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Remy and I have been in the process of buying a kayak for a while now, and although we already have a bit of kayaking experience, we still have a few things to learn: namely, how not to fall out of it (sadly, no photos of that). and I even still need to learn which end is the front and which is the back, so I don't end up in the kayak facing the wrong way.
Today we left Sweden and arrived in Norway. We were so gloriously busy doing nothing in Sweden that there was no time for a newsletter. Kayaking, swimming, museum-hopping, walks, and yes, even a little bit of work. On that last note: Remy managed to help Lars's daughter and son-in-law with a small electrical job, and I managed to do some good business at the pilgrim centres in Oslo and Hamar (on the way there) and various spots along the St. Olavsleden.
It was wonderful to have a proper holiday for once. We stayed with Lars, who lives at Lake Storsjön, the 'Great Lake' near Östersund. It was also nice to be able to be there this time without getting ill, unlike last year and the year before. I even had trouble saying goodbye and tried my luck with an "Oh, actually I'm not feeling all that well!", but Lars and Remy weren't falling for it.
For those who read our newsletters to learn more about cycling routes in Scandinavia: at some point I'll share some interesting facts about the St. Olavsleden, whose cycling guide came out in January. This week we stayed roughly halfway along the route (close to Östersund), and we're now driving towards Trondheim. Along the way, I'm showing Remy some beautiful spots. We're now in Stiklestad, just over the Swedish-Norwegian border, and for the first time I'm seeing this place in sunshine! I've been here a few times before, but always in rain or heavy cloud. And to my surprise, we ran into Hans Morten Løvrød here. Until recently, he was the director of Pilegrimsleden, the umbrella organisation for all pilgrim routes to Trondheim. He also wrote the foreword for my very first cycling guide. Coincidence? No, not on a pilgrim route. Chance encounters there are never really chance at all.
Via Trondheim, we're now heading to the west coast. From there we'll travel south along the Coastal Pilgrims' Route (Kystpilegrimsleia). I still have a few research tasks to do here for the next cycling guide. But since it's relatively little work, Remy and I are mainly trying to keep this a proper holiday too. A bit of both, then. The bikes have mostly just been standing outside for show so far, but in Norway we're finally going to put them to use!
Photo’s:
On the road I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting an elk. Later, when Remy was driving, the brakes were tested again. This time for a sheep. And at one point we saw an elk calf wandering by. No sign of its mother.
The bell tower and the pilgrim centre with a pilgrim accommodation on the isle of Frösön
Östersund and a visit to the town hall there, where we had an appointment with Putte Eby, the coordinator of the St. Olavsleden in Sweden.
Museum Jamtli in Östersund
Rock carvings at Glösa
Ristafallet, Sweden's second-largest waterfall
Tännforsen, Sweden's largest waterfall, with a cosy pilgrim guesthouse right next to it:
A walk along the St. Olavsleden in the border area between Sweden and Norway. The first bridge is also featured on the cover of the cycling guide.
And finally, the photos from our visit to Lars's place
