Extras

As promised, here are a couple of things that didn't quite make it to the original blog.

Neil paying homage


A picnic in Smaland



Clean socks at last in Västervik



The way I remember Neil most evenings



On arriving in Valdemarsvik, Neil noticed how close I had come to a nasty bird shit experience



One of Neil's favourite activities in Stockholm: Using the high-tech can recycling machines.



And finally, something different to eat after all those pizzas and burgers...

Returning to Berlin

Well, unfortunately our little crash on arrival has made any further cycling impossible, since I have some colurful bruising in the worst possible place. So I'll be returning to Berlin tomorrow.

It's getting better though and hey, we had already reached our goal anyway. We've also had 4 nice days in Stockholm. Thanks again to Stefan and Gunilla for their fanstastic hospitality.

Neil flew home this morning and is no doubt already sitting in the pub in Palmers Green.

I might post some "out-takes" as a kind of "Extras" section to the blog, but otherwise that's it from me for now.

Wahey!!

Day 15, Trosa to Stockholm, 86 km

And that's that! We are both mildly proud of ourselves for managing the full whack.

But it was another long day before we got to the castle in Stockholm. Surprise surprise, it was raining when we left Trosa, but our spirits were high as we knew our final goal was so close. By the time we reached another one of those yellow ferrries, our shoes were soggy and we were cold again. But we warmed up nicely in a 7/11 type store and Neil had his very first kokt korv (hotdog) - and then another for good measure. I went for the much more stylish quiche and salad.

Trapped in Tumba

After braving the elements some more, we were making good progress until we reached Tumba, a typical commuter town along the lines of Slough or Spandau, take your pick. Unfortunately Tumba will for ever stay in our memory because we had a bizarre deja vu experience there. Leaving it from one end of town up a steep hill towards Eriksberg, we actually managed to cycle a big loop for the best part of an hour and come into Tumba from the other end. Neil was not a happy man, but there was an element of comedy in the moment of truth. We have learned a lot on this trip, but map reading is clearly not one of them.

It was getting really cold and wet again when we found the proper route and just as we were climbing one of Stockholm's many hills, we got caught in a thunder storm with hail that turned the cycle paths into rivers. So rather than get struck by lightening on our last day, we hid under the gable of a school building for a while. This was not the heroic, sunny welcome to Stockholm we had imagined...

But we didn't give up and finally found the castle about an hour later than we expected. Took a quick photo of us before the Japanese tourists took over the castle and then headed up to Vasa Park near Stefan+Gunilla's place.



Unfortunately, Neil had a mega crash in the park while looking for them, giving me a nice knock in the process. So we are feeling a bit sore in various unpleasant places. Suffice to say I feel more like Lance Armstrong than ever today!

Our Swedish hosts came out with a lovely bit of decoration and champagne, which we drank in a very short time and then went to Stefan's recording studio where he played some welcoming music that made us really laugh.



After that, we were allowed to use S+G's brand new sauna in the basement of their home, which was a fantastic way to put an end to our shivering. Stefan prepared a lovely meal for us when we finished. Thanks to you both for the wonderful welcome you gave us!

After a few beers in a bar and a little late night session in the studio, we hit the sack and slepped very well.

Today is odd. I am not on a bike. I am in a busy city full of millions of people. I am wearing clothes we sent to Stockholm in advance. I am still a lttle confused. Bikelag perhaps.

I also bought a fine top that matches nicely with the screen in the Internet cafe we are sitting at. Unfortunately it does not allow us to load photos from my memory stick, so you'll have to bear with us for the pics.



Here is an update of the tallies we've been keeping:

Total miles: 807 (haven't worked out the kilometres yet)

Neil's final sprawl count: 6.5 (including a self-confessed though unwitnessed rollover on the road after a false start, also including the athletic feat of falling backwards over a small fence after locking the bike up!)

Dry day count: a mere 3 out of 15, not including the rainy rest day

Moose count: Unfortunately nul points

Damage report: Nothing much really. One snapped pair of cycling glasses, 3 broken spokes, a few jammed chains.

Quote of the trip: "Why you come in May?!! Why not July?!!"

Was it worth it?: Course it was. Every bit. I recommend it to anyone and Neil proves you don't need to be too well prepared to do it. But maybe do it in July.

The blogging has been fun too. I'll probably do a few days' cycling on the way back to Berlin, so I'll carry on posting until I get back home. Thanks to eveyone for all the greetings and comments, which we really enjoyed. And apologies to everyone who tried to send stuff, but got stumped by the dodgy link to the email address!

Day 13

Valdemarsvik to Nyköping, 106 km

Some more beautiful contryside moving north along the coast. The routes were generally well signposted and Neil and I made no unnecessary detours - until lunchtime that is. We stopped for lunch in Stegeborg to wait for this delightful yellow ferry to take us a few hundred yards across the water.




Neil liked it so much, he deliberately left his water bottle in the restaurant and ended up taking it three times. He was officially presented the Plonker of the Day prize when he arrived back.

We had some interesting weather today: Rainclouds were moving in from the west, but were held up at the coast by the east wind blowing in from the sea. So the clouds were compressed, pushed upwards and turned into stormy showers. But since we were cycling right on the coast, we stayed dry in lovely sunshine while watching the dramatic scenes only a few hundred metres away.

That went well until we had to move inland towards Nyköping for the final 30km. Without the protection of the coastal winds, we got absolutely soaked again.

We are staying in a Vandrahem hostel right by the castle in Nyköping. The last time Neil and I slept in a bunk-bed dorm was in Bordeaux in 1986. Neil woke everyone up in the middle of the night by bouncing up and down on his bed, playing with a dog called Johnny he happened to be dreaming of. It took us a while to wake him up, by which time he had almost flattened the guy beneath him.

I wonder what's in store for us tonight...

Day 12

Västervik to Valdemarsvik, 87 km

What a fantastic day´s cycling! Despite the strong winds, we had a great time cycling through lovely scenery IN THE SUN on excellent roads. There were a few hills to piss Neil off too. He had our first maintenance problem with a broken spoke so now his rear wheel is rather buckled, but nothing too serious. Hopefully we can sort it out tomorrow in Nyköping.


Lunch in Loftahammar on the marina was lovely. We took some photos which you can see on Neil's blog at http://sweatynads.blogspot.com .

A few people have requested photos of us on our bikes, so we are sparing no expense to send you some files by phone.

I'll also send a short film of us on our bikes for Stefan to post at
www.longlongway.com .

Neil in his element on arriving in Valdemarsvik, or Valdevarsmik, as he insists on calling it.

2 pics of the marina in Valdemarsvik

The town was empty because there was some sort of "market" event nearby, but the evening was very entertaining, with bowling after dinner and then a live gig by the local band: some great kids who made me feel old and ugly. We enjoyed their version of Hard Rock Hallelujah. Caro would have loved them, although sideburns are a rarity in Sweden.

Pretty pics of Västervik

Rest day in Västervik

Ah..... This is the perfect day for a break, since we can feel yesterday's stage in our legs and can finally get some clean clothes. Västervik is picturesque and quite happening since this is a long weekend in Sweden for some reason.

So we spent the day strolling through the town, buying maps for the rest of the journey and reading Ben Elton in the hotel sauna. It's a great one with a huge barrel of cold water to jump into and windows in the actual sauna, all decorated like a fishing port - nice touch. Ben Elton's The First Casualty, which I picked up in the local bookstore, is very readable too. Neil bought another book by him. The only problem is they are cheaply produced and all but fell apart in the sauna.

In the bookstore, a little old lady came up to us and said, "We have big strike in this country too. Many people die in war." It took me a while to guess that she was alluding to the Iraq war. I wish I could have said, "I'm against the war too, and I live in Berlin!"

Tomorrow, we are heading on to Valdemarsvik along the coastal cycle path:




Valdemarsvik is so small, it only has one B+B and I guess Neil will have to polish off the rest of his vodka bottle. But apparently the journey there is beautiful, so I'll take some photos if I can.

Day 11: The dreaded scenic detour

Oskarshamn to Västervik, 108 km

Well, for once the rain wasn´t the problem. It was the hail and thunder storms. We left Oskarshamn easily enough in pleasant sunshine and were beginning to think we had left the nasty weather behind us. So we decided to take the scenic route along the coast instead of going on the main E22 route. It is not much fun being overtaken by lorries on a single-lane highway.

We reckoned the detour would add maybe 20 km to our route. By the end it was almost 40, including some of the toughest terrain on our trip. By the time we got to Klintemala at the outer edge of our detour, we were hoping for a nice lunch and picturesque views. Instead we got this:



Klintemala - worth a detour... in August maybe!

Fortunately we found somewhere to hide to the lashing hail storm, before moving on to Blankaholm along muddy, hilly gravel roads. We didnt get far before the next thunder storm forced us to take shelter in a farm called Virum. We were allowed to wait in the cowshed and Neil got some shots of very young calves, which you can see on his blog at http://sweatynads.blogspot.com. The storm caused 3 power cuts within a few minutes, so we were grateful for the shelter.

So we were tired and hungry by the time we arrived in Blankahom for food. The only place open on Ascension Day was an arty cafe serving thai chicken: tasty, but pricey and small portions. But we didn't care.

We pushed on passed some really idyllic spots and hamlets along the coast, but were too tired to really appreciate them, especially since we got lost again and had to double back.

We took the E22 for the final burst and were very pleased to arrive in Västervik, a delightful town which is perfect for our rest day. The hotel we are staying at has all the mod cons that boys need to feel comfortable on a day off (hotspots, pay TV, sauna), so we should be fine. We also had some nice dinner in a typically friendly and efficient bar on the waterfront. So it was definitely a happy end.

Day 10

Kraksmala to Oskarshamn, 85km

Shortly after leaving Kraksmala, we went up a steep hill to a wooden lookout tower overlooking the Smaland forest. You can see a short film we shot at the top at www.longlongway.com . It was very impressive and we felt proud of our ability to actually get up there.

After that, we pressed on at high speed to Högsby, where we had lunch in a tavern where the gay waiter kept on slapping my knees. Good rainbow trout though! The other highlight was a blonde girl getting herself entwined in my handlebars while showing us the way to Fliseryd and Oskarshamn.

We got lost despite (or maybe because of) her directions and ended up on a very windy, hilly main road which was hard work to cycle on. But we made it in the end - much later than expected.

Our hotel is way out of Oskarshamn proper, near the industrial docks, which is a bit of a bummer, but it is decent enough and has a nice view from the balcony, as you can see here:

After a shower and some self-nursed sore patches, we headed into town and found one of the two decent bars in Oskarshamn, the Kraka, which is an english style pub with excellent food (Neil appreciated the enormous burger portions).

Today, we're heading on to Västervik, where we'll be taking a rest day to get clothes clean and maybe take a boat trip out into the archipelago.

Photos added to old posts

I've added some photos to posts from the last few days, so it's worth scrolling down and checking the old bits again.

Also, Neil reckons he's finally sorted out the email function on the side of this blog, so feel free to use it to send messages.

We have also sent a couple of short films to Stefan, who should post them up on www.longlongway.com shortly.

Manchmal komme ich mir vor wie im Film "Kops"

Dieser Streifenwagen stand 24 Stunden lang vor einer der wenigen Bars in Emmaboda... War wohl ein stressiger Arbeitstag...

Happy birthday Marly!!!!!

We are intent on making Marly's birthday as enjoyable for her as possible: I am sending a little film of our birthday breakfast to the site at www.longlongway.com .

With the weather still poor, we have done nothing in Trelleborg except sit in a cafe eating cannelbulle (?) and drinkning coffee. Since our run to Ystad is not long, we're doing a bit of blogging before doing the 52 km in a single session.

I am a happy boy since I've had my first sandwich with Räkost, a weird type of processed cheese with shrimps in it. Even my Swedish friends think I'd strange, but I love the stuff.

Hoping to find a nice place to celebrate Marly's birthday in Ystad tonight. Apparently the cycle ride can be nice too. As I look out of the window of this Internet cafe, it looks like the rain has stopped too...

Day 4: Miserable between Stralsund and Sassnitz - but happy end in Trelleborg

Stralsund - Trelleborg 71 km

Well, the good news is that Marly has joined us, which has greatly improved the tone of the conversation.

It was an awful day for a long time, as Neil has competently reported on his blog: http://sweatynads.blogspot.com . We were all extremely impressed with the sauna and shower facilities on the ferry, as well as the semi-final of the eurovision song contest. Needless to say, Neil was really excited about the Lithuanian entry.

Lovely little B+B in Trelleborg: www.cronia.se

I made the mistake of washing stuff in Stralsund. They didn't dry in time so my spare clothes are wet and smelly as well. Which is great because contrary to the weather forecast, it is still pissing in Trelleborg.

N. Purcell crash count: 2.5 (half a point for elegantly sliding into a cattle-grid thingy while coming off the ferry - could happen to anyone, but oddly enough it was Neil)

I Spy: Bugger all in that weather

Quote of the day: "I can't understand anything. It's all in Swedan and Germish."

Sunday night last minute packing - The Storm before the calm !

It's 11.30pm and we are both finishing our packing and starting to worry about what we have forgotten! (and I'm missing the usual Sunday night drink in the local pub with some very nice people! Have seven for me guys!) Funnily enough there's isn't a huge amount to pack, it' s just essential clothing, wash kit, minor medical supplies and some casual clothes for the evenings. Of course mobile phones, cameras and chargers (who could go away without them these days!). Hadto leave my hairdrier behind !!

Our side bags on the bikes only weigh about 3Kgs each, which aint a lot considering we will be gone for 3 weeks! We have posted some more clothing ahead to Stockholm, just the save the residents of that city from the smell ;-)

Funny, both Ben's and my backs are playing up at the moment, not a great way to start the trip, but if that's all that happens then things will be good.

We will set off about 7am tomorrow and we're both hyped up about it. can't wait to get going, finally get on the road after all this planning. Ben has done the German part of the route before, so he knows where he's going (so he claims!), but it will all be new to me, especially the sweatynads ! We'll see how it all goes tomorrow...........

But why...?

Well, exactly.

I'll leave you to speculate on the reasons for our little adventure. The answers I like giving involve two old friends of mine: Stefan Levin and Neil Purcell.

Stefan lives in Stockholm and this is the way I remember the story (honest):

Once upon a time last summer, Stefan and I were perched barefoot on a wooden quay off one of those peaceful Swedish bays. Fishing rods skilfully cast, we were like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, watching the sun set over the archipelago as the northern sky came alive...
Except Tom and Huck caught some fish now and then. And drank less VolkBier at the same time.

After recalling the story of his favourite childhood catch, Stefan consoled me on my uncanny lack of success despite years of trying. (I assured him I didn't really care).
"You're too smårt for fisking. You need a dream, a gränd plån to inspire you."
"No thanks... I'm too young for a mid-life crisis. Sipping Spendrups is fine for me right now."
"Komm on, look ät you. You're ålways doing your spinning around in Berlin, but never get änywhere."
"That's because spinning is an indoor sport."
"You get on a real bike! Go somewhere. You ride from Berlin to Stockholm," he joked. "Now that would beat any gedda in the sea! Jätte brå!"

And the idea was born...

Twenty years on

It is also twenty years this summer since my school friends and I left for a memorable post O-Level holiday: 4 weeks' camping in Arcachon, France. Enough time for many a teenage escapade.

Here's a blurred old photo of us back then (Neil and I are left and centre - Merlin, we're thinking of you!).


So when Neil heard of my little cycle trip, there was no stopping him since he's always up for a sporting challenge! While sleep-walking and pub songs are his strongest disciplines, I'm extremely confident that his knees will hold out and he'll be celebrating with us in Gamla Stan in early June.


Third party support

We have also enlisted the valuable support of another old friend, Marlene, who will be joining us between Stralsund and Lessebo. She is easily the most experienced cyclist among us, so I hope Neil and I will use the first three stages to get fit enough to keep up.

Team of 4 bloggers

With Stefan backing us up from Stockholm with valuable online services, the four of us will hopefully add contributions, photos, soundbites and films to give you an idea of the trip.

So don't expect a postcard this time!

Languages

I guess most posts will be in English, aber ich werde auch einiges auf Deutsch erzählen.We might even write some greetings in Swedish, French, Czech and any other language we can think of... Swahili perhaps, Marly?



Coming up, there'll be a route plan, an itinerary and a way of sending us your greetings, encouragement, ridicule and insults. So visit us again.