Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Photos 6
Photo 1
Jon, Oddmund, Åge - the king crab fishers
Photo 2
King crab - monster!
Photo 3
Ugh...
Photo 4
The fort at Vardø
Photo 5
Grense Jakobselv - the end of Norway and border of Russia
Jon, Oddmund, Åge - the king crab fishers
Photo 2
King crab - monster!
Photo 3
Ugh...
Photo 4
The fort at Vardø
Photo 5
Grense Jakobselv - the end of Norway and border of Russia
Kirkenes!
Gday all,
The lively city of Tromsø hosted us a further few days - met more fantastic people, became good friends with Eric's waffle iron, and even made it to Finland for a day. Jon presumed one of us had knowledge of how to drive a van (....4 months since I was last behind the wheel?), so when I dug the wheels deep into Eric's driveway while reversing at 8 o'clock on a Friday morning....let's just say neighbour Lars had an early appointment with a tow rope, his car and a stranded Nissan King van.
A little later than planned, Guus, Jeff and myself were hurtling down the E6/E8, taking a turn at Birtavarre for 25km of rough road into the hills. With scenery similar to Scotland (and weather conditions to match...), we eventually climbed our way across the Norwegian border and onto the summit of Halti - Finland's highest peak.
Monday afternoon and Tromsø city faded in the distance as we joined up with the E6 northbound. Good to be back on the bikes and the amazing coast road lead us to Alta. Riding uphill through forests of autumn colours, the landscape soon changed to a seemingly endless plateau, broken only by the road and occasional Sami communities. Onto the 94 to Hammerfest - the city illuminated under the glow from a huge flare stack at the recently opened gas works. Aboard the Hurtigruten ferry to Havøysund, we rode south on the 889 into our fiercest headwind yet (30km covered in 4 hours!!!). Good to change direction and head north again, our progress on the E69 halted when Guus' pedal crank snapped in 2...for the second time! This had occurred the previous day and been repaired by an obliging local. We were fortunate with a hitch into Honningsvåg from Odd and a visit to the bike shop the following day. Nordkapp was our next stop and an evening hike to camp at Knivsjelodden (the "true" North cape, but no road there so keeps the tourists away!).
Boarding the Hurtigruten once again to Kjøllefjord where we were fortunate to stay with the Hansens. Guus and I joined fisherman Oddmund the following day fishing for king crab - 224 hauled up in the cages! An amazing trip...yet again, my stomach was not intended for life on the open seas. Things had improved by the evening when we feasted on the catch of the day...superb. Frank took us to Skjøtningberg, Gamvik and dropped us at Mehamn 5 minutes before our boat was due to leave. North Norwegian timing...perfect. To Berlevåg, Båtsfjord and a 4am arrival into Vardø. Explored the fort on this island before riding along the coast to Vadsø and Kirkenes. Caught up with Kjell Arne (met on Svalbard) and he and girlfriend Kristan are now showing us the sights of Kirkenes and surrounds. Took a trip to Grense Jacobselv yesterday - the end of Norway and the heavily-patrolled Russian border. We've just finished off an interview with the 'Finnmarken' paper, a local assured us our trip would be of interest to the general public! Too bad we'll be in Finland when it goes to press next week!
The lively city of Tromsø hosted us a further few days - met more fantastic people, became good friends with Eric's waffle iron, and even made it to Finland for a day. Jon presumed one of us had knowledge of how to drive a van (....4 months since I was last behind the wheel?), so when I dug the wheels deep into Eric's driveway while reversing at 8 o'clock on a Friday morning....let's just say neighbour Lars had an early appointment with a tow rope, his car and a stranded Nissan King van.
A little later than planned, Guus, Jeff and myself were hurtling down the E6/E8, taking a turn at Birtavarre for 25km of rough road into the hills. With scenery similar to Scotland (and weather conditions to match...), we eventually climbed our way across the Norwegian border and onto the summit of Halti - Finland's highest peak.
Monday afternoon and Tromsø city faded in the distance as we joined up with the E6 northbound. Good to be back on the bikes and the amazing coast road lead us to Alta. Riding uphill through forests of autumn colours, the landscape soon changed to a seemingly endless plateau, broken only by the road and occasional Sami communities. Onto the 94 to Hammerfest - the city illuminated under the glow from a huge flare stack at the recently opened gas works. Aboard the Hurtigruten ferry to Havøysund, we rode south on the 889 into our fiercest headwind yet (30km covered in 4 hours!!!). Good to change direction and head north again, our progress on the E69 halted when Guus' pedal crank snapped in 2...for the second time! This had occurred the previous day and been repaired by an obliging local. We were fortunate with a hitch into Honningsvåg from Odd and a visit to the bike shop the following day. Nordkapp was our next stop and an evening hike to camp at Knivsjelodden (the "true" North cape, but no road there so keeps the tourists away!).
Boarding the Hurtigruten once again to Kjøllefjord where we were fortunate to stay with the Hansens. Guus and I joined fisherman Oddmund the following day fishing for king crab - 224 hauled up in the cages! An amazing trip...yet again, my stomach was not intended for life on the open seas. Things had improved by the evening when we feasted on the catch of the day...superb. Frank took us to Skjøtningberg, Gamvik and dropped us at Mehamn 5 minutes before our boat was due to leave. North Norwegian timing...perfect. To Berlevåg, Båtsfjord and a 4am arrival into Vardø. Explored the fort on this island before riding along the coast to Vadsø and Kirkenes. Caught up with Kjell Arne (met on Svalbard) and he and girlfriend Kristan are now showing us the sights of Kirkenes and surrounds. Took a trip to Grense Jacobselv yesterday - the end of Norway and the heavily-patrolled Russian border. We've just finished off an interview with the 'Finnmarken' paper, a local assured us our trip would be of interest to the general public! Too bad we'll be in Finland when it goes to press next week!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Photos 5
Photo 1
A ridge high between Barentsburg and Longyearbyen
Photo 2
5-star accommodation in the valley
Photo 3
The abandoned mining community of Pyramiden, overlooked by the world's northernmost bust of Lenin!
Photo 4
A huge glacier front. Can you spot the polar bear to the right??....neither can I
Photo 5
Xbox showdown in Tromsø with Jon, Eric, Jeff and Guus....nerds
A ridge high between Barentsburg and Longyearbyen
Photo 2
5-star accommodation in the valley
Photo 3
The abandoned mining community of Pyramiden, overlooked by the world's northernmost bust of Lenin!
Photo 4
A huge glacier front. Can you spot the polar bear to the right??....neither can I
Photo 5
Xbox showdown in Tromsø with Jon, Eric, Jeff and Guus....nerds
Photos 4
Photo 1
Evening light over Longyearbyen
Photo 2
A Longyearbyen local
Photo 3
It's cold here in the north....and winter's not here yet
Photo 4
High street, Barentsburg
Photo 5
A ptarmigan, the only bird to stay year round on Svalbard
Evening light over Longyearbyen
Photo 2
A Longyearbyen local
Photo 3
It's cold here in the north....and winter's not here yet
Photo 4
High street, Barentsburg
Photo 5
A ptarmigan, the only bird to stay year round on Svalbard
Svalbard summarised
G'day all,
Back to Monday the 20th of August, location: Tromsø airport. Dropped off by Eric and soon on board an SAS flight to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. A 1.5 hour flight to 78 degrees north accompanied by a substantial drop in temperature as we hit the tarmac. The views flying in were amazing, 60% of the archipelago is glacier. From the airport I hitched a ride 4km into the town centre, home for around 2000 inhabitants - Norwegians, Thais, Swedes and nationalities that account for 26 different languages existing in Longyearbyen!
After speaking with a few helpful locals I soon found myself holding the key to a 2 room apartment. Accommodation in Longyearbyen is pricey and hard to come by so to have this place...gratis...for the next 10 days was a great start. I met with Oskar from Sweden and Cris from Norway - fantastic guys full of local knowledge and advice. With the midnight sun in the sky for another 3 days, Cris and I headed out hunting into the surrounding valleys. No geese out at 2am however...
Guus arrived from Tromsø on Thursday, stocked up with some fresh supplies that were triple the mainland price in Longyearbyen! The next couple of days saw us riding (good to have borrowed bikes!) around town organising ourselves for an independent hike. Carrying a firearm outside the settlements of Svalbard is highly recommended due the the possibility of encountering polar bears, so we were soon in possession of a Mauser (from WWII!) and 20 rounds of ammo...hopefully more than enough. In addition we acquired a flare-trip wire system for around the tent, crampons and a few other bits and pieces. Another hunt with Cris, this time into the freezing swamp they call Adventdalen. Our toes were still thawing out for a midnight ride out to Bjørndalen (bear valley!). Nice valley, no bears. Next day and an evening hike up 1050m Nordenskiold was supposed to afford fabulous views over Longyearbyen. Snow and fog decided to change that idea...Great hike anyhow. A late night venture to the shooting range with Oskar allowed us to get to grips with the Mauser...bang bang.
The sun shone the next day as we sailed to the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg. Arriving to an industrial town that appeared to be a piece of Russia on Norwegian territory, we were entertained by the locals celebrating their "miner's day". Vodka + Russian and Ukrainian miners...whoa! We had a short tour with a guide around the interesting town centre - my favourite site being the sports hall, adorned with a huge steel replica of the olympic rings. Not placed here because Barentsburg had hosted the games, but in the words of the guide "....because it looks nice". Brilliant. The IOC would love that.
The boat left to return to Longyearbyen as Guus and I continued to explore the town before heading into the hills late evening. The next 3 days on foot took us over hills, through rivers (brrr!) and across glaciers back to Longyearbyen. We encountered plenty of reindeer but no humans or polar bears in these truly stunning surroundings. 1.30am and we found ourselves on a ridge with the sun setting over the hills to the west and the full moon rising above the enormous Reindalen (reindeer valley) to the east. An unforgettable experience.
Returning to Longyearbyen early morning we managed a few hours sleep before taking a boat north to Pyramiden. A guide took us around this fascinating abandoned mining town, the last coal being taken from the mines in 1998. A once large and very independent community is now occupied by a mere 5 Russian men. On the boat we ventured to some enormous glacier fronts and were told of Svalbard's numerous "surge" glaciers, one particular glacier retreated 35 meters per day! Back to pack and the following day we left for Tromsø.
Jon has continued to be a great host here in Tromsø with parties, fishing and XBox battles. We'll call Tromsø home until Monday when we load up the bikes and continue on the road north. Hope all are well
Back to Monday the 20th of August, location: Tromsø airport. Dropped off by Eric and soon on board an SAS flight to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. A 1.5 hour flight to 78 degrees north accompanied by a substantial drop in temperature as we hit the tarmac. The views flying in were amazing, 60% of the archipelago is glacier. From the airport I hitched a ride 4km into the town centre, home for around 2000 inhabitants - Norwegians, Thais, Swedes and nationalities that account for 26 different languages existing in Longyearbyen!
After speaking with a few helpful locals I soon found myself holding the key to a 2 room apartment. Accommodation in Longyearbyen is pricey and hard to come by so to have this place...gratis...for the next 10 days was a great start. I met with Oskar from Sweden and Cris from Norway - fantastic guys full of local knowledge and advice. With the midnight sun in the sky for another 3 days, Cris and I headed out hunting into the surrounding valleys. No geese out at 2am however...
Guus arrived from Tromsø on Thursday, stocked up with some fresh supplies that were triple the mainland price in Longyearbyen! The next couple of days saw us riding (good to have borrowed bikes!) around town organising ourselves for an independent hike. Carrying a firearm outside the settlements of Svalbard is highly recommended due the the possibility of encountering polar bears, so we were soon in possession of a Mauser (from WWII!) and 20 rounds of ammo...hopefully more than enough. In addition we acquired a flare-trip wire system for around the tent, crampons and a few other bits and pieces. Another hunt with Cris, this time into the freezing swamp they call Adventdalen. Our toes were still thawing out for a midnight ride out to Bjørndalen (bear valley!). Nice valley, no bears. Next day and an evening hike up 1050m Nordenskiold was supposed to afford fabulous views over Longyearbyen. Snow and fog decided to change that idea...Great hike anyhow. A late night venture to the shooting range with Oskar allowed us to get to grips with the Mauser...bang bang.
The sun shone the next day as we sailed to the Russian mining settlement of Barentsburg. Arriving to an industrial town that appeared to be a piece of Russia on Norwegian territory, we were entertained by the locals celebrating their "miner's day". Vodka + Russian and Ukrainian miners...whoa! We had a short tour with a guide around the interesting town centre - my favourite site being the sports hall, adorned with a huge steel replica of the olympic rings. Not placed here because Barentsburg had hosted the games, but in the words of the guide "....because it looks nice". Brilliant. The IOC would love that.
The boat left to return to Longyearbyen as Guus and I continued to explore the town before heading into the hills late evening. The next 3 days on foot took us over hills, through rivers (brrr!) and across glaciers back to Longyearbyen. We encountered plenty of reindeer but no humans or polar bears in these truly stunning surroundings. 1.30am and we found ourselves on a ridge with the sun setting over the hills to the west and the full moon rising above the enormous Reindalen (reindeer valley) to the east. An unforgettable experience.
Returning to Longyearbyen early morning we managed a few hours sleep before taking a boat north to Pyramiden. A guide took us around this fascinating abandoned mining town, the last coal being taken from the mines in 1998. A once large and very independent community is now occupied by a mere 5 Russian men. On the boat we ventured to some enormous glacier fronts and were told of Svalbard's numerous "surge" glaciers, one particular glacier retreated 35 meters per day! Back to pack and the following day we left for Tromsø.
Jon has continued to be a great host here in Tromsø with parties, fishing and XBox battles. We'll call Tromsø home until Monday when we load up the bikes and continue on the road north. Hope all are well
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Talk on Tromsø
Hello people. Rejoin the ride from Trondheim - a couple of days exploring this great city - then northbound to Namsos. Sensational scenery along the coastal route 17, island hopping across turquoise waters and a day spent on the island of Leka. A red serpentinite range makes this island unique within Norway and it was great to ride the empty roads and take in the views. We followed the sunshine to Brønnøysund and Sandnessjøen where we rode the Hurtigruten (Norway´s coastal steamer) across the arctic circle to Ørnes. The day started for us at 3.30am (the time the ferry docked!) and it was a long day by the time we reached busy Bodø in the evening. Tyre troubles kept us entertained on the way - I managed to shred a tyre I´d picked up only 3 days earlier in Namsos! After a night in the ferry terminal and a four hour stomach-churning ferry ride, we arrived in Moskenes on the amazing Lofoten islands. From the village of Å, we continued to Reine and climbed a peak for incredible views over the jagged peaks, lakes and fishing villages that make these islands so popular.
From Nesland (permanent population 2!) we hiked a hot day to Nusfjord and chilled off dipping into the North Atlantic....brrrr. Fretting fisherman, bacon & egg bus shelter stops, swimming in sleeping bags and countless cod en route to Henningsvær, Svolvær and the Vesterålen islands. From Melbu, Stokmarknes, fabulous Nyksund and Stø. On board a whale watching ship from Stø, I managed to lift my green head from over the side of the boat to spot one sperm whale. The "Six-hour-sea-sickness-sail" is a more appropriate title for that excursion. Guus is definately the one with the sea-stomach. And what did we decide on the next day? A deep sea fishing trip. From Langøya we loaded our bikes into a dinghy and a local ferried us across the sea for a beach landing on the island of Andøya. Setting off from Bleik and soon hauling in coal fish and the occasional cod we finished off this brilliant trip with a fish soup onboard and some take-away catch. From Andøya we crossed to scenic Senja, rode the northern route visiting Husøy, ferried onto Kvaløya and arrived into Tromsø on Thursday.
Guus was due to meet his girlfriend Mariette at the airport shortly after we arrived. What followed was a frantic attempt to make himself appear (and smell?!) human once again. Think he succeeded....(Mariette didn´t board the next plane to return to Holland!). The hospitality of the Norwegian people continues to be incredible and we are frequently fuelled on with cakes and coffee. Current accommodation in Tromsø is top-notch thanks to locals Jon and Eric. Tomorrow I fly north to Svalbard. Guus will fly up on Thursday and we plan a return to Tromsø on the 31st. The bikes will have a rest in Tromsø as the 50km total of roads and wandering polar bears make cycling on Svalbard a less-than-ideal mode of transportation...
Until the next blog entry (hope to make it around the 1st week of September) stay safe and feel free to post comments here!
From Nesland (permanent population 2!) we hiked a hot day to Nusfjord and chilled off dipping into the North Atlantic....brrrr. Fretting fisherman, bacon & egg bus shelter stops, swimming in sleeping bags and countless cod en route to Henningsvær, Svolvær and the Vesterålen islands. From Melbu, Stokmarknes, fabulous Nyksund and Stø. On board a whale watching ship from Stø, I managed to lift my green head from over the side of the boat to spot one sperm whale. The "Six-hour-sea-sickness-sail" is a more appropriate title for that excursion. Guus is definately the one with the sea-stomach. And what did we decide on the next day? A deep sea fishing trip. From Langøya we loaded our bikes into a dinghy and a local ferried us across the sea for a beach landing on the island of Andøya. Setting off from Bleik and soon hauling in coal fish and the occasional cod we finished off this brilliant trip with a fish soup onboard and some take-away catch. From Andøya we crossed to scenic Senja, rode the northern route visiting Husøy, ferried onto Kvaløya and arrived into Tromsø on Thursday.
Guus was due to meet his girlfriend Mariette at the airport shortly after we arrived. What followed was a frantic attempt to make himself appear (and smell?!) human once again. Think he succeeded....(Mariette didn´t board the next plane to return to Holland!). The hospitality of the Norwegian people continues to be incredible and we are frequently fuelled on with cakes and coffee. Current accommodation in Tromsø is top-notch thanks to locals Jon and Eric. Tomorrow I fly north to Svalbard. Guus will fly up on Thursday and we plan a return to Tromsø on the 31st. The bikes will have a rest in Tromsø as the 50km total of roads and wandering polar bears make cycling on Svalbard a less-than-ideal mode of transportation...
Until the next blog entry (hope to make it around the 1st week of September) stay safe and feel free to post comments here!
Monday, July 30, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
News from Norway!
Gday all!
1st shot at making a blog so.....here goes! Photos will be a bit random...some from Shetland, Iceland and Norway...
After 5 fantastic weeks in Iceland I crossed by ferry to the Faroe islands for 3 days. Amazing islands (when I could see them, the fog reduced visibility to about 10 metres much of the time!) however the frequent tunnels don't make it ideal cycling territory. Black tunnels + cyclists + Faroese drivers = high probability of death!
Departing Torshavn on the sunny morning of July 9 I arrived into Bergen, Norway the following day under a thick blanket of cloud. Rain is expected here 280 days of the year so I wasn't too surprised when it started bucketing. Further ferrying took me south to Stavanger where I had planned to meet up with mate Guus from Holland, he'd spent the previous week riding from Oslo. We stayed in Stavanger a couple of days with a visit to the must-see oil museum. Impressive models of the North Sea rigs I passed on the ferry crossing from the Faroes to Norway.
From Stavanger we rode to the Lysefjord (light fjord....light??...what light?). The fog was thick but we managed the hike to the Kjeragbolten, a boulder that is wedged between two sheer rock faces and hangs 1km above the fjord below. Gets the heart going climbing out onto the boulder, especially in the wet! Unfortunately no view from here but the weather improved as we headed further down the fjord the following day and ascended the world's longest staircase - 4444 steps! To the famous Preikestolen (pulpit rock) next and we hiked up late in the evening to camp out on the top and see the sunrise the next morning. The five minutes of light through the cloud illuminated the entire fjord and the vertical cliffs...brilliant.
Back on the bikes and headed north in the direction of Odda and onto Bergen a few days later. It rained almost all day, every day until we reached Bergen for some sunshine! The riding had been tough with some steep hills and amazing scenery and the Norwegians were proving to be incredibly hospitable people. Bergen is brilliant under sun and I recommend peppered mackerel from the fish market! We left for Voss that evening, onto Myrdal and a spectacular descent through the Flåm valley. The sun continued to shine at Gudvanger, next onto Kaupanger and into the Jotenheimen national park for the day hike up Norway's highest mountain, Galdhøpiggen. Great hike but zero visbility from the summit...not unusual so i've heard.
Riding on through Lom and more spectacular mountain scenery on the way to the Trollstigen, another impressive display of the Norwegian's ability to build a road over (or bore a tunnel through as the case often is) imposing mountains. Onto Bjorli where we met with Guus's sister who was hiking with a Dutch group before returning north to Åndalsnes and into Trondheim from where I post this blog! We hope to be in Tromsø by mid August, heading to the Lofoten islands on the way.
Hope all are well and take care. Will update later. Enjoy!
1st shot at making a blog so.....here goes! Photos will be a bit random...some from Shetland, Iceland and Norway...
After 5 fantastic weeks in Iceland I crossed by ferry to the Faroe islands for 3 days. Amazing islands (when I could see them, the fog reduced visibility to about 10 metres much of the time!) however the frequent tunnels don't make it ideal cycling territory. Black tunnels + cyclists + Faroese drivers = high probability of death!
Departing Torshavn on the sunny morning of July 9 I arrived into Bergen, Norway the following day under a thick blanket of cloud. Rain is expected here 280 days of the year so I wasn't too surprised when it started bucketing. Further ferrying took me south to Stavanger where I had planned to meet up with mate Guus from Holland, he'd spent the previous week riding from Oslo. We stayed in Stavanger a couple of days with a visit to the must-see oil museum. Impressive models of the North Sea rigs I passed on the ferry crossing from the Faroes to Norway.
From Stavanger we rode to the Lysefjord (light fjord....light??...what light?). The fog was thick but we managed the hike to the Kjeragbolten, a boulder that is wedged between two sheer rock faces and hangs 1km above the fjord below. Gets the heart going climbing out onto the boulder, especially in the wet! Unfortunately no view from here but the weather improved as we headed further down the fjord the following day and ascended the world's longest staircase - 4444 steps! To the famous Preikestolen (pulpit rock) next and we hiked up late in the evening to camp out on the top and see the sunrise the next morning. The five minutes of light through the cloud illuminated the entire fjord and the vertical cliffs...brilliant.
Back on the bikes and headed north in the direction of Odda and onto Bergen a few days later. It rained almost all day, every day until we reached Bergen for some sunshine! The riding had been tough with some steep hills and amazing scenery and the Norwegians were proving to be incredibly hospitable people. Bergen is brilliant under sun and I recommend peppered mackerel from the fish market! We left for Voss that evening, onto Myrdal and a spectacular descent through the Flåm valley. The sun continued to shine at Gudvanger, next onto Kaupanger and into the Jotenheimen national park for the day hike up Norway's highest mountain, Galdhøpiggen. Great hike but zero visbility from the summit...not unusual so i've heard.
Riding on through Lom and more spectacular mountain scenery on the way to the Trollstigen, another impressive display of the Norwegian's ability to build a road over (or bore a tunnel through as the case often is) imposing mountains. Onto Bjorli where we met with Guus's sister who was hiking with a Dutch group before returning north to Åndalsnes and into Trondheim from where I post this blog! We hope to be in Tromsø by mid August, heading to the Lofoten islands on the way.
Hope all are well and take care. Will update later. Enjoy!
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