- S woke up morning #3 after sleeping like a rock the whole night with a big smile on her face. She said, “I think I’m over my jetlag.”
- I’m starting to figure out the navigation part, and I use 3 different apps to figure out where we want to go. I use one app (Archies) to figure out where the nearest campsites are. Then I use another (MapOut) to make a route to one of those campsites that roughly follows the national Swedish cycling route called Sverigeleden. Then I use another app to transfer this route to my handlebar mounted gps device that then will show me that route as we go along without me having to pull out my phone all the time. We still get lost along the way because I am by nature directionally challenged, and then I have to use ANOTHER app (google maps) to get us back onto the route that I origainally made. So basically I’ve been using my phone a lot these first few days but I think I’m getting the hang of it and getting faster/better. It’s very different from the first tour I took which was all paper maps.
- The people in Sweden have been very nice and they all speak English.
- I’m getting tan lines, my butt is sore, I’m often hungry, and I can setup camp in under an hour. It’s starting to feel like a bike tour.
- Going through Stockholm was quite an experience. There were nice bike lanes on all the roads, but it still felt like trying to drive a loaded semi truck trailer through downtown San Francisco at rush hour. Exciting but exhausting which is why we called it short today.
- The Swedish seem to like things nicer, but smaller and tidier. The bathrooms have all been exquisitely clean, with a full door for the toilet. The sinks, toilest, mirrors, showers though are all smaller. It takes a little getting used to, but it is nice.
- People who see us tend to fall into one of three categories:
- Make a confused face, slow down a bit, look around in bewilderment, look back at all the bikes, then move on.
- Look at the bikes with confusion, but then smile as they get it and come up and talk to us about it. These are people who wouldn’t do a tour like this but they are interested and want to know what we are doing. They get it.
- Make a joyous look and head right to the bikes to find us and start talking. This is because they have done a bike tour like this (maybe not as long!) and they want to know all about it. We’ve met about 2-3 of these folks a day!
- Everyone seems to think Frankfurt is a long way away. Maybe it is. We’ll see!
Summer on Bikes 
I think I love Sweden.
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