Ukonjärvi - Voimala ~ 110 km

As I got to bed yesterday only very late, I got up today also very late at 10 am... I guess I needed some more sleep. So, packing my things I departed at 12 midday.

I just did my 110 km without special events. It was cold! when I was at same latitude one week ago it was much wormer, I'm still traveling with my warm red winter jacket.

I wanted to stay at Vuotso, but, as so often it happend also today, that there wasn't any camping anymore. So I just had to go on, and finally I found a nice place. They have mökkis for to rent, but allowed me to stay there just with my tent. They were smoking fish, and it just smelled so good, that when I came to the reception, I said, that I want to stay for tonight and one smoked fish... *njam*

So I sat at the cafè, where I was allowed to eat my fish, and right after the cafè closed, I went to the camping kitchen and cooked myself something. And some tea, as I'm now proud owner of some teabags...

Now, after my knees got used to that trip, my Achilles tendon started to hurt. I realized it right on the northcape, but I didn't know, it wouldn't stop. I thought, there was just too much pressure from my socks and legging, because of wearing too much. But that wasn't the reason... Moving my feet my tendon was similiar to an doorarticulation (Scharnier), that had too little oil *knarz*

Only at midnight I went to bed. It seems, my day/night rhythm had changed a little...


Trees are growing like cork screwer...


At vuotso, looking for the camping

Click: Bridge over not troubled water
Click: Once more crossing a small Harju

As I didn't sleep that night, the two days (01/08 and 02/08) are both in this story.

Nordkapp – Honningsvåg ~ 30 (?) km
Inari – Ukonjärvi ~ 30 km
and some additional km by foot

The night ended like it started: Fog, clouds and cold feet... So today no possibility to see the solar eclipse... what a pity as well.

The next fixpoints of our journey were 1 am tonight my bus from Northcape back to Finnland, and the ferry at 6.15 am for Mathieu. So we had plenty of time. For not freezing and for meeting more intensive the Fauna of Magerøya, we started to walk in direction of the real northcape, that is even some decimals of a degree more northern than the wellknown, impressive rock at the touristic north cape.

Beautiful, as I just mentioned in one of my „greetings home while traveling“. We were walking around for some hours (4? 5? 6? I don't remember, time wasn't important). Finally we were not at the real northcape, but from our place we could see both, we had a beautiful view of ... the nothing... Perfect to sit and think about ... nothing...

It's the northernmost place I've ever been, and I guess it will last at least for a very, very long time... ;o)

Back at the tent we had lunch (5 pm...) and today I really managed to cook something. Somehow one gets used to this cold. I obviously should have prepared my trip a little better, just for knowing about temperatures. Would I have done this if I knew it would be cold like that? Thinking... Yes, I just would have bought some more indicated equipment.

Afterwards we made our cycles ready for takeoff for going to Honningsvåg. Maybe we could find out about the bus. I couldn't get onto it on northcape, because I never have been over there. For this time the wind came from the back, and it was easier to go uphill. Some won't believe, but you REALLY can notice a difference.

The biggest problem for me was getting some information. Do I have to pay in norwegian crouns? How much do I have to withdraw from the automatic cash dispenser? As I'm going back to Finnland I don't have any need for more crouns. Is it possible to pay with creditcard? Where does the bus leave? When does the bus leave at Honningsvåg? And still no answers. In a bar there would have been the possibility to use internet. An expensive possibility... But luckily an australian guy had the time table exactly for the routes I needed. Thank you! The bus is going to arrive at 1.30 am at Honningsvåg. And is going to leave at 5.10. ok. I didn't expect that, however, Mathieu and I had the same fate: passing the night.

At the beginning of the trip I wrote on my blog, that at northcape I have to stay awake all the night long, just for seeing how it is, with no sunset and no sunrise. Best possibility was today ;o) Just, it was a little cold, so we sat down in the bar, had some maps for talking about nice places in Finnland, where I could go. Time passed, at 1.30 I went to the bus, just for getting some information. The only information I got from the bus driver was, that he cannot speak english. Fine. He didn't even understand the word „Credit Card“. (Even if in finnish it's kredit kortti). However, one of the passengers told me, that he paid with credit card as well. (just one sentence, my answer: „where are you from?“ „from Austria“ That's what I suspected...) I just gave him my Credit Card, and said something like: „Inari – yksi polkupyörä“ It was good training on my bike counting from one to onehundred in finnish, when I was bored... So finally I managed to get my ticket. Happily that I had one problem less I got back in the bar. some times later we had the next problem: Bar is closing, we had to go out. Sh-sh-shivering cold. Finally we stopped at a bus shelter, because there was absolutley no possibility to stay somewhere else. Hungry as (at least) I was, we had a „midnight“ snack in the strange light of a night, that doesn't seem to be one. for not freezing to much we sat on my Isomat, covered with my Sleepingbag, and just waited for the morning, talking about this and that.

And finally morning came...

I got onto the bus, leaving Mathieu alone in the cold and grey Honningsvåg morning.

In the bus I re-met David, the austrian guy. We were talking about what we were doing here at the northcape, where to go back. He lives at Helsinki for the moment, and prepared a sheet for me: „Helsinke Essentials“ Where to stay, shop, go out, what to look at. Then I HAD to look out of the window... The Tunnel... by car now. it seemed to be much more steeper than going by bike. it seemed also to be much more longer than by bike. The signs each kilometer seemed not and not to arrive, while traveling by bike I didn't await them like now.

David and I were talking for some time. I remember I fell asleep somewhere between where we had lunch two days ago and Olderfjord, and woke up at Lakselv at about 8 am. The bus driver told us, that we would have a break for about 40 minutes, but everything (shops, café's) is closed, because „it is saturday“, as he told us. I couldn't sleep any more afterwards. As I had a backpack filled up with food, and David didn't find anything at the shops (...) we had „breakfast“ in the bus.

The bus arrived at Inari right at midday. I got on my bike for going along lake Inari, some kilometers later I had lunch at the lake. Just sitting there, thinking about what I could do the next days (I didn't have ANY plans for the time after the solar eclipse), thinking about what had happened to me during my trip, thinking about what had changed... Two days ago I said, that I missed the tranquil moments on my trips, just for sitting at the lake site and look at the lake. Now I was sitting there for about one hour before going on.

But sitting on my bike again I realized, that I REALLY was tired. I had trouble to keep my eyes open... so I decided to go to the next camping at Ukonjärvi. So after a distance of only 30 km today my trip finished at a small campsite. My first question at the reception was: „Is there any possibility to wash my clothes?“ How luxury that would be, having all my clothes washed after that trip I did to the northcape. As the answer was „yes“ i decided to stay here. I put up my tent and came back for taking some token for the washing machine. The man of the camping took some token in his hand, put to a pile a few token, while talking to me: „So for washing your clothes“ - two more token - „you have to pay 8 Euro“ - and even more token - „and if you want to dry your clothes as well“ - adding some more token to the pile - „it depends on how much you have to dry“. „Only few, look, I'm here by bike...“ „So then 4 Euro should be enough“ And two more token. I guess I was quite pale... „Äh... I think I'm going to look if I can find some dry clothes for today...“
They wanted me to pay 12 (!) Euro for washing and drying my clothes... What a luxure that WOULD HAVE BEEN washing all my clothes after my trip to the northcape...
But the camping was very antipatic at all: it was a two-class-camping: there were two diffrent kinds of toilet&shower: One (I guess more luxury one) for those who lived in a mökki, and one for us, who lived in the tent... :o(

So I got to bed at about 3 pm. At 6 I woke up, turned around, and slept on. At 9 pm I woke up. And got up... I was hungry! So I went to the kitchen, emptied my backpack, made a good hot soup for 4 persons, and while eating like in trance, a polish guy came in and asked me if he could use just a little piece of the kitchen table for his computer... As usual I spread all my things on the whole table. We started to talk a little, and he was quite amazed of my trip, as nearly everyone was. (I hope you enjoy reading this blog! Sorry, I even didn't ask you for your name...) After having some more tea it was quite late, but I wasn't tired at all. so I had shower at I guess 1 am. And then bed again...

Click: Our tentplace on the northcape
Click: Nature was sparse, but I liked the lakes so much
Click: Once more
Click: It was REAL snow... what else...?
Click: That's the true northcape
Click: Somewhere before Ukonjärvi
Click: I love those combination of water, trees and rocks

Olderfjord - Norkap ~ 125 km


Yesterday we made an appointment for breakfast, "not before 8 am"... so I think we got up at about 8.30. I managed to repair the Zip of my trousers, that broke yesterday in the evening, just before breakfast. Hans, Holger, Mathieu and I were sitting in the small kitchen of the camping, because weather was a little rainy. Hot chocolate today not only for me, but also for Holger, who loves chocolate the same as I do... Then our ways separated: The two germans were going to Alta for the flight back to Germany, Mathieu and I still had to go to the northcape.

Going along the coast was beautiful! Just a little bit windy... Everytime a little sun appeared, it was even more beautiful, and warmer... For the first time I wore my bike-winter-jacket. And it was necessary... Until Karasjok I just wore a T-Shirt... For having lunch we hid behind a hill, so it was quite warm to sit there.

We were thinking about taking the ferry (because in my brandnew norway map there was marked the ferry as well...), because everyone told us horrible stories: the man at Karasjok (well, better don't believe him?), but also Hans and Holger told, that they got off their bikes... So we made a little detour for going to the ferry harbour. There were cars. So hopefully there would be also people... Nope. There was nobody, just a timetabe. We missed the last ferry for 15 minutes - and 9 years. So no other chance than going through the tunnel. The men at Karasjok told me as well, that the best time for passing the tunnel is after 4 pm, because all buses transporting tourists to the northcape would go earlier. Concerning the traffic it wasn't too bad. Just ... even when a motorbike passed, it sound like a truck...

Just before the entrance there was a sign "attention, fog in the tunnel". having a look at the entrance you could see the fog coming out of it... So, as every tunnel beneath some water, it started with a part going down - in this case with a decline of 9 % for a distance of 3 km. Going down would have been much fun, if you would have been possible to see something. But in combination with the fog it was spooky... For not using the brakes all the time I used myself as a wind-brake, sitting very straight on my bike. At the end it was right the opposite: 3 km with an incline of 9 %. *fear* Every one km there was a sign, so you could do the tunnel just little by litte, step by step. and little by little we reached the other end... What a joy! Happy! Emotions! and a rainbow... how nice! and some chocolate, of course... We did it! (And it wasn't even as hard as I imagined it to be...)

For going to the northcape we had to cross the whole Island Magerøya. That means: hills. for 30 more km. The awful thing about traveling together with someone with a recumbent bike is, that going downhill you can't have a little rest anymore... at least I couldn't, I don't bear (ertragen) someone waiting for me. Mathieu was just so much faster without pedaling than me struggeling (strampelnd)... I guess that is one reason why I was really exhausted that evening.

As we both were not here for saying: "I was at the northcape!" but for some other reasons we didn't even go to the touristic northcape. (Sorry for all those who would have wished receiving a post card from over there) The famous globe I saw only from faaar away. I wouldn't have beared the torustic crowds after two weeks traveling through beautiful nature that seemed to be just for me, as there was nobody else... And the nature at Magerøya was worth having a closer look to it.

So we stayed somewhere in the middle of nowhere for the night. Wind was blowing, but however Mathieu found a nice place to stay, nearly without wind when sitting in the right place - behind the stone hill. My plans for cooking tonight were gone. I don't remember the time when we finally reached, I just remeber it was late... So Mathieu prepared some food, while I was changing clothes. A thing, that last quite a long time, as I put on two pair of socks, two trousers, two t-shirts, a thin pullover, my fleece jacket, wind tousers, wind jacket and a scarf... (And I was sh-sh-shivering as well...) So we had some tea. and some more tea... while sitting there Mathieu started to write some notes in his carnet (I refused, because of having too cold and beeing too tired), I nearly was falling asleep while SITTING... So I just HAD to go to bed. My dream *) of seeing the Midnight Sun (today is the last possibility for this year...) didn't come true ... so hopefully tomorrow we could see the solar eclipse...


*) At home I fixed a sheet at my cupboard (it's still there in my old room at my parents place) with the title "Wenn ich einmal groß bin..." (When I'm growen up...), and I started to write all things that I want to do somewhen in my life. On point is "I want to see the midnight sun". Another one says: "I want to see the starry night at the southern hemisphere" for example.



Click: Even the waste Containers have the dark red colour like the wooden houses...


Native Inhabitant of Norway ;o)


Funny sign. Now we are staying in the wind-free area?

Click: Mathieu: Colourful red dot in grey sorroundings :o))
Click: Fjord Landscape
Click: We went down to the sea for taking pictures
Click: Nordkapp Kommun

How nice it must be to stay here for the summer


A little sun while having lunch
Click: Rainbow
Click: No, it didn't need any help of photoshop... it was REALLY like this...
Click: Lots of Cairnes

Karasjok - Olderfjord ~145 km


Yesterday I got to bed at finnish time, today I got up at finnish time, so at all I won an hour! Good, because today I want to go far.

Starting at Karasjok I was quite afraid of what is going to happen to me today... But: Surprise, Surprise: The "horrible" stage wasn't horrible at all! At the beginning I had to go up for a long time (45 min?) but going up there wasn't very exhausting. Slowly, slowly I went up the hill, but I didn't have to stop like yesterday. And once arrived on the highlands it was quite easy-going.

Besides: I take back everything I told about the "cultured" Norway yesterday: Today the tundra was much more sparse then in Finnland, rugged mountains and gentle hill, but MOUNTAINS, and there was even SNOW on them! And how beautiful it was!

So I arrived at Skoganvarre at ... EARLY afternoon? Here should I stay for tonight? no.

So I decided to go on to Lakselv. Secretly I wanted to go to Olderfjord, because then the chance for beeing in time on Northcape was quite good, but I still didn't know if I could do that. so little by little I went on. From Skoganvarre to Lakselv. From Lakselv I just knew the next stage for the next Camping (15 more km) and maybe then decide to go to Olderfjord. Let's see what happens...

Between Skoganvarre and Lakselv the landscape was magnificent.
Between Skoganvarre and Lakselv I was angry and happy at the same time. Happy because of the gorgeous landscape, angry because of the "military restricted area": I wasn't allowed to stop or taking pictures *grrrr* It was soooo beautiful!

However, I arrived at Lakselv in the afternoon. The sea! For the first time in my life I saw a Fjord, the arctic ocean. Wow... I just had to stay there on the hill before going down to the city centre for some moments to look at the sea...
The hour that I won in the morning I spent here at the local supermarket and the coffee shop. For recovering from the rain (for the third time I was wet to the socks) and wind (the heaviest since beginning) in the forenoon. For mental training. Olderfjord. Olderfjord? Olderfjord!

When I got out of the Coffe Shop i saw a recumbent bicycle (Liegerad). As my best friend is talking to me of this kind of bike everytime we meet (at least nearly...) I just had a look at it, took a photo of it. Than a man in bike dress came out of the supermarket. I asked him, but it wasn't his bike. He is going to the northcape as well, but wants to stay here at Lakselv for tonight. I didn't want to, so I had to go on alone. I put together all my things, and just before take-off another guy in bike dress came out of the supermarket, the owner of the recumbent bike. Mathieu was also on the way to the northcape.
"You know, there is a solar eclipse."
"Yes, that's why I'm going there!"
No, obviously dialouges are NOT always the same...
After having a look at our maps for camping sites (i had 3 maps, Mathieu one more, and in every map were marked diffrent camping sites...) I decided I would go to one that is not on my map, but only the one map of Mathieu. He asked me if I wanted to go together with him... why not? (Nevertheless, I guess I never would have asked because of beeing too shy... :o| )

It was sooo nice, for the first time on that trip I wasn't alone on the street. We (for the first time i had to use the word "we" as well...) told about our trips, where we started, where we wanted to go, talked about this and that. Nice. The Camping (last choice) didn't exist. So let's go on. Finally we reached Olderfjord. Olderfjord? Olderfjord! Yippie!

In the evening we met some other biketravelers (ya, there are lots of crazy people going by bike to northcape...) from Germany (Mathieu told me, that we could meet them: he met them some days ago ... funny, isn't it?) and Czech republic. They have been to the Northcape yesterday. The two german guys Hans and Holger started exact one day before I did. They did nearly the same route as I did. Just: I was always behind for about 130 km... funny, isn't it?

We cooked together, with one working petrol cooker and two wannabe-gas"cooker". However, having dinner with three others was much fun. In the evening we were chatting until late night - at least two of us... Only at midnight (norway time = 1 am finnish time) I got into my sleeping bag.

In the evening it was quite cold, and at night it was even colder. *brrr* And for the first time I had very, very cold feet... Those who know my feet know what that means... They awoke me at 4 am (finnish time), I had to warm them for nearly one hour, so I didn't sleep much that night...

*) (swed.: I'm freezing like a dog!)

Click: Spare time activity of norwegian teenagers?
Click: One more swamp
Click: MOUNTAINS!
Click: Tundra Landscape
Click: Lakselv and the sea
Click: That is what Fjord Landscapes look like

Having dinner at Olderfjord. Olderfjord? Olderfjord!
Click: Tent City

Kaamanen - Karasjok ~90 km


What a day! In the morning I hardly got up because of beeing dark and cold... Nevertheless I started at 10.15. The stage was exhausting: hills, sheerer hills, sheerest hills. 8%, 10%. It was this the day that I HAD to get off my bike on the top of the hills just for breathing a little air - and for complaining about the hills ;o)

But the landscape! It would be this landscape that I would start calling tundra. Woods are getting sparse, at the swampy plains there were more brushes (Gestrüpp) than trees. Landscape had changed a lot since when I started at Helsinki. It is not more "flower richly coloured" but "green richly coloured" (nicht mehr blumenfarbenfroh, sondern grünfarbenfroh): Moss-Green, Grass-Green, Swamp-Green, Leaf-Green. And some red Grasses as well. I would love to stay here for hiking - if there weren't all those moskitos...

After going through Finnland arriving at Norway was quite a cultural choque: You are rolling down from the finnish highlands to Karigasniemi, and across the border a field and some cows welcome you... things I didn't see in finnland for quite a long time now...

At Karasjok at the camping site I met another german biketraveler. 68 years old, every summer going for four weeks through scandinavia. It was quite a nice conversation. But at the same time he feared me: "You want to go to northcape from here in two days? impossible! the stage from Karasjok in direction Olderfjord is just too exhausting. I know a very beautiful camping site, here at Skoganvarre (n.b.: that would be 50 km to go). Going to Lakselv? (n.b.: that would be 70 km to go) Impossible! As there isn't a camping as well! No, you have to stop at Skoganvarre" .......... (i just want to make some more points for expressing my disappointment: i won't reach northcape within two days... *cry*)

Will I reach the northcape within two days......? At the same moment my ambition appeared... Will I? Why not? 130 km a day? maybe? let's hope so...

And with all that thoughts of tomorrow beeing a horrible stage I went to bed. For tonight they announced a temperature of 4°C... So for the first time I used my Mummy-Sleeping bag how it was intended: With only a small whole open to breath through. Today it was only 15°, and in the evening for the first time i wore my "cushion" (my fleece jacket... ;o)

Click: For the first time a sign right to "Nordkapp"

Click: And right before taking this picture I had to go that up...


Just behind the border in Norway

Pokka - Kaamanen ~140 km


It was raining cats and dogs the whole night. I didn't really notice that - I slept like a baby... But in the morning it was still raining, an everything was wet, wet, wet. So last breakfast here in Pokka, with some mustikka-munkki (~ Blueberry-Doughnut, Krapfen mit Heidelbeerfülle) and kaakao.

Right when I wantet to start, there was no more rain. yippie! I just WANTED to go on, through this beautiful landscape. Hills. Lakes. Swamps. Rocks. Dead Trees. Reindeers. *sigh*

My knees: perfect.
My mind: perfect.
Weather: ok.
Wind: sometimes no wind, sometimes little wind in the face. But because of the wind for the first day for a long time I really could sit down for having lunch, without moskitos.

Passing the län's border (Kari and I used the swedish words, because I knew them: län and kommun. In German it is something like Bundesland and Bezirk.) I noticed all thinkgs that Kari told me, that I will find: Reindeers cannot go everywhere they want. There are fences. And when a street passes a fence, there were plastic bands and some more creative methods to fear the reindeers, so they won't go to a foreign län. Today I saw the "sluice" ("Schleuse") with the motion-detector-controlled mp3-Player (? Something like that) with the sounds of a barking dog (see picture below).

This day I wanted to go to Lake Inari. I arrived at Lake Inari.
And then I decided, that I still can go on. for 30 more km. Only a few days before I noticed that the distance from Karigasniemi (Border between Norway and Finnland) to Northcape is 292 km. Initially I planned to to that stage in two days. (That was before I knew that it is 292 km...). 150 km per day?...? Now I thought: If would not stop at Karigasniemi but at Karasjok, it would be only ~ 260 km to northcape. a thing that seemed to be possible: 130 km per day. So today I did 30 more km for going further also tomorrow.

The camping was the cheapest ever: 3,5 Euro for me, my bike and my tent. But it looked like that... ;o)




A beautiful swamp - what a pity the light wasn't great...

Click: "Sluice" agains Reindeercrossing
Click: Barking dog
Click: Two languages: finnish and one of the three sami-languages
Click: Just: Green
Click: A piece of the floor
Click: No, these are no blue berries!
Click: Adopted by nature


Just: nature

Click: An old tree stump
Click: Having lunch in the mi... you know the rest...
Click: Beautiful river
Click: Beautiful mökki
Click: Courageous Reindeer
Click: There were everywhere rocks like this


Inari Järvi

Click: Inari Järvi II
Click: Inari Järvi III
Click: I ONLY made this photo because of the strange n... you don't believe me? You're right... ;-)

Kittilä - Pokka ~90 km


Yesterday we had to break our conversation because of the moskitos, but today in the morning the austrians and I had breakfast together. Two girls and a guy, about my age. They told me, that I should go to the City Center of Levi, a finnish winter sport resort, because yesterday the reindeers were right at the shopping center, nearly entering the elevator for going shopping...

And so I went on to Levi. This was the first mountain, that I saw here in Finnland. It was so hight, that somewhen yesterday in the afternoon I suddenly had to stop and make a photo, because I nearly couldn't believe it: A MOUNTAIN! Wow!! Ya. Today, passing by that mountain, it just looks like every wintersport resort in Summer: it was quite dead...

Looking forward to once more a very small street (that in most maps isn't even noticed) I came to Köngäs, where the unsurfaced road began. And suddenly the environment changed completly: the woods disappeared, lakes and meadows with colorful flowers appeared, and it was sooo beautiful having this diversification.

In addition today nothing hurts: nor my knees, neither my shoulders, I felt fine, and at a distance of 35 km to Pokka I was thinking: What a pity, just more 35 km... (and then I thaught back: some days even 4 more km to go were just too much... Distances are relative...)

Going around in these beautiful woods I was always thinking about: I have to come back here: for hiking, going in the woods and taking photos, fishing (besides, is there someone who wants to teach me how to fish?!?), collecting berries: "Man måste njuta av naturen" (That was exactly what I was thinking in that moments. It is swedish and means: You have to enjoy the nature). I fell in love with Lapland...

But then my bike started to make troubles: I had to pedal all the time (also going downhill); if not the chain lost tension and hung down to the floor... but it's quite exhausting... So I got off of my bike, worrying around about not knowing what to do... while trying to put some oil the moskitos ate me *argh* So I just told myself: "Calm down, don't worry, have some chocolate..." (no, just kidding, in this case I just had lunch... no chocolate). After lunch I was quite relaxed and managed to go on. Pedaling all the time, but for the last 20 km it was ok.

For the last 15 km there was rain as well, so when I arrived at Pokka I thought about taking a mökki for that night... I went into the reception of the camping, a small restaurant/bar as well, and - what a nice surprise - after three day camping without someone speaking english the welcome was english and very cordial.
"Are you going to northcape?"
"Yes, I do."
"As everyone does!"

*bam* ungently I landed on the floor of reality... really? I just thought I'm the only crazy person going to northcape by bike...
As I could read in the guest book later, there were LOTS of people: I read about Italians, who did the WHOLE way from Modena to northcape (4800km), about a spanish guy who did Helsinki - Northcape in march with all the snow... Oh, there are persons even crazier than me... ;o)

"Yes, but I'm not going to the northcape for going to the northcape. I want to see the solar eclipse"
"Really, there is one?"

Dialogues are always the same...

"Yes, there is, but most people don't know"
"So have you been to the Camping at Kittilä yesterday?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Oh no, you just took the wrong road, you could have reached your aim with less kilometers"
"Yes, but I'm not here to 'travel through' Finnland, I want to see Finnland as well."

Then we started to discuss about sleeping in tent or in a mökki (normally they are for 4 - 8 persons, and so is the price... :-O )
and finally i took the mökki. Instead of a key for opening the door I just got the door handle :o))

The man from the bar also had a look at my bike, so about 10 minutes later it worked perfect. Great, everything is prepared for tomorrow.

Then I just didn't want to cook alone in my mökki, so I went to the Restaurant and asked, if they offer special finnish food - and they did: It was a soup made of potatoes and dried reindeermeat, with some salad, and bread, and cheese.... *njam* this time for me, not for the moskitos...

So, sitting with a beer and my maps, writing my diary, looking where to go, I once more noticed this strange word "Poroerotus" in my maps. There were lots of red stars with this description. My dicitonary didn't help very much. It just says: Poro = Reindeer, erotus = difference. Ya. So I asked the proprietor what that means, and so started a very nice and long conversation about Living in Lapland, Fauna and Flora, Sorroundings, Winter and Summer in Lappland, Aurora Borealis, Snowmobiles, Wolves and Bears, keeping Reindeers and problems with Wolverines (Vielfraß), the finnish language (now I even know what "marten" (Marder) means in finnish! ;o)), and problems of waiters (coins for the change). Besides: Poroerotus is the place where reindeers are beeing sort once a year in autumn. I just learned a lot, and it was sooo interesting. Suddenly Kari asked me:

"Do you know why Pokka is so famous?"
"I didn't even know that Pokka is so famous..."

So he picked a baseball cap with a map of Finland, where there was a huge red dot "somewhere" in Lapland. Next to it was written: "-51,3° C"
So, that's why Pokka is so famous.

The Bar closed at 10 pm, I left at 11 pm ... (no comment).

Since then I want to return here. In Winter. I am fascinated by all that light, and also by loosing rhythm of all the light. I just want to see how it is with no lights but (maybe) the Aurora Borealis. And how it is loosing rhythm because of no light... And I want to go with a Snowmobile ;o) (Besides, is there someone interested in doing the same...? ;o)




Boat No. 5368 (circa)

Click: Levi at Summer... Just the same as Zürs at Summer... another death winter sports ressort
Click: For the last time Ounasjoki, which I was following for about two days


This just invites you to take a bath...

Click: I was amazed of that colours, I admit...
Click: The view right out of my mökki
Click: Kari... thanks a lot!

Maijanen - Kittilä ~ 70 km


The weather in the morning was as beautiful as the campsite and as I had only 70 km to go, I had a VERY extensive (ausgiebig) breakfast, with some more hot chocolate, fruit, bread, etc ... Njam...
The first 15 km I was cycling like in trance, thinking about my best friends wedding, planning in my mind, what we could do... "Like in Trance" means slowly, slowly with the wind in the face (once more... *sigh*), so these "only 70 km" were looooong...

For the first time the wind didn't stop when I arrived at the Camping, so at least it was an evening without mosquitos... Sun was shining so bright, that I didn't have cold even with the wind... The only thing: How does my gas cooker work with that wind? but: "Don't Panic", there are possibilities (see foto beneath). Afterwards I just layed down in the green, green grass of finnland in the sun.

In the evening, at about ten pm I was just lying in my tent (wind stopped :o( so I had to escape...) I heard something... something I know.... that sounds... like german? ... yes, austrian german! So I dressed myself once more and got out of my tent to say hello. But looking aroud there was no car with austrian registration plate (Nummerntafel) ... ? ... but looking around I saw a ... Salewa-Tent... maybe they are ... Austrians! They flew here to Rovaniemi and borrowed a car for going around in Finnland and Norway. They donated me their camping-site-map of norway and some Packlfutter ;o) because they were going to return to Austria the next day. Nice... We talked a few minutes and decided then to go to bed. because of moskitos....



Looks quite diffrent from yesterday in the evening light...



Na Kathi, do you like them more than in other pictures?

Click: Once more a bus stop offers me shelter of the rain...
Click: I never thought my KTM Life Space would be so much Living Space as it is nowadays...


Do it like Douglas Adams tells you: Have always a towel with you!

Click: Le chef recommande: Farfalle ai pomodori con prosciutto e aglio

Narkaus - Maijanen ~115 km


As he promised yesterday the owner of the camping brought a thermo-bottle with some coffe and a sandwich and put it right next to my tent. I was sleeping so fine, I didn't hear it...

After having mygga, breakfast und putting together all my things I started with a new speed record to Rovaniemi: The first ~30 km I did with an average of 23... How do I do that? At Rovaniemi I asked at the Tourist Information if there is any possibility to go back from Northcape to somewhere here in Finland - and - yes, there is every day a bus going from Northcape to Rovaniemi. They printed me the page, and there was written:
"Northcape - Rovaniemi, 01:00 - 17.35 pm, duration: 16.35"
Strange.... 16 hours for this distance? couldn't imagine that... even stranger: 17.35 minus 01.00 equals 16.35.. yes, but there is one hour difference between Norway and Finland, so duration would be 17.35... *hein?*
However, after that I went to the supermarket and bought foodstuff for at least 5 days... *panic* (some of those things I carried with me for a very long time... I just was afraid of not finding any supermarket on the road)

Starting at Rovaniemi I followed a river for the next 1,5 days. And starting at Rovaniemi there was one street on each side of that river for about 50 km. My brand-new special bike-map told me, that I should take the street no. 79 on the one side.... I decided to take the street no. 934 on the other side, because three digits mean less traffic than two digits. No idea why they wanted me to go over there... even stranger: some kilometers later the marked cycle route leaves the main road and takes an unsurfaced road for some additional kilometers... So... is there anybody who can explain this kind of logic to me?!?

Next 35 km were fine as well, an then, suddenly, if they had had a little agreement, wind started to blow, knees started to hurt, and my shoulders tensed up (?) (verspannen)... And for giving me the rest at Meltaus it was raining cats and dogs, so I was wet, wet, wet arriving at the camping...

But the evening reimbursed me: bright sunshine, nearly no mosquitos, beautiful view of the river, and - once more - the camping all for me... noone is going to disturb me ... not even the owners, because they didn't speak english as well...

In that evening, beeing all alone, sun shining, mosquitos buzzing, beeing early I just start to write down some thoughts that were gathering around in my head, about 4 whole pages in my note book. There is every day another possibility of passing time. As I told you, I'm never bored on my bike (and in my tent...) ;o)

Click: Breakfast...
Click: Rovaniemi welcomed me with the Moomins - Characters of finnish books for children


Having lunch at a finnish open grilli: Somewhere, right next to the river, there was a fire place, table & benches, toilet and waste bin - things, that you find sometimes in some beautiful places...
Click: Camping on my own
Click: The view right out of my tent


I love colorful pictures...

Click: A grilli, that you also can find at nearly every finnish camping

Oijärvi - Narkaus ~110 km


Although I stayed up tonight I stood up in the morning at 7 and started the tour at 9 am. And - as every day (at least it seems to me...) - wind in the face...

during the whole day I didn't pass one shop... and I didn't take very small roads. Would that be even worse more northern?

It was this the day in which I cursed myself doing that trip.
The whole forenoon thoughts like "I just want to fly back to Austria. Now!" I damned myself for having this idea going to the northcape by bike. I hated the wind, the rain, the streets, just everything. But a little chocolate and life is much better... In the evening I reached "this damned camping site" that seemed to not come closer (even after the sign: "4 km to Camping"). It was definitively the worst day of the whole trip.

But then, at the "damned camping site" my mood changed very soon. The owner of the bar and camping didn't speak one word english, only little swedish (and I even less...), no italian ;o), but finnish. He was very astounded: a girl going alone by bike through finnland. As I didn't find a shop today, and I didn't want to use my "emergency meal", because I didn't know what the next day will bring along, i decided to ask if there was something to eat. A thing that was quite difficult. but with a little swedish and a little Langenscheidt (small dictionary) he understood my needs. I managed to understand, that he is going to prepare something to eat, I just didn't know what it would be...

Later, after having dinner and a beer, he offered me his computer with internet, some more later he sat down at my table, took the phone, called somebody, talked to somebody, gave me the cell phone, and someone told me in english, that the owner has to go to Rovaniemi tomorrow early in the morning, and he will offer me some coffee for breakfast. Nice, isn't it?

A little later arrived a couple (She was hungarian, he german) with three children, traveling around through whole Scandinavia for about 2 month. We made an appointment for a little later to meet at their tent.

In the meanwhile the man from the camping offered me some ruisleipä (rye bread) and a beer, just for sitting next to each other and try to "talk"...

With the german couple I spent a nice evening, talking about this and that, and I really enjoyed it for the first time beeing here talking to someone in german. It's easier to express what you feel and think in your mother tongue...






I woke up because of the beautiful sunshine this morning

Click: Last photo of camping
Click: Can you see the dragonfly (Libelle)?
Click: The crest of Lappland: No, people there are NOT like this...


Did I ever tell I LOVE those finnish clouds?

Click: Did I ever tell I LOVE those finnish rivers?
Click: Me, Myself, and Angelika
Click: Can you see the toilet?


Even finnish toilets are picturesque...
Click: Zahnpflege einmal anders... /Take care of your teeth! ("Cogwheel" in german can be translated with "wheel with teeth" - Zahnrad)


Sunset at Narkaus I
Click: Sunset at Narkaus II
Click: Sunset at Narkaus III - through the mosquito net of my tent...
Click: They are waiting....