There may not be any grey elephants in Denmark…

…but there’s a heck of a lot of hills in Norway. This probably isn’t a surprise for you as after all we grew up on stories of fjords and black water teeming with sardines, or goats crossing bridges to escape trolls. By the way, there are a mighty lot of bridges, too. And lakes and streams and rivers. But it’s the hills that capture the imagination and catch the breath of a bike rider. There’s necessary hills as well as those which are unnecessary such as those climbed due to silly routes or those climbed due to poor navigation. It’s certainly been a workout for legs and lungs.

As soon as we crossed the Swedish border we noticed differences. Houses were no longer uniformly painted in of blood red. Farmland was similarly cultivated but for the first time we saw sheep, not exactly in mobs, but at least in flocks. 

The big difference however was the vehicle drivers. No longer could they be relied upon to stop for bike riders which immediately made me very cautious!

Blonds, blondes and blue eyes everywhere. Tall, tall people. The most recreational bike riders so far. Many single women out on their own on road bikes in a nation that appears to practice gender equality as a way of life for all. Dads with children in tow with nary a mother in cooee. No evidence of poverty, although like most nations there is evident the ubiquitous effects of drug abuse.

Alcohol is a funny animal in Finland, Sweden and Norway (and Iceland) as it must be purchased from government controlled stores which close at 6.00pm. Beer and cider can however be purchased in supermarkets. In Finland wine was available in supermarkets too, but only 8% alcohol or less. Cigarettes sales are controlled by closed cupboards as they are in Australia, but a small shop owner in Finland told us that people take a quick ferry to Estonia and return with enough cigarettes for the entire village. 

Our final rest day was spent in Kristiansand overlooking a large body of water. A day of rest, reading and laundry. Very welcome after our riding those pesky hills.  We were very fortunate to be plunged into a landscape unlike others. Bring on all those Nordic Noir shows on our return so we can say, ‘Been there!’