50.14km in 2hr35min
Avg 19.3kmph
Max 144.7 kmph (we think the computer may have malfunctioned....)
We awake from restless slumber determined to get an early start after our magical evening, having discovered that we have set up tent under the security light in the little harbour which has probably been the cause of our disturbed sleep! Not to worry tho - Ali and Hazel decide to clear the cobwebs away with a quick dip in the inlet before we enjoyed our last breakfast of museli with bran flakes (doesn't make for good porridge, in case anyone was going to try it!). Ali is immensely disappointed when the water is still fresh, despite the advice from a local fisherman that is was salty - where do these Swedes hide all this salty sea water?!?!
Back on the winding road from Ratan we head for Umeå...only to discover that the lack of coffee as our routine breakfast item is affecting both moods and cycling legs... oh dear.... we push on for 30km of Sparet before reaching Savar, where we have half an hour of supermarket time before the coffee shop opens!! Joy of joys - my happiness on this cycle tour is clearly divided between time in the saddle and time in the supermarket aisles, where I am able to peruse the vast selection of items on offer at COOP, ICA and various other little stores along the way...there is, of course, no end to the teasing from the girls, but I can't help it...I guess its just another one of those "Paula Colby" traits I possess...along with the laugh, the voice, the endless coffee breaks, catering skills...thanks Mum - all coming in handy on this trip!!!
On to Umeå, a lovely university town, where we don't intend to stop....however the sunshine gets the better of us, and having lost cyclesparet on our journey through the city, we stop for lunch on the river bank, where Hazel (surprisingly) suggests that we should stop for the night - its only 12pm, we can rest our tired legs after our 140km day, do some washing at the hostel...and its Friday night - surely there'll be something happening in this young people's town!!! After some convincing, Ali is swayed by the opportunity for some "me time" and we head up to the hostel...only to find that reception is only open for checkin between 5-7pm!! Undaunted we head for the local tourist info point.... I have to go back on my previous statement and say that obtaining maps and information would also vie for top stop in my favourite activities, although Ali also shares this love - we have just worked out how to attach our A4 size map book in a readable fashion to the back of Hazel's bike and map reading on the road has become much less painful!
Back to Umeå, and as usual we find two lovely helpful young women in the tourist information centre, organise beds for us at the hostel and let us know where to hit the town later on for a bit of night life!! First things first, we head to H&M for a bit of retail therapy to ease the aching muscles (and to buy some footwear suitable to wear somewhere other than the supermarket) and so begins, Hazel's and my afternoon of crazy shopping. Ali heads off to laze in the sun and work on her art blog, our blog, and generally relax, whilst Hazel and I go a little crazy in the funky little shops in Umeå...new dresses, jewellery and headbands, not to mention our shoes...we return fully stocked to Tourist Info for our rendezvous with Ali at 4:30pm, where I'm allowed to go to Gourmet ICA UNSUPERVISED to to the shopping whilst the girls get in a bit of blog time on the free tourist computers.
Beers in hand we head to the hostel, ready for a night out on the town...well, Hazel is anyway! Finally all frocked up at about 9:30pm we head out, worrying that we've missed all the fun again... where are all the nightspots the little tourist lady spoke about?!? After a few minutes of wandering the city, we stumble upon TC, a bar in the Town Hall of all places!! But there are young people, and pulling up a table outdoors, Hazel buys a round of Mojitos (sadly having a few communication problems with the barman) and we settle in for some people watching... and were there people to watch!! We had managed to seat ourselves next to the local youth mafia group, who slowly took over three tables ousting other patrons from their table as more and more members arrived.... after the most expensive pint ever, and Hazel's Swedish toilet experience (the Swedes like to put two toilets in one cubicle - space saving?- and apparently its fine to use the bathroom with a stranger), we are all feeling the effects of alcohol combined with general exhaustion and return to the hostel to be all tucked up by midnight!!
Avg 19.3kmph
Max 144.7 kmph (we think the computer may have malfunctioned....)
We awake from restless slumber determined to get an early start after our magical evening, having discovered that we have set up tent under the security light in the little harbour which has probably been the cause of our disturbed sleep! Not to worry tho - Ali and Hazel decide to clear the cobwebs away with a quick dip in the inlet before we enjoyed our last breakfast of museli with bran flakes (doesn't make for good porridge, in case anyone was going to try it!). Ali is immensely disappointed when the water is still fresh, despite the advice from a local fisherman that is was salty - where do these Swedes hide all this salty sea water?!?!
Back on the winding road from Ratan we head for Umeå...only to discover that the lack of coffee as our routine breakfast item is affecting both moods and cycling legs... oh dear.... we push on for 30km of Sparet before reaching Savar, where we have half an hour of supermarket time before the coffee shop opens!! Joy of joys - my happiness on this cycle tour is clearly divided between time in the saddle and time in the supermarket aisles, where I am able to peruse the vast selection of items on offer at COOP, ICA and various other little stores along the way...there is, of course, no end to the teasing from the girls, but I can't help it...I guess its just another one of those "Paula Colby" traits I possess...along with the laugh, the voice, the endless coffee breaks, catering skills...thanks Mum - all coming in handy on this trip!!!
On to Umeå, a lovely university town, where we don't intend to stop....however the sunshine gets the better of us, and having lost cyclesparet on our journey through the city, we stop for lunch on the river bank, where Hazel (surprisingly) suggests that we should stop for the night - its only 12pm, we can rest our tired legs after our 140km day, do some washing at the hostel...and its Friday night - surely there'll be something happening in this young people's town!!! After some convincing, Ali is swayed by the opportunity for some "me time" and we head up to the hostel...only to find that reception is only open for checkin between 5-7pm!! Undaunted we head for the local tourist info point.... I have to go back on my previous statement and say that obtaining maps and information would also vie for top stop in my favourite activities, although Ali also shares this love - we have just worked out how to attach our A4 size map book in a readable fashion to the back of Hazel's bike and map reading on the road has become much less painful!
Back to Umeå, and as usual we find two lovely helpful young women in the tourist information centre, organise beds for us at the hostel and let us know where to hit the town later on for a bit of night life!! First things first, we head to H&M for a bit of retail therapy to ease the aching muscles (and to buy some footwear suitable to wear somewhere other than the supermarket) and so begins, Hazel's and my afternoon of crazy shopping. Ali heads off to laze in the sun and work on her art blog, our blog, and generally relax, whilst Hazel and I go a little crazy in the funky little shops in Umeå...new dresses, jewellery and headbands, not to mention our shoes...we return fully stocked to Tourist Info for our rendezvous with Ali at 4:30pm, where I'm allowed to go to Gourmet ICA UNSUPERVISED to to the shopping whilst the girls get in a bit of blog time on the free tourist computers.
Beers in hand we head to the hostel, ready for a night out on the town...well, Hazel is anyway! Finally all frocked up at about 9:30pm we head out, worrying that we've missed all the fun again... where are all the nightspots the little tourist lady spoke about?!? After a few minutes of wandering the city, we stumble upon TC, a bar in the Town Hall of all places!! But there are young people, and pulling up a table outdoors, Hazel buys a round of Mojitos (sadly having a few communication problems with the barman) and we settle in for some people watching... and were there people to watch!! We had managed to seat ourselves next to the local youth mafia group, who slowly took over three tables ousting other patrons from their table as more and more members arrived.... after the most expensive pint ever, and Hazel's Swedish toilet experience (the Swedes like to put two toilets in one cubicle - space saving?- and apparently its fine to use the bathroom with a stranger), we are all feeling the effects of alcohol combined with general exhaustion and return to the hostel to be all tucked up by midnight!!
No comments:
Post a Comment