In Umeå I was promised that they would have Rohloff-oil. When I picked my bike up again after they’ve fixed my spokes (got thicker ones by Sapim Leader) the colleague said that they didn’t have it. That was a bit of a bummer, of course. So I asked my brother (he’s a great back-up!) to send it a little further up the road. He did, but with a lot of delay from the side of the postservice.
Therefore I had to wait in Luleå a couple of days. I spent my time usefully to write and translate. Having a bit more time for that wasn’t that bad at all. Besides cycling is that really a passion of mine.
Having to wait for a package without knowing when it will arrive is something that comes with the territory when you go on such a big trip – I guess. But since I didn’t know when it would come, it got a bit on my nerves. I got on this trip to cycle, not to wait for something I should have brought in the first place!
At Saturday I met a very friendly Finnish Swede. As long as he was in the city, I could park my bike in the garage of his work just opposite the library where I wanted to do this and that. If it didn’t work out with my Warmshower host I could always contact him. I didn’t want to bother him, so I took my refuge at a camping. That felt a bit like cheating, I won’t do that again unless it would be absolutely necessary. At Monday I did thought of taking his generous offer and contacted him. It was no problem and I spent a pleasant evening chatting with him about a lot of things. His lovely daughters were the first children I met who spoke perfectly English. A nice example of how important multilingualism is, because they were raised in the Finnish language, and learned Swedish at school. So they didn’t have any problems by learning English through YouTube and those kind of ways.
At Sunday afternoon the family where I could come on Tuesday where in the city with their quad. A splendid piece of craftsmanship, what a bike! We made a trip in and around Luleå. The weather was lovely and we talked a lot. At Tuesday I came over to their house on an almost magical location. Since the weather was still very nice – sunny and no wind – we sat and chatted with tea and ‘bullar’ in the peaceful evening.
Wouldn’t I need to wait on my package, I would have missed those meetings. As well as some work I could get done. But still I couldn’t shake of the urge to ride further up north. Also because I talked with both hosts about my route through Finland. Since they where all three born there, they could give me some advice and recommandations. I sense that I long for a new country, new people, a new culture and language. I ‘just’ want to go up north to the North Cape and then down to Helsinki.
Don’t get me wrong, Sweden is an amazing country with only lovely people, but to me the cliche of it isn’t about the destination but about the journey, is just half true. Of course I’m undertaking this adventure for the journey. For all the people I meet and things I experience. But I have some destinations I would like to reach. And thát is the journey, not to wait on something I don’t know when it will arrive. A little footnote, is that I am going to meet my girlfriend, brother, his girlfriend and nephew on the North Cape. At least, that was the initial plan, but I am not going to make it in time, and I would have liked that a great deal. There is nothing I can do about it, so I put that out of my head.
The package can either send a little further up the road or my upcoming company can pick it up for me at Luleå, so I could go further on Wednesday. That was a great relieve. I’ve made some long days for I was on the road again! With the sun on my bare arms and the wind through my goatee. I’ve seen my first raindeers on the road and crossed the Polar Circle. Now I’ll see how far I can get before the quartet will be here.
I am able to reach my destination again and therefore the journey continues. In my opinion, the one can’t do with the other.
It peddeljend pear 