There's more to Sweden than Ikea and Abba, you know...

Steve here... After settling down for a quick spot of lunch in a nice shady churchyard, we found ourselves amongst a wedding ceremony. Couldn't quite work out if the arriving guests were convicts on day release, a bunch of farmers without a decent Volvo between them, or just the bride's family trying to save a few pounds. Either way it was an interesting entrance...

This week's STD... Oh,  sorry, can't use that...this week's Spot the Dog reminded me of the "nodding head" dogs people used to put on the parcel shelves of cars in the '70's and '80's.
Well, in Sweden their cars no longer have such things so they put them on the top of the dashboard. I don't remember them being quite so big, maybe they've grown with the size of the cars...

Islands NOt of the Caribbean...

Chilli and liquorice ice-cream...
Don't knock it 'til you try it,
We had to eat a whole tub -
It's the cheapest way to buy it!

DAYS - 30 -34      Distance 182 km

Pargas - Stockholm

With a total of about 15 hours of ferry rides we island hopped our way across this amazingly huge archipelago to Stockholm, and of course our dear friend The Rain accompanied us most of the way! The ferry ports are quite small here...

In the small town of Nagu - after sheltering for 2 hours in the supermarket from an absolute deluge - we managed to find some slightly higher, soggy-mossy-spongy ground to pitch the tent.
We thought Nagu was a small town until we turned up on the island of Kokar...really not a lot here...

The main island is Arland, and the 'capital' Mariehamn is a proper sized town. Arland is a home-ruled, Swedish speaking territory belonging to Finland. It's had its own flag since 1954 and joined the EU in 1995 although it still remains outside the EU tax union.
Here we found shelter in a restaurant run by Iranians, and wasted a few hours eating falafels before we could pitch the tent.

From here it's a 7 hour ferry ride to Stockholm, and quite mind-boggling how these numerous, huge ferries weave their way through this island labrynth.
We found a super spot to free camp in Stockholm, just a few kilometers from the city centre - with our very own tree protection!

We seem to have left the rain behind for now, and had a great bike city tour - especially as we hadn't realised the hour time difference so navigating the empty streets was easy!

Heading south now with more water-crossings zig zagging through the Swedish coastal countryside...

One Pot Wonders...

When Julia isn't riding her bike she loves to cook. Embracing local recipes, utensils, methods and costumes for each country. By necessity, one pot dishes have become her speciality. Although some of the equipment has proved challenging to carry on the bike, it's worth it!

Spot the Dog this week was discovered in an antique market in Finland, en-route to the amazing Arland archipelago.
This poor old boy was being sold on by it's owner. Obviously getting on a bit, this old timer is looking for a good home, apparently likes people and other dogs, and doesn't chase cats or bite postmen.
Especially if you are living in an apartment and work all day, he's the perfect choice!

Fairly Baltic on the Baltic...

The Baltic headwind is cold and fierce
You pedal as slow as a snail, 
And rain is bad...but NOT as bad
As marble-sized balls of HAIL!!

Days 26 - 29      Distance 263 km

Helsinki - Pargas

The further west we've pedalled the more beautiful the scenery. More and more lakes appear - as does something we haven't yet encountered...HILLS! 

It's been like a roller coaster ride, and I don't mean due to the weather. I mean it's been like a roller coaster ride - up and down and up and down - so add that to headwinds, rain, hail and exhaustion and you could say we haven't been able to enjoy the scenic beauty to it's full! I feel like we've climbed the combined heights of Latvia AND Estonia. Twice!

But we've had some special encounters. Jukka found us looking for a flat spot to pitch the tent one night and invited us to pitch up at his. A stunning place on the lake where he, his wife Rakel, and their four children live.

Three deer walked passed our tent in the morning.

We got talking to a local outside a supermarket and she directed us to a superb camp spot on a Lake where I even got a chance to swim!

We arrived in Turku, the oldest city in Finland and it's former capital, to a very party atmosphere. We then discovered there was a huge pop festival going on, so had to pedal on dreckly to the nearest available campsite and much needed hot shower - 25 km away!

It is a stunning spot, and en-route to catch ferries into the maze of islands that make up this incredible archipelago.

Hopefully the rain that is forecast will blow off to more needed parts of Europe!

Spot the bog...

Hello. Steve here...
I was grateful this week to the Estonians just before we left for Finland. This enlightening sign in a public lavatory was a big help towards my toilet etiquette.
Anyone out there now thinking they have been doing something wrong all their lives?

This week's easy winner in the Spot the Dog feature was this faithful guard dog spotted in a local department store near our hostel in Riga.
He sat there all night, unflinching and inscrutable. Not tempted with any tidbits offered, undeterred when I tapped on the glass. No wonder they never get broken into. Better than any alarm...and probably cheaper to install!

Tale of Two Cities...

Looking over at each other
Across the Baltic Sea,
One side sits enchanting Tallinn
The other - Helsinki!

Days 22 - 25     

Total Distance So Far - 1,253km

Tallinn and Helsinki

Tallinn truly is enchanting. A walled city with a very medieval feel, it is small enough to walk around and get lost in it's charms. Markets, food for every palate and stunning buildings - who wouldn't want to take a city break here?

A 3 hour ferry ride takes you across the Baltic Sea to Helsinki, which in comparison is very large and rather expensive! A lot of our city tour was spent sheltering from torrential rain, and looking at all the things we couldn't afford!

We are heading west tomorrow, and rain is forecast for the next 5 days, so wish us luck finding shelter - campsites are way out of our budget here!

Flat as a Pancake...

Riga's massive market place
Sells veg, and fish, and bangers.
Surprisingly, as you can see
It's made from Zeppelin hangers! 

Days 16 - 21      Distance 372 km

Riga - Padula

So we say goodbye to Klaus, who we have been criss-crossing paths with since Lithuania. He has given up his life in Germany to head off on two wheels, and has been on the road for 3 months now and on his way to Nordkapp. Good luck Klaus!

Question - What is worse than another endless road through the pines?

Answer - A BUSY endless road through the pines.

Admittedly it takes your mind off the scenery, as the thundering lorries and swerving cars give you more concerning things to think about like, "Am I going to die?"

But we didn't die, instead we hooked up for a few days with young Oliviere from France, who has been on the road for 8 months and also on his way to Nordkapp!

As we crossed into Estonia it started to rain on us. And the wind blew hard and tirelessly in our faces. And it was cold. And it rained. And there was nothing for days and days but this...

And this...

And this...

And camping in the woods...

Beautiful. But endless. And the only choices to be made were whether to take the neck-jarring gravel road, or the death-defying main road. In the end we managed to mix the two up making each one more bearable.

On the 4th day we came across a campsite and a much needed hot shower, and a 20 minute train ride into Tallinn. So us and our sore bums can have a day off the bikes tomorrow!

The great thing about cycling in Estonia is its very flat. The highest point in the whole country is Big Egg Mountain in the southeast, standing at a whopping 318 meters above sea level. The locals are very proud of this because it makes them taller than their neighbours Latvia - whose highest mound stands at a mere 311 meters.

The other great thing about the Baltics is the smoked fish!