I had intended to do a mid course evaluation of how we were managing on the trip. I got half way through and never finished it so it has been turned into a post trip debrief on what worked, what didn’t work, where did we go wrong etc.   (If you don’t give a hoot about our or mental or physical state no need to read further!)

Health wise: 

Getting sick in Rostock stunk, but I never thought I was ill enough to mess up the trip.  What I didn’t say is that I had a cold/cough for two solid weeks afterwards and was in a major blowing my nose routine. Thank heavens Scandinavian hotels have tissue - it was the first thing I looked for when we walked into a new hotel room. Dave also had a low-grade cold and he had a cough for several weeks. It didn’t ruin things; it was just annoying. His cough reoccurred later in the trip in a minor way but didn’t impede us.

Earlier this year Dave was diagnosed with a compressed disc in his neck;   he had a recurrence of serious scapular pain in February while we were in the Amazon Rainforest. We spent the spring getting it formally diagnosed (X-rays, MRI) and seeing the specialists.  We were worried about how to manage it on our cycling trip.  The doctor and Dave’s physical therapist gave us some coping ideas (Jill learned how to do cervical  traction on his neck) and some hopefully unneeded emergency steroids . The thing that appears to be working is a prescription NSAID; we are super happy about this. We had some pretty bad visions of what we would do if he had trouble and we were in the middle of Norway.  It’s all good. (Interestingly, stress triggers this pain; when we had the key- breaking drama in Munich it suddenly flared, and dissipated immediately after our guy at Zwierad Radler dug the broken key tip out of the lock).

After last year’s cycle trek to Central Europe we came home wanting to get physically stronger. Jill felt wimpy lifting the panniers (especially Dave’s monsters). This year I'm definitely stronger and it helps. Thanks to John (our trainer) and Hannah, my Pilates instructor. The difference has inspired me (at least) to keep at it (sort of). See below.

In Norway I had the stupid fall into the lichen at Myrdal. I fell on my right side and mildly strained my right calf and right hamstring. This has been bothering me off and on ever since but in a super mild way and the riding motion doesn’t seem to aggravate it.  Now that we’re home we’re hoping I can stay off it and get it healed up altogether.      

Working Out: 

We swore, swore, swore that we would do a better job working out than we did on last years adventure, when our working-out effort was poor.  Jill even identified the places we planned to stay that had gyms/ fitness centers. So, we aren’t exactly sucking wind on this year’s effort but it’s been a grade of maybe “fair.” Unless we are staying multiple nights the only way we can even contemplate a half hour in the gym is if we arrive early enough so we can clean up, deal with stuff and have time before dinner. That hardly ever happens.   We did work out in Oslo twice and probably over the course of the last month we have managed maybe six or seven times. This last week in Munich we worked out twice as well. Not great, but not bad either. On a more positive note, the everyday moderate cycling exercise has been great. 

How are we Eating: 

On the good side, we are eating a lot of seafood and not much meat. That is an improvement over last year’s trip in Central Europe where pork/beef were the available proteins. We are eating fruit at breakfast. We are enjoying the coffee (mostly Dave) who continues to be amazed at how good the coffee is, wherever we are and in whatever kind of establishment. 

On the downside, we are eating way more bread/crackers and butter than we ever do back in the US. The quality of the bread and butter is superior to what we get in the US.  We crave salad; it’s available but not as common. We also are drinking - if not too much (the aquavit drama being the exception)  at least regularly. Wine is widely available in restaurants - although in Norway you can’t buy it elsewhere except in a special liquor store (the vimonopolet).  It’s expensive and we are paying 50 to 70 USD for a medium-priced bottle in a restaurant. Dave has enjoyed many local beers.  We were warned before the trip that food was indifferent in Scandinavia but we have not had that experience.  

Packing: 

Well, for me I felt good on this front.  Last year I packed very leanly for off the bike and struggled. I only had one pair of pants and one pair of shorts for off the bike and when we had longer stays someplace off the bike it was a pain. So, this year I added a light wool tshirt style dress, a lightweight ripskirt, an extra pair of shorts, and a pair of flip flops. I was happy with those additions and the space and weight increases were minimal. Scandinavia is more dressy and I was glad to have the skirt when going to dinner or a concert. Because the weather was cold the extra shorts were unnecessary. I also took along the portable teakettle and we both were happy about that and we used it almost daily.  Only about 25 percent of the places we stayed had a tea kettle in the room. I feel as though I've figured out my packing and any changes will be minor.

I leave it to Dave to opine on his packing….

OK, Dave shall opine on packing: First, I stipulate to the fact that my panniers were stuffed to the gunwales, however, I didn't mind in the least their heft or girth as the e-bike easily handled the load. They do bother Jill, however, at least whenever she has to lug them, like when we're boarding a train in a hurry and I'm busy wrestling the bikes up onto the car. Given how much stronger Jill was on this trip (see 'working out' above), even she was able to wrangle them when needed. All that said, there are some changes I'll work on for next year. I took too many jackets and they take up a lot of space. Whenever we faced a day of rain while riding, I imposed on Jill to take one the jackets in her pannier so that I had enough room to properly close mine so as to retain water tightness. 

My OM-1 camera and shoulder strap were together very bulky and added a lot to the weight. It turns out I should have left that camera at home (see my separate section on 'Photography' if you're interested as to why) and I will do so next year. 

Otherwise, there isn't all that much I can eliminate that would make a significant difference. Perhaps I could lose a pair of socks or maybe a tshirt or two, but that's about it. I wore absolutely everything I brought with me. I could get by with a few less electronics but otherwise I fear I'm doomed to have full, and heavy, panniers on these trips. 

Mental Stuff! 

Well, the biggest challenge we have is losing/forgetting stuff. I wish I could say we have solved that issue- but we haven’t. So far, Dave has had some serious near misses (left his new camera on the train while disembarking in Berlin - we dashed back onto the train and retrieved it,  and he also left his phone on his bike while we were in the bike store in Oslo - it was still there when we came back out). When we got home he realized he left the chargers for his toothbrush and shaver in a pannier in the storage unit, so they're not lost, but he will have to replace them in the US. He also lost his favorite windbreaker in Bergen (it was old but still a loss) and a hat, which he did replace. 

I had the most fails in this regard. I left behind a wool t-shirt (necessitating a Fjallraven replacement purchase in Copenhagen) and a neoprene glove after riding in the rain in Norway. That special glove was not replaceable in Norway so I bought some full-fingered gloves as a replacement. Somewhere along the way I lost my arm warmers which had replaced the ones I lost on last year’s trip. I was able to purchase a replacement set in Oslo but Norway is a lousy place to have to go shopping.  And, I left our old reliable Bluetooth keyboard somewhere. 

The good news is that we haven’t lost anything that matters; passports, credit cards, tablets, phones, bike keys, all stayed with us without drama.  I consider that a victory.

We got along wonderfully (thank goodness).   I wish there was more space in the day for “alone time” but there just doesn’t seem to be that many openings - especially in a region of the world that hardly ever has a bathtub. I leave it to Dave to comment on his own opinions on this topic! (Dave: I'm not in need of alone time as much as Jill. Whenever I sense she needs time to herself, I'm happy to go on a walk-about and explore whatever town we're visiting. )

When we are tired or stressed we get short with each other but are pretty good at pivoting, apologizing,  and letting it go.

How Did the Trip Planning Work Out? 

The pace of this trip has worked for us. We had 3 to 5 days of  riding on the bike, followed by two to four days off the bike, just depending on where we were. This year rather than a seven day break in big cities (last year we did a week in Vienna, a week in Ljubljana and four days in Cesky Krumlov) we did four days each in Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo and Bergen. That’s a lot of city breaks and in general we don’t seek those out. It’s just if you are in a place you might never go back, it’s hard not to want to check it out! We are definitely ready to get back on the road after a city break.   Next  year I will try to minimize city stays as I think we enjoy the riding more. And even though we have a had a few lame accommodation selections,  in hindsight there wasn’t any other choice (except in Rosendal, Norway when I booked the pension with a bathroom down the hall, instead of the fancier hotel down the street). 

This trip had a lot more logistics (trains, ferries) and the need for more precise timing than last year, which translated into more potential for things to go bad. Nothing did. All our trains and ferries were on time and we actually managed to find the ferry ports without (much) drama. That gave is confidence and the ferry travel was really fun. On an even more positive note, we now feel we can maneuver through a train ride without an excessive amount of angst. This is huge because after last year we had a period of time where we were never going to get on a train again with our bikes! We found that more often than not, when we were bike loading/unloading fellow passengers offered to help us, and there was an attitude of camaraderie in the bike loading  process that encouraged us. (I’m somewhat convinced that the offers of assistance we often get has something to do with the fact that we tend to present as older clueless Americans rather than as capable, experienced cyclists! Hmmm.)

How did the Budget work out?

We spent a lot more on this trip than we did on last year’s. Last year a lot of stars lined up in our favor; we were in cheaper areas (Central Europe), the  dollar was strong and inflation hadn’t gripped things yet. This year was different. Scandinavia is a notoriously expensive region, the dollar was weak and inflation was a factor. In addition we incurred a lot of additional upfront costs on ferries (three overnight ferries and two 4 hour ferries) and three long train rides. I went back and calculated that the ferries cost 1521 euros (1621 USD) and the trains 338 euros (368 USD).  There were ways to lessen costs if we had wanted- getting on the ferry with a bike is cheap - what costs you is the cabin, the dinner and breakfast. If you want to sleep in the lounge and bring a sandwich onboard you would save a boat load (pun intended) of cash- but we’re past that level of adventure! As to the general expense of the region, there are plenty of ways to do it in a more budget friendly way. It is possible to eat cheaply in Norway for example, but Dave feels (and I concur, mostly) that eating in Europe is one of the reasons we go there, so it’s stupid to economize in a way that lessens that pleasure. Rick Steves gives plenty of ideas on how to eat in Norway and all over Europe cheaply (and I certainly followed his advice…..in the past). In this region reducing or eliminating alcohol would be a really smart budget move (which we didn’t adopt).  We did economize by splitting main entrees and appetizers and took full advantage of the marvelous morning buffets. We often ate only a lunch sandwich we have prepared from the morning buffet.

The Weather (and our feelings about it): 

The weather has been a C.   Dealing with bad weather sucks energy out of our day. After last year’s trip, where we had variations in weather but not nearly as much rain except for a week at the end, we felt pretty confident bad weather wouldn’t bother us. Well- the rain and wind HAS bothered us. We have kept to our schedule;  in most places there wouldn’t have been  a choice - accommodations being scarce in the Scandinavian countryside. We have the best rain gear we could have, and we feel pretty toasty while riding in the rain. It’s more, for Jill at least, the worry that one of us will slip and have an accident. (Dave bought us new over-the-shoe booties in Gothenburg and we used them A LOT, sadly!) 

Unfortunately when I think of the trip I suspect I will immediately go to thinking about the rain in Norway and the head winds in Sweden. We did have glorious days though and we will not forget those.

Navigating:

This went very well. Komoot is great and Dave and I have our routine down.  I check the route the night before to make any minor adjustments. We both load the day’s route on our phones. Every once in awhile Komoot or Google Maps would lead us astray in some weird way. When Komoot describes something as a “path” you hold your breath. In general this is less of a concern in Denmark and Sweden (it’s flat so unpaved track is less troublesome) but more of a concern in Norway where it is hillier and the cycling infrastructure isn’t as good. A steep decent on singletrack scares the crap out of me but Dave loves it. For us, planning with Komoot is the ticket.

Computer Stuff: 

We did well this year, a great improvement over last year. I carried a mini IPad, headphones, earbuds and a Samsung phone. Dave carried a Samsung  tablet, Samsung phone, earbuds. We had less drama over chargers, due partly to purchasing an European charger and using that, rather than needing an adaptor that you can miss when you unplug from the wall.  (Somebody last year on Cycleblaze gave us that tip and it was a good one).  I was able to take one cord and charger and charge everything with one cord/charger. When we were in the hotel it was just a habit to have something plugged in at all times. My phone - a lower end Samsung that was new - did not perform well. Komoot use really ate up the battery and we often had problems getting cell coverage with it. It worked but if I had been alone it would have been a problem, as we relied on Dave’s phone a lot.

How did we Like Scandinavia?

We liked it and enjoyed seeing it. Cycling infrastructure is excellent everywhere.  Cycling support is pretty good and there were enough accommodations and food choices to get by, although it was not overly plentiful, except in cities. People were friendly, helpful, interested in our trip and very courteous. (Sadly, Scandinavians tend to make Americans look rude, loud and poorly dressed!) The downside to visiting this area was there wasn’t as much variety in the trip as last year’s experience in Central Europe. The three countries - Denmark, Sweden, and Norway - do have differences but they are pretty similar in cultural ways.  Norway stands out with its unique fjords and scenery and was very exciting,  while the charms of outdoor Denmark  and Sweden are more subtle. We enjoyed the Kattegatte- Leden trail in Sweden but would probably have enjoyed it just the same in 200 rather than 400 km! And, as I have mentioned already, the cost of touring here is higher than probably anywhere else in Europe, maybe even the world. 

A great thing about bike travel is how exposed you get to the history and culture and we now read news about the region with a much different eye. We will now read updates about Norway or Denmark with a different understanding. Our visit to Berlin really stands out in that regard; it has such a rich history and we had such a fun visit with Uli and Daniel. There is plenty to enjoy about riding in Germany and I’m sure that will wind up on our list in the future. After our visit to Berlin I read Frederick Taylor’s “Berlin Wall” a soup to nuts history in a  very readable format. And now I’m reading a history of the Hanseatic League, inspired by our visit to Bergen. 

Thanks to everybody for reading.  I really appreciate the comments on everything from tips on ferry travel (Jon Ayling);  mushroom education (Bill Shaneyfelt);  support when we do something stupid like break a key in our bike battery lock or get sick or have bad weather  (the Anderson’s); sympathy for our family challenges (Mike Ayling); gentle corrections from locals when we get our facts a little wrong (Uli in Berlin);  general encouragement and nostalgia about previous trips (Trisha Graham and the Maher-Weary’s);  appreciation for Dave’s photography (Stu Garrett, Denise Graves) and finally the appropriate empathy I need when I can’t get a tub! (Mark Long). 

 I have been reading most of your journals for many years and the tips and descriptions you all give have helped me in my own planning and encouraged me that we were not crazy to do this!
Happy Cycling and thanks for reading !