Lofoten

Fine, Fine, Fine, Rain, Snow, Snow, this is the weather for the past six days.

Yesterday, I arrived at Lofoten islands which is very beautiful place in northern Norway as I heard. However, the weather in this region for past three days has been bad that I got some snows on the road.

Cycling on the snow is not easy and not safe especially when cars and trucks come from the behind. I heard from somebody about the tire which is used for winter cycling like cars but I am still can possible to go with normal tires. And actually the price of that tire is 3-5 times more expensive than the normal one.

The thing which I really noticed during these 6 days were that almost all peformance of the travel has decided by the weather. I said the same thimg before! Especially the weather in here means either very good or very bad.

At night, when I try to sleep in a tent which feels like very cold. Fortunately, I got a place to stay inside of the house in yesterday which I asked at a house near the road. Otherwise I have to sleep on the snow.

Funny thing which I experienced few days ago was that night I slept at a resting place for passengers to wait for a ferry(on the way to Harstad). The foor of the place was heeting all the night long, which was too warm to sleep! I couldn't sleep well at that night.

The next night, I had to sleep on the snow because I cannot find any place to stay at that night. When I was riding on my bike in the evening, the road has started to fleeze and slipy and I thought it was dangerous to keep riding on and I stopped and started to find a place to put up my tent. But there was no place uncovered by snow. That's why I had to sleep on the snow. I couldn't sleep well neither.

Yesterday I was really lucky to find a place to sleep at Hans's place who I asked if I stay or not. His family was very kind and I got a bed to sleep which was the third time to succeeded to stay at someones place on the spot. They gave some cloth and new shoes for winter and I really happy to stay with them.

But before that in the afternoon I also got a place to take some rest from a kind woman who I met on the busstop when I was resting. She offered me to stay for a while and even I got a shower and flesh foods!

People say that you are late for a month or two to travel in this part of the region but I don't think so. Even I couldn't see any beautiful place at Lofoten, I really feels like happy to meet those nice people.

From here to Bodø, I have several options to get there which take a ferry from Svalver, Stamsund, and Moskenes. I will decide depends on the weather and condition. Whichever, it took about 130 km from here to Moskenes which is not too far at the end of the Lofoten.

The flight ticket which I booked from Bodø to London is 20th of Oct. that means that I haev still have enough time to wait for a sun in Lofoten. But if the weather going to bad I will take a ferry from here.

I have to find a confortable place to sleep!

Yuji @ Svolver, Lofoten, Norway