It’s been three weeks since we left the US: almost halfway into our trip and possibly our last day in Sweden. Of course, we didn’t expect to be in Sweden for three weeks, but it’s been hard to leave.

For starters, it’s just a great country. It was a good starting spot in Europe for American cycling tourists, as it’s a foreign country, yes, with new things we have to learn to get around, but it’s really absorbed a lot of American culture. Having enough similarities has made for an easier transition, especially in the first week when we didn’t know if we were coming or going. The people are friendly, the campgrounds and facilities are plentiful (and almost too good: I think the fun of camping here has totally distracted us from our other goals!), and it’s beautiful.

It’s also a big country. Bigger than we realized. We’ve met a few other cycling tourists and they’ve all said the same thing. Each time we could have turned west to cross the country faster, we ended up going south. The last time we did this at the recommendation of some other bike tourists who were headed to the island of Oland. Of all things, the PM of Sweden happened to be taking the same ferry, which was so small, he stopped by our table to say hello!

After covering about 60 miles in two days and staying at one of the biggest resort-style campsites in Sweden, Boda Sands, today we’re taking a ferry to Kalmar, where we’ve heard from another set of touring cyclists that we can take our bikes on a train to Malmo, and possibly into Copenhagen.

I’m ready. The past few days I felt over Sweden and ready to see some new places. Being so way off in our original plans has me feeling a bit anxious, but not for any real reason. The pace we’ve gone makes sense: it took us about a week to adjust to touring, we’ve had to take the long way (roads going all over) because we’re on our bikes, and we’ve made plenty of stops along the way, usually for the kids to have some extra fun at these crazy campsites.

The past week, we’ve really settled into doing about 35 miles each day, so we’re definitely putting in the pedal time. We’ve only taken a few zero days, usually for rain, and we’ve camped every night but 5 in the past 19 days. (We’ve stayed one night in a BnB, two in a hotel, and two in camp cabins.)

In the past three weeks, we’ve had some lows. The worst for me was losing my beloved down sleeping bag to broken eggs in a pannier. I tried washing it out in a camp sink, but it took so long to dry and even then, still smelled of eggs. It was time to retire: it was getting holes in it and wasn’t as warm as when I bought it 15 years ago for my first backpacking trip. We hit a camping store and got a new sleeping bag. 

We’ve lost a shirt (Chris), a Kindle (S), and a bike computer (T.) We’ve accidentally ended up on a freeway-like road with no shoulder. Even though it lasted less than 1/2 mile, it was terrifying and a moment I felt like one of the worst parents in the world.

The highs and lows on a bike tour are extreme and short-lived. One night I’m shivering in a wet sleeping bag that smells like eggs; the next, I’m in one of the nicest hotel beds in town. One day we are lost and caught in a rainstorm after 35 miles of cycling; the next we are sitting at a table in the sun on a boat, chatting with the Prime Minister.

The weeks are going by surprisingly fast, considering how long ago the previous day feels when I wake in the morning. Denmark, Germany…what will you bring?