50 Days in Review

Now we are sitting on the ferry to Kiel, the wheels are still in the car deck next to twenty others. The Baltic Sea route with the Baltic states is extremely popular because of its good accessibility, good cycling network, and cyclist-friendly topography.

Very different in the far north, where our bike tour started in Kirkenes on May 19th. We encountered three cyclists on their way to the North Cape on the 1800 km journey to the border crossing at Vyborg. We had visited this on the way there with the bus, which we had organized well in advance. Also a highlight of our trip, although the bare rock doesn't offer much. The journey itself offered a lot of new and interesting things. Most impressive for both of us was the ride through the Trollefjord in the midnight sun. The Lofoten and Vesteralen as well as the city explorations of Trondheim and Tromsø, the latter on Norwegian National Day with a traditional parade, will also remain in good memory. The population walks around waving flags and dressed in colorful national costumes, cultivating a healthy relationship with their culture and folklore. The view of the snow-capped peaks of the Lyngen Alps was also beautiful.

We really got started in Kirkenes, where we left the ship quite excited. Because of the weather forecast (2 degrees), we dressed warmly, but soon we started sweating, which was due to spring-like temperatures and the first steep ramps. These were to accompany us throughout the entire journey through Finland.

We had booked the first accommodation because it was the only one available at a reasonable distance. And we will not forget this place and the house. It was probably the most beautiful accommodation of the trip (also the most expensive) - our house by the lake. The accommodations were good except for one exception, and thanks to digitalization, we were able to book good and inexpensive guest houses or cabins in advance, which we quickly found thanks to the navigation system. This meant that there were no "wild nights" in the tent. We only used the tent five times in total and didn't use our own cooker at all, as there were cooking facilities almost everywhere or we went to restaurants.

By the way, Finnish restaurants are few and far between, usually only open for lunch, and typically offer simple food in a canteen atmosphere. Only in Helsinki did we feel something like coziness while eating.

On the second day, we had to cover a longer distance to reach accommodation again. We maintained this rhythm with a daily distance of around 100 km all the time. Life is simply structured by this: after the morning toilet, have a hearty breakfast, pack everything again, and get on the bike around 9:30 am. Cycle about 50 km until noon and the first break and long for a coffee. In Finland, wherever there is a small shop, there is also a counter with fresh filter coffee for self-service - and usually a sweet pastry as well. A pleasant change! In the afternoon, take a longer break to recharge with bread, cheese, cucumber, and fruit. Depending on the possibility or necessity, we do some shopping as well. We spend about six hours in the saddle. In the evening, we cook and drink beer (even in Finland), read, plan, discuss, and write blog posts.

We covered 3500 km in 33 days of cycling. In the big cities Helsinki, Tallinn, and Riga, we spent five days without biking. After about 1000 km, we took a rest day in Kuhmo due to heavy rain. The physical exertion was not nearly as great as the mental challenge of immersing ourselves in this same routine every day and facing the loneliness of the surroundings and the monotony of movement. We have developed different approaches to deal with this. I set the odometer to the indication with altitude meters and estimate that the 50 km mark is reached by the indication '400 hm'. Or you only look at the kilometer reading again when the curve is reached on the horizon. Don't constantly look at the clock or the kilometer reading. And the last 10 km are the worst... I, Dominique, try to let my thoughts flow and think about my family, my friends, and consider solutions to different things that occupy me... If this does not work, I have to deal with the number of kilometers ahead and remind myself again and again that I can easily do 20 km or more at home!

We were lucky with the weather. North of the Arctic Circle, it was noticeably warmer than expected, so the thermal leggings stayed in the bags. However, we still needed gloves and headbands on several days. We had four rainy days, of which only one had rain all day long. In southern Finland and the Baltic States, there were numerous hot summer days and no more precipitation. And apart from a few exceptions, we were largely spared headwinds.

And most importantly: the encounters with people. On the ship, we met Anke and Steffen, and we hope to be able to see them again. In Helsinki, we met Will, whom we encountered two more times on the tour and now follow his further trip to Krakow. He promised to visit us in Switzerland. We had surprisingly much interaction with Finns, who turned out to be more open-minded than expected. We think of the postman of Juntusranta, the musician in Kuhmo, the woman who explained the national epic Kalevala to us with dedication, Pauli, the guitarist and woodworker in Lappeenranta, Maja from the campsite in Hossa, and the many helpful landlords as well as the helpers in many small things.

In the Baltic States, we still strongly felt the confrontation with the Russian heritage and the new role in Europe. In our estimation, the Estonians have dealt with this most intensively and have clearly distanced themselves from the Russians. In Latvia and Lithuania, the influence of the Russian population is still more noticeable, and the self-confidence of the local population is not yet so pronounced. Cycling on the ITC means a constant confrontation with history and the senseless acts of war in the border area, with the atrocities of totalitarian regimes in the East and the West.

We were delighted with the intensive support from friends and relatives at home. This was an important part of the trip for us as well. We say goodbye to the ITC for this year, spend two more days in Hamburg with friends to relax before returning to Basel. We will take the many impressions with us and carry them with us, and who knows, maybe the desire to continue the ITC will awaken in us soon.