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BaltiNavia by Bike

June 2016 - July 2017
  • Sarah and Peter
A 422-day adventure by Sarah Read more
  • Sarah and Peter
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  • 106footprints
  • 422days
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  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike
    3
    1211

    Rigas letzte Rache

    June 22, 2017 in Latvia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Erste Station war heute das Fährterminal. Von Osteuropa übersättigt setzen wir morgen nach Schweden über. Juhu!

    Danach wollten wir schnell eine Unterkunft beziehen und die restliche Zeit die Stadt erkunden. Das 20€-Hostel der Wahl sollte haben ein Doppelzimmer mit Fahrradstellplatz, Haartrockner, Waschmaschine etc., um nur einige Details zu nennen, die auf hostelbookers.com angepriesen wurden. Die Realität sah anders aus. Es gab einen winzigen Raum mit Doppelstockbett. Das war alles, der Rest Lüge. Der Betreiber gab uns zu verstehen, wir könnten es für 5€ haben, wenn wir auf der Website eine 10 als Bewertung geben (Bestwert). Für das Angebot für dieses Wohnklo haben wir uns eine Stunde durch schlimmsten Verkehr gearbeitet.

    Im Konzept der Innenstadt sind Radfahrer, Alte, Kinder und Gehbehinderte nicht vorgesehen. Kurz nach dem Ausspruch dieses Gedankens sahen wir auch gleich eine bettelnde, alte Rollstuhlfahrerin an einer der Unterführungen stehen, die für uns ebenfalls nicht passierbar waren.

    Die Altstadt ist winzig aber hübsch. Wir durchquerten sie beim zweiten Versuch, eine Unterkunft zu finden. Nun sind wir in einem Hinterhofhotel, das unseren Bedürfnissen entspricht.

    Den Abend haben wir uns in einem indischen Restaurant versüßt. Großartig! Seit langem einmal wieder ein Fest für die Geschmacksnerven. Danach ein Spaziergang in die Altstadt.    Read more

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  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike
    1

    RIGA Mortis

    June 23, 2017, Gulf of Riga ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We managed to see 12 or so of the top 15 things to see in Riga (according to the tourist leaflet we picked up) in a 3 hour walk about session last night. The old town is pretty quaint once you've fought your way through the newer, more heavily-congested part of the city. (It also has the added bonus of not smelling quite as fecal as some parts of the "new" town we had to weasel through earlier in the day. !🙊🙊)

    We were super happy to pack up and head down to the ferry terminal this afternoon, being the first to board.

    We have a nice little cabin (B class with no window being poor bike-packers;) ) so where the window would be is a mirror instead (hopefully not 2 way glass!). The Pesar express mini bar is open and we are celebrating leaving Eastern europe with a bottle of Bicycletta - Chilean wine chosen from the array of 100s in the supermarket because it has a bike on it and a screw top. 😁😂

    We also have a few bottles of beer to keep up with our Russian Genossen on board, although I failed the lesson of "how to open a beer bottle like a German" by not being able to use a water bottle to release the cap.
    Many more days practice needed.

    The ship is travelling slower than our average bike speed, (probably as fast as we cycle uphill in a headwind) but every meter closer to Sweden heightens the anticipation. 16 hours to go!

    Today is midsummer in scandinavia which is a big celebration involving crowns of flowers and trees / a frog dance (?) and general merriment. There is some entertainment on the ship which we will probably have to frequent later, partly for the joy of people watching which has been pretty interesting so far.

    A Scandinavian lady with long blonde hair in 2 plaits - check.
    Russian couples consisting of a bulky gentleman and an even bulkier wife.- check.
    Double denim - check.
    Babushkas wearing the eye-watering colour clashes from top to bottom.-check.
    Boob jobs and lip fillers - check.

    To add to the hilarity we've just discovered one of the channels on our cabin's tv is a live feed from the camera in the nightclub. How bizarre! We're off to go and see the fusion of european /scandi / latvian / Russian music and dancing in person!

    Skål!!    Read more

  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike
    1

    Im Elchland

    June 24, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Etwas durch den Wind stiegen wir heute aus der Fähre. Uns empfing eine mustergütige Infrastruktur. Angefangen beim perfekt ausgebauten Fährterminal bot Stockholm ein Netz von Fahrradwegen, das nichts zu wünschen übrig lässt, oft zweispurig und mit baulicher Trennung zur Straße. Die Stadt zeigt sich in sehr hübschem Gewand, kein Müll, sehr freundliche Menschen, die sofort Englisch sprechen, wenn sie bemerken, dass sie einen Ausländer vor sich haben. Leider ist das Klima hier keine wirkliche Verbesserung zum Baltikum. Die Landschaft scheint viel versprechend. Wir sind zwar erst wenige Kilometer gefahren, aber das Auf und Ab und die vielen Gewässer lassen keine lange Weile aufkommen.Read more

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  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    First wild camp in Sweden

    June 25, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Happy campers are already tucked up in bed, in our tent which is pitched upon some bouncy moss (great for bedding) growing on a little rocky patch (bad for tent pegs) in a forest edge, not far from a lake.

    We only travelled about 50km away from stockholm today after choosing to hide away from 2 rain storms under a very luckily placed bridge and then a bus stop. From experience we've found it better to stop and stay dry rather than getting soaked and not be able to get warm again or dry our kit. When the sun comes through its lovely, but in any shaded patches or when the wind blows it's like winter again!

    Nature is breathing, birds, wind in the trees, unknown animal chatter. Its food for the soul and we need it after last night's restless sleep at a very over-priced campsite. After a night on a site with about every second vehicle being a VW camper, I can close my eyes and still hear the sound of their sliding doors, as statistical odds would say any one of the inhabitants was going for a night wee pretty much every ten minutes. 🙉

    For nearly 30 Euros (and with no soap dispensers in the toilets!) we didn't consider that to be money well spent, so tonight we're enjoying some solitude in a wildcamp, which is legal in Sweden! The best things in life are free!    Read more

  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Angekommen

    June 26, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Schweden hat uns nun aufgenommen. Die Landschaften sind fantastisch, diese Mischung aus Wäldern, Felsen und Gewässeren.

    Erst spät kamen wir heute von unserem tollen Nachtlager weg, ausschlafen war angesagt. Nach 5 km dann der erste Regen. Wir testeten eine neue Methode - Einwickeln in die 3x3 m Zeltplane. Dabei wurden wir von einer Anwohnerin überrascht und fotografiert. Nach einen kurzen Gespräch schenkte sie uns eine Schale Erdbeeren, wow ein feiner Zug!

    Der Regenalarm sollte sich noch ein paar Mal wiederholen, aber jetzt wissen wir, wie man trocken bleibt.

    Am Ende des Tages führte unsere Route erstmals über Nebenstraßen. Das sind hier auch Pisten, die aber anders, viel besser, gebaut sind. Im Wald ist man vom ständig und sehr starkt wehenden Westwind abgeschirmt, sodass man sogar besser voran kommt als auf der Straße.

    Heute haben wir wieder auf einer Anhöhe Lager bezogen. Die Nacht scheint ruhig und klar und auch um 11 Uhr noch taghell.    Read more

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  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Still no Elks!

    June 27, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Summer in Sweden = waking up in the night with ice cold feet (despite socks, sleeping bag liner AND a 3-4 season sleeping bag!) followed by waking up at 8am cooking slowly in a greenhouse-tent 🙊

    After 3 days of constant rain showers it was a huge surprise to open the tent door to a blue cloudless sky. Eating breakfast of fruit, muesli and turkish yogurt sat outside on our hill camp, looking over to the treetops was a small piece of heaven this morning. Just in case anyone was getting too jealous reading the first bit, I must have been bitten on the toes and feet 10 x by large ants whilst doing "morning paperwork" . Certainly not a paradise experience! Peter didn't get bitten once.

    To save us the daily discussion about how terrible biting ants are, they are now named: SCHARMEISEN or SHANTS, owing to the affectionate adjective we use in conjuction with their existance.

    Today's route reminded me of my childhood experiences at the funfair /seaside when riding the giant slides or helter-skelter. You climb up (what feels like) 1000s of stairs and then you enjoy the ride down, beofre having to repeat repeat repeat. Lots of work for a good blast of fun. The route was full of little bumpy hills and sweet, winding descents past more of the stereotypical Swedish scenery, pine forest, quaint farms, red-brown wooden houses and volvos!

    As we had wild camped for 2 nights, a shower and some clothes washing (as well as electronics charging) were needed so we decided to cycle to a campsite. The first on the map was a red-herring. Private campsite for long-term caravans only. The next, 8km away, tuned out to be the same. After asking one of the residents if there was somewhere we could stay we were told there was a guest price and we could camp on the field next to the lake. Happy days! Luckily I'd kept 200 krona in cash to be able to pay, this place certainly wouldn't have done cards!

    The facilities are simple but every detail has been thought of with a single shower and an open air kitchen. A lady offered us some nice seats (with cushions!!!) to eat our meal from when we went to the communal table to eat. The small gestures from strangers make such a nice impression.

    (Ps. Yesterday's photos have been added)

    Today we have - Peter and his Marabou chocolate addiction. Its the Swedish equivalent of Ritter sport only on bigger packs.
    The hill we had to take our bikes up for oir awesome wild camp.
    A windmill
    A mini house at the side of the big road, bo idea why it was there because only cyclists would be slow enough to really see it, and there was no footpath for pedestrians.
    A zebra.
    Swedish cycling view!    Read more

  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Frühstück am See

    June 28, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Auf unserem Campingplatz waren wir neben unsern einheimschen Nachbarn in Wohnwagen die einzigen mit Zelt. Entsprechend ruhig war die Nacht. Die Sonne trieb uns früh aus dem Bett. Der Campingplatz hatte Zugang zum See. So hatten wir ein tolles Frühstück auf dem Steg. Für ein Bad war jedoch zu kalt. Ein paar Gespräche brachten zu Tage, dass im Moment die beste Jahreszeit in Schweden ist, jedoch seit 2 Wochen starker Wind weht.

    Die heutige Route führte ausschließlich über Nebenstraßen. Es gab wieder viel Abwechslung in der Landschaft und super Wetter, Sonnenschein und kein Wind. Zur Mittagszeit kamen wir durch einen Ort, wo uns auch gleich eine Gaststätte mit der Aufschrift 'Pizza' ins Auge fiel. Da das Preisniveau hier höher ist, wagte ich erst einen kurzen Blick in die Karte, die nur am Tresen verfügbar war. 75 Kronen (ca. 7,50 €) für eine vegetarische Pizza, das war ok. Zur Überraschung war das inklusive eines Salates vom Buffet, eines Kaltgetränks und eines Kaffes bzw. Tees danach. Wow! Und alles war auch noch sehr lecker.

    Wir sind heute wieder in einem Waldstück zur Ruhe gekommen. Morgen soll es nochmal schönes Wetter geben, wir hoffen darauf.    Read more

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  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Night-time elk visit?!

    June 29, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Ok, so last night's blog missed out a little of the day's events because we didn't know if this morning was going to mean a trip to the Doctor's. Eeek... and people worry etc. But we're all fine, so its safe to read on!

    Yesterday's ride ended with a Sarah-shaped impression on the stoney road. It had all the ingredients of a classic slide; descent, corner, adverse camber, loose stones, perhaps a little too much speed, combined with a heavy bike and a reflex use of the brakes = ouch.

    Somehow my hands took the full weight of the fall and the air was a little blue with colourful words. The right hand swelled up pretty quickly and the left one had a small chunk of skin missing. Thankfully nothing serious, but it still hurt like crazy and I couldn't ride anymore. Changing gear, using the brakes... even pushing wasn't really great so we set up camp in the forest adjacent to the track. It was a very convenient find, classic hilltop location looking very "jurassic park" with its ferns and pine trees. No ant infestations but instead swarms of mini biting evening flies!

    Peter had the fun task of snipping off the loose bits of skin, cleaning my feet (my shoes were somehow full of stones ?) applying plasters and eating chocolate. What a hero. 🙊

    We made plan A, B, C and D for the morning and went to sleep praying that my right hand was only bruised and that the swelling would go down overnight. Thankfully it did! It was just a nice shade of blue and a little bit fat, but at least I could grip things and get back on the bike with the help of some plaster /bandages to take the pressure of the handlebars of the palms.

    In the early hours of the morning we heard what sounded like a deep cough a few times, then the sound of heavy hooves which got nearer and then faded away again. We guess this may have been an elk?! It was certainly too heavy for a wild boar and I don't think deer make such sounds.... who knows! I don't want to leave Sweden until we've seen an elk!

    We're now in Ankersund and "battening down the hatches" as they would say at sea, the weather report for the next 3 days looks vile. Wind. Rain. Rainwind. Due to Sweden 's sparse population density, supermarkets only tend to pop up on route around 1x per day, shelter is also very hard to find if it rains. As such, we've decided to make it easier for ourselves by finding a reasonably-priced campsite as a base. This should let us bypass the bad weather in a little more comfort and should allow my hands to heal a little before carrying on to Gothenburg.

    We will certainly miss the beauty and peace of the forest as we play the weather game on the shores of one of Swedens largest lakes.    Read more

  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Ps. RENAME

    June 29, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    As we decided we didn't want to play "Russian Roulette with 5 bullets"** we have re-named our blog to reflect the current route, which has been to cut out Estonia to Russia.
    **as described by a survivor of the Narva-St Petersburg route by bike.

    Despite having Russian Visas, we decided that this trip is more about the overall journey (and surviving!!) than merely just ego and "getting to Russia" at any cost, for the sake of a turning point destination.

    We had such an arduous trip through Poland, stressful back-to-back days sharing roads with heavy traffic through Latvia and Lithuania (despite being the internationally recognised Eurovelo route)...and then we were robbed in Latvia. It got to the point where we were ready for change and wanted to enjoy ourselves again, to be able to sleep without having to watch every shadow.

    We also met people who have cycled Russia-Narva and said that it was 150km of their lives that they never want to repeat. Highways of agressive lorry drivers or side streets with packs of dogs. Not two passtimes that we like too much!

    We were very happy to get on the boat at Riga and are loving Sweden, despite the challenging weather. ;)

    Its all about the journey and we've had great experiences throughout our trip. Onwards we go!    Read more

  • Sarah and PeterSarah and PeterBaltiNavia by Bike

    Vom Winde verweht...

    June 30, 2017 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    ...wurden wir letzte Nacht beinahe. Der Zeltplatz dieses Campingplatzes liegt leider an der windigsten Ecke. Bei 50 km/h Windgeschwindigkeit und Böen bis 85 km/h war die Nacht recht kurz. Das Tarp als Schutzschild hat gehalten, meine Angst, dass es reißen könnte auch die halbe Nacht. Die andere Hälfte war es einfach nur zu laut. Immerhin, die Vorhersage für Regen wurde korrigiert.

    In den Nachmittagsstunden erinnerte man sich dann doch noch an meinen gestrigen Wunsch, eine Hütte mieten zu wollen, die leider alle reserviert ware. Eine Stornierung verschaffte uns dann glücklicherweise doch noch ein ruhiges, gemütliches Dach über dem Kopf.

    Ein Spaziergang durch die Stadt war unser workout für diesen Tag. Sightseeing ist morgen dran.

    Ein 5-Gänge-Menü rundete den Tag ab. Mit Käse als Vorspeise, einem Curry als Hauptgericht und 3 Sorten Schokolade als Dessert lässt es sich leben. Jetzt hilft nur noch ein Pfefferminztee und stabile Seitenlage.    Read more

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