Here it's almost like paradise. Except that it rains constantly and the beer is too expensive.

When I was little, I often played The Settlers on the PC. It was a strategy game in which you had to develop your civilization as quickly as possible. For example, you could send your little men to collect wood to build houses later, or send them fishing to provide food.

In the game, there was also a tool for creating the maps on which you played. And because I was only 8 years old and the game quickly became too difficult for me, I simply created my own countries. These paradises were filled with tree-rich forests, fish-rich rivers and lakes, and all the other natural resources that a civilization needs to thrive.

If one of these countries had somehow found its way into reality, it would look something like Norway.

On the day when the Good Lord distributed the beautiful landscapes and resources on Earth, this country won the jackpot. The almost unfair amount of fish-rich waters, impressive nature, and (by the way) one of the world's largest oil and gas reserves made Norway infinitely rich.

And when the Creator realized that he had placed the country much too far north, he also created the Gulf Stream, which pumps vast amounts of warm water across the globe in front of the coast of Norway all year round.

After all, I am almost on the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska. And while only polar bears go hunting for seals there, strawberries are still grown here.

There must be a catch to all of this, right?! Oh yes, there is one! For the semi-final match between Germany and France, I treated myself to a 0.33 liter beer in a bar. Price: 125 kroner (13 euros). I would rather go on vacation in the Franconian Switzerland.

Now I have been traveling for exactly three weeks and today I have decided to take my first full rest day in Geiranger. After three days of constant rain and an average of 1,500 meters of elevation gain per day, I have definitely earned it!

And so, I am sitting here at the campsite right by the Geirangerfjord. Behind me, thousands of tourists who have invaded the cafes and restaurants of this tiny town like a swarm of ants coming from the MSC fucking Gigantia Majesty. In front of me rises the gigantic cruise ship, which looks tiny against the backdrop of the even more gigantic Geirangerfjord.

The people at the campsite are a welcome change after the calm and solitude of the past few days, during which I ventured further and further into the wild interior from the mountains and only had the soft hum of my Rohloff hub as my conversation partner. By now, I have gotten used to the constant ups and downs and I am almost floating over the climbs. (Except for the heavy groaning and occasional outbursts of anger when I like to scream at the road or alternatively the rain for their absolute stupidity.) Someone has to bear the brunt of my moods when I can't complain to anyone else.

Tomorrow, I will continue on the Eagle's Road and the Trollstigen. Climbing and descending 600 and 800 meters in elevation, with gradients of about 8-10%. (Yay, I'm excited...) The funny thing is, I am actually looking forward to it. The rest day is only halfway over and even though my legs feel like two blocks of lead, I just want to get on my bike that is standing next to me and looking at me longingly: "Stefan, what's happening? Ride me! Riide me!!!!"

It has to wait for one more night, then I will continue heading north. In a few days, I will be in Trondheim. From there, the lonely and even more spectacular (how is that even possible) stages towards the north begin.

PS: My stock of broth cubes has run out for a week now (an essential part of my camping cooking skills). And even though I searched every supermarket for something similar for ages, I couldn't find anything. When I met a group of Dutch people who are also cycling towards Norway (they ride road bikes and have their luggage carried by a car, wimps), they gave me a package as a gift!!! Now I am overjoyed with my pack of 'met krachtige Schmack' bouillon.

That's the best thing about a journey like this. You are so limited in your basic needs that a package of vegetable broth makes you as happy as you can hardly imagine in "normal everyday life".