25 MAY --  STOCKHOLM,  SWEDEN  (Latitude 059.20 N -- Longitude 018.05 E)
So after the sixteen hour ferry crossing and listening to countless stories from people who have recently visited Russia, and every person to a man had the same horror tale to tell. After listening to their tales of muggings and shootings, not to mention daylight robberies) I now wonder if I have the courage to even fly across Russia never mind ride across it. Surely there is somebody out there with something positive to say? We rode across the city to catch another ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and this was a much more pleasurable experience. The weather had improved and the scenery was outstanding. The first 3 hours of the journey took us through a labrynth of tiny islands each one looking more beautiful than the last. The temptation to jump ship and swim ashore was all too real but Helsinki and the beautiful Scandinavian country of Finland was only hours away so we sailed on into the early morning before docking at 0900 hrs.

26 MAY 2002 HELSINKI,  FINLAND  (Latitude 60.08 N  Longitude 025.00 E)
We rode off the ferry and quickly located the Tourist Information which promptly pointed us in the direction of the best campsite in town, situated only 7 K to the west of the city and at only £4.00 per night including unlimited showers it sounded like a great deal. Tired from the poor sleep due to adverse weather conditions during the two sea crossings, we grabbed a few hours sleep before returning into the city to do what tourist do best and that was a little sight seeing. Helsinki is a beautiful and captivating city, with a rich mixture of the old and the new and the first thing you notice on arrival is the pace of the city. This was much slower than any of the previous capital cities we have visited. Café bars with outside seating where you can sit and watch the world go by are common on every street. Its simply a place where you can go and relax. Everybody we met was extremely friendly towards us and we did not experience anything other than warmth. We got the usual questions about 'Why are your bikes so heavily loaded'? or 'Where are you going'? and, as always, they wished us good luck. Yet again warned us to be very careful in Russia, in particular in St Petersburg. Catching up with the email We had a nice tour of the harbour by boat and finished the day by enjoying an evening dinner which included Grilled Salmon, fresh Salad and ample amounts of fried potatoes, and all for four dollars. The second day we took care of our domestics which included the washing and catching up with the email. Internet access is not much of a problem in Helsinki as most of the cafes and bars have broadband internet access so it was nice to catch up with family and friends and reassure everybody we were OK and the bikes where running fine.

28 MAY 2002, STOCKHOLM,  SWEDEN  (Latitude 059.20 N -- Longitude 018.05 E)
We departed Helsinki Finland at 5pm. Our eta in Stockholm was 8am the following day so we decided to not to take a cabin and we would make to do with sleeping in the comfy reclining chairs which are all too common on the Scandinavian ferries. The ferry cost was reasonable at only 70 euro which included the bikes. We were lucky that Monika had friends who lived only 4 miles to the west of the city and it had been pre-arranged that we would stay with them. So on arrival we made a call to confirm we could still stay and sure enough they had a bed and a warm welcome for us. It made a nice change not to be unloading the bikes and erecting tents. Not that this has been a problem, but it was nice just to park the bike and go indoors. After an hour or so catching up with all the latest happenings their's and our we where given a lift into the city of Stockholm where we took a bus tour followed by a boat sightseeing tour of the city. It was during the boat tour where I got speaking to the captain informing him of my previous job as a submariner where one of my duties included sea navigation and out of the blue he offered me a job starting at 9 am the following day. At any other time I would have loved to accept his kind invitation what a relaxing way to spend your time navigating sightseeing boats around the beautiful waterways of Stockholm maybe after our journey has finished I will return to Stockholm to see if the offer still stands.

Stockholm is not too dissimilar to Helsinki,  as the city is founded on many large islands linked by many bridges, both historic and new. There was a carnival atmosphere as many open deck buses where parading the city streets, topped with schoolchildren waving flags and singing along to he pop music which was played at the loudest volume.

Yet again, café bars decorated every street and the hustle and bustle of life continued in a vibrant and colourful manner. Stockholm is a fantastic city with much history and tradition but our schedule did not us allow us stay as long as we wanted. It was always our intention to skip through most of Scandinavia which would allow us more time in Norway a country we have both looked forward to visiting for a long time. And so at 9 am the following day we said goodbye to Monika's friends and headed south west to our next next stop, Denmark.

 

30 MAY 2002 COPENHAGEN,  DENMARK   (Latitude 055.45 N -- Longitude 012.25 E)
It took nearly seven hours to complete the 400 mile journey and although we took the major route from Stockholm to Helsinburg, our exit point from Sweden to Denmark, it was still a scenic journey which improved considerably the nearer we got to the ferry crossing. We arrived at Swedish seaport of Helsinborg and rode straight onto the ferry, which by now had become familiar routing. After parking our bike onboard the large ship we both removed our securing straps from the panniers and started to secure the bike as we had done previously with our crossings from Poland, Sweden and Finland. What we didn't know or notice, however, was that this crossing was only 15 minutes and when we finally had both bikes secure, we heard the roar of the lorries engines bursting into life as we docked in Helsinger, Denmark! So at great speed, and feeling rather foolish, we had to dismantle all the ties and securing wraps and rode off the ferry, all to the amusement of the ferry staff. It took only 50 minutes to ride into the heart of Copenhagen the capital city of Denmark, and we parked the bikes right in the middle of the main square. As we removed our helmets a large crowed gathered ever curious yet again at our presence and luggage size. We noticed a small concert playing only 100 meters away at the west side of the square which was raising the awareness of the environment, and watching intensely was a youthful crowed of about 300 all with their carry outs of food and lager and between them they made more mess than I had seen in the previous week in Scandinavia. As we secured our bike a we heard an English voice say Welcome to Copenhagen, My name is Austin and you are both my guests! He could see from the ever increasing country tallies which I now count by writing them on the side of my panniers that we where in transit and he said my home is only half a mile from the square and you can stay for as long as you like. Puzzled and overwhelmed by his kindness and generosity we had a quick beer which was donated by one of the crowed and rode to his apartment. It took only 10 minutes to unpack the bikes and take the direct route by foot back to the square. Austin was cycle courier and he later told us that on average he peddled over 80 kilometres a day, which was a necessity if he wanted the taxation  benefits to be gained if he exceeded 70 kilometres daily. Our first stop on Austin's sight seeing tour was a fast food shop which provided only burgers, but these were not normal burgers:  these were the biggest burgers we had ever seen! Over 12 inches in diameter and weighing-in at an impressive 30 ounces. According to the owner,  if you eat in and can prove to the owner that you have devoured at least two of these whoppers, there will be no charge. A nice selling gimmick I am sure, but an impossible task all the same, even for me who has the unenviable nick name of Hoover given to be me by my darling wife who knows that I find it impossible to refuse food.

The atmosphere was such that there would be only one agenda for the remainder of the night and that was a well-earned drink. We insisted with Austin that we were here to party,  and that money and time would be no object. We moved quickly to the Scottish Bar, situated just on the periphery of the main square, only to find ourselves being served by an Englishman ! In recognition of Austin's generosity I purchased the first round of drinks which totalled over £30.00 for 6 beers!  A rapid on the spot evaluation of the evening's expenditure took place, the conclusion of which was that, if we wanted to stay out enjoying ourselves, we had better move somewhere cheaper, much cheaper, and quickly………… After a hasty discussion we moved down town to the famous Mouse Bar, famed for its Thursday night of Buy One Get One Free, and the actual pint purchased was indeed half price. So it was with great relief that we could continue the evening without the need to worry about money. It was a brilliant night, everybody was really friendly and even one of the local cycle couriers gave Monika his personal cycle jacket valued at nearly £200.00 with the one simple condition imposed: "take it around the world and give it a good time". All ready so early into our adventure we are witnessing first hand so much of what over Landers like to talk about and that is the inherent kindness of the locals towards bikers.


31 MAY 2002  --  SWEDEN
We had a fantastic time in Sweden and Finland but it was Norway that we wanted to see more than anything. We had both heard how wonderfully scenic Norway is,  and now we were riding north with only a 250 miles between us and the Norwegian Border. But the previous evening's escapade had taken its toll and so only 50 km from the border we stopped at a campsite and had an early night. It was an early start the next morning but our departure was somewhat delayed due to our Multi Fuel stove not being able to light, and there is no way I will ride anywhere until I have had my morning coffee. Knowing nothing about multi-stoves it was a  case of stripping it down into a thousand pieces,  giving it a thorough clean and then re-asssembling it, but still the stove would not light! It was not until the third strip-down that I sussed out how to get to the jet section of the stove and was then able to strip this, too. That rectified the problem. The jet was completely blocked with carbon. After a quick clean with a needle it was as good as new. Following our much delayed coffee, we headed north in glorious sunshine onto the open highway.