Archives: August 2006
In Which Everyone Gets On Their Bike
August 30, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Flakk - just outside Trondheim I came to bury Trondheim, not to praise it. By the time I got off to sleep in my luxurious bed (a double bed.. wow!) last night, with damp-to-soaking clothes draped around the cabin and rain thundering on the roof, I'd had it with Trondheim....
In Which I Get To Test My Waterproof Clothes At Last
August 29, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Flakk - just outside Trondheim Route: Rørvik - Hofles - Lund - Namsos - Steinkjer - Mosvik - Rørvik (another one) - Flakk I'm in Trondheim - or near as dammit. It's 10km up the road from this campsite where, after a day of rain, I'm spoiling myself to a...
In Which The Quest For Reindeer Comes To An End
August 28, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Rørvik, Helgeland Route: Sandnessjøen - Tjøtta - Brønnøysund - Vik - Rørvik Two more ferries on the southbound stretch today, only one of which did I manage nearly to miss. How's that for strangled English? On one, I got talking to my fellow passengers. A retired reindeer farmer explained the...
In Which I Smell Fresh Again - Phew!
August 27, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Sandnessjøen Route: didn't go anywhere; just stayed home and washed clothes. It was great. 'Home' being Belsvåg campsite, a short way south of Sandnessjøen. Actually, 12 miles. I know that because I rode into 'town' to call my brother but couldn't find a payphone. Or a single living, breathing...
In Which A Great Day Is Had
August 26, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Sandnessjöen, Helgeland, Norway. Route: Saltstraumen - Ågskaret - Kilboghamn - Nesna - Låvong - Sandnessjöen Why am I doing this trip? Pretty much, I'd say, for days like this. (ps: no reindeer.)...
In Which I Finally Leave The Sub-Tropical Arctic
August 25, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Saltstraumen Route: Narvik - Skarberget - Fauske - Saltstraumen Narvik in the morning is every bit as beautiful as Narvik at night. To the War Museum, the war being the reason most people have heard of Narvik. (Being Europe's major hub for the transportation of iron ore isn't enough to...
In Which I Don't See A Ghost
August 24, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Narvik Route: Borg - Svolvaer - Skutvik - Skarberget - Narvik Why was I in Borg? Why, to take a picture of the village sign of course. (Crazy name, huh, Chris?) Also to visit the Lofotr Viking Museum. It has a great reputation, and I enjoyed the recreated chieftain's Great...
In Which I Come Over All David Attenborough
August 23, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Borg, Lofoten Islands, Norway Route: Nusfjord - Å - Leknes - Borg Managed to leave Nusfjord without even stepping into a boat: not the lovely gammeldags fishing boat that goes out on a daily fishing excursion; not even one of the rowing boats freely available to tourists -- even though...
In Which I Find Myself In The Company Of Strange Men
August 22, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Nusfjord, Lofoten Islands, Norway Where to begin..? Where to begin..? So much to tell you... all of it fascinating of course. (Fingers crossed.) Where to begin: The Zimbabwean landscape photographer-cum-diamond polisher-cum-Royal Navy seaman-cum-labourer-cum-hitchhiker-cum-sunbed factory worker-cum-farmer, living in northern Norway, who has broken both his legs twice, once in a...
In Which I See The Northern Lights And Am Rendered Speechless (At Last)
August 20, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Stokmarknes It feels like ages since I was last here. Have you missed me like I've missed you? (If the answer is "Who is this Mike bloke, anyway?" please don't bother mentioning it.) So, to recap: on my journey round the coast of Europe... didn't get arrested in Murmansk.. found...
In Which I Contemplate The Great Sweep Of History. And Smokie.
August 18, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Tromsø Again, no reindeer. Though having said that, I've been in the middle of a city of 60,000 people all day - not the reindeers' natural habitat. I've enjoyed stopping here for three nights. Haven't been on the bike for 48 hours - my bum says Thank You - and...
In Which.. Well, It's Just Too Exciting To Say
August 16, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Got drunk in a bar in Tromsø with the lead singer from Smokie. Yes! Life just doesn't get any better....
Video 3: Vardø
August 16, 2006 by Mike in Video
This may not be funny for you if you aren't my mum, dad, brother or sister... (Thanks for yr patience.)...
Video 2: 'James Bond'
August 16, 2006 by Mike in Video
A day's sightseeing round Murmansk is about to go rather wrong... (It took longer to edit this than it took me to ride from Norway to Murmansk. It's not easy been arty... or trying to be.)...
In Which I Start To Leave The Arctic
August 15, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Tromsø It might seem strange, perched 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle, to be talking of leaving the Arctic, but that's how it feels. Not just because of the staggeringly good weather - I'm getting used to that. (Cue downpours and snow, no doubt.) But because Tromsø advertises itself...
In Which I Witter On About Not Very Much, As Is My Wont
August 14, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Nordkjosbotn, north Norway Vindicated! I wrote yesterday of "spitting, then cascading, rain" and I know, I just know, that you sat there thinking... 'there he goes again. One spot of rain and he dives for cover. He has the meteorological equivalent of man-flu.' Well, don't take my word it. It...
In Which It Rains. A Lot.
August 13, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Sorstraumen, Norway Route: Alta - Oksfjord - Sorstraumen Set off from Alta in such hot weather that I took the thick, padded lining out of my trousers for the first time since Finland, (bet you really wanted to know that), and still had a good sweat going as I left...
Video 1: Murmansk
August 12, 2006 by Mike in Video
At last... I get it together to upload and link to my first video. I hope this gives a smidgen of a taste of where I've been (in this case: to Murmansk.) Here it is, then: Tell me what you think!...
In Which I Witter On About Not Very Much, As Is My Wont
August 11, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Alta Friday 11 & Saturday 12 August - With a staggeringly huge population of 18,000, Alta is bigger than all the other places I've stayed -- Berlevåg, Kirkenes, Inari, Jokkmokk, Vemdalen, Vaggeryd -- combined. (As long as you forget about Murmansk and its 450,000 residents.) --- Another town, another Englishman:...
A Bit Of Website Business
August 9, 2006 by Mike in Diary
A word or two on the site as I can get online but not via the laptop, so my diary entries will have to wait: First and foremost, thanks to Diego, Doctor Rakesh and Susan for all the work they've put in. Without whom etc etc... We're still tweaking: in...
In Which I Am, Briefly, Europe's Northernmost Motorcycling Blogger
August 9, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Alta - which feels southern enough to fry chicken, but is still north of Murmansk. Route: Berlevag (by boat to) Honningsvag - Nordkapp - Hammerfest - Alta I wasn't disappointed by Nordkapp - North Cape, "the northernmost point in Europe." Nobody ever says that.... but I do. Find out why,...
In Which Mike With Eats Fish
August 9, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Hello everyone. Just testing a new mapping idea. Hope you like it.. it'll disappear from this page soon. --Mike Berlevag A concerned reader writes: "So what exactly are you feeding yourself, Mike?" (Concerned? Nah, she just wants a good laugh...) Now I know that in the modern manner, as a...
In Which I Dissect A Small Town Before Yr Very Eyes
August 8, 2006 by Mike in Diary
or.. Ten Things That Interest Me About Berlevag Berlevåg (and the great thing about this little world of ours is... take any town, village or hamlet, any community of say 1000 souls, and there will be sooooooo much to talk about. So for Berlevåg, read 'Anytown'.) (And I realise absolutely...
In Which I Come Home
August 7, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Berlevåg I should start with a disclaimer. I haven't come home home. The trip isn't over already. Promise. I'm not sitting in Norwich pretending to be in the Arctic. Here.. wait a second.......... there, I just stuck my head out of the door and smelled reindeer spore. You don't get...
In Which Norway Disappoints Me
August 6, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Kirkenes Firstly, on reading an email from me old mucker Remy, who has the temerity to be half-Swedish. He's noticed that while Swedish women have turned my eye on this trip, the Norwegians... errr... haven't. It's a fair cop (though talking of which, and in Norway's defence, there actually were...
In Which I Find Out How Norwegians Let Their Hair Down
August 5, 2006 by Mike in Diary
A leisurely day hanging out in Kirkenes. I started out at the lake just above the town centre. A parade of likely lads and lasses were being pushed from a wobbly tower down a makeshift chute into the lake in a variety of novelty home-made 'boats' -- the sort made...
In Which The Mystery Of The Russian James Bond Is Revealed
August 4, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Kirkenes - and sorry, this is another long one. OK, OK, so I know you've been desperate to find out about this James Bond business. Haven't you? Held for four hours by Rooskie militia, Navy goons and deeply troubling 'security officials' in long black leather trenchcoats, and all that kept...
In Which I Get To Meet A Real-Life Russian James Bond
August 3, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Murmansk Better not say too much 'til I'm back over the Norwegian border (tomorrow) but let's just say nobody will ever have to listen to my "when I was arrested in Bulgaria for spying" anecdote. (And don't worry, Ma: everything ends happily!)...
In Which I Realise I Know Nothing About Murmansk
August 2, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Murmansk, Russia ... not that I'm alone in this. Nobody in Murmansk knows anything about their city either. The receptionist at my hotel ('the best in the city') knew nothing. The Information desk at the railway station knew nothing. A local travel agency knew nothing. (At which stage, I start...
In Which I Am Vexed By The Question Of Sheds
August 1, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Murmansk, Russia Route: Kirkenes - Nikel - Petsjenga - Murmansk Kirkenes first: small towns are almost the same everywhere. A couple of skateboarders trying to rebel (one of whom, charmingly, was being chaperoned by his grandmother); four cars full of teenage boys and two cars full of teenage girls playing...
In Which I Finally Get Online
August 1, 2006 by Mike in Diary
Kirkenes Hello to anyone who's out there. I've had a brilliant time so far -- except for finding wi-fi internet connections. I mean, who'd have thought it wouldf be hard to get online in the middle of the Arctic? Anyhoo. This comes to you from the Norwegian-Russian border town of...