Sometimes the bet isn't worth the hand

I’m living my best life - as they say on the internet. Currerntly seated facing the bar at Tim Wendelboe in Oslo taking a brief break from the heat outside. This cafe is famous among coffee addicts/nerds/afficionatos. I could wax poetic about it for many paragraphs, but you’d likely rather hear about my journey from Helsinkin to here! I cannot thank my Helsinki host, Eerikki, enough! He really saved me from an expensive hostel stay and was kind enough to let me tag along with him and his university friends while I was there! I made the journey from Helsinki to Turku in one day - that way I would be able to take the ferry to Stockholm on Tuesday morning. I stayed near a designated camping spot about 10km from the ferry terminal overnight, then cycled the last little way to the ferry in time for the 8:45 departure time. It wasn’t my first long ferry ride, but that didn’t make this experience any more enjoyable. I was able to access wifi for free on the ferry - that saved my sanity! It allowed me to download a couple podcasts to break up the long voyage a little. I didn’t get into Stockholm until around 8pm - which is still a little disorienting because the sun is still very high in the sky. Sunset is somewhere around 10pm right now in this part of Scandinavia. I spent much of the first day in Stockholm on my bicycle! The network of bicycle paths throughout the city were really well maintained - and largely separated! I visited a place called Drop Coffee in Stockholm, it’s also a relatively notable roaster with an international reputation. I ordered just a regular coffee - one brewed on a machine 2-3 liters at a time - and it cost me the Canadian equivalent of $8:50. For one coffee. Perhaps Scandinavia is exactly as expensive as they say it is! On my second day in Stockholm I joined a free walking tour during the morning before exploring a bit of the old town on my own in the afternoon. I didn’t spend too much time out in the afternoon, as I had to make sure all my affairs were in order for the journey to Oslo. I left Stockholm around 8 in the morning on Friday this past week - it was much warmer than I expected it to be - we’ve been having weather into the high 20, maybe even dipping into the 30s! It’s a little too hot for cycling, but fortunately I was able to soak my cycling hat to try to help my body stay cool. Knowing the distance to Oslo was definitely over 500km I made the decision to push hard on the first day to ensure I would be able to make the trip in four cycling days. I pumped out my second brevet of the trip - finishing the day at 209km! I was pleasantly surprised to find some wild raspberries all around my camping spot on the first night - it was a perfect way to wind down after a long day in the saddle! That left ~350km for the last three days off the trip! That distance is slightly more manageable - it’s a distance I’ve done before a couple of times! I had a really beautiful journey through lakes and slightly hilly forests on my way to the border with Norway. I was really fortunate to find some beautiful lake-front camping spots on my second two nights of the trip! All said and done I was able to cycle 562 kilometers in four days to make it all the way to Oslo! My first stop was actually to where I am now! I came straight to Tim Wendelboe for a coffee (or two). I had a little bit of time to kill before my Oslo hosts were done work in the afternoon. My two lovely Oslo hosts are Sam and Dale! I worked with Sam at Fools and Horses in Winnipeg, and Dale is her boyfriend. The two of them moved out here in August while Dale works on his masters degree in landscape architecture. They’re kind enough to let me sleep on their couch for a couple days before I begin cycling south to Copenhagen. I know I’ve said this a couple times already, but it is really cool to meet up with familiar faces in unfamiliar places! I spent my first day walking around Oslo’s downtown. I had a small handful of coffee shops on my list that I really wanted to visit. When at Talor & Jorgen I had one of the baristas there direct me to Fuglen’s new roastery space a few kilometers away. I visited there before walking the length of the harbourfront, dwarfed by the mass of construction going on along the edge of the sea. After my sightseeing I joined Sam and Dale in their search for a new apartment - not that there’s anything wrong with the one they’re in now (it has a lovely balcony), they are just really kind and are passing on the apartment to friends making the same move from Canada, and this will save the friends a lot of hassle and stress. This morning I left my luggage behind at the apartment at took a packed lunch on a bicycle adventure up in the hills above Oslo. I made my way up through some neighbourhoods with gorgeous views to end up at a little ski area 500 meters above sea level. I managed to replenish my stash of raspberries at the top before making my way down to the ski jump facilities to eat lunch. I resumed my coffee tour after returning down to the city in the afternoon - I stopped in at Supreme Roasters for some espresso soft-serve ice cream to enjoy while catching up on journal writing I had been distracted from. While sitting in Tim Wendelboe I caught a glimpse of the man, the myth, the legend! He was tinkering a little with a grinder in the little former roastery space before returning it to its place behind the bar. I was nervous as hell, but I mustered the courage to approach him to say that I really respect and appreciate his approach to transparency in sourcing. His company puts out a yearly list of all the coffees they purchase, and how much they purchase them for. With coffee it can be pretty easy just to assume that the farmers receive a price that corresponds with the value of that crop. Never truly a guarantee I’m leaving tomorrow for Copenhagen/Malmo. Hoping the weather stays nice, as I haven’t booked a hostel and will be banking on some campgrounds to have some space for me! I’ve worked it out. I should have roughly 2555km to get from Oslo to Glasgow in 34 days before my parents arrive. That’s a little more than I have ever done in one month but I’m looking forward to the challenge!