I love the promise of going someplace new. That feeling of being unmoored and drifting through a landscape gives me a deep happiness. As I left Washington D.C. to continue my trip (read about part 1 starting here) I was renewed, rested, as much as all day at the airport and an all night flight will allow, and ready to go!

My bike and I arrived in Oslo after a quick connection in Iceland. My checked bag, my rear panniers, didn’t quite make the connection. This minor inconvenience didn’t allow me to put my bike together right away and ride to my accommodations and dragging my bike box through the airport, train station and then the neighborhood where I was staying made me a very visible newly arrived tourist. But I made it and I was in Oslo!

I love Oslo! Maybe it’s my strong Scandinavian ancestry, perhaps it’s just the fact that I found friendly, active people inhabiting a beautiful city by the sea. Either way, I loved my time in the city. My bag arrived the evening of the second day and I spent the rest of the night putting my bike together and packing up.

Cycling Day 31 Oslo Norway to Moss Norway – 42 miles

The next morning I was off on my bike, headed south, not quite sure what to expect. It wasn’t a very smooth departure and I felt like I had to stop every three minutes to adjust this, download that, take off my sweatshirt etc.  But, I was off and riding!

What I found were smooth bike paths to ride on, pretty views of the water with little coves filled with moored boats and nice cool weather. After awhile I headed inland a bit and was soon riding next to some lakes and through some newly harvested, golden farm fields with the red barns nearby. I also cycled next to an outlet mall and numerous big box retailers. I was in the suburbs after all.

I had intentionally planned a shorter mileage day to help get my bearings. I ended up in the town of Moss. I had reserved an Airbnb for the night which turned out to be a cute basement room with a separate entrance.  Airbnb would turn out to be a great resource for great places to stay in Norway and Sweden. I really hit the jackpot later on.

Day 32 Moss to Stromstad Sweden 58 miles

When I was planning this trip and not looking at the details, I assumed that I would be in Norway for three or four days. In reality, I crossed the border into Sweden in a day and a half.

I headed out of Moss and it was definitely more rural. I saw tractors with trailers full of potatoes. I was still on separated bike paths most of the morning and then as I turned south on a mix of bike paths and quiet roads.

While riding in the morning I stopped at what looked to be a modestly sized lake but after taking a break at a small rest area I learned that this body of water was connected to the sea and there was a Viking burial ground just up the hill. After just a few more miles I was riding through an industrial port area with large ships. I then headed out to the country and the overcast skies soon became heavy and it soon turned into a soaking rain. I rode on past farms and red barns as cars turned on their lights. It looked like I was in the middle of nowhere and I took shelter under the eave of a railroad service building. There I figured out I was less than a mile from a Rema 1000, a grocery store. Shelter and lunch all in one!

I parked my bike and dried off somewhat in the covered cart area and went inside to find lunch and spend my remaining Norwegian Kroner. I ate my lunch in the lobby of the store on the Coke display watching the rain continue.

When I did continue the rain had subsided to a drizzle and soon quit and in a surprisingly short amount of time I was crossing the border into Sweden. It was a beautiful view from the bridge!

Once over the border the traffic was unusually heavy and I soon noticed that everyone of the license plates was from Norway. There is a super mall just over the border and it was Saturday afternoon, they had come over to take advantage of the currency exchange and buy stuff.  After I had cleared the mall the traffic subsided and I was riding through a pine and spruce forest. A different feel than what I had been riding through most of my trip so far.

I had booked a small room in Stromstad and rode directly to the home which was outside of town by 2.5 miles. Many homes here have small detached cottages and these make for great places to stay for one or two people. This one was was a perfect example. I unloaded, showered, put all my wet gear out to dry and headed to town for dinner.

I was delighted by what I found! A little village on a bay protected by rock formations with sailboats parked all around. I did a lap on my bike and settled into a place to eat right on the water. After dinner I found a good vantage point and watched the sun set over the water. I wanted to see more places like this, so as I planned my next day, I included a section that looked promising on the map.

Day 33 Stromstad Sweden to Uddevalla Sweden 72 miles

I added miles to my day by adding a little village called Fjallbacka to my trip. I’m I did. I had one of the best mornings of riding that I can imagine. I was on super quiet rural roads all morning. It was Sunday and so not many people were out and about as I wound through farmland and forest. At one point I checked my phone to see where I was and I saw that there were rock carvings a half a mile away. Sounded interesting, I took the turn. Soon I saw a placard in the forest and turned in. There on the rocks were painted rock carvings from 3,000 years ago. They depicted a war on the sea. It didn’t seem like it, but the ocean was just over the hill. I hadn’t seen it for hours.

As I rode into Fjallbacka I fell in love. It was a small village literally surrounded by granite with small openings through the rocks to the sea. The bay was filled with boats and just beyond the boats was a swimming area where a few young boys were jumping off the high dive. I found a beautiful place for lunch and lingered as long as I could. All along scheming ways to come back. Maybe I could spend a season and learn to sail, maybe I could learn Swedish and work at the golf course…. Alas, I had a long afternoon ahead of me and I needed to go.

The afternoon wasn’t as picturesque as the morning but the day was still a success. I ended up in the industrial port city of Uddevalla and rented for the night a garden cottage that had a stocked kitchen. I enjoyed cooking for myself and spent most of the evening writing, corresponding with family and doing some work.

Day 33 Uddevalla Sweden to Gothenburg Sweden 58 miles

Thanks to Kamoot the bike routing software, I took the back way out of busy Uddevalla and was soon avoiding tractors as they moved about their land. I was soon on the E6 (the interstate) frontage road but again was diverted into a lovely neighborhood with homes overlooking the sea. I then was taken up a steep dirt track into a nature preserve. What a nice quiet way to avoid the straight line, a place only walkers and bikers could go.

I then rode past the refineries into Stenungsrund where there was a mall directly on the water. It was a busy place and a had a good fish lunch. It seemed that the locals came here on their lunch hour but nobody seemed in a big hurry.  The afternoon, as I approached the second largest city in Sweden, was mostly on a cycle path adjacent to the road. I stopped in Ingetorp for some ice cream and then headed into the big city.

I arrived at 4 and then waited in a park and in a cafe waiting for my Warmshowers host to get back home. Warmshowers is a couchsurfing site especially for bike tourers. Basically, other bike tourers open their home for a night and let them stay for free.  Mia, my hostess, had travelled by bike extensively and was very gracious. I took her to dinner and then slept on a mattress on the floor. She made me a nice breakfast and I was off.  It was a good experience, but I like the privacy of my own place.

Day 34 Gothenburg Sweden to Glommen Sweden – 72 miles

With all of the bike paths, it was easy getting out of the city. I was now on a dedicated bike route developed especially to promote bike tourism. I now know why the government  chose this area route.

The day of riding was an interesting mix of small city, bucolic rural and seaside riding. It changed quickly from one to the next and the miles went by quickly. There was so much to see and my neck was getting a workout from looking side to side. In the afternoon, south of Varberg, it felt like I was riding in a Renoir painting with the cows grazing on yellowed grasses all the way down to the sea. It was mesmerizing to ride through and see the unspoiled coast.

It turned out that my accommodations for the night were in the most beautiful part of this landscape. I stayed in a beautifully appointed room with a kitchen, laundry, bedroom etc. As my hosts welcomed me, they told me about a dirt path 400 meters away where I could visit the beach. It turned out to be a magical setting. Less of a beach and more of a nature preserve. I had it all to myself except for he thousands of geese and ducks who were loudly deciding exactly where they wanted to be. The photos below show how beautiful this spot is.

I went back and made a good differ and ate al fresco with the company of the chickens and with a view of the cat patrolling the fence line. The farm itself is directly on the bike route and is set amongst the fields that run down to the sea. Perfectly quiet and serene. I could have stayed here for a very long time. Big exhale – Aaaahhhh.

The next morning I visited the beach again at sunrise and round a handful of black and white cows still bedded down in the grass by the sea. They slowly woke and, one by one, started their day as I sat quietly on a rock.

Day 35 Glommen Sweden to Laxvik Sweden – 47 miles

What a beautiful day of bike touring this was! After a 10:30 departure, I cycled the 11 miles to Falkenburg where I found a barber who could fit me in for a cut in two hours time. During the wait, I did some people watching, went to a coffee shop and had sushi for lunch. After a very detailed cut and a good conversation with my barber I headed out of town almost at 2.

The riding all the way to Halmsted was beautiful (I may be using this adjective too much, if so, insert gorgeous), interesting and switched quickly between seaside, charming neighborhoods and farmland.  I would say that the ride between Varberg and Halmsted, along with the Fjallbacka area, has been my favorite so far.

I must say that I think I hit this trip just right. The weather has been good. Not hot, not cold, not too much rain. And, being in September, the crowds are gone. The beaches are empty, the parking lots vacant and I had the roads to myself.  From what I gather, this is a busy resort area in the summer and between November and April it’s dark, wet and depressing (two different people used these words).

Day 36 Laxvik Sweden to Helsingor Denmark – 60 Miles

After staying in a newly built loft above a garage right on the ocean and a sandy beach, I set off through the dirt paths of the adjacent nature preserve. The morning was filled with many twists and turns right along the ocean. The area around Bastad was more developed and has been a beach destination for a long time. These were the first mansions I had seen along the coast. Most of the other homes I had seen had been modest in size. Even the newer homes felt right sized and well designed.

The peninsula to the south of Bastad was like what I imagine riding through Ireland might be like. One lane roads winding through farms and villages with views down the hillsides to the sea. I passed a number of intriguing golf courses in this area Dan have already looked them up. My riding in the afternoon was a bit hampered by the 25 mile per hour headwinds. And after I left the sea, I put my head down and made it in time to catch the 5 pm ferry from Helsingborg across the sound to Helsignor Denmark.  Another new country for me.

Day 37 Helsignor to Copenhagen – 29 miles

It rained off and on during the night and was still raining when I initially woke up. So I closed my eyes again and slept in luxuriously until after 8. I left my cute room at a nice home with attentive hosts and headed out around 11. The rain had stopped!

Again, the ride followed the coastline today. it felt different though with fancy beach homes, both old and new. It reminded me of the fancy homes along Lake Michigan north of Chicago.

During my ride I had noticed that each of these homes had a dock extending into the water and I had seen a number of swimmers and caught site of more than one bare buttock as they swam or had just swam. I guess skinny dipping is part of the culture. When I neared Copenhagen I saw a public swimming area that was deserted. On the spot I decided that it was time for me to take a swim.  I did a quick change in a private spot, no I didn’t skinny dip this time, and jumped in for a quick, but refreshing dip in the sea.

I then rode into busy Copenhagen and joined all of the other cyclists getting here and there on the bike lanes which were everywhere.  I have recently read that Copenhagen has the #1 bike culture in the world, just ahead of Amsterdam.  I believe it and it’s wonderful to join in for a few days.

I’m staying in Copenhagen for two nights for some rest and to soak in the sights. The end of a very successful week of bike touring in Scandinavia.

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