape before I found a patch of grass where I could set up camp for the night. A night that actually turned into two.




When I woke up the rain was just pouring down, refusing to stop, so I simply decided to stay put and spend the day curled up in my sleeping bag, reading and drinking absurd amounts of tea with way to much sugar in it.


As I finally got to discover the island, it turned out that Pag was a lot more than just rocky roads and rainy weather. I had one really great day of cycling south along the island, watching countless sheep enjoying the warm sun just like me. The crystal clear ocean and still snowcapped mountains really gave the perfect setting for a slow day in the saddle.




Back on the mainland, the amazing scenery just continued for hours and days on end. You really can’t deny the beauty of the Croatian coast, and though the coastal line is pretty hilly, it was simply really nice and easy cycling.








However, after a few days it got a little too nice and easy, and most of all too touristic for me. And after having lunch with three French guys on a roadtrip through Europe, I decided to shake things up a bit.


Or to be honest, they actually decided it for me. After having prestented the pros and cons with my two options, I simply let them have a vote about the continuation of my trip. A vote that led me up the mountains towards Bosnia & Herzegovina, yet again smiling from ear to ear with the feeling of spontaneous adventure rushing through my mind and body.

So, what did I find on the other side of the mountains? Well, a lot. The next days came to be a lot more intense than I was prepared for, not least emotionally.

Why?

In the next post, I’ll tell you all about it.

By |April 28th, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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Finding Akbar

My reasons for doing this trip are many. In fact explaining them will definitely be a post all in itself one day. This post is just a short one to let you know that as of recently I have a new one. One including an Iranian man called Akbar and a very special 1 Euro coin.

This thing started on my first night in Croatia. After having waited a bit too long in the evening before thinking about where I’d spend the night I found myself checking in at a campsite for the first time since I started this trip. At first this felt like the night was a total faliure, as it seemingly wouldn’t include either beautiful nature nor meeting new people. And sure – staying in a random touristic Croatian campsite sure wasn’t a very scenic experience, but boy was I wrong about the people part!

Luckily another cyclist – Jacques from France – had ended up in the very same situation as me. Being stuck in a way too touristic place to find a decent campspot after dawn that is. Otherwise his situation is really the opposite to mine. Sure, he is also doing a round the world-tour. The big difference though is that he is on his way home. After more than five years on the road he is now doing his last month of pedaling, going back to ‘surprise his mother’ in northern France.

Apart from being a warm, generous and friendly dude with a heavy French accent, having a conversation with Jacques was like going to the movies. The stories he had from his years of adventure were just too many and too good to only have one night to pick his brain. I was just so happy to have ‘failed’ and ended up with my tent next to his that evening.


Jacques…


…showing off…


…the ‘one million degree-hat’ he got from a Turkmen shepherd last winter

However. This is where the coin comes in. When Jacques found out I am headed towards Iran, he quickly set me off on a mission to deliver a note and a coin of luck to his friend Akbar.

Ehrm. OK? Iran is huge. Like really, really huge.

I think Jacques could see my confusion as he handed over the note and coin he wanted me to pass on to his mystery friend in a few months.

“Don’t worry! You don’t have to look for him. He’ll find you.”

And then it all became obvious. I had heard of Akbar before. In fact, he is somewhat of a legend in the bicycle touring community, as he is going out of his way to meet, welcome and take a photo with every single cyclist passing through his town Marand in Iran. With scouting truck drivers calling to let him know everytime cyclists are approaching, he always heads out to meet and welcome them to Iran with open arms.

Apparently Jacques is cyclist number 482 in Akbar’s photo collection. I think that number in itself proofs that my chances of meeting him should be pretty good. And man, I really really want to have my own number in Akbar’s albums :)

So. Delivering a coin of luck Akbar in Iran. Mission impossible?

We’ll just have to wait and see – but I’m definitely keeping my hopes up.

By |April 21st, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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Detouring Slovenia

Ever since the beginning, Slovenia is a country I’ve really been looking forward to cycling through. Before setting off I’d heard so many great things from people who’d been rolling though the country before me, and my expectiations were dangerously high as I crossed in from Austria a week or so ago. Luckily though, I was gonna be far from disappointed.

My initial plan was to pass through eastern Slovenia in a day or two, and then go straight for Croatia. But as I was approaching the border on my second day I just didn’t feel ready to leave so quickly. And after something like a 30 second deliberation (going like: Yes! No.. Yeah? Wtf? Ehh. OK, screw it. Haha, let’s go!) with myself I simply decided to say ‘So long, Zagreb!’ and take a right. A right that would give me three more days in Slovenia, and a feeling of freedom I can’t find the words to describe.

Others have talked about Slovenia, with it’s vineyards and lush rolling landscapes, as a visually gorgeous country. And I couldn’t agree more. For me though, what made me completely fall in love with Slovenia was – once again – the people I met there. Night after night I found myself in the homes of generous and curious people I bumped into along the way, and I couldn’t have asked for a better time. I was so happy to find out that Slovenians actually speak English really well, and to finish off each day of cycling with some proper conversation was great.

What I really love with these homestays is that you never, never know what to expect as you agree to step inside a stranger’s house to share the evening together. A day in the saddle is always filled with so much impressions and unexpected events, but for me the feeling of adventure is definitely peaking just as I cross that threshold and the only thing I know is that I don’t know what’s coming.

Throwing myself in and out of the so vastly different lives people are living really is extremely rewarding. Spending one night with 30-year-old Borut in central Maribor, having pizza and cracking jokes about communism – and the very next one in the middle of nowhere, listening to an older couple telling their stories from ‘the beautiful days of former Yugoslavia’ with a nostalgic glimmer in their eyes. There’s simply nothing that can beat that.

So, what about the cycling? Well. It’s been great. The sun is smiling at me and instead of choosig how many layers of clothing to use I’ve been deciding on what sunscreen to use. Awesome. And yeah – the vineyards and green landscapes people were talking about were just as beautiful as I’d been told. Slovenia is definitely hilly, but who cares about some climbing when you’re always rewarded with a postcard view and then a nice downhill? Every day everything seemed to become a little greener, and I wish I could come back to see it all again in its prime in a few months.

Right now though, I’ve continued into Croatia and the Adriatic sea. But as usual, you’ll hear about my time here in the next blog post. (Teaser: It’s pretty damn nice.)

Have a great weekend!

Fredrika

By |April 18th, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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Back to where it all started

Out of the 8 European countries I passed on my last tour, Austria with it’s amazing landscapes, was my favorite one. So going into it, I knew that I was in for some hard – but always very rewarding – work. I had a physically tough first day with lots of steep and long climbs, and as the sun still was nowhere to be seen, it all initally seemed like a lot more work than reward.

Luckily though, my very first night on Austrian ground ended with a great homestay with a family of farmers who adopted me for the evening. While the parents and kids were so happy and curious to take me in, the grandmother Marie who also lived in the house wasn’t very impressed with the new guest. She simply coulnd’t understand why on Earth someone would travel from Sweden to their tiny, tiny town – ON A BICYCLE?!? And what’s up with the weird German the girl is trying to speak? Something must be up. For sure. I wish I’d have the guts to snap a picture of Marie before she went to bed, still shaking her head.


Magdalena showing off her new favorites on the farm

The next days things really changed and I suddenly got a whole lot of reward for very little work. The sun was back, smiling at me for the first time in what seemed like weeks. And I had a full hour of just rolling downhill, watching the great scenery as I made my way down to the Danube. Reaching the river was such a cool feeling. I was back. Cycling along the Danube is where I first fell in love with bicycle touring, and rolling in my own wheel tracks for the first and last time was a truly unique experience. What if I’d known then, that I’d be back less than two years later? Like this? Absurd.

The rest of my way through Austria has been just what I hoped for. I’ve done a few passes above 1 200 m and the views have just been breathtaking. Last time I was here it was in early fall, so it has been reall nice to also get to experience the spring as the Alps still are totally snowcovered. While I’m doing my best to stay in the moment and take in the majestic mountains and amazing views, I’ve again and again been catching myself with thinking about the mountains in Central Asia and what’s still ahead of me. There really is nothing I’m as excited about as climbing those hills in and around Kirgizistan. But that’ll be a whole other chapter…


The Alps really make you work for it…


…but the rewards are always worth it

Today is my last day in Austria and I’m spending it in Graz. I’ve rolled down from the mountains and it’s so warm down here! The last few weeks I’ve really been dreaming about warm weather and now it’s finally here. I couldn’t be happier and today I’m walking around in shorts and t-shirt for the very first time.

Tomorrow I’m crossing into Slovenia, heading straight for Maribor :)

By |April 11th, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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Czech Republic

Heading into Czech Republic I didn’t really have any expectations. This was a country that I before this trip barely knew anything about, apart from the name of a few beer brands. As I crossed in from Germany, the weather was still a big focus for me. The cold and rain simply didn’t want to give in and I spent a lot of effort making sure not to get too cold. Or too warm for that matter, as breaking a sweat is a sure recepie for freezing later down the road.

Right after the border I got to do my first actual climbing of the trip. As always when your body gets to take on something it’s not used to, this was hard work. However, I was too busy watching the snow increase with the altitude to really take notice of my legs begging for rest. The first two days I spent far away from any real towns or cities, and I had a couple of really nice days and nights before reaching the capital.

I’ve been wondering a lot on when this would happen, and just as I rolled into Prague it finally did. I found my first other bicycle tourers! My time in Prague couldn’t have started in a better way than to bump into Ellie and Tom who, like me, had been cycling from Dresden a few days earlier. To celebrate our arrival and meeting we rode together into the old town, fetched some maps and then sat down to share a bunch of stories from the road and a few Czech beers. This was really a great experience, and a first taste of what awaits as I’m convinced that these meetings will beome more and more frequent in the near future.

I stayed in Prague for a couple of days, in the company of yet another cyclist – Jirka, who I’d gotten in touch with through the online cycling community Warmshowers. He really made sure to give me a great time and acted as my guide, roomie, chef and overall partner in crime during my stay. And I think it’s worth stating again, there really is nothing better than experiencing a city together with a local who actually knows about all the hidden gems that can’t be found in the guidebooks.

Overall, I had a great time with big contrasts in Czech Republic. After leaving Prague I once again found myself out and about on small backroads with barely no people around. Usually I really appreciate these days but a bit to much snow made me long back to Jirka’s warm apartment as I was pushing forward towards the Austrian border.

How I stay motivated when things aren’t ideal? Well, there are many ways. But one that I found particularly effective on my way through Czech Rep. was cramming a pannier full with chocolate! This also seem to work very well when things actually are ideal…

Ok, that’s all for now.

So, as Jirka would say – Na shledanou!

By |April 11th, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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Big storms – Bigger hearts

The last week has been intense to say the least. First off I had a couple of really great days in Berlin. Without a care in the world I was really enjoying myself with the great company of new made friends. One thing I absolutely love about travelling like this is that experiencing a capital or city not only means going to see the main sights and a couple of museums like the typical tourist. To also get to dive straight into peoples’ lives, and tag along with some proper locals – a great group of Berlin students in this case – is nothing but magical. Had I known what I soon was in for, I probably would have enjoyed these effortless ‘roof over my head days’ even more than I did.

When I left Berlin on Tuesday I did so without having checked the weather forecast. And little did I know that the heaviest storm Germany had seen in years would come crashing in just a couple of hours later. Hurricane Niklas came without mercy and was really an extreme experience. I started the day with the mindset of just doing some easy cycling to recover from partying in Berlin, and was very surprised when I suddenly found myself in the middle of a roaring storm. Later I learned that the winds had been measured up to 200 km/h which is totally insane. Over and over again I had to stop completely, just trying to stand still and keep my balance as the wind and rain was whipping my body from side to side.

That my plan of wild camping in the forest was totally out of question became pretty clear as the trees were falling like jackstraws around me. With nothing but these tiny villages surrounded by deep forests around me it was far from obvious how the night would end. But as always, when things get tough, they turn out great in the most unexpected ways.

In the village Kemlitz, consisting of 64 people, I found myself rescued by this amzing family who just happened to have a spare room for the night. In 10 minutes I went from being soaked, totally exhaused and without a clue on how things would turn out, to standing in the shower, with my very own room and lovely people waiting with food and great conversation. Absolutely dreamlike.

The actual hurricane was over in one night, but the stormy weather was constant for the next couple of days. Hail storms, headwinds and snow made the journey to Dresden a lot more demanding than it was supposed to be. But in so many ways I’m grateful for the horrible conditions I’ve had in Germany. Without them I would have missed out on a bunch of people I now feel so lucky to have met.

In Dresden I once again was welcomed into a warm and loving home of some wonderfully generous people. Without thinking twice they not only helped me wash my clothes and fix my gear, but they also let me be part of their Eastern family celebrations. Getting to take join in on their traditions and find myself crawling around on the floor, searching for sweets the Eastern Bunny had left me was the perfect ending to a pretty rough week.

The generousity and kindness people show me is so moving, and it’s really these meetings that make the strongest memories. Sure, trying to ride my bike through a hurricane is something I’ll definitely remember. But having 5-year-old Telli teach me German words before bedtime, and then share a bottle of wine with his parents is simply something I’ll never forget. Same goes for discovering Dresden with my German ‘stand in parents’ while waiting out the last day of the storm.

Right now I’ve already spent a few days in Czech Republic, and a lot has happened since I left Germany. But that you won’t be hearing about until the next blog post, because I’ll probably be fast asleep in like 5 minutes…

Goodnight from Prague :) Take care!

By |April 6th, 2015|Europe, Travel Logs|
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