Today was a sad but a happy day. Sad that our journey was over but happy that we were going home. I missed my wife and my home comforts. Again, Mauro and I woke up early and headed for breakfast. No fishy pancakes this time. Thankfully they were replaced by meatballs, Scandinavia's other staple food... well it is if you go to Ikea. Sadly they weren't as tasty as theirs so I could only stomach a few.
We had a lot of packing to do before we left for the airport, not just our clothes and stuff but also the bikes. After a gash appeared in the box when we got to Gothenburg I was going to make sure it didn't happen again. I had to match up all the bits of foam tubing that I brought with me to the various parts of my bike. I managed to piece it all together again. Off came the pedals and handlebars. The wheels came off and the skewers protected. Actually, I think I packed it better this time in a car park better than I did at home before we left home. The wheels certainly fitted back in the box better than they did before. After the bike was packed I used so much tape around the box reinforcing it everyone started to laugh. You can never be too careful though. Nothing worse than it splitting and all the contents coming out.
Bob was coming back from Gothenburg this morning but we were meeting him at Oslo's main airport. We packed his bike and then loaded up the van. Amazing that we got all the bikes and all our luggage back in there. I swear there was more stuff than before even though Shaun had gone home yesterday. Then again we did have Fred's bike with us but it wasn't in a box as he was driving back to Gothenburg after dropping us off at Oslo Torp airport.
We set off ahead of schedule. First stop was Oslo's main airport to pick up Bob. Amazingly enough, when we got there and went into the car park there he was and we were able to get on the road again straight away. We had to go back the way we came and back through to Oslo before heading North to Oslo Torp. Luckily the journey was all by motorway and so although we had around about 60 miles (100 km) to go the time passed fairly quickly. We passed through a number of tunnels through hills which you don't really see at home.
Arriving at the airport we unloaded the van and bade our farewells to Fred. It was sad to see him go, as it was with Shaun the day before, but he had to get home again himself. Again, we had fun putting bikes on trollies and trying to navigate them through airport doors. Because we were early the flight hadn't even opened up for booking in. Luckily there was someone there from the UK behind one of the service desks and he got it opened for us. I weighed my big bag and found I was almost a kilogram over my weight allowance. Had to remove stuff from it and pack it into my rucksack. Sorted!!! We then booked ourselves in and put the bikes onto the large luggage conveyor.
With a couple of hours to spare we just sat in the café area. Had to take out some more money out of the hole in the wall. Ended up spending most of it on a hotdog, a small container of Chinese food and a small packet of sweets. It's the one thing I won't miss about Norway... the prices. Don't think I will ever moan about them over here in the UK again.
The flight home was a chance for me to update my notes of the past week. It was amazing to see how Norway looked from the air as we rose into the air. You could see vast expanses of trees and lakes. I guess the stereotypical view of Norway. Soon, land changed to water as we crossed the North Sea. After that it didn't seem long till we were ready to land at Prestwick.
We disembarked the plane and went to pick up our luggage. Before that we had to go through passport control. Tom went through and then came back again. The little boy, Jack, whose name we were doing all this in, had a teddy bear and we had taken him with us on our journey. We got passport control to stamp his little teddy bear passport so that we could then give it back to his mother. It probably doesn't seem like much but we knew that Jack's mum would appreciate it.
Luggage all collected we headed through to arrivals. Mauro's sister was there with her kids and his dad. They had a banner welcoming us home which was fantastic. I must admit I had a bit of a tear in my eye when I saw my wife. My mum and dad were there too with my niece Lucy. It's always nice to go away to interesting places and meet wonderful people but when all is said and done there is no place like home.
Showing posts with label Oslo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oslo. Show all posts
Friday, 29 August 2008
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Got. To Oslo Day 7 - Day off in Oslo
I got woken up at 4am this morning by the guys coming back from their night out on the town. Still managed to get back to sleep for another couple of hours afterwards though. Mauro and I got up early and even went to breakfast just after 7am. The hostel is an extension of the hotel next door and so breakfast was served in their dining room. We both started off with a bowl of cereal before deciding to have a cooked breakfast as well. There was a tray full of pancakes as well as sliced sausage and potatoes. We both loaded up our plates and then returned to our seats. Mauro took a bite of one of the pancakes. His face immediately went sour and said that it tasted awful. I took a bite as well and immediately did the same. What we thought we pancakes turned out to be something a little less savoury. It was like a pancake with fish mixed into it as well except that the fish tasted off. Obviously an acquired taste.
After breakfast we had a wander round the park next to the hotel. There was a river running through it so we had a stroll along the banks, soaking up the morning sun. A man on the other side of the river bank stood there in full view of everyone with his trousers down at his knees. Thankfully he wasn't doing anything else but it gave us a good laugh. On a more serious point, however, after that I started to notice that there were a good few homeless people. Even in rich countries it's still a problem. I did notice that they sell a Norwegian version of the Big Issue.
We decided to head into town for a wander round. We passed by a sports shops that sold bikes so decided to investigate. They had a lot of nice bikes in there. Carbon fibre frames costing a few thousand pounds and some less pricy... well relatively speaking. Prices are nuts here. We found a carbon fibre bottle cage which was about 700 NOK (approx £70). Yikes!!!
I wanted to grab a drink as I think I was still dehydrated from all the cycling we had been doing. We went into a sandwich shop and I looked in the fridges. I couldn't believe my eyes. A bottle of Pepsi which would normally cost a pound or so back home was 280 NOK (approx £3). I bought the bottle grudgingly. Having said that, if you are prepared to shop around (I was dying of thirst and so couldn't wait) then you can find cheaper places especially in supermarkets.
After that we headed back to the hostel where we met Pete. He had just come back from Oslo's main airport where he had just dropped Bob off. He had to fly back to Gothenburg for a meeting. He would fly back the next morning... staying in a luxury hotel no doubt on expenses... lucky man. Poor Shaun was also heading off as well. Unfortunately he couldn't get the Friday off work and so he had to fly back to Glasgow today. Mauro decided to tag along with Pete and Shaun to Oslo Torp airport, a round trip of around 4 hours.
Fred, John, Tom and I sat in the communal area of the hostel's reception area. John and Tom played table football while Fred and I did a little work on the final newsletter. Aftwerwards we all decided to head on into town to do some exploring. Before then I decided to get changed and find my shades as it was a sunny day. When I was locking up my bag I suddenly couldn't find the keys to my bag. I searched everywhere but could I find them? The realisation suddenly hit me that I must have dropped them in my bag just before locking it. Nooooo!!! I had visions of me having to rip open my bag. Luckily I was able to open it up and find the key. Could have ended badly...
Fred took point as he had been here before. The first place we visited was Youngstorget which used to be Oslo's greatest fruit market. It was also a place for political demonstrations and in fact a couple of unions have their headquarters here. There was a small market on today. I bet my wife wishes she was here. Markets and car boot sales are her religion. ;-)
We wandered around the shops before we entered Karl Johan's Gate. This street forms part of a square, much like George Square in the centre of Glasgow except a little more picturesque... okay a lot. The street contains the Olso Parliament building at one end, and the National Theatre building as well as the Royal Palace at the other end. In the middle is a park type area with a fountain and trees.
By now we were feeling hungry and so we decided to go to the Hard Rock Café. It was a stunning day and so we wanted to sit outside on the pavement. We had to wait a little but it was worth it. We bought a burger each (cost about £10.. Nachos were around £12.. Yikes!!!
We decided to head for the harbour area to explore. On the way there we passed Oslo's city hall building. This is a huge dark-red brick building which was designed in the 1920s but not finished until after WWII in 1950. From the outside it's perhaps not the prettiest of buildings but once you are inside it's quite impressive. There is a large hall which has a huge painting at the far end. To be honest I joked that it looked as though it had been coloured in by kids with crayons. Still, it was an impressive sight. Fred then remarked that they had awful curtains. :-)
Around the square the city hall sits in there are a number of tourist shops... and you know we just had to go in and have a look. They were full of the usual touristy stuff... trolls, hats, jumpers, various trinkets with the Norwegian flag, etc. I tried to find my wife something but couldn't see anything worth buying.
We headed for the busy harbour area. There are lots of offices and accommodation around here as well as restaurants, bars, shops, etc. There are ships and luxury yachts moored up along the jetty as well. To be honest, this is the way I would have liked the development around the Finnieston area of Glasgow to have been like. There is a lot of life in the area and the people are friendly.
We sat and ate some ice cream we bought and just soaked in the atmosphere. Tom then got a text from Pete saying they were back from dropping Shaun off at the airport. I had the key so I had to make my way back to the hostel. I have a pretty good sense of direction so I was able to find my way back pretty easily. After meeting up with Pete and Mauro we headed back into town and to where I left Tom, John and Fred. When we got there they were sitting outside one of the bars. I shuddered to think what it was going to cost us but we ordered some beers.
Afterwards, Pete, Mauro and I went exploring further around the harbour area. Again, like Glasgow, it has been subject to a lot of investment. Mauro wanted to go see the new opera house which you could apparently walk up on to the roof of. As we came out of a shop after buying some juice a guy stopped us and asked where we were from. We told him what we had been up to and then he told us about how he had cycled all over Scotland. He then gave us rough directions for the opera house and with that we set off.
On the way there we had to pass through the Akershus Fortress which was built in the late 13th century to protect Oslo from invaders. It was occupied by the Nazis during WWII and after the war a number of traitors were executed here by firing squad. From the ramparts you get an amazing view over the Oslo fjord. On the hill behind Olso you can also see a ski jump that was used in the 1952 Winter Olympics.
It was getting late so we only had time for a quick look around before heading for the opera house. After asking for some directions we eventually found it. The building is shaped liked two wedges; one sitting on top of the other. You can walk up the first wedge and then on to the second one. The building was completed this year ahead of schedule and way under budget. How often does that happen these days? Anyway, it's a fairly steep climb up the roof. Once we reached the top, Mauro did his best Rocky impersonation. I guess that's how we were all feeling then after the journey.
Again, the view from the top of the building was great. You could see the fjord again along with the harbour and the city around that area. We stayed a while admiring the scenery but by now it was after 7:30pm and was beginning to get dark. On the way back to the hostel Tom phoned and said that they would bring in pizzas for everyone again. Not the healthiest of diets considering our healthy regime for the past week but certainly a welcome one.
When we got back to the hostel someone else had taken up residency in Shaun's bed. He turned up a little later on. I forget his name but he was originally from Iran. He was persecuted back home for printing a Christian newspaper and so had to flee. He spent time in Turkey before coming to Oslo where he works as a web developer. Mauro, Pete and I laughed as we all realised we were in the same business. The guys arrived a little bit later on and we tucked into the pizzas. By the end of the night there was a pile of around 16 pizza boxes in the corner of the room.
All in all we had a great day. Was good to be able to relax and do some exploring in such a great city... even if it is so expensive. Never did get to see Edvard Munch's "The Scream" but perhaps another time. Tomorrow we were heading back home again.
After breakfast we had a wander round the park next to the hotel. There was a river running through it so we had a stroll along the banks, soaking up the morning sun. A man on the other side of the river bank stood there in full view of everyone with his trousers down at his knees. Thankfully he wasn't doing anything else but it gave us a good laugh. On a more serious point, however, after that I started to notice that there were a good few homeless people. Even in rich countries it's still a problem. I did notice that they sell a Norwegian version of the Big Issue.
We decided to head into town for a wander round. We passed by a sports shops that sold bikes so decided to investigate. They had a lot of nice bikes in there. Carbon fibre frames costing a few thousand pounds and some less pricy... well relatively speaking. Prices are nuts here. We found a carbon fibre bottle cage which was about 700 NOK (approx £70). Yikes!!!
I wanted to grab a drink as I think I was still dehydrated from all the cycling we had been doing. We went into a sandwich shop and I looked in the fridges. I couldn't believe my eyes. A bottle of Pepsi which would normally cost a pound or so back home was 280 NOK (approx £3). I bought the bottle grudgingly. Having said that, if you are prepared to shop around (I was dying of thirst and so couldn't wait) then you can find cheaper places especially in supermarkets.
After that we headed back to the hostel where we met Pete. He had just come back from Oslo's main airport where he had just dropped Bob off. He had to fly back to Gothenburg for a meeting. He would fly back the next morning... staying in a luxury hotel no doubt on expenses... lucky man. Poor Shaun was also heading off as well. Unfortunately he couldn't get the Friday off work and so he had to fly back to Glasgow today. Mauro decided to tag along with Pete and Shaun to Oslo Torp airport, a round trip of around 4 hours.
Fred, John, Tom and I sat in the communal area of the hostel's reception area. John and Tom played table football while Fred and I did a little work on the final newsletter. Aftwerwards we all decided to head on into town to do some exploring. Before then I decided to get changed and find my shades as it was a sunny day. When I was locking up my bag I suddenly couldn't find the keys to my bag. I searched everywhere but could I find them? The realisation suddenly hit me that I must have dropped them in my bag just before locking it. Nooooo!!! I had visions of me having to rip open my bag. Luckily I was able to open it up and find the key. Could have ended badly...
Fred took point as he had been here before. The first place we visited was Youngstorget which used to be Oslo's greatest fruit market. It was also a place for political demonstrations and in fact a couple of unions have their headquarters here. There was a small market on today. I bet my wife wishes she was here. Markets and car boot sales are her religion. ;-)
We wandered around the shops before we entered Karl Johan's Gate. This street forms part of a square, much like George Square in the centre of Glasgow except a little more picturesque... okay a lot. The street contains the Olso Parliament building at one end, and the National Theatre building as well as the Royal Palace at the other end. In the middle is a park type area with a fountain and trees.
By now we were feeling hungry and so we decided to go to the Hard Rock Café. It was a stunning day and so we wanted to sit outside on the pavement. We had to wait a little but it was worth it. We bought a burger each (cost about £10.. Nachos were around £12.. Yikes!!!
We decided to head for the harbour area to explore. On the way there we passed Oslo's city hall building. This is a huge dark-red brick building which was designed in the 1920s but not finished until after WWII in 1950. From the outside it's perhaps not the prettiest of buildings but once you are inside it's quite impressive. There is a large hall which has a huge painting at the far end. To be honest I joked that it looked as though it had been coloured in by kids with crayons. Still, it was an impressive sight. Fred then remarked that they had awful curtains. :-)
Around the square the city hall sits in there are a number of tourist shops... and you know we just had to go in and have a look. They were full of the usual touristy stuff... trolls, hats, jumpers, various trinkets with the Norwegian flag, etc. I tried to find my wife something but couldn't see anything worth buying.
We headed for the busy harbour area. There are lots of offices and accommodation around here as well as restaurants, bars, shops, etc. There are ships and luxury yachts moored up along the jetty as well. To be honest, this is the way I would have liked the development around the Finnieston area of Glasgow to have been like. There is a lot of life in the area and the people are friendly.
We sat and ate some ice cream we bought and just soaked in the atmosphere. Tom then got a text from Pete saying they were back from dropping Shaun off at the airport. I had the key so I had to make my way back to the hostel. I have a pretty good sense of direction so I was able to find my way back pretty easily. After meeting up with Pete and Mauro we headed back into town and to where I left Tom, John and Fred. When we got there they were sitting outside one of the bars. I shuddered to think what it was going to cost us but we ordered some beers.
Afterwards, Pete, Mauro and I went exploring further around the harbour area. Again, like Glasgow, it has been subject to a lot of investment. Mauro wanted to go see the new opera house which you could apparently walk up on to the roof of. As we came out of a shop after buying some juice a guy stopped us and asked where we were from. We told him what we had been up to and then he told us about how he had cycled all over Scotland. He then gave us rough directions for the opera house and with that we set off.
On the way there we had to pass through the Akershus Fortress which was built in the late 13th century to protect Oslo from invaders. It was occupied by the Nazis during WWII and after the war a number of traitors were executed here by firing squad. From the ramparts you get an amazing view over the Oslo fjord. On the hill behind Olso you can also see a ski jump that was used in the 1952 Winter Olympics.
It was getting late so we only had time for a quick look around before heading for the opera house. After asking for some directions we eventually found it. The building is shaped liked two wedges; one sitting on top of the other. You can walk up the first wedge and then on to the second one. The building was completed this year ahead of schedule and way under budget. How often does that happen these days? Anyway, it's a fairly steep climb up the roof. Once we reached the top, Mauro did his best Rocky impersonation. I guess that's how we were all feeling then after the journey.
Again, the view from the top of the building was great. You could see the fjord again along with the harbour and the city around that area. We stayed a while admiring the scenery but by now it was after 7:30pm and was beginning to get dark. On the way back to the hostel Tom phoned and said that they would bring in pizzas for everyone again. Not the healthiest of diets considering our healthy regime for the past week but certainly a welcome one.
When we got back to the hostel someone else had taken up residency in Shaun's bed. He turned up a little later on. I forget his name but he was originally from Iran. He was persecuted back home for printing a Christian newspaper and so had to flee. He spent time in Turkey before coming to Oslo where he works as a web developer. Mauro, Pete and I laughed as we all realised we were in the same business. The guys arrived a little bit later on and we tucked into the pizzas. By the end of the night there was a pile of around 16 pizza boxes in the corner of the room.
All in all we had a great day. Was good to be able to relax and do some exploring in such a great city... even if it is so expensive. Never did get to see Edvard Munch's "The Scream" but perhaps another time. Tomorrow we were heading back home again.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Got. To Olso Day 6 - Sarpsborg to Oslo
Well, here it was... the final day of cycling. Muscles ached but our resolve to finish this journey had never wavered. Before we set off today we took some pics for the various organisations who sponsored us namely Stena Bulk, Concordia Maritime, North Marine Shipping, Brantas and Herbalife.
We'd been told that Oslo was only about 50-something miles (90 km) away which, considering we'd done 75 miles (120 km) the day before, seemed easy. We set off around 10am in sunshine. The forecast was for rain but luckily it was wrong... so far. Around about 3 miles (5 km) outside of Sarpsborg on route 114 we encountered what I consider to be more like the picture of Norway I had in my head before I came here. There was a large lake surrounded by hills covered in trees.
We crossed a bridge that spanned part of the lake. An older bridge, or rather what was left of it, stood beside it. We stopped for a time to admire the scenery and take some pictures. I prayed that I wouldn't run out of memory on my camera or battery power right now. Luckily I was fine on both accounts.
We carried along the side of the lake for a time before climbing the usual endless supply of Scandinavian hills. The road which was tree lined all the way never got monotonous though. To think that hundreds of years ago the UK was heavily forested, but look at it now. Norway, on the other hand, still is, from what I could see. Samuel Pepys once said that, "A man who is tired of London, is tired of life." He obviously never travelled this far North.
On the way up the hill we passed the entrance to a ski resort. It's funny but you never think that there would be much skiing at this altitude. However, this far North they obviously get a lot more snow than we do these days. Probably the same amount that we used to get way back in the 70s. Am I showing my age now? Oh well...
Although the sun was still shining the air was thick and cold. It was actually quite hard to keep warm. I was quite glad I had my cycling vest on which kept my body warm if not my arms which were freezing. This has been an ongoing thing about Scandinavia, that even though the sun is in the sky the air has been kind of thick which has meant that cycling through it has generated cold winds. Good when you are warm but not so good when you are cold.
We cycled for a few hours going through places like Nordby and Meieribyen taking a few breaks. Eventually we met up with Pete again in Spydeberg for a rest and something to eat. We had only had snacks so far since breakfast so we were ready to get stuck into something a little more substantial. Norway is, as you would presume, relatively expensive but when you gotta eat you gotta eat and forget the cost. I bought a ham and cheese roll in the shape of a large horseshoe. Fred then bought a waffle filled with ice cream and jam. It called my name - I just had to have one too.
After lunch we lolled around a little outside. I cycled over to a book shop to see what they had in their window. I managed to unclip my right foot from the pedals but not my left. I lost my balance and tipped over sideways much to the amusement of everyone, including myself. If you can't laugh at yourself in these situations then you have no right laughing at anyone else.
It was dull again as we headed off once more. I pulled my wind proof top on as well as my cycling vest and waterproof jacket to try and build up some heat. A couple of miles outside of town I saw a sign warning about Moose. I could just imagine going round a bend and coming face to face with an angry moose ready to charge me with his horns. Luckily, I didn't. Not something you see back home but over here it's probably like wild deer running around.
At some small town we kind of got a bit lost and had to ask for directions. A lady put us back on track in the direction of Ski. The sun came out again, lulling us into a false sense of security. Again, it may have been sunny but it was still cold.
Ski is a large commuter town some 15 miles (25 km) or so from Oslo. By now we had travelled around 50 miles (80 km). We arrived there around teatime and so stopped off at a service station (thank God for service stations, without them we would have gone hungry and thirsty on large parts of this trip) to buy some refreshments. Mauro needed a big sugar crash urgently as did I and so we both bought some sugary jelly sweets. Boy did they taste good!
Taking some advice on how to get to Oslo we found a sign saying "Oslo 25". 15 miles (25 km) doesn't seem like much but when you have covered 50 miles (80 km) already it seems like a whole lot more. As we headed off again the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain again. We all had our wet weather gear on apart from Fred who showed true Viking spirit and carried on regardless although he did manage to borrow a thermal cycling top from Bob. Cycling along one particular road Shaun managed to get a "snake bite" puncture on his rear tyre. This occurs usually when one of your wheels hits the edge of a kerb hard causing the inner rim of the wheel to pinch the inner tube and tearing it, somewhat resembling a snake bite, hence the term. We parked up in a bus shelter and resident mechanic extraordinaire, Mauro, went to work again. He changed the tube and had the wheel back on again in around 6 minutes. Not bad going.
We headed off again, tired, wet, cold but determined to complete the final few miles and "Get to Oslo". At the end of one particular street we had to enter a park area passing some football pitches and then going down the middle of a golf course. Norwegians may not have as many famous golfers as us but they are still daft about the game, like us. There were some many people and cars around even in the pouring rain.
My wrists were hurting from all the cycling and so I decided to change the angle of my handlebar stem to see if that would alleviate some of the pain. It worked, at least for a time. The path through the park changed to little more than a dirt track which by now had seen a lot of rain and horses by the look of things. There was no choice but to cycle through it and get covered in mud as we descended the path. By then we pretty much didn't care as we were already cold and wet so what could some mud do?
Eventually after passing some stables the dirt track finished and we descended a residential street jumping off of the speed bumps. My forks by now were in a sorry state. They were bottoming out very easily. At the bottom of the hill the directions started to get a little confusing. Beforehand there were definite signs saying "Oslo". Now there were directions probably to places in Oslo but none looked familiar. We crossed a bridge going over a main road and then down a ramp on the other side. Shaun's tyre gave out again and we had to stop for a time while Mauro took a look. I think there must have been some damage to his wheel as he had another puncture in a new inner tube. We sheltered under the ramp we had descended earlier and Mauro went back to work on the wheel. A group of cyclists went by and waved to us. Road cyclists, in my experience, rarely acknowledge people on mountain bikes.
I tried to wash some of the dirt off of my bike using a large puddle that was right next to us. When your rims get dirty it causes the brakes not to function properly as well as wearing them down quicker (both the brakes and rims). I then washed my shoes which were caked in mud too. They were soaking wet by now anyway so splashing about in a puddle didn't matter.
With Shaun's tyre fixed again we set off again for the centre of Oslo. We passed a red phone box like the ones at home. It felt so very long ago that we set off from Gothenburg even though it had only been a few days. Again, the route to the centre of the city became a little hazy. Fred had stopped a couple of guys and asked for directions. We headed down a slip road onto what I can only presume to be the E6; the road running all the way from Gothenburg to Oslo. The trasffic was very fast moving and I was a little uneasy about going down this road. On the other side of the road I saw a cyclist going down a cycle track at the side of the road. I got off my bike and headed back up the slip road again. I crossed over an overpass and went down the ramp on the other side. The others soon followed suit. There's no point in living dangerously on strange roads. Our luck had held this far and I didn't want anyone getting hurt when we were so close to finishing. This road, was as we discovered in due course, the final stretch of road leading us to our destination.
We stopped off at another service station. Fred found a couple of watering cans full of water and I washed more of the dirt off of my bike. By now it had stopped raining but it was still overcast. From the cycle path you could see out on to the Oslo fjord which the city is built around. There was a sailing regatta or something going on in the distance. There were many large sails. We passed by the docks and eventually around 8pm we finally reached the centre of Oslo.
Part of the centre was having some work done to it so we had to get off our bikes to walk around the temporary path. At this point I lost Mauro. I went back to where we were but I couldn't see him. I met Bob coming back down the street where everyone else was. He had his high visibility rain jacket on and so I thought that Mauro would spot him more likely than me. I headed on up the street through the pedestrian traffic to where everyone else was. Evetually we spotted Bob's luminous jacket coming back up the street. We couldn't see Mauro but as Bob got closer we saw that Mauro was walking. One of his feet had given way under the stress of cycling all week.
We stopped a passing girl who took a couple of pictures of us on Bob's camera. After that, all we wanted to do was book in to the hostel and relax. We were booked in at the Anker Hostel on Storgata, which, after what we had just been through was a decidedly underwhelming place. The guy at the front desk did his level best to get everyone's back up. He decided to process everyone's booking in the order in which we gave him the sheets we had to fill in. It didn't matter if someone was out at the van, that was just the way it was and he stuck to his guns (to Bob's grudging admiration). Eventually though we managed to get into our rooms.
Bob, in his infinite brilliance, decided to go out with Peter and buy everyone a large pizza. To say that the cooking facilities in the room were basic would be an understatement. You even had to rent pots and pans off of the front desk. He returned an hour later and it was the best pizza ever. Bob, you should be Knighted for keeping us fed over the course of the week. Thanks so much, you are a top man.
After food, Shaun, Tom, Fred and John decided to have a night out on the town. It was around 10:30pm by now and I was just wanting to hit the hay. We had finally done it. What had started off at an estimated 220 mile (352 km) cycle had finished off being 275 miles (440 km). Now to sleep, perchance to dream of home again...
We'd been told that Oslo was only about 50-something miles (90 km) away which, considering we'd done 75 miles (120 km) the day before, seemed easy. We set off around 10am in sunshine. The forecast was for rain but luckily it was wrong... so far. Around about 3 miles (5 km) outside of Sarpsborg on route 114 we encountered what I consider to be more like the picture of Norway I had in my head before I came here. There was a large lake surrounded by hills covered in trees.
We crossed a bridge that spanned part of the lake. An older bridge, or rather what was left of it, stood beside it. We stopped for a time to admire the scenery and take some pictures. I prayed that I wouldn't run out of memory on my camera or battery power right now. Luckily I was fine on both accounts.
We carried along the side of the lake for a time before climbing the usual endless supply of Scandinavian hills. The road which was tree lined all the way never got monotonous though. To think that hundreds of years ago the UK was heavily forested, but look at it now. Norway, on the other hand, still is, from what I could see. Samuel Pepys once said that, "A man who is tired of London, is tired of life." He obviously never travelled this far North.
On the way up the hill we passed the entrance to a ski resort. It's funny but you never think that there would be much skiing at this altitude. However, this far North they obviously get a lot more snow than we do these days. Probably the same amount that we used to get way back in the 70s. Am I showing my age now? Oh well...
Although the sun was still shining the air was thick and cold. It was actually quite hard to keep warm. I was quite glad I had my cycling vest on which kept my body warm if not my arms which were freezing. This has been an ongoing thing about Scandinavia, that even though the sun is in the sky the air has been kind of thick which has meant that cycling through it has generated cold winds. Good when you are warm but not so good when you are cold.
We cycled for a few hours going through places like Nordby and Meieribyen taking a few breaks. Eventually we met up with Pete again in Spydeberg for a rest and something to eat. We had only had snacks so far since breakfast so we were ready to get stuck into something a little more substantial. Norway is, as you would presume, relatively expensive but when you gotta eat you gotta eat and forget the cost. I bought a ham and cheese roll in the shape of a large horseshoe. Fred then bought a waffle filled with ice cream and jam. It called my name - I just had to have one too.
After lunch we lolled around a little outside. I cycled over to a book shop to see what they had in their window. I managed to unclip my right foot from the pedals but not my left. I lost my balance and tipped over sideways much to the amusement of everyone, including myself. If you can't laugh at yourself in these situations then you have no right laughing at anyone else.
It was dull again as we headed off once more. I pulled my wind proof top on as well as my cycling vest and waterproof jacket to try and build up some heat. A couple of miles outside of town I saw a sign warning about Moose. I could just imagine going round a bend and coming face to face with an angry moose ready to charge me with his horns. Luckily, I didn't. Not something you see back home but over here it's probably like wild deer running around.
At some small town we kind of got a bit lost and had to ask for directions. A lady put us back on track in the direction of Ski. The sun came out again, lulling us into a false sense of security. Again, it may have been sunny but it was still cold.
Ski is a large commuter town some 15 miles (25 km) or so from Oslo. By now we had travelled around 50 miles (80 km). We arrived there around teatime and so stopped off at a service station (thank God for service stations, without them we would have gone hungry and thirsty on large parts of this trip) to buy some refreshments. Mauro needed a big sugar crash urgently as did I and so we both bought some sugary jelly sweets. Boy did they taste good!
Taking some advice on how to get to Oslo we found a sign saying "Oslo 25". 15 miles (25 km) doesn't seem like much but when you have covered 50 miles (80 km) already it seems like a whole lot more. As we headed off again the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain again. We all had our wet weather gear on apart from Fred who showed true Viking spirit and carried on regardless although he did manage to borrow a thermal cycling top from Bob. Cycling along one particular road Shaun managed to get a "snake bite" puncture on his rear tyre. This occurs usually when one of your wheels hits the edge of a kerb hard causing the inner rim of the wheel to pinch the inner tube and tearing it, somewhat resembling a snake bite, hence the term. We parked up in a bus shelter and resident mechanic extraordinaire, Mauro, went to work again. He changed the tube and had the wheel back on again in around 6 minutes. Not bad going.
We headed off again, tired, wet, cold but determined to complete the final few miles and "Get to Oslo". At the end of one particular street we had to enter a park area passing some football pitches and then going down the middle of a golf course. Norwegians may not have as many famous golfers as us but they are still daft about the game, like us. There were some many people and cars around even in the pouring rain.
My wrists were hurting from all the cycling and so I decided to change the angle of my handlebar stem to see if that would alleviate some of the pain. It worked, at least for a time. The path through the park changed to little more than a dirt track which by now had seen a lot of rain and horses by the look of things. There was no choice but to cycle through it and get covered in mud as we descended the path. By then we pretty much didn't care as we were already cold and wet so what could some mud do?
Eventually after passing some stables the dirt track finished and we descended a residential street jumping off of the speed bumps. My forks by now were in a sorry state. They were bottoming out very easily. At the bottom of the hill the directions started to get a little confusing. Beforehand there were definite signs saying "Oslo". Now there were directions probably to places in Oslo but none looked familiar. We crossed a bridge going over a main road and then down a ramp on the other side. Shaun's tyre gave out again and we had to stop for a time while Mauro took a look. I think there must have been some damage to his wheel as he had another puncture in a new inner tube. We sheltered under the ramp we had descended earlier and Mauro went back to work on the wheel. A group of cyclists went by and waved to us. Road cyclists, in my experience, rarely acknowledge people on mountain bikes.
I tried to wash some of the dirt off of my bike using a large puddle that was right next to us. When your rims get dirty it causes the brakes not to function properly as well as wearing them down quicker (both the brakes and rims). I then washed my shoes which were caked in mud too. They were soaking wet by now anyway so splashing about in a puddle didn't matter.
With Shaun's tyre fixed again we set off again for the centre of Oslo. We passed a red phone box like the ones at home. It felt so very long ago that we set off from Gothenburg even though it had only been a few days. Again, the route to the centre of the city became a little hazy. Fred had stopped a couple of guys and asked for directions. We headed down a slip road onto what I can only presume to be the E6; the road running all the way from Gothenburg to Oslo. The trasffic was very fast moving and I was a little uneasy about going down this road. On the other side of the road I saw a cyclist going down a cycle track at the side of the road. I got off my bike and headed back up the slip road again. I crossed over an overpass and went down the ramp on the other side. The others soon followed suit. There's no point in living dangerously on strange roads. Our luck had held this far and I didn't want anyone getting hurt when we were so close to finishing. This road, was as we discovered in due course, the final stretch of road leading us to our destination.
We stopped off at another service station. Fred found a couple of watering cans full of water and I washed more of the dirt off of my bike. By now it had stopped raining but it was still overcast. From the cycle path you could see out on to the Oslo fjord which the city is built around. There was a sailing regatta or something going on in the distance. There were many large sails. We passed by the docks and eventually around 8pm we finally reached the centre of Oslo.
Part of the centre was having some work done to it so we had to get off our bikes to walk around the temporary path. At this point I lost Mauro. I went back to where we were but I couldn't see him. I met Bob coming back down the street where everyone else was. He had his high visibility rain jacket on and so I thought that Mauro would spot him more likely than me. I headed on up the street through the pedestrian traffic to where everyone else was. Evetually we spotted Bob's luminous jacket coming back up the street. We couldn't see Mauro but as Bob got closer we saw that Mauro was walking. One of his feet had given way under the stress of cycling all week.
We stopped a passing girl who took a couple of pictures of us on Bob's camera. After that, all we wanted to do was book in to the hostel and relax. We were booked in at the Anker Hostel on Storgata, which, after what we had just been through was a decidedly underwhelming place. The guy at the front desk did his level best to get everyone's back up. He decided to process everyone's booking in the order in which we gave him the sheets we had to fill in. It didn't matter if someone was out at the van, that was just the way it was and he stuck to his guns (to Bob's grudging admiration). Eventually though we managed to get into our rooms.
Bob, in his infinite brilliance, decided to go out with Peter and buy everyone a large pizza. To say that the cooking facilities in the room were basic would be an understatement. You even had to rent pots and pans off of the front desk. He returned an hour later and it was the best pizza ever. Bob, you should be Knighted for keeping us fed over the course of the week. Thanks so much, you are a top man.
After food, Shaun, Tom, Fred and John decided to have a night out on the town. It was around 10:30pm by now and I was just wanting to hit the hay. We had finally done it. What had started off at an estimated 220 mile (352 km) cycle had finished off being 275 miles (440 km). Now to sleep, perchance to dream of home again...
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