The train ride from Stockholm to Narvik got interesting after passing Kiruna. Then we entered the mountains and traveled along this
long lake for quite some time. There's a large Swedish national park to the south of this lake. It looks like a great place to go hiking or skiing.
This photo appeared in the following ideotrope albums:
Cycle-touring in Norway August 2008 - After 10 days in Sweden I took the train from Stockholm to Narvik and cycled from there to Trondheim. I stuck to the coastal route the whole way, first heading east, then north out of Narvik to get around the fjords and on the route to Lofoten. From Moskenes I took the ferry to Bod? and then following route 17 for quite a few days. I finally left 17 to stay near the coast through Fosen, and I arrived in Trondheim from the west.
The route ended up being quite easy. There were no significant climbs. The highest was 350m, and there weren't even many rolling sections. It was easier than I expected to cover all the distance that I had planned. There were, however, a lot of tunnels. I cycled a larger percentage of the route in tunnels than I have in any other country. In Japan I estimated that 2% of the route was in tunnels. On this route in Norway my guess is 3-4%. During one morning (arriving in Lofoten) 15 of the first 40km were tunnels!
I was continually stunned by the scenery around every corner as I hope these photographs illustrate. The camping's great as well. Norway would be a great and easy place to cycle with a group of friends. The catch, of course, is that it's absurdly expensive. I think it's the most expensive place I've ever traveled (more than Germany, England, Switzerland, or Japan).
I finished my trip with a wonderful day hiking in the Sylan Mountains with Astrid and Roar near Stj?rdal.
