All packed we set off early for the airport knowing from past experience it can take a while to get the bike checked in. Arrived at the Emirates counter with our fully laden bags to find that no matter how sweetly we smiled we either needed to offload 10kg of excess baggage or be slugged a whopping $108AUD per excess kg (yes that’s over a thousand dollars!). So in the middle of an absolutely packed airport we opened our cases, put on several more layers of clothing and binned the heaviest things that could be replaced for under $1000. Fronting back up to the counter we were still .5kg over- we held our breath and looked pathetic and thankfully they let us through. After an extensive pat down in a side room because for an indeterminable reason after removing watch, jewellery shoes and anything else that can be removed in public, I still set the security clickers beeping, we finally got to our gate just as the plane was boarding. So much for extra time…..
So, despite the somewhat stressful exit our flight gave us plenty of time to reflect on the last few weeks.
David and I both agree this was a trip of a lifetime. We met and travelled with lovely people. While we were on a self directed tour and rode individually, we had a number of tour buddies doing the same route- it was lovely to get to know them and have people to swap stories with each evening.
Most awesome experiences:
– seeing the midnight sun
-cycling above the snow line
– the tunnels (riding through rather than over the mountains)
-nature at its most majestic- incredible scenery (especially the ferry through the fjords)
-the enthusiasm, friendliness and kindness of the Norwegian people
Our biggest challenges:
-the tunnels (awesome but terrifying)
– the rain (again), although we were better prepared on this trip so it wasn’t such an issue
-airline handling of our bike (every time we fly they damage something)
What would we do differently:
– take less luggage (yes, even though we travelled lean we still didn’t wear everything)
– we think we are ready for a longer ride (felt like our tour ended just when we had hit our boot straps)
– vigorously explore renting a tandem
What have we learnt
– the greatest challenges can lead to the most interesting and amazing experiences.
-we are better at problem solving than we thought
– we need to do this as often as possible for as long as we can pedal.
Love your summary Naomi. Pedal on! They say! Looking forward to seeing you soon and thanks again for a most entertaining tour of Norway xx
So glad to hear you had a wonderful trip! I am sure you will be back in the saddle again before too long. Welcome back to Aussie land and we will see you soon!
Thank you for a wonderful trip. I love taking the journey with you. Hope you do it again soon.
Hey David and Naomi, finally taken the chance to catch up on your blog.
What a fantastic journey it looks like you’ve had! As great as the photo’s are I can’t imagine how wonderful the scenery and environment must have been. It sounds like you’ve had a trip at least as enjoyable as it was challenging.
Congratulations on completing and enjoying such a remarkable journey!
On a more bike specific note; I wonder if an internally geared hub would make the packing/unpacking easier and reduce potential transit damage…though it would reduce your gear range a bit, but might be worth doing some research on!