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Finally we had had enough by 4 pm and found a campsite just north of the largest town of Svolvaer. We did have some breaks in the rain for a bit of a walk along the shore.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/389/2...42517d74_c.jpgrotsundelv 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/377/2...f84abba5_c.jpgrotsundelv 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It rained hard all night, which makes for a poor night sleep. It was still raining hard when we were packing up, which is always crappy. We headed out again on the E 10 north and after about 45 minutes we started to see blue sky ahead.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/2...38e3c544cc.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.53.16 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr By an hour it was SUNNY and even hot. We pulled over to a rest stop and put up the tent to dry it out in less than 10 minutes. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/424/1...7597b6b6_c.jpgrotsundelv 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We then had a really awesome day of sunshine and riding in Norway!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/316/1...e4a2686b_c.jpgrotsundelv 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We left the E10 and took the E6 North. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/316/1...7df1cede_c.jpgrotsundelv 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/317/1...9afbdcda_c.jpgrotsundelv 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We did a side trip to the city of Tromso, but checking out the camping here it really sucked so we backtracked to the route 91. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/285/2...05e24f9b_c.jpgrotsundelv 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/475/1...fbf90b1e_c.jpgrotsundelv 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/...573b24a6_c.jpgrotsundelv 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
There are 2 ferries here are we decided just to go for it, since they are timed to depart in succession and so it is easier to get them all together. We had to wait about 20 minutes for the ferry for the 20 minutes crossing from Breivikeidet to Svensby. From here it is a 20 km drive to the next ferry from Lyngseidet for 40 minutes to Olderdalen.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/...eb7aee64_c.jpgrotsundelv 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/294/2...594c9bf7_c.jpgrotsundelv 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/363/1...57301b2c_c.jpgrotsundelv 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Continuing another 28 km we found a camping spot at Rotsundelv. There were a couple of Dutch bikers here John and Anemika with whom we spend a nice evening. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/2...7e96e6f56d.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.54.42 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/275/2...47fc0c98_c.jpgrotsundelv 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The day started out with nice weather, but that changed quickly. Within 30 minutes we were riding in the pouring rain. We did however finally see a reindeer today and the Nordkapp sign for 240 KM!
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/...0c6891ef_c.jpghammerfest 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/545/2...9cce3be8_c.jpghammerfest 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We had originally planned to try to make it near to the North Cape today, but really we had had enough of the cold and pouring rain by 3 pm and we made for Hammerfest, which is by the way the most northerly city in the world. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/333/1...d78cdaa6aa.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-29 at 8.55.07 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This is an oil and gas town mostly and there are few tourists. The hotel had a 70% off sale because of some construction so we jumped at the change for a bit of luxury. We braved the weather to try and get in a walk and found ourselves at the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society. This is a small free museum in the downtown. There are mementos of early life here in Hammerfest, a lot of stuffed animals, and historical photographs.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/507/1...5bd5fb65_c.jpghammerfest 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/...2d99217b_c.jpghammerfest 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/393/1...91711699_c.jpghammerfest 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/474/1...ed9e0ae0_c.jpghammerfest 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
What an incredible difference a day makes since today it is 17 and sunny! There are very few sunny days at the North Cape and so we are starting to feel we might get lucky. Before leaving town we checked out the Struve Geodetic Arc.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/354/1...31b9b44b_c.jpgDSC02858 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/514/2...4d261dcb_c.jpghammerfest 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr “The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. It is an extraordinary example of scientific collaboration among scientists from different countries, and of collaboration between monarchs for a scientific cause. The original arc consisted of 258 main triangles with 265 main station points. The listed site includes 34 of the original station points, with different markings, i.e. a drilled hole in rock, iron cross, cairns, or built obelisks.” Wikipedia https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/...3128c1d8_c.jpgDSC02852 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/452/2...3b36b173_c.jpgDSC02854 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/395/2...e516b35c_c.jpgDSC02855 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/...2126f6d8_c.jpgDSC02857 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The replica of the largest Polar bear found is here also and makes a great photo op. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/490/2...075ee481_c.jpgDSC02863 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/368/2...072c9efa_c.jpgDSC02869 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
About 5 km before the cape a deep cloudbank enveloped us and we feared that despite the sunny day we would see nothing at the cape. Luck would have it that we came down out of the clouds just in time. We arrived to the ticket booth to see 6 buses of tourist from the cruise ships in Honningsvag, dozens of RVs, and about 30 bikes from all over Europe.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/471/2...570dff97_c.jpgDSC02906 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Despite this we did get right in to see the panorama movie and did get some photos and the monument between fog banks and busloads. It was a great feeling to finally make our goal of Inuvik, Ushuaia, to Nordkapp! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/544/2...5ce244e6_c.jpgIMG_4227 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/411/2...cd5b5cde_c.jpgDSC02914 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/533/1...2cb418e1_c.jpgDSC02919 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/337/2...5fde5d49_c.jpgDSC02924 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/442/2...b581ce02_c.jpgDSC02918 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/395/1...93fe67be_c.jpgDSC02932 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/545/1...239b53d4_c.jpgDSC02933 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/432/2...648b750a_c.jpgDSC02935 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/487/2...98bf6b36_c.jpgDSC02939 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We tucked into a small cabin for the night and celebrated with very expensive beer. We stayed up until 2 am to enjoy the Midnight Sun.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/374/1...80416d0a_c.jpgDSC02942 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/...2604ee28_c.jpgDSC02944 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/...d8f4455e_c.jpgDSC02952 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/346/2...1dc65e3d_c.jpgDSC02966 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/408/2...4fe163b2_c.jpgDSC02969 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/453/2...0c71b27c_c.jpgDSC02899 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The next day was a glorious sunny day as well. We made for the cape again just at opening. This meant we could ride the bikes right down to the monument for some photos with almost no one else there.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/313/2...b1e2fa98_c.jpgDSC02985 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/504/2...2f7993ce_c.jpgDSC02976 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/442/2...7433edb9_c.jpgDSC02970 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/468/2...6d21db86_c.jpgDSC02983 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/519/1...6784a6b6_c.jpgDSC02988 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/462/2...fc96678e_c.jpgDSC02984 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/466/2...4c177c44_c.jpgDSC02977 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The plan for today was to get to Gamvik, which is 95 km almost due east of Nord Kapp, but it takes 435 km on the road.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/348/2...d6959186_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.09.56 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The wind was much better today and in our favor. Riding back down the coast it was exciting to see all the riders coming up who were also almost to their goal.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/278/2...5525fa7c_c.jpgDSC02989 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3698/...02b144d8_c.jpgDSC03002 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/298/1...f4860ebb_c.jpgDSC03005 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/255/2...c6063427_c.jpgDSC03011 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We lost our sun about mid way and it got pretty cold after we left Ifjord. Gamvik is a very remote town on the far east of the peninsula. This is a tiny fishing village of brightly colored wooden houses. The nearest large town is Mehamn. Even camping here, which was bad was expensive. A room at the hostel with a shared bath was 990K ( 120USD ). It was also 6 degrees here and so we decided that the 120 km back to Ifjord was a better idea. At least warmer anyway.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/314/2...34123b04_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.10.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr There is a not so nice campground here but they did have hot showers. Funny thing was an American man came up to us to tell us that the road ahead “ was torn up for 10 km and it is all shale and boulders”. Wow hard to believe on the E6 ( of course it was 5 km of very good dirt road……). https://farm1.staticflickr.com/439/2...7910d671_c.jpgDSC03013 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The rain started about midnight and continued on and off all night. We did get a bit of a break for packing up but not much. We are making for Kirkenes 228 KM in and near the end of the road in Norway. It ends at Russia just 14 km further!
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/...b335b4e8_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.11.05 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Driving into town there is a military zone along the river across which is the Russian federation.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/374/2...e40cf914_c.jpgDSC03020 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/464/2...340fe207_c.jpgDSC03021 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr In town we stopped to watch some crazy Norwegians race snow sleds across the lake. We found a tiny cabin to get warm for the rest of the day. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/2...1ec45da1_c.jpgDSC03015 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This is our first day off since we left Sweden so a sleep in until 10 was in order. At noon the sky still looked clear so we headed southeast to the three points where the borders of Norway, Finland, and the Russian federation meet.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/386/2...e37b34e1_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.19.22 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr This is 100 km of paved road that has very bad frost heaves. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/259/1...72d5645f_c.jpgIMG_4236 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/486/2...0a63019b_c.jpgIMG_4245 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/...0bc5dcfe_c.jpgIMG_4240 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The last 20 km are dirt road with a few km of deeper gravel at the end. There is a lot of signage with border warnings like it is illegal to cross the border. Do not make contact across the border. Do not take photos of military personnel or vehicles. The use of tripods and telephoto lenses in the border area is illegal. OK! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/362/1...bbbeba46_c.jpgDSC03022 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/427/2...3938a428_c.jpgDSC03023 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/358/2...53918807_c.jpgDSC03025 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/473/2...d3267412_c.jpgDSC03024 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Yellow markers mark the border. It looks like Dan is on the Russian side of the marker. Oops. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/421/2...3fc0fc96_c.jpgDSC03026 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Then we drove up to the real border crossing for a look.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/440/1...c7f035aa_c.jpgDSC03031 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/509/2...32ffd73c_c.jpgDSC03029 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Despite 3 weeks in Norway and seeing hundreds of these signs we never saw an actual moose.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/350/2...f5b269cc_c.jpgIMG_4230 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we leave Norway after 3 weeks of mostly ok weather. However, it rained almost all day. We made for the border of Finland in 55 Km. The roads here are very straight and all you see are trees, lakes, and reindeer. The reindeer are unpredictable especially the younggr ones. They will often stand on or near the road and not move at all until they suddenly jump out in front of you when you are several meters away.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/463/2...a41a0795_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.22.03 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/...9f8a1064_c.jpgDSC03034 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/430/2...b43bb9a7_c.jpgDSC03035 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The plan was to make some miles and the roads made this easier if a bit boring. The reindeer are quite stupid and will run out in front of you without warning. The warning signs here in Finland are yellow and list the entire upper half of the country as a reindeer hazard zone. There are a few moose signs here too, but as yet no moose. The reindeer here are bigger than those in Norway and with much bigger antlers. We saw a few really majestic specimens today. It did stop raining by 4 and so we kept riding to just past the Arctic Circle. We finally found a campground south of Rovaniemi. We still had a bit of sun left to dry out our very wet tent. There were a few other bikers here that were headed to Nordkapp. |
Getting on the road about 10 we continued south. We had thought to camp on the coast, but there were not really any nice places and we decided that if we wanted to make Helsinki the next day it would be 488 Km. This would not leave us much time to try to organize the bike fork repair. We decided to go another 160 KM to Seinajoki for a total of 582 km today.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3811/...6da19799_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.28.58 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr There was a great camp spot here, with lush grass and a river running thru the site. The lounge and kitchen was very nice. They had decent Internet also and we found a repair shop 178 KM away in Tampere. We figured we could stop here since it was on the way to see if they could repair the fork. If not we had BMW Helsinki as a back up. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/549/1...a6cd2176_c.jpgDSC03036 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving at ALL RIGHT Bike in Tampere they were super awesome and found the BMW original seals for us at a shop 20 km away. They dropped everything and repair the bike for us! We were on our way again by 4 pm.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/301/2...c231ded3_c.jpgDSC03039 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/300/2...34170061_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-08 at 7.33.05 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The nice campground in Seinajoki has a sister in Helsinki and so we headed there. The place was packed mostly since it has a great location on the water and right at a Metro station. There were about 8 other bikers here too. We also met Paul and Sarah who are friends of friend in Seattle!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/440/2...ae4fc1ed_c.jpgDSC03042 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/438/2...61a5477a_c.jpgDSC03041 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Helsinki
The rain, thunder, and lightning started at 4 am and it was truly unbelievable. That said we had no sleep because of the noise until after 7. We rolled out of the tent at 11. The Metro ride to the city is about 20 minutes to the Central train station. Here we could arrange a VISA FREE trip to Russia to see St Petersburg. Conveniently the boat was leaving the next day. We had decided that the hassle and expense of the visa for a 5-6 day trip was not worth it. The overnight ferry ride return was about the same price as the Visa fee. We did a bit of a walking tour of the downtown and then headed back to the campsite.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/...472ef86d_c.jpgDSC03426 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5792/...bb855a83_c.jpgDSC03427 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5679/...dd6956ac_c.jpgDSC03046 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...6a75735c_c.jpgDSC03430 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5785/...5ffe191e_c.jpgDSC03435 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...2edfb2a7_c.jpgDSC03049 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5809/...f245719e_c.jpgDSC03431 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5660/...9fedb880_c.jpgDSC03436 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5802/...27450203_c.jpgDSC03438 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5759/...bdb4c38a_c.jpgDSC03434 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/...06b3ed0c_c.jpgDSC03045 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5674/...34958cee_c.jpgDSC03415 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The ship did not leave until 6 pm so we had a lazy day and got the laundry done. The campground has a vehicle storage area that we could leave the bikes for the 4 days at 16 E per day. Not cheap, but at least they are secure.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5726/...14f2a45e_c.jpgDSC03416 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5644/...ae22d5f8_c.jpgDSC03418 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We took the tram to the harbor and checked in at the St. Peter’s line. You have to go thru Finish passport control and we got an exit stamp. The ferry is a bit of a mini cruise with casino and discos and the like, but we had a drink on the sky deck, some dinner we had brought on board, and were in bed by 930. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5733/...8b3a140f_c.jpgDSC03055 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The ship left an hour late at 7 pm, but still arrived to the port of St Petersburg on time at 930 am. The number of cranes on the skyline was incredible!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/...2cbedb41_c.jpgst petersburg 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5809/...6e8fc91d_c.jpgst petersburg 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Getting off the boat the arrivals hall is totally chaos. You have to line up to get your tourist card. Lets say the Russians are Not like the uber friendly Brazilians! They photocopy every page of your passport as well, which was a bit creepy. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5723/...b0246722_c.jpgst petersburg 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5670/...a84b1e12_c.jpgst petersburg 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We had arranged a driver and guide for a city tour. Maria was awesome and very knowledgeable. She was of an age that she remembers a lot of the events that have shaped this country in the last 50 years.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...d315d0a4_c.jpgst petersburg 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We took in most of the major sites in the downtown area. Including the Egyptian sphinxes, the Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Catherine palace, the Nicholas statue, St. Isaacs Cathedral. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5770/...d7be71cb_c.jpgst petersburg 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5727/...5ecba1e5_c.jpgst petersburg 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...8db01698_c.jpgst petersburg 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the burial place of the Russian royalty. So that means all the Nicholas and Alexanders and their wives “Maria”. There is a cannon salute everyday at noon. The entire crown flinched when it went off it was SO loud.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/...6a75a1b2_c.jpgst petersburg 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5788/...f8e10dfa_c.jpgst petersburg 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/...c847da9f_c.jpgst petersburg 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5670/...fbf876d5_c.jpgst petersburg 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5700/...1931f827_c.jpgst petersburg 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...9407306f_c.jpgClip #2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The blue of the Catherine Palace is stunning.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5656/...e4465054_c.jpgst petersburg 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5825/...975d156b_c.jpgst petersburg 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5723/...bbfa3720_c.jpgst petersburg 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The statue of Nicolas I is in St. Isaac’s Square. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5770/...f04836f0_c.jpgst petersburg 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5739/...a18cb5c3_c.jpgst petersburg 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5756/...621077e3_c.jpgst petersburg 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We took some time to rest and then set out again to the Main square of the city at the winter palace.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5773/...3ea90f39_c.jpgst petersburg 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5723/...33c7e66a_c.jpgst petersburg 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5818/...e87bc38d_c.jpgst petersburg 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Walking past the Admiralty it started to torrentially rain and we had to hide out under the trees, but got drenched anyway. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5782/...eabb86c8_c.jpgst petersburg 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5712/...6c666901_c.jpgst petersburg 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5632/...ecbe0954_c.jpgst petersburg 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
There are hundreds of bridges in this city and a number cross the Neva River.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5716/...3cf1b53f_c.jpgst petersburg 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...303f75b1_c.jpgst petersburg 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...25dda41a_c.jpgst petersburg 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...d9a28f6d_c.jpgst petersburg 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The bronze horseman is the monument to the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter the Great. It stands in Senatskaia Square facing the Neva River.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5724/...223466c6_c.jpgst petersburg 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr For our second day we spent the morning in the museum of the winter palace with thousands of others. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...d7a2df83_c.jpgst petersburg 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/...9577224f_c.jpgst petersburg 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5735/...87c73cf9_c.jpgst petersburg 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/...df62b4d2_c.jpgst petersburg 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5636/...da9428bb_c.jpgst petersburg 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...b878956d_c.jpgst petersburg 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
In the afternoon we did a walking tour of the city sights. This included walking along the canal and a visit to the Church of the Spilled Blood.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5647/...e87d9d54_c.jpgst petersburg 99 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5715/...7cc611e0_c.jpgst petersburg 103 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/...62dc1cdc_c.jpgst petersburg 100 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It was Harley-Davidson Days here in Petersburg so we checked it out. There were a lot of very loud bikes being driven very fast all over the city as well. Of course they were handing out condoms!
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5686/...446b8b67_c.jpgst petersburg 115 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5683/...4a83e294_c.jpgst petersburg 116 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Several venues had military bands playing and this group was very good. Here they are doing an awesome rendition of “We will rock you”. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...2d993330_c.jpgst petersburg 119 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This city is also spectacular by night. There are fireworks in St. Isaac’s Square every night.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5689/...ec6758df_c.jpgst petersburg 126 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5815/...51c6f5e2_c.jpgst petersburg 127 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5618/...3895f90b_c.jpgst petersburg 128 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5708/...a7239dff_c.jpgst petersburg 129 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...29131cb2_c.jpgst petersburg 130 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5785/...e6269d90_c.jpgst petersburg 131 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/...c59a1e79_c.jpgIMG_4258 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The last day of our 72 hours visa we took the hydofoil for a 40-minute ride across the Gulf to the park at Peterhoff Palace. We even saw a Russian submarine on the way there.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5772/...3587a51e_c.jpgst petersburg 133 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5766/...25f74ef0_c.jpgst petersburg 137 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5743/...442a569c_c.jpgst petersburg 134 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5643/...801b47f3_c.jpgst petersburg 135 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Here at Peterhoff, the fountains are the main attraction. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...c4eb5467_c.jpgst petersburg 138 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/...8a3a08aa_c.jpgst petersburg 141 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5763/...9343f01c_c.jpgDSC03533 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/...b4e1a867_c.jpgst petersburg 148 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5797/...7fd60219_c.jpgst petersburg 150 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5675/...51ba65fa_c.jpgst petersburg 153 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5631/...d0d63e44_c.jpgst petersburg 155 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5628/...2afbe67e_c.jpgst petersburg 159 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Great Trip so far
Finally caught up with all of your pages. Have also been following the blogs of some of your cohorts who you have been intersecting with. love your dialogue and the photos are tremendous. I have visited all of the lower 48 states, but am looking to extend the boundries. Your insightful information is making that possible. Will keep tracking your progress.
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Hey there Thanks so much. Just get out and ride the world is an awesome place!Mexico is spectacular and so is Guatemala, both are close to home. Cheers sara |
What a whirlwind trip we had and now we are back to the ferry for the overnight crossing. We arrived to sunny weather in Helsinki and returned to the camping for another night. We had booked passage on the ferry to Estonia for the next afternoon. We finally had a couple of days to do nothing! The Ferries to Tallinn leave from the west harbor. It is easy to book on line and we found the Eckero Line was the cheapest for the afternoon sailing of the 3 options. You can also book 2 bikes and 2 people on one reservation, which is rarely the case.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5831/...e0d6be86_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-14 at 1.59.14 AM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We arrived early, but so did quite a few others. The bikes are all loaded on the second level of the ferry and there were lots of new looking tie down to secure them. The crossing was very calm. The boat is very nice and there are all kinds of different seating options. There were 6 or 7 bars since this is a bit of a booze cruise at night. There were 2 different bars with live band playing.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/582/2...f5df015f_c.jpgDSC03420 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The forecast was for a light rain, but when we unloaded it was torrentially raining. We had planned to camp, but even the streets were flooded so we did not think the campground would be better. The first few places we stopped were full and one had a suite for 180$. We by then were a ways from the city and looped back to finally find a hotel at a reasonable price. |
The next day of course it was spectacular. We drove to the old town and did a walking tour. There are 4 cruise ships docked today and so the old town was packed.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5662/...9070d207_c.jpgDSC03446 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/668/2...35e67470_c.jpgDSC03445 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...fccffb33_c.jpgIMG_4268 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/732/2...d4b79728_c.jpgIMG_4266 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/626/2...04d6e5a9_c.jpgDSC03455 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5733/...a17df793_c.jpgDSC03454 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5759/...728bb4a4_c.jpgDSC03452 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...1781302a_c.jpgDSC03447 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5624/...7cc7b987_c.jpgDSC03434 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we booked ferry tickets from Lithuania to Stockholm in 4 days time. That said we planned a loop through Estonia and into Latvia and Lithuania and planned at least 450 km per day.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/...e8582435_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-08-23 at 11.42.47 AM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Day one we rode west to the coast 100 km to the “beach” town of Haapsalu. From here we backtracked 40 km and then rode south and west to Tartu. We took a lot of secondary and tertiary roads, some of which were dirt. Estonia is a very clean and prosperous looking country. The farms are neat and tidy and the homes even the old ones are well kept.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/712/2...9e8d404a_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-16 at 10.45.25 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/772/2...600f5593_c.jpgESTONIA 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/...f587eef9_c.jpgESTONIA 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/715/2...9b94676e_c.jpgESTONIA 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/685/2...4d21e196_c.jpgESTONIA 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The cities also are very clean and beautiful. Since these are relatively new countries in the Baltic region they are wired! They have the fastest intenet in Europe.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5755/...8d0696ac_c.jpgESTONIA 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia and was founded in 1030. We enjoyed the Main Square and dinner there. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/...a2474bb2_c.jpgESTONIA 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5786/...f370b8c1_c.jpgESTONIA 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/661/2...d173d426_c.jpgESTONIA 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We continued south for a total of 491 km. We did not see any camping after about 2 pm of course. We ultimately crossed into Latvia and finally we found a hotel in Aluksne that let us camp on the lawn by their pond for 5 Euros. We had taken the dirt short cut to the town, which had some sections of very bad washboard.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/728/2...50054419_c.jpglatvia lithuania 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/650/2...f1829e2a_c.jpglatvia lithuania 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/669/2...3c68ce97_c.jpglatvia lithuania 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Riding south again we stopped and toured the city of Rezenke. Then we tried to stay off the highway, but this proved difficult on our way south to Lithuania.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/611/2...6e925b1f_c.jpglatvia lithuania 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/689/2...110d4ec9_c.jpglatvia lithuania 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Here we again did a small tour into the Capital of Vilnius, with its beautiful architecture. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5765/...4468e2fd_c.jpglatvia lithuania 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Now we turned north towards Riga. Here we really tried to get off the highway, but several of the roads were dirt with some washboard again. Again we did not find any camping, but we did find a hotel in Panevezys after 537 tiring Kms. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/718/2...f12f08c4_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-16 at 10.54.18 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr A beer and a beer/grapefruit dink in Lithuania 1.34 Euros!! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5654/...6f0226bb_c.jpglatvia lithuania 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5647/...174e7665_c.jpglatvia lithuania 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We slept in today until 930, but it was no issue since we had only 167 km to go to Riga Latvia.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/592/2...18a6e3c23e.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-16 at 11.01.51 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We took the secondary roads all the way, which wound thru the forests and farms. The towns show their Soviet history. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5821/...cf49543f_c.jpglatvia lithuania 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/...74ce3ccc_c.jpglatvia lithuania 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving in Riga we had booked an apartment for 40 Euros in a city where hotels are very expensive. From the outside we were a bit worried, but it was very nice inside. We did have 24 hour security for the bike, which was nice.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/665/2...f231c618_c.jpgriga 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5737/...2f514002_c.jpgriga 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/674/2...26f1ccb4_c.jpgriga 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5835/...a433d9b9_c.jpgriga 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We could walk across the river to the old town. On the way you pass the very modern library building.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/651/2...62a90ded_c.jpgriga 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/637/2...794eaeb8_c.jpgriga 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/719/2...bd320345_c.jpglatvia lithuania 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The city was having its annual summer festival and there was music and events all over the old town.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...5ea2ee27_c.jpglatvia lithuania 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/703/2...0f19d939_c.jpglatvia lithuania 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5777/...7e6a3d8a_c.jpglatvia lithuania 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5651/...357df2cc_c.jpglatvia lithuania 54 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5795/...d03d9511_c.jpgriga 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5717/...181801c6_c.jpgriga 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/645/2...ba3caae5_c.jpgriga 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5784/...97546171_c.jpgriga 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/615/2...3f33368c_c.jpgriga 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/667/2...cc5de34a_c.jpgriga 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We started with a visit to the Central market, which is housed in what were previously 5 German Zeppelin hangars. Here we enjoyed some local delicacies.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5654/...d0e6a524_c.jpglatvia lithuania 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5660/...cf1f6e07_c.jpgriga 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/758/2...5d301d85_c.jpglatvia lithuania 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we did a walking tour of the old city including some of the beautiful churches and art deco buildings. Here the men must remove their hats to go in to a church, but women need to put on a head covering. They have them to borrow so it is no issue.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5715/...691dea42_c.jpgriga 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...4af62b79_c.jpglatvia lithuania 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/692/2...559b9d3d_c.jpglatvia lithuania 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...ec0973de_c.jpglatvia lithuania 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/742/2...61e694b6_c.jpglatvia lithuania 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/568/2...81c8db3c_c.jpgriga 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/649/2...d0ea6639_c.jpglatvia lithuania 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Funny we ran into this Swiss biker that we had met at the Helsinki camping. We also ran into him a few days later downtown. And today we saw him in Riga.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/2...b7d4d47e_c.jpglatvia lithuania 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
At the center of the Town Hall Square is a statue of Roland, the Patron saint of Riga. The most memorable building on the square is the House of Blackheads, rebuilt after WWII. It was once the headquarters for the Blackheads Society, a group of “unmarried” German merchants.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...19b949d8_c.jpglatvia lithuania 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5778/...35d6c675_c.jpgriga 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/...66a749ac_c.jpgriga 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5785/...53002a5c_c.jpgriga 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Riga’s Freedom Monument survived the Soviet rule because of a clever change in the symbolism of the robed woman holding three stars up. These stars originally signified Latvia’s three regions, but during Soviet times, the meaning was changed to prevent its demolition. The three stars were assigned to represent the three Baltic Republics, and the woman holding them represented Mother Russia.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/667/2...18a9fd8b_c.jpgriga 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5744/...aefb2197_c.jpgriga 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/589/2...9e08730e_c.jpgriga 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Riga’s Powder Tower, which once held gunpowder, is a relic of Riga’s medieval defensive systems. Today it is a part of the Military Museum.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5746/...812c1aab_c.jpglatvia lithuania 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The Three Brothers buildings, located side by side on Maza Pils at numbers 17, 19, and 21, represent three architectural styles present in Old Town and are the oldest stone houses in existence in Riga. They were built in the 15th, 17th, and 18th centuries. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...3a6393d5_c.jpglatvia lithuania 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Riga Cathedral, or Rigas Doms, is a massive Lutheran church originally dating from the early 13th century. Riga Cathedral is impressive for being the largest medieval church in the Baltics, its two-meter-thick walls, and its enormous pipe organ. During Soviet times, it was used as a concert hall.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5770/...26bab8c2_c.jpglatvia lithuania 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/733/2...d60c08ec_c.jpglatvia lithuania 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5754/...dcf95d08_c.jpglatvia lithuania 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/636/2...f614a469_c.jpglatvia lithuania 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/...027ac67d_c.jpglatvia lithuania 50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The Swedish Gate was built in the latter part of the 17th century. Most of Riga’s walls, gates, and defensive systems have long since been torn down, but the Swedish Gate remains. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/769/2...b6cae8b6_c.jpglatvia lithuania 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We did a bit of a walk into the city on our side of the river, where there are several large parks and the area famous for the old wooden houses. These are in stark contrast to the Soviet area concrete buildings.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/623/2...be4d2299_c.jpgriga 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/654/2...d04f3ee3_c.jpgriga 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/...08dd9bb3_c.jpgriga 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/770/2...0f26079a_c.jpgriga 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/669/2...1ccee228_c.jpgriga 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/683/2...6f55501f_c.jpgriga 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5672/...d9de2779_c.jpgriga 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/768/2...0bfb1a27_c.jpgriga 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The drive to the ferry dock is only 168 km and since the ship boards at 10 pm we had the whole day. We got on the road at noon and headed southwest to Saldus and then to Vetsilpis for 288 km. On the way south there was again construction, but the lights were better coordinated. And guess who…we rode past the Swiss biker again. He actually caught up and pasted us at one point where we had to wait so long at the stoplight. From here we again rode on the secondary roads to Vetsilpis.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/747/2...3a29a370_b.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-23 at 12.12.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5832/...22d728a6_c.jpgstockholm2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We checked in and then got in line where we met a boisterous group of Latvians headed to Norway. They had their cabin near ours and invited us in for some home- made Vodka (very good) and venison burgers. Then we settled in for the night and the 10 am arrival to Nynashamn Sweden.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/...a32bb18c_c.jpgstockholm1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5833/...7975831d_c.jpgstockholm3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/623/2...1250fd54_c.jpgstockholm5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/...defd11f2_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.17.10 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Arriving in Sweden we had a short 58 km to Stockholm, but we took the small road instead of the highway for most of the way.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5677/...c9b507d7_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.17.43 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Stockholm may be one of Europe’s most beautifully situated cities. We took the metro the 20 minutes into town from the camping. We got of in the Old town or Gamla Stan and wandered around the very narrow cobbled streets. Other highlights were the changing of the guard at the royal palace, the waterfront, and the Vasa museum.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/709/2...2db2771d_c.jpgstockholm6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/584/2...58283eba_c.jpgstockholm7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/603/2...2c612d3b_c.jpgstockholm10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/2...f0694cf7_c.jpgstockholm8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/718/2...022307bf_c.jpgstockholm9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5729/...f51e8847_c.jpgstockholm11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5727/...5db80679_c.jpgstockholm12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...20b724e7_c.jpgstockholm20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...44c8e71e_c.jpgstockholm21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5759/...fdef271e_c.jpgstockholm24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/2...9e2cb3c8_c.jpgstockholm25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The palace
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5779/...e8386db4_c.jpgstockholm16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/620/2...f38deb84_c.jpgstockholm17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/746/2...b97f54da_c.jpgstockholm18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/...0445d9bf_c.jpgstockholm45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The Vasa museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship itself is stunning and the displays are really interesting. They have done analysis of the wood to find out exactly what color the boat was and what was used to paint it. They have restored many of the sculptures. The king ordered this ship built his way, which is why it sank in a light breeze because it was top-heavy and very unstable. 60% of the price of the boat was for the excessive decoration.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5735/...6472ac4e_c.jpgstockholm52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5695/...8ddc4b9f_c.jpgstockholm26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5696/...b049c45c_c.jpgstockholm27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/587/2...9d96ae28_c.jpgstockholm30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/750/2...5130ba24_c.jpgstockholm31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5698/...58999206_c.jpgstockholm32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/606/2...41f66c42_c.jpgstockholm33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/589/2...0f2e4f37_c.jpgstockholm34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/674/2...38c577c7_c.jpgstockholm35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5694/...eccd2aa9_c.jpgstockholm37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5630/...97ff2c86_c.jpgstockholm36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/699/2...9bae3ebe_c.jpgstockholm40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/591/2...6d57c186_c.jpgstockholm42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/626/2...5ac90a10_c.jpgstockholm44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From Stockholm we are headed back to Trollhattan, but we are taking it slow over two days and only using the smallest roads most of the time.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5813/...de3e2368_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.20.45 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We did this and by chance ended up in Nora, which is quite a famous town here in Sweden, being one of the 3 towns with the best-preserved wooden houses. There are several very old businesses here including the ice-cream shop that was stared in 1920 and the kitchen shop, where Frederick is the 5 th generation proprietor.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/718/2...af0c384b_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5835/...f81f861d_c.jpgstockholm58 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/584/2...f62f5475_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5782/...979eb65f_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/626/2...fb4a87af_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5826/...980d76ed_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We left Nora again on the small road following the route suggested by our Swedish friend Orvar to Skoyde, where he met us and then toured us thru all the back back roads to Trollhattan.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5728/...16020e8e_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-25 at 12.21.15 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/731/2...3ef6b068_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/736/2...d43fb09e_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5789/...f4eb0114_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We passed some of the private villas in the countryside. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5804/...e29be0dd_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Orvar had to pull out the spare gas 8 km from home! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/697/2...c972a1a7_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Here in Trollhattan our friends Orvar and Anne again hosted us. There was the international Nordic-ski competition (48 km of hell by the looks of it).
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5809/...ae6530d1_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/698/2...92255c2b_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5760/...d2d8043d_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Saturday night we started the party early with some drinks in the city, then a BBQ, and then an open-air concert. We did a very Swedish thing since we rode our bikes around the city.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5828/...b4f8eb7c_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5681/...7cf9ca14_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5802/...72840b1f_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/649/2...52488611_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/618/2...68b73ea0_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/768/2...683a18d6_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/644/2...b77a9094_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/...a68799e4_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5761/...8ac234a4_c.jpgtrollhattan part 2 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We had a quick visit for one night from Bart and Renata from the Netherlands. They had also met Orvar in Ushuaia. They are on a 2-week trip and were passing by on the way home.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5653/...ced37f48_c.jpgDSC03864 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5725/...d00f371b_c.jpgDSC03863 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/608/2...135a393a_c.jpgDSC03865 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
It is finally time to really head south and of course we picked the day it is pouring rain. Despite that we still decided to make the 349 km trip to Copenhagen in 2 days. The first we went east and south on the small back roads 298 km to Almhult.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5630/...ac00f5e560.jpgScreen Shot 2015-08-27 at 9.31.06 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr It rained hard almost all the way to the cable ferry at Sunnaryd. This was a lake crossing, but was one of the roughest we had. Actually holding the bike upright was difficult. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5627/...f18e05f9_c.jpgalmhult 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/579/2...521b8305_c.jpgalmhult 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Almhult is the birthplace of IKEA and so we had to go there for some Swedish meatballs of course.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5716/...574f1f6f_c.jpgalmhult 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5830/...84cbeb89_c.jpgalmhult 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We opted for a cabin to hide from the rain, but the next day we woke to the sunshine.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/756/2...50af1682_c.jpgalmhult 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5835/...72e5abc3_c.jpgalmhult 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Keep it Coming
Great Pictures and dialogue. Keep it coming. Will be heading out end of the month touring the southern parts of the US from Mi. Will still be tracking your ventures.
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We made the 182 km trip to Copenhagen into a 323 km day by really taking the small single-track roads. This was until we arrived near to the coast at Landskrona when we did take the secondary road north to Helsingborg.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5748/...7015a2e048.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-01 at 10.58.50 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Near the castle we enjoyed a farewell to Sweden lunch of open-faced shrimp sandwiches and the biggest piece of apple piece with meringue and vanilla cream you have ever seen.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/709/2...2d493b99_c.jpgcopenhagen 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5748/...54ced0ca_c.jpgcopenhagen 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5652/...09366115_c.jpgcopenhagen 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/573/2...83ece134_c.jpgIMG_4284 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We arrived at the ferry to see 4 bikes tearing up the lane number 2 and onto the ferry. As we drove up lane 2 they closed the gate! Good thing the next ferry was only a few minutes. The crossing is about 15 minutes and costs (gulp) 19 Euros each. Arriving at the dock in Helsingborg we could see a huge black rain cloud over the city. We had planned to take the long way around the coast and in fact missed the storm.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/609/2...d1ab2b39_c.jpgcopenhagen 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5697/...822e8efd_c.jpgIMG_4286 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5812/...9d651f86_c.jpgIMG_4294 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
I had contacted the HUBB Copenhagen for some advice and we had been invited to the home of Henrietta. She has done the ride from Alaska to Ushuaia and received a lot of hospitality and she was paying it forward.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5718/...799c1821_c.jpgcopenhagen 79 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/611/2...ea04fcb0_c.jpgcopenhagen 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/...38419edf_c.jpgcopenhagen 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
She is awesome! Not only is she an adventure rider, but also she is a Copenhagen roller derby skater!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/715/2...7c46b5bc_c.jpgcopenhagen 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/703/2...1ecede4c_c.jpgcopenhagen 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/743/2...cda505a0_c.jpgcopenhagen 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Henrietta suggested we do a very Danish thing and rent bikes to tour the city.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5658/...352d0a3c_c.jpgcopenhagen 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...3d5e2e90_c.jpgcopenhagen 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/678/2...e8d83783_c.jpgcopenhagen 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...9101a77d_c.jpgcopenhagen 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/611/2...8219999a_c.jpgcopenhagen 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5687/...7df262ee_c.jpgcopenhagen 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
She managed to get in all the sights including the Round tower,
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5619/...d642811e_c.jpgcopenhagen 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/...6fa2a4b9_c.jpgcopenhagen 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The Rosenborg Palace (a summer house built in 1606 and surrounded by the King’s garden) and the changing of the guards there, https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5662/...6d9045f8_c.jpgcopenhagen 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/728/2...37543c1c_c.jpgcopenhagen 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5717/...13caf80c_c.jpgcopenhagen 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/...db32e480_c.jpgcopenhagen 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/747/2...a240b9bd_c.jpgcopenhagen 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5695/...8d19a3f1_c.jpgcopenhagen 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/651/2...e1666dc7_c.jpgcopenhagen 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The domed cathedral, https://farm1.staticflickr.com/701/2...081526df_c.jpgcopenhagen 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The Amalienborg Palace (home of the royal family), https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5731/...2bb18fbe_c.jpgcopenhagen 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The little mermaid (a bronze sculpture on the sea shore popular since 1913), https://farm1.staticflickr.com/758/2...45cffc1b_c.jpgcopenhagen 54 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5749/...837340b5_c.jpgcopenhagen 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/604/2...93dbf4cc_c.jpgcopenhagen 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5798/...512a1e7b_c.jpgcopenhagen 58 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Nyhavn or new harbor, which is full of restaurants. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...d52a2ed3_c.jpgcopenhagen 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/590/2...fdb136d1_c.jpgcopenhagen 61 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5639/...87070495_c.jpgcopenhagen 71 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Christiansborg Palace, which is the home of the Danish Parliament as well as the Royal stables. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/...3930ab12_c.jpgcopenhagen 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/730/2...3496fc5d_c.jpgcopenhagen 64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5678/...4eb0f737_c.jpgcopenhagen 63 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/...43337824_c.jpgcopenhagen 65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Then it was a visit to Christiania, which is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood inside the Christanshavn area of Copenhagen. It has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted on military area in 1971. Its cannabis trade on Pusher Street has been tolerated by authorities, but is gang run and really has nothing to do with the people who live in Freetown. This is a very creepy area with guys in ski masks hiding behind army camouflage nets selling weed. No photos allowed of course.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/679/2...539c50f9_c.jpgcopenhagen 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here we continued the tour and ended up on Paper Island at Copenhagen Street Food to check out the street food trucks. We met up with two other adventure riders Lars and Annette.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/635/2...d50a39c1_c.jpgcopenhagen 72 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5630/...76d3c79c_c.jpgcopenhagen 73 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/...e76c3503_c.jpgcopenhagen 75 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Setting out south from Copenhagen we had a great day at 24 degrees and slightly cloudy. There was almost no wind. We made the ferry at Gedser in good time after 155 km.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/722/2...6a0d2e38d1.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-01 at 10.59.36 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Here you can just ride up and get a ticket. There were about 15 other bikes here as well. The lashing points are pretty good. They space the bikes out at designated spots along both outer walls, where there are permanently attached ratchet tie downs that secure the bike to the wall and the deck. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...654dedb8_c.jpgberlin 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The crossing was very calm on the 2-hour trip.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/597/2...658179caed.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-01 at 11.00.03 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr From here we headed east to the island of Rugen Germany. This was just a scenic stop that was not too far from the ferry in case we had issues and arrived later in the day. We set up camp and then took a tour thru the national park. The storm in the night was incredible. It was pouring, like build an ark pouring and the thunder and lightening were deafening. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5822/...4a73560fe3.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-01 at 11.03.15 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Luckily for us it stopped in the early morning so we could pack up in the dry. We then backtracked to the 20 and rode south and west on the dreaded highway all day in 34-degree heat to get to Berlin.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5786/...7bfc87af2d.jpgScreen Shot 2015-09-01 at 11.04.27 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Our green card insurance runs out this week and we need to renew at ADAC. They are the only agents who will do this now. We arrived to the huge ADAC office near the Mitte zone about 2. The agent informed us that there are no ADAC offices in Berlin that sell green card insurance since the end of 2014. The nearest offices are more than 100 km (in almost all directions) away. AGH! Well what can you do? So melting in the heat we made our way to the hotel we had booked near the Tiergarden. Driving up the main road we rode up to the Victory Column. This commemorates the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian war of 1866. As we rode up the street a truck pulled up next to us and the passenger yelled out to us with thumbs up “Welcome to Berlin!” https://farm1.staticflickr.com/705/2...f2f85ae1_c.jpgberlin 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
After some cold showers and aircon we ventured outside. Near our hotel is the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was heavily damaged in bombing raids in 1943.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/672/2...b4f5a44e_c.jpgberlin 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We walked about 5 km thru the gardens, past the Victory Column, (which since 1864 has commemorated the Prussian victory in the Prussian-Danish War), and to the Bundestag or parliament with its glass -domed roof. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/781/2...211d9a13_c.jpgberlin 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5741/...b4a366b6_c.jpgberlin 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5649/...1b107ff5_c.jpgberlin 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5772/...a88e4d51_c.jpgberlin 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Next we headed to the nearby Brandenburg gate. This is one of the original 14 gates to the city. This 18th-century arch is one of the best-known landmarks of Germany. Out front of the gate you can see 2 lines of bricks that mark the location of the Berlin wall that divided the city for almost 30 years.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/...8305cc4f_c.jpgberlin 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/713/2...3518a686_c.jpgberlin 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5751/...0d007062_c.jpgberlin 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/655/2...c90f381d_c.jpgberlin 61 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
Today we signed up for a walking tour of the city. This included a trip to Museum Island a UNESCO site. The evidence of the mortar wounds is clearly seen.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5713/...05b84c89_c.jpgberlin 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5689/...17e2d34c_c.jpgberlin 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/688/2...d39a2d8e_c.jpgberlin 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/685/2...04887359_c.jpgberlin 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The Museum of Fine Art
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/616/2...c3836cbb_c.jpgberlin 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr The massive Altes museum and the domed Berlin Cathedral flank the large square. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...57dddc39_c.jpgberlin 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5750/...526850f6_c.jpgberlin 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5679/...3b25ab57_c.jpgberlin 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/656/2...720970ae_c.jpgberlin 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/686/2...9f17b9a0_c.jpgberlin 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/...f73656a6_c.jpgberlin 87 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
From here you can see the tallest “building” in Germany. This is the TV tower built by the Socialist German Democratic Republic to be “seen” by those in the West.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5684/...1d0b3682_c.jpgberlin 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr Next it was the memorial to the fallen soldiers of all wars. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...5b3815cf_c.jpgberlin 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/741/2...edbe57ec_c.jpgberlin 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...c48b63b4_c.jpgberlin 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/596/2...aa57dd1b_c.jpgberlin 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The memorial to the infamous Nazi book burning in 1933 is in front of the University Library. The picture does not show it well, but the Plexiglas covers the opening to a white room lined with empty white bookshelves with space for 25,000 books.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/641/2...012bf893_c.jpgberlin 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/623/2...f51f6b01_c.jpgberlin 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/612/2...957cd9e4_c.jpgberlin 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
This is an example of a “ghost” station on the subway. When the wall was up these stations were not open for access as the trains running here were West Berlin cars that passed under this area in East Berlin. They did offer opportunities for escape to the west however.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/2...f6a2e0d2_c.jpgberlin 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr From here you pass the British, French, and USA embassies, which flank the Brandenburg gate. The Napoleon took the original statue from atop the gate in 1806 and the new one turns her head to eye the French embassy! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5681/...8ecb2e77_c.jpgberlin 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/760/2...720a58fc_c.jpgberlin 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/694/2...da87fdfc_c.jpgberlin 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...b80f9b80_c.jpgberlin 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/742/2...0db04582_c.jpgberlin 58 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/750/2...89058fde_c.jpgberlin 59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We just passed by the Memorial for the Jews murdered in the holocaust. It was getting late in the day so we will have to come back here to visit
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5789/...22d42be0_c.jpgberlin 63 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickrit the information center. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5632/...639f4b1d_c.jpgberlin 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/733/2...90e6e2cf_c.jpgberlin 64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr We visited the site of Hitler’s bunker, which is now a parking lot in an effort to “normalize” the site. There is a small plaque erected in the corner for information. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/603/2...33df5325_c.jpgberlin 66 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/737/2...f22ae204_c.jpgberlin 67 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5682/...7a614546_c.jpgberlin 68 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We visited the site of the 1952 workers uprising at the last standing of the 3 rd Reich buildings. Being practical the Germans did not tear down this massive building, but repurposed it as a Government office, but of course all insignias have all been removed. The side walls still hold the propaganda painting from the Socialist era.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5772/...ba0ea412_c.jpgberlin 75 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/761/2...020fae24_c.jpgberlin 76 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/599/2...41a6eb4d_c.jpgberlin 96 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/...985b97da_c.jpgberlin 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...d246d39c_c.jpgberlin 71 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5626/...bc8953a5_c.jpgberlin 72 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/660/2...3785b2fc_c.jpgberlin 74 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
We walked by one of the 3 remaining sections of the Berlin wall. The wall was erected in 3 stages. The first was razor wire and wood, then bricks. The last phase was concrete in an L shape so you could not drive a car thru them. Here there is a memorial to those persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime. The red brick walls are the remains of the basement of the SS prison cells.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/635/2...e85b52d5_c.jpgberlin 93 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5651/...dde9da40_c.jpgberlin 77 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5716/...6a2b2df1_c.jpgberlin 97 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...20d0b652_c.jpgberlin 100 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/621/2...4ab7b6ed_c.jpgberlin 78 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/2...a4d3b2af_c.jpgberlin 79 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/571/2...e483a2a6_c.jpgberlin 98 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5829/...c1a84883_c.jpgberlin 99 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5686/...f7d22d84_c.jpgberlin 101 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The memorial is located beside an empty lot, which was once the site of the SS and Gestapo offices. It has been left just covered with rocks and nothing will ever be built here.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/708/2...8861338f_c.jpgberlin 80 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/2...11546237_c.jpgberlin 81 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5827/...a54f3aaa_c.jpgberlin 82 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
The wall surrounded West Berlin, but there were a number of checkpoints. The only one that could be used by military personnel and tourists was the checkpoint “C” or “Charlie”. It is now a tourist attraction manned by German actors in USA uniforms.
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5725/...49487eca_c.jpgberlin 92 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...b51c7f1a_c.jpgberlin 83 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5625/...dda48925_c.jpgberlin 85 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5671/...566b30db_c.jpgberlin 84 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5771/...edba2e5d_c.jpgberlin 89 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5617/...5acba57c_c.jpgberlin 90 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/674/2...0be6ccbc_c.jpgberlin 91 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/733/2...e87215bf_c.jpgberlin 95 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
For our last day here we decided to visit the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. There is a very moving and informative center under ground. The displays are very centered around the individual stories of people and families. Above ground the memorial consists of several thousand stellae of various heights.
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...0a39fa39_c.jpgberlin 103 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/724/2...1055977d_c.jpgberlin 104 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5752/...4a088e7a_c.jpgberlin 105 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5671/...669cc9f8_c.jpgberlin 106 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/2...1c9337f9_c.jpgberlin 107 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr |
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