Nordic Cycle Trip - Post #16

More rain :(

I'm not sure when it started, but it rained most of the night. I was sleeping on a bed of moss so i wasn't really worried about avoiding a mud pit like the other night. And i certainly wasn't going to get up just to have a miserable morning riding in the rain. I just tried to ignore it. I was mostly concerned about my sleeping bag getting wet. My bivy sack should have been quite water proof, but everything inside felt damp. Or my hands were damp. Or it was just cold. I couldn't figure it out.

It was around 6:30 when i decided to get up. The mosquitoes were still around so i packed up as quickly as i could then started riding. Within the first couple miles i decided that was it. For real. About 6 miles in i made it to the town of Sparreholm and found the bus stop. There was a bus to Gnesta arriving in 20 minutes. I waited patiently and crossed my fingers that they allowed bicycles.

The bus arrived on time and the driver helped me put the bicycle on the back. I sat and relaxed on the bus while the rain came down on a hilly, windy, poorly paved road. I may not have completed my cycling goal, but i was content with my choice. When i got to Gnesta i almost had a problem getting a train ticket with the bicycle. Apparently zero bicycles are allowed in the Stockholm Central station, and you can't take bicycles on the train during rush hour inside some area. The guy figured out what i had to do and i got my ticket. i looked around the shop for some breakfast and when i checked out i asked the guy where the train would be. He said "it's right there, and it leaves in two minutes."

Holy moly. I grabbed the food and rushed outside. i had my bags with me but i nearly forgot to get my bike! It was quite stressful trying to run over to the bike, unlock it, and make it to the train before it left. I did make the train, and made it to Sodertalje. This is where my hatred of trains comes in again. The guy didn't tell me i needed to switch trains. I stayed on the train till the end of the line, which was only one stop passed where i needed to switch. But i was confused. The sign outside said it was going towards Stockholm. I eventually figured it out and made it to the Stockholm Sodra station where i had to get off. The central station is only a few hundred meters from the hostel, but i didn't mind having to walk the two miles from the other one. As long as i didn't have to ride in the rain.

I got to the hostel around 11:30 and checked in. i took a shower and put on fresh clothes, then headed out to look for some food. I found a grocery store and got some mini baguettes and some brie. It was magnificent. I walked around the city a bit and i must say, it seemed like my kind of city. I suppose it was just like any other European city, but compared to Oslo and all the smaller towns i'd been through, Stockholm was refreshing. I didn't really see anything exciting on my walk. I took pictures of some statues and some of the cool buildings. I went to a bar and had a beer and some french fries. The sauce they served with it was some sort of seasoned mayonnaise. I couldn't quite tell what the flavors were, there were green things in it and i swear i tasted nutmeg.

The next day i walked around the city some more. i had to watch my time though, to make sure i had time to get back to the hostel to collect my things, and still get to the ferry on time. My phone says i took 26,878 steps, 405% of my goal. 13.8 miles. I walked a lot.  I pretty much just wandered around. I saw some more parks, more statues. Around noon i had to decide if i had enough time to walk over to the museums, see the museum, and walk back to the hostel. It was a strange situation. If i walked over i'd have just an hour or so to see anything before i had to walk back. But if i didn't walk, i had too much time with nothing to do. So i went.

I went to the Vasamuseet (http://www.vasamuseet.se/), a museum about this boat that sank 400 years ago. It's a pretty strange thing to have a museum about. Don't get me wrong, the boat was pretty fantastic. Apparently what's in the museum is 98% original and it looks to be in excellent shape. The strange thing is that the ship was a HUGE failure. The king at the time had ordered this boat to be built, and provided the dimensions for it. It had 2 decks of cannons and 10 sails. The problem was it was designed all wrong, and within the first mile of actually sailing it it tipped over and sank. Seems a weird thing to honor with a museum. Cool ship though!

I walked back to the hostel, grabbed my bags from the luggage room and hopped on the bike to head to the ferry. This is my first time on a 'cruise' ship. It's pretty neat, except my cabin is below the car deck. There are 4 beds in the room and a bathroom that smells worse than a porta-potty on the 5th day of a music festival in India. I think i have the room to myself though. I put my bags in there when i boarded, then went back after exploring the ship and no one else has anything in there. It's pretty boring being here alone, but so it goes. At least there's free wi-fi. We've been at sea for over three hours now and there's still all sorts of cool looking islands everywhere, and i think it's raining again.

Tomorrow i'll be in Helsinki. I'll be with people i know and have lots to do and see. I guess this is the end of the "nordic cycle trip". It was mostly a success, but it certainly wasn't ideal. Part of me never wants to ride a bicycle ever again. Another part wants to find somewhere flatter and dryer to try it again; with some bike shorts and a better adjusted seat. I guess we'll see where the next World Gymnaestrada is going to be. I'll be almost 40 by then (holy crap) but who knows!


**I'll be adding pictures of the trip to the google+ and facebook pages, and videos to the JTG Tours youtube channel. Stay tuned for some posts about the WG and some day trips i might be taking. I might make a quick trip to Estonia or i might try to see if i can set foot in Russia without getting abducted.Oh, and don't forget about the end of the 2011 flashback! there's some fun stuff about to happen. Belgium, 11% beers, finns.