Mannheim - Zurich - Tromso 2850km

On Saturday morning, after a short night, I went to Mannheim central station around 4am. My packed bags were mounted on the bike. I also had a huge box in which I stored the bike at the train platform. The IC train to Zurich arrived on time at 4:40, and there would have even been a bike compartment. The ride was super pleasant and calm. I changed trains in Basel to a connection that took me directly to Zurich airport. I wouldn't have had to store my bike here either and would have saved myself a lot of nerves during the transfer with a platform change. Arriving at the airport was a disaster regarding the transportation of the box and luggage from the platform to the check-in counter. In front of the counter, an employee greeted me with Swiss pragmatism...We'll have to take a piece off on top, it's too big...take a deep breath...But which airline are you flying with? he asked. Oh Edelweiss, then we'll provide you with a box. What followed was deluxe service. My luggage bags were packed together in a provided bag, and with the help of the staff, the bike was put into the new box. If I had known all this, I would never have prepared the bike like this at home and would have arrived without a box. It would have saved me nerves, strength, and duct tape.

The flight was very pleasant and offered delightful views over the fjords, which will be my home for the next few days. Tromso also welcomed our plane with sunshine, cool wind, and clear skies. My bike and luggage were quickly on the conveyor belt, and I reassembled my bike. Everything worked fine. For the first night, I stayed at a hotel in downtown to recover from the journey and run errands. Various things caused unrest in me towards the evening, hunger, fatigue, not easily getting gas canisters, the front brake not having the same pressure as in Germany...which made me doubt a bit. The feeling of having 4 weeks ahead also feels long. Now, with distance through sleep and food, things have calmed down in me again. Starting today and looking forward to it...