Since Gaija...

We left the Ecovillage just before lunch on Friday, just before lunch and bikes back to the train station in Ähtari. There we caught a train towards Vaasa... But we didn't make it! There was nowhere to buy tickets at the station, only on the train. However, the conductor's ticket machine only took chip-and-pin debit cards, not swipe cards. Damn you, America, for being the only country in the world that still uses swipe cards! Unfortunately we didn't have enough cash for the fare, so the conductor sold us tickets to the next big city, Seinajöki.

So we got cash and then had lunch at an all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant. Perfect for hungry cyclists! Later that afternoon we got on the next train and got to Vaasa without issue. Once there, we scoped out the ferry port and then found a spot to camp nearby. The evening was spent reading, playing cards and not exploring the city. We regretted this after the fact, because it looked nice when we biked through it, but the energy was lacking. The following morning, we boarded the ferry and spent the four hour journey basking in the sun and hiding from the wind on the stern deck of the ship. Even though the trip takes four hours, because of the number of islands, land is always in sight.

In Umea, Sweden, we spent the afternoon partly at a bike shop, more on that later, and partly at the tourist office. There we found out that essentially no trains in Sweden take bikes. Very few bus companies do either. So that complicates things. After an early dinner cooked in a city park, we started biking south. We had bought a cycle map from the tourist office, and it turned out to be a signposted cycle route! Navigational bliss!

Dinner in the park.

The road south from Umiä.

Around eight pm we hit the coast after a long inland stretch, and, finding a deserted beach, decided to camp there. It was beautiful, and beach camping is always a bit special.

Late evening light lasts a lot longer this far north...

The next morning we continued biking the cycle route, which was slightly less signposted for this section, but with the maps, we were able to keep up with it.

We had our afternoon snack here, which would have been a very nice spot, except for this...

The view looking east. Those are the same pilings as in he previous photo. A local we chatted with told us it is a paper factory. All of the big towns along the coast seem to have considerable heavy industry like this. 

 By the time we found a suitable campsite it was about 6:00, and we were very tired after our hilliest day of cycling so far, and also our longest; 120-something kilometers.

Second breakfast in a church yard. All the churches have similar walls. We follow the Hobbit eating schedule of breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner and supper...

Here is an old forge, dating from the 18th century. Beautiful old buildings.

This morning, we biked into the town of Ornskolsvik. We found internet at the tourist office, but we had to wait for it to open at 10. There we got a rude shock; our host at the next place, where we were supposed to arrive tomorrow, sent us an irritated message that she thought we were staying longer, and that 3 weeks was already an exception to her normal rule of a month, and that consequently we shouldn't bother showing up, etc, etc.

Eventually we decided to call her, and decided that Adie will spend the whole month there, because it is his kind of thing (eco building) and that after 2 weeks, Lucy will head onto the next workaway, a permaculture farm about a day's ride west. Then we will meet up at the end of the month.

There is no wifi at the eco building place, so posts may be spotty over the next month.