Cycle tour day 0

We’re here!

After arriving in Stockholm last night we went to sleep so fast you wouldn’t believe it. Just gone. Poof. Easiest sleep ever. (Ignoring the several times I woke up within the five hours that we had but whatevs)

We woke up this morning at five ish and got on the flight at half past seven. It was a bit tight but the hotel was right next to the airport so it was alright. Just as we were boarding we saw our bikes being loaded on.

Once we arrived we waited forever for everyone else’s luggage to be offloaded before our bikes were returned. It took a few hours to reassemble them and we got some lunch from the airport.

A guy was there who was also bike touring. He was much more experienced than us and was part of organising a group tour in the area, a loop of one thousand kilometres to the arctic and back. We got some advice from him about which roads to take and which to avoid, very useful just starting out.

At one o’clock we left Umeå airport and explored the town. We were there mainly to pick up supplies, namely food, fuel, and water. The town was cute and had great bike paths. It felt kinda like a Scandinavian version of Haarlem.

After leaving town the buildings gave way to nature and oh my god is the nature here gorgeous! Beautiful trees and lakes, the air so fresh it feels like I am finally truly awake. It’s autumn in the summer. Everything is deep greens and cool colours, flours and moss coating the forest floor. It is beautiful here.

I think the English word ‘brisk’ describes the temperature quite well. Cool but not cold. Not yet, anyway. Cycling warms you up quickly and the wind is just right.

I am in my tent now, at last safe from the hordes of mosquitoes hunting outside. The soft ground makes it hard to get a secure pitch but I’m hoping it’ll be good enough. Good night from my sleeping bag in some Scandinavian forest!

Dist: ~36 km, from the airport to the first place we could find to sleep