Chris's space

Norway, Oslo, 23 – 28 July 2023

Posted on Friday, 28-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Trondheim to Oslo – heading inland, no more jagged mountains, many rivers, some holiday traffic, slow going 80kph most of the way, got up to 1000m at one point cold 12c, uneventful ride.

Heading out of Trondhiem

1053m

Only 2.7% available on Sunday

Oslo – capital of Norway, population 1.5 million people, organised, clean, good public transport, expensive, many parks with interesting sculptures.

Oslo has a tradition of sending a Christmas tree every year to the cities of Washington D.C., New York City, Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Reykjavík. Since 1947 Oslo has sent a 20 to 24 m, 50 to 100-year-old spruce, as an expression of gratitude toward Britain for its support of Norway during World War II.

First an oil change on my bike then a tram ride into the city.

Oil change

Many Electric Cars

Colourful

The Cathedral

Inside

The Organ

Art

Oslo Mall

Liquor Store

Only available at Vinmonopolet

“

“

The History Museum, Fram Museum and the Kontiki Museum

History Museum

Silver Horde from 1028 AD

Nobel Prize

The National Treasure

The Bus

Museum Island

FRAM museum

Polar Explorer

Kontiki and Ra Museum

Tour Busses

Vigeland Park and the Monolitten and Blue skies

Vigeland Park

Sculptures Everywhere

All shapes and Sizes

Monolitten

Akershus Fortress and the Resistence Museum

Akershus Fortress

The Resistance Museum

City Hall

Citry Hall Square

.Trams

Street Benches

National Theatre

The Palace

Edvard Munch Museum – most famous painting “The Scream”

Munch Museum

The Scream

The Scream 1

The Scream 2

The Scream 3

View from the top

The Opera House

The Opera House

Posted in Norway | 3 Comments

Norway, Trondheim, 18 – 22 July 2023

Posted on Saturday, 22-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Tromso to Ulvsvag to Mosjoen to Trondheim – two overnight stops along the way to Trondheim.

Tromso to Ulvsvag – once again a great ride, overcast and cold with a few drizzles, mountains, fjords and a ferry crossing Tysfjorden, there is no other way to get to the other side. I arrived at the end of the road and there was a queue of cars waiting, a guy comes around with his phone and you tap and pay with your phone using NFC cost 5 euro. This is a fairly big ferry because trucks have to cross as well, in fact all traffic has to use the ferry. I was on the top deck and took off my helmet and gloves but after we started moving there was a freezing cold breeze and as my hands and face started going numb I quickly put my helmet and gloves back on hahaha, trip time 30 minutes.

Heading out of Tromso

Overcast 14c

Drizzle

Fjords

Mountains

Glacier

Rivers

A town below

Pretty

Big Bridge

Tunnels

Blue

Bridge

The Ferry arriving

The View

Unloading

Danmark Motorcycle Club

Going the other way

Look at the queue waiting

Jaws opening

Home sweet home

After a long cold day

Cabin by the fjord

Ulvsvag to Mosjoen – another cold drizzly ride with one section at 800m and 12c freezing as I did not have my heated gear on and only heated grips. Many tunnels and bridges and some narrow roads.

Heading out of Ulvsvag

Roundabout Art

Narrow tunnels

Drizzle

805 meters

High Plains

Freezing

Arctic Circle

Blue Skies

Mosjoen to Trondheim – similar to the previous rides, roads a little bumpy, warmed up towards the end.

Shoe Dryers at my Hotel

Tunnel Construction

Trondheim – population 213,000 fourth largest urban area in Norway and home to a number of Universities. Busses are the best way to get around, everything is clean and organised with many restaurants in the city area. It is 63° North of the equator similar to Fairbanks, Alaska but being on the coast the weather is milder.

Still alive

Restaurants

Colourful

Food

Art Deco

Town Square

The Man

Nidaros Cathedral

The Crypt

Scotland

Modern Church

Tyholttårnet

View from the Top

Cruise Ship

Pizza

Art

My Favourite Fountain

Art Gallery

Going for it

A sign of the times

Soon to be a Wall

Kristiansten Fortress

Baby Cannon

Napoleon

Shrapnel

Nazis

Cannnon

The View

Kristiansten Fortress

Food

Posted in Norway | 3 Comments

Norway, Tromso, 15 – 17 July 2023

Posted on Monday, 17-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Honningsvag to Sorstraumen to Tromso – Instead of heading back South on the same route through Sweden I decided to take the scenic route through Norway. The road follows the coast along the fjords and through the mountains. Slow going with lots of twists and turns, 60-80 kph speed limits enforced with many speed cameras mitigated by there being very little traffic and the spectacular scenery. I made an overnight stop at Sorstraumen on the way and stayed in a farmhouse on the banks of a fjord and learnt a little about the history of this area.

Honningsvag to Sorstraumen – another great ride, cold 18c and a drizzle at the end.

Heading out of Honningsvag

Overcast

Scooter from Germany

That tunnel again

Traffic

G’day

Moving on

Rivers

Bus Stop

Bridges

60 kph and a camera

Who is this

The view

Tunnels

Fish farms

Sorstraumen to Tromso – Beautiful all the way.

Heading out of Sorstraumen

Beautiful and so it goes on and on

Rock Catcher

Road Works

What is that?

Ferry across the fjord

Tunnel up ahead

Inside

The Tromso Bridge

Tromso – is 350 km North of the Arctic Circle, the municipality has a population of over 77,000 people. The climate is not as cold as it should be this far north due to the Westerly winds and the North Atlantic Drift. It has all the modern amenities, good public transport and is even more expensive than the rest of Norway. Cruise ships visit and there are direct flights from various parts of Europe. It is a good spot to see the Northern Lights at the right time of the year. I found Stolperstein here!

Fishing

Tiniest Bar

Theatre

Wooden Cathedral

Town Hall

Cable car

View from the Top

Tromso

Arctic Church

Tromso

Thai Red Curry

Refugees

Cable car

Spot the Dog

There it is

Reindeer

Stolperstein

The Man

Arctic Museum

The Beach

Whale Hunting

Arctic Church

Inside

Olhallen Pub

IPA 500ml = €22

Polar bear inside

Posted in Norway | 1 Comment

Norway, Honningsvag, 13 – 14 July 2023

Posted on Friday, 14-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Honningsvåg is the northernmost city in mainland Norway, population 2,500.
Coordinates: 70°58′43″N – 25°58′36″E, the sun does not set here in Summer and it is 33 km by road to the North Cape. The Hurtigruten Coastal Express and some Cruise ships stop here in summer. Fisheries and Tourism are the main sources of income.

Honningsvag to Nordkapp

View from my Room

Cruising

Honningsvag

Souvenirs

Corner Spiseri Restaurant

Reindeer Stew

Polar Bear surfacing

Cute

Letters

Posted in Norway | 1 Comment

Norway, North Cape, 11 – 13 July 2023

Posted on Thursday, 13-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Stockholm to Umea to Akasjokisuu, Finland, to North Cape, Norway. This is the Northernmost point in Europe 71° 10′ 21″ north of the equator. Based on my previous experience travelling North of the Artic Circle to Deadhorse, Alaska (a 1600 km return trip on a dirt road) I was expecting this to be a gruelling ride, freezing, wet and muddy roads. Instead it turned out to be a very nice ride, beautiful warm and sunny weather 24° C (a heat wave) with paved roads all the way. It so happens that this is a popular destination for the rest of Europe escaping the summer heat in the lower latitudes and also a pilgrimage for European motorcyclists.

Stockholm to Umea – This is a populated part of Sweden with a few towns along the way, mainly 4 lane roads with many speed cameras, they all have signs warning you that a speed camera is ahead, speed limit 100-110 kph. Most hotels do not have a reception, check-in is via a code sent to your phone, therefore you need a phone with an internet connection, the same goes for Petrol stations unattended and you pay with a card. You also need both a Visa and a Mastercard as some places only accept one or the other. I have been buying SIM cards from the following website for the last three years, never had any problems.

https://simcorner.com/

Heading out of Stockholm

Farms

Lakes

Elk

80,009 kms still going strong

Speed Camera

Rest Stop

City up ahead

Bridges

Colourful tree

Timber

Big Bridge

Rest Stop

Tractor

Interesting

Pretty

Umea

Pizza

3.5%

Umea to Akasjokisuu, Finland – The road passed through mainly forests and lakes, a few small towns, one drunk Elk wandering down the middle of the road, many camping grounds, crossed over into Finland and stayed at a cabin just off the highway. The key was in a lockbox and I was sent the code, middle of nowhere with no signs.

Breakfast

On the road

Akasjokisuu

Akasjokisuu, Finland to North Cape, Norway – Great ride, definitely in the wilderness now, single lane roads at times with frost heaves, many campervans and motorcycles, herds of reindeer, blue skies and beautiful views.

Reindeer

Mother and Baby

Camping

Hotel

Camping

Souvenirs

Loaded

Finland/Norway Border

New road

Camping

Albino reindeer

Fuel stop

Tunnel Works

Spot the Reindeer

Long tunnel

Loaded

Fat boy

Arrived

North Cape

Honningsvag

At the end of a long hard day

Posted in Finland, Norway, Sweden | 1 Comment

Sweden, Stockholm, 03 – 10 July 2023

Posted on Tuesday, 11-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Copenhagen to Linkoping to Stockholm – Freeway all the way, stopped at Linkoping for the night just to breakup the journey and also not arrive in Stockholm during the evening rush hour. The ride was wet and cold with intermittent showers. I had to go over the Øresund Bridge which connects the Mainland to Sweden, is the longest bridge in Europe and has a tunnel in the middle Toll €35.

Heading out

Øresund Bridge

Øresund Bridge Toll

The Sea

On the road

Highway Art

Green fields

A colourful tunnel

Stockholm – big city, population 2.4 million, clean, organised, good public transport, there is an interesting old town, many refugees, expect a drizzle everyday. You will need a credit or debit card because cash is not accepted in many places. Sale of drinks with more than 3.5% alcohol is restricted to special Government shops called Systembolaget. Trying to find soft drinks with real sugar is a challenge as well, everything is labelled “No Sugar” and I need the sugar and the energy it provides while riding.

The Liffey

The Metro

0.0%

3.5%

Not bad at all

It’s pure beer

Old Town

Tiny man

Nobel Prize Museum

Nobel Prize

Changing of the guard

Meatballs

Dehydration fluid

Big Church

Inside

Rocky

Royalty

Crypt

Musician

Old and New

Lost

Metro Art

Steep

Art Gallery

Sinners

La Parisienne – Manet

The Palace

Sightseeing

Wood instead of concrete

Snösätragränd Hall Of Fame an abandoned industrial area that has been covered in street art and graffiti quite amazing. Not the easiest place to get to but well worth the trouble.

The Maritime Museum, Police Museum, Army Museum and History Museum

Colourful

The Opera

Peace

Maritime Museum

Police Museum

History Museum

Living Wall

Army Museum

Nothing has changed

Drone

Posted in Sweden | 2 Comments

Denmark, Copenhagen, 26 June – 02 July 2023

Posted on Sunday, 2-July-2023 by Chris Desmond

Hastings to Nettetal to Hamburg to Copenhagen – I packed and got ready to leave and my bike would not start dead battery hahaha. I must have left the parking light on which is easily done if the ignition key is turned a notch too far, this happened to me once before in Italy. Anyway a push start from my friend got me going and when he let go of the bike he fell flat on his face, not nice. I stopped and turned off the bike and two young girls from next door came and helped him up and they gave me another push start, delayed by 10 minutes. I took the usual Channel Tunnel train from Folkestone to Calais to get across to France, this time I did not go through Antwerp but went past Brussels because I was heading for Germany. Stopped the night just off the freeway in Nettetal and then continued on to Hamburg for 2 nights because I decided to get a new battery just in case especially as I was headed North where it is cold and batteries do not like the cold.

Hastings to Nettetal

English Countryside

Boarding Pass

Waiting to board

Boarding

On the Train

Royal Enfield Himalayan

Off the Train at Calais

Belgium

Belgium Countryside

Wind Turbines are multiplying

Time to fill up

Nederland

Windmill in Germany

Country roads

Rehydrate

Moussaka

Nettetal to Hamburg – Roadworks and Diversions added about an hour to this ride.

Germam Inn

German Countryside

Roadworks

Police

5 bikes

Freeway Closed – Diversion

Taking a nap

Wind turbines

Country roads

Suzuki shop – New Battery

Food

Colourbond Haus

Hamburg

Hamburg to Copenhagen – One long bridge, crossing the Great Belt Strait €19.

Heading out of Hamburg

On the Freeway

Solar Panels

Enter Denmark

Not the Long Bridge

Denmark Countryside

Solar Panels

Fill up

The Long Bridge

Lone Yacht

The Long Bridge

Colourful

Copenhagen – population 2 million, very civilised and organised and English is the second language making it very easy for tourists. The currency here is the Danish krone not the Euro which is a nuisance. I bought a 3 day public transport pass which allowed me unlimited travel for kr.200 or 27 euro, a single ride costs kr. 24 or 3.22 euro. This is an expensive city but not much more than most Northern EU capital cities. You pay for everything with a card, some places do not accept cash and most Petrol stations are unattended.

Tuborg

The right size

Nice

Sankt Peter local restaurant

Smoked Salmon

Bikes are a nuisance

The local drop

Kultorvet

Round Tower

Trinitatis Kirke

Købmagergade

Fountain

Floating on air

Steeple

Axe man

Lumpy

Crusing

The Museum

Runestones

Ancient bowl

Bones

Romans

Archaeology

George and the Dragon

Wood

George and the Dragon

Piggy Bank

Danish Colonies

Big bed

Clock

Weapons

Armoured horse and rider

Danelaw

Gold

Walrus tusks = White Gold

The Palace

The King

The General

Danish Burger

Nordvest Street Art

Driverless train

Bikes compartment on the train

Maritime Monument

The Mermaid

Gefion Fountain

German Invasion

Resistance

Jews

Resistance

Interesting

Frederik’s Church

Food

Anarkist for a Craft beer

150 brews

and Pizza

IPA

Central Station

Interesting

Posted in Denmark | Leave a comment

United Kingdom, Hastings, 14 – 25 June 2023

Posted on Sunday, 25-June-2023 by Chris Desmond

Paramaribo to Trinidad to Hastings – This was a torturous journey, first a very early morning flight at 0500 which meant I had to leave home at 0100, no sleep flight took an 1:20 hrs. I was dreading Immigration wondering if they would charge me the US$67 as I would be spending one night in Trinidad but the Immigration officer was nice and after seeing my onward flight the next day let me through. Now I had to wait six hours at the airport because no early checkin before 1200. The next day back to the airport at 1100 and flight left at 1555. Arrived at Gatwick the following day at 0455, went through the Electronic immigration which took one minute and caught a non-stop train to Hastings and my friend picked me up and home at 0815, a marathon.

Paramaribo Airport

Walk to the Aircraft

737

Heading out

Port of Spain Airport

Breakfast

Choc Sundae

Port of Spain Airport

Waoting to Board

Port of Spain Airport

Halfway there

Needs a wash

Sunrise

Gatwick

Easyjet

Train Ticket

On the Train

The View

Did not do anything here just got my bike ready, MOT £30, Registration £110 and Insurance. Insurance was problem again because I do not have a UK licence and I am not a permanent resident and due to my insurance being interrupted for two years by Covid, finished up costing me £619 for a year of 3rd Party.

Posted in United Kingdom | 2 Comments

Suriname, Paramaribo, 06 – 13 June 2023.

Posted on Tuesday, 13-June-2023 by Chris Desmond

Georgetown to Paramaribo – It took an hour to get out of Georgetown and then another 45 minutes to the airport cost US$50 again. I had to show my Yellow Fever card, Covid vaccination certificate and my Surinam Visa print out, they insist you have a paper copy. This is the first and only country where I have had to show proof of my Covid vaccinations. Suriname insists that you have an up to date vaccination which means no more than 270 days old. The President of India was visiting and her aircraft was waiting, all lit up at the airport. Taxi from the airport to Paramaribo was US$40 and took 1:15 hours, we had to pull over and wait while the Presidential convoy went past us to the airport. I immediately noticed the better roads, there is actually a highway from the airport to the city.

On the way to the Airport

Bridge across the river

On the way to the Airport

Georgetown Airport

Inside

The view

Rivers

Flight originated in Miami

President of India visiting Suriname

This is one of the nicer countries in the Caribbean, the official language is Dutch, everyone speaks English as well. Broad streets with fewer pot holes, pavements for pedestrians and very little rubbish lying around, it is also cheaper than the islands. The population is equally divided between people of Indian, Indonesian and African descent, this means there is a variety of food available, climate hot (+30c) and humid (+80%) much the same as the Islands. And I actually managed to find a tour to a tourist plantation with a small museum. There are the usual minibusses for public transport which cost a dollar a ride or a taxi for $5, it is a walkable city if you can stand the heat and humidity. I bought a one month SIM card for US$10.

The Man

Helstone Monument and Centrumkerk

The Bridge

Indian Immigration Monument

War

High Court

Presidential Palace

Nice

Ginger drink

The yellow thing is Evil

The Local Drop 500ml

Korean War

Minibus

Indian Immigration Monument

Fort Zeelandia

Hospital beds

Pharmacy

The Fort

Doctor

History

Slavery

Fort Walls

Hsitory

9000 years ago

Queen Wilhemina

Inside the Fort

Cannon

Ancient

The Man

Suriname

The Crest

Government

Church

Jetty

Boats

The Local Drop 500ml

Chicken and Roti

The Altar

Inside all Wood

Thunderstorm

MArket

Roti

Deadly

Market

On the Street

Palmtree Garden

Freedom Fighter

Janey Tetary

Ancient

Mosque next door

Synagogue

Palmtree Garden

Bridge Mural

Ginger Drink

Nasi Goreng

Brewed in Suriname

I went on a tour to the Bakki Plantation, it has a small museum and is run by an enthusiastic Dutch couple. They do not grow anything at this place it is a tourist attraction and worth a visit. Cost 75 Euro.

Bakki Plantation Tour

Temple on the road

The Boat

The Captain

The Plantations

The River 1:15hrs 17.5 km

Welcome

Plantation ahead

Fellow passengers

Village

Another boat

Gates

Museum

Garden

Lunch

Village Mosque

Roadside Stop

The City

Garbage Day

Grand Roopram Roti Restaurant

Posted in Suriname | 2 Comments

Guyana, Georgetown, 29 May – 05 June 2023.

Posted on Monday, 5-June-2023 by Chris Desmond

Trinidad to Guyana on Caribbean Airlines on the Boeing 737-8 or the notorious MAX hahaha was uneventful. There were Passenger Boarding Bridges at both airports so no walking across the tarmac and scrambling up and down stairs in the rain, very civilised. The drive from the airport took 1:30 hrs and cost US$40 by airport taxi. The airport website actually states GY$ 5000 which is US$24 but apparently it is out of date. The taxi driver showed me a photo of one of his 4 children who has Down Syndrome, this is a common tactic used to get a bigger tip hahaha. I got conned into giving a guy in Port of Spain TT$100 to buy a meal for his 4 children, he was entertaining and actually gave me some useful information so I did not mind. 4 children must be a believable number.

Trinidad Airport

Food

The MAX

Heading out

Guyana Big Rivers

Guyana Airport

Guyana is listed as one of the MDC’s (More Developed Countries) as opposed to the LDC’s in CARICOM and it has oil but I did not see any sign of this wealth trickle down to the street. Narrow, pot holed one way streets in the town with cars parked on both sides and on the pavement so the only place to walk is on the street where my arm got wacked by the side mirror of a car driving past making one lane into two lanes. A continuous traffic jam, it took an hour to get out of the town on my way back to the airport in the afternoon and another 45 minutes from there, even the airport road is a disaster. They do have a Natural History museum and a nice walk along the Sea Wall as long as you don’t look down at the rubbish. I booked two tours up river and to the Islands both were cancelled due to insufficient numbers. I did discover a new street food here called Egg Balls which consist of a boiled egg wrapped in spicy mashed casava and deep fried, delicious. They still use horse drawn carts in the town just in case you get bored sitting in traffic. Best of all there is a local Uber called “Book a Ride” no cards only cash. Many Businesses advertise Visa or Mastercard but when you try to pay with a card they say Machine not working hahaha. I did not see any other tourists here though there were three people on the flight who looked like they might work in the oil industry. I bought a SIM card with a 7 day plan for TT$158.