Day: 5 Varberg, Sweden to Steninge, Sweden
Average Speed: 18 km/h (11.2 mph)
Distance Cycled Today: 67.2 km (42 Miles)
Miles Cycled Total: 535 km (332 Miles)
Mood:Perfect!
Can't imagine a cycling day could get much better than this- Louise was my tour guide for the entire day, and she patiently waited for me to catch up whenever we hit the occasional small climb. I guess it's hard to blame the pokiness on the weight of my side bags since her partner, Dan, took my luggage for the day and drove to meet us at our destination. But... I will say that it's a steel frame bike. And that's heavy. So there.
I'm grasping at straws here.
I'm just slow.
Anyway it was a great day. Perfect, I'd say.
RECIPE FOR A PERFECT CYCLING DAY:
1 personal Swedish tour guide
17 years of catching up to do
4 hours of engaging conversation
45 miles of gentle terrain
70 degree weather
18 different stops for food throughout the day
0 injuries
Mix together gently, being careful not to add to much of one ingredient in at any time. Unless it involves stopping for food. Do that whenever.
I actually consider today more of a rest day than anything. It is quite possibly the easiest and most pleasant 42 miles I've ever cycled. There were just enough turns and minor changes in elevation to keep it interesting, and the scenery was beautiful. But most importantly, it was great to talk with Louise again. It's been 17 years, and it truly feels like only a week has gone by since when I last saw her.
We picked up right where we left off.
She's the type who used to challenge my brain and wit equally, and that has not changed at all.
We did scratch our heads for a bit at the bizarre group that we travelled with, Up with People.
What's bizarre about that group is not that it was a multicultural cast of 130 performing a show all over the world, nor is it that we stayed in host family houses from city to city.
What's bizarre is that out of the 130 of us, only a few were over the age of 26.
Our cast manager (boss of the group) was a 26 year old Australian.
At 20 years old, I was on staff as the keyboard player/band leader.
Louise, at 19, was a student. So in other words, she had to trust people like me- the ever-so-mature
twenty year old with a fake I.D.
If a group of 130 people came rolling into your town, all under the age of 26... what would you do?
Run.
But somehow, it worked. I mean, maybe it didn't work perfectly because the company went bankrupt the following year... but that wasn't our fault.
The kids in the traveling casts were doing great work.
The headquarters where they make all the financial decisions... that was run by adults.
We were entrusted with three coach buses, a semi-truck, and a complete stage/lighting setup that was far from cheap. We had to perform a big production every other day, put together the stage, break down the stage, pack up the stage, do community service, meet host families, and lots more.
But it worked.
Because we did not have access to cell phones and internet at the time, the cast became our immediate family, and this may have been a crucial component of our success as a group. Most of us only got the chance to call home once a week at best, and without the luxury of social media and text messaging, there was no real way to keep tabs on family and friends at home. We just gave all that up for a year (in my case, two years).
It's pretty much impossible to imagine living without all the tools we have at our disposal now, but 17 years ago, we managed just fine. We had to rely on each other instead.
[Insert segue here!]
Anyway, here's the route Louise and I took today:
We started today by heading out of Varberg, and if Louise was annoyed by the number of times I stopped to take a picture, she certainly didn't show it.
I wasn't able to visit the town center last night, but she gave me the quick tour this morning. It's beautiful.
RECIPE FOR A PERFECT TOWN:
25 Old Ships in a Harbor
700 Year Old Fortress
1 Swanky Nude Sauna
C'mon Westtown, New York! We have some catching up to do! A pizza place? That's all we got?
Bike path signs led us straight to the town of Falkenberg, another quaint quintessential European city with a large cobblestone pedestrian square.
By the way... those bike path signs? I should've been following them the entire time instead of Google Craps... I mean Maps.
We found some remarkable cuisine in Falkenberg:
Swedish Fish (a.k.a. Sushi).
After that, a ride along the beach, and a short trip to Louise's friend, Lisa, who has a house in the tiny town of Steninge.
Louise's family was there to greet us too- my luggage arrived safely.
Dan is more reliable than Delta.
And Lisa is one helluva cook.
So we ate more.
And then had dinner after that.
And drinks in between.
Tomorrow, it's back to riding solo- 120 km with a steep climb in the middle.
Luggage goes back on the bike too.
You know when you're on a regular diet- but you're allowed one day a week to eat whatever the hell you want?
This was today for me.
My cheat day.
I loved every second of it.
Thanks, Louise.
P.S.
I'm grasping at straws here.
I'm just slow.
Anyway it was a great day. Perfect, I'd say.
RECIPE FOR A PERFECT CYCLING DAY:
1 personal Swedish tour guide
17 years of catching up to do
4 hours of engaging conversation
45 miles of gentle terrain
70 degree weather
18 different stops for food throughout the day
0 injuries
Mix together gently, being careful not to add to much of one ingredient in at any time. Unless it involves stopping for food. Do that whenever.
I actually consider today more of a rest day than anything. It is quite possibly the easiest and most pleasant 42 miles I've ever cycled. There were just enough turns and minor changes in elevation to keep it interesting, and the scenery was beautiful. But most importantly, it was great to talk with Louise again. It's been 17 years, and it truly feels like only a week has gone by since when I last saw her.
We picked up right where we left off.
She's the type who used to challenge my brain and wit equally, and that has not changed at all.
 |
| Our Cast. |
What's bizarre about that group is not that it was a multicultural cast of 130 performing a show all over the world, nor is it that we stayed in host family houses from city to city.
What's bizarre is that out of the 130 of us, only a few were over the age of 26.
Our cast manager (boss of the group) was a 26 year old Australian.
 |
| I was leader of this band... Ya' know... the responsible 20 year old holding the saxophone in the upper left and setting a great example for our youth. |
At 20 years old, I was on staff as the keyboard player/band leader.
Louise, at 19, was a student. So in other words, she had to trust people like me- the ever-so-mature
twenty year old with a fake I.D.
If a group of 130 people came rolling into your town, all under the age of 26... what would you do?
Run.
But somehow, it worked. I mean, maybe it didn't work perfectly because the company went bankrupt the following year... but that wasn't our fault.
The kids in the traveling casts were doing great work.
The headquarters where they make all the financial decisions... that was run by adults.
We were entrusted with three coach buses, a semi-truck, and a complete stage/lighting setup that was far from cheap. We had to perform a big production every other day, put together the stage, break down the stage, pack up the stage, do community service, meet host families, and lots more.
But it worked.
Because we did not have access to cell phones and internet at the time, the cast became our immediate family, and this may have been a crucial component of our success as a group. Most of us only got the chance to call home once a week at best, and without the luxury of social media and text messaging, there was no real way to keep tabs on family and friends at home. We just gave all that up for a year (in my case, two years).
It's pretty much impossible to imagine living without all the tools we have at our disposal now, but 17 years ago, we managed just fine. We had to rely on each other instead.
[Insert segue here!]
Anyway, here's the route Louise and I took today:
 |
| Today's Route |
 |
| Elevation Profile |
We started today by heading out of Varberg, and if Louise was annoyed by the number of times I stopped to take a picture, she certainly didn't show it.
I wasn't able to visit the town center last night, but she gave me the quick tour this morning. It's beautiful.
RECIPE FOR A PERFECT TOWN:
25 Old Ships in a Harbor
700 Year Old Fortress
1 Swanky Nude Sauna
C'mon Westtown, New York! We have some catching up to do! A pizza place? That's all we got?
 |
| Somehow I Missed These |
Bike path signs led us straight to the town of Falkenberg, another quaint quintessential European city with a large cobblestone pedestrian square.
 |
| This looked like a photo I should take so I did. |
By the way... those bike path signs? I should've been following them the entire time instead of Google Craps... I mean Maps.
 |
| That yellow truck ruined this picture |
We found some remarkable cuisine in Falkenberg:
Swedish Fish (a.k.a. Sushi).
 |
| Falkenberg Bridge |
After that, a ride along the beach, and a short trip to Louise's friend, Lisa, who has a house in the tiny town of Steninge.
Louise's family was there to greet us too- my luggage arrived safely.
Dan is more reliable than Delta.
 |
| Lisa's Fantastic Sandwich Creations |
And Lisa is one helluva cook.
So we ate more.
And then had dinner after that.
And drinks in between.
 |
| Lisa, Me, Louise, and Hugot |
Tomorrow, it's back to riding solo- 120 km with a steep climb in the middle.
Luggage goes back on the bike too.
You know when you're on a regular diet- but you're allowed one day a week to eat whatever the hell you want?
This was today for me.
My cheat day.
I loved every second of it.
Thanks, Louise.
P.S.
The beach in Falkenberg was perfectly sunny...
...but if you look real close, you can see the moon too.
Up, up with people!!
ReplyDeleteLoved "Up With People" when it visited our high school (in, um, 1983). That must've been so cool. And OMG, your moon comment is hysterical. Ride safely!
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping up with me!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINLAN
ReplyDelete