Part 10- Degernes To Oslo! Final Part of my First Bycle Journey..

For people just joining..

My 2 dogs and I went on an adventure because we hadn't for a while and the feet were itching! I decided to go see a friend who I met traveling and they live in Oslo. I left North Germany (Flensburg) with a bicycle and camping gear and a guitar to pay my way. I wrote a diary, and include diary entry's Exactly How It Was Written so don't get mad at punctuation etc - Original Content! I had no GPS, just a map and compass. I never travel like you would think. Most are taking trains or planes, or buses, and stay in hostels and buy food, and most are on a "limited period of time from work"- to squeeze in many places they want to see before returning to the shackles. I have been traveling for 8 years, the first 2 were in a van and the last 4 years I have slowed down pace even more than I already was. I travel slowly compared to others because I was always limited (financially)to the cash in my pocket and anyway was used to having no spare cash, even when I too lived in a box- which was definitely much worse by far!

PART 10 Degernes Norway

I rode up the main road from Halden, occasionally taking country roads but learning that the main road was much flatter and easier to go along. Halden was dead, had hoped to play some music there but didn't get to. The church was quiet breathtaking and it was the first Norwegian church I had ever seen apart from in a book on old wooden Scandinavian churches I once read in Germany. I was travelling with no camera and drew a pic of it whilst sat on the bench next o my tent. I had never really drew anything before because its not really my thing, but decided to for this trip.
Churches are great place to get water from and this place was also quiet enough to put my tent up behind the church building. it was in the shade which was lovely and the village was so quiet I knew it would be ok to stay one night. I went to take the dogs for a walk and to explore a bit.. I thought a builders shop was a place serving coffee and went in to order, to find out that yes, it was indeed a builders merchant and not a cafe, although it looked like a cafe place! Anyway they did have coffee out the back and gave me a cup. Wasn't much happening there. I remember the local kids came and said hi, we had a very funny language barrier but still they stay for some time with their bikes and would often ride by. I sat at a bench for a good few hours that was at a school I think it was, from where I got a view of the supermarket trash to wait for closing time and to watch them bring out sacks of foods from the store. Cant get much fresher!
We were so tired I stayed on the bench just to relax although it wasn't far from the church were I had left the bike and rig, my legs were like jelly. The sun was setting slowly and the kids said they must go and eat food, which was relieving to hear.

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13th May2016 Diary Entry

Woke up on the rocks, had a good nights sleep.I headed of around 6.30am. Its been grey, cold and windy all day, horrible weather.North winds blowing hard all day in my face lol. Bloody wind! We are now 8km from Rakkestad, completely dead. So many hills in Norway! And earlier dint help either.Had hoped that in Halden there would be action but there was nothing, no one around. Left there, atleast with food and stopped off on the way to cook potatoes, broccoli and a tray of vegetables for grilling which was great.People so far in Norway are fucking idiots at driving. 3 times today, cars tried to overtake me whilst we go around long corners (blind corners). After the second time I decided to stay in the middle of my side of the road on the corners so they wouldnt try to over take. The third one persisted anyway and very nearly smashed his car up because there was a lorry coming around the bend. hehe idiot. So now I'm at "Degernes", just blagged a free coffee, went some more, then I saw this church and thought about camping there plus there is a supermarket not far away. Home sweet home!

Im now sat on a bench chillin. One bin is FULL with burgers and salmon (havent even looked in the big one yet!) Must make a fire and have a good cook up later!!! Tomorrow - Library. *need money for the ferry. I wish I had a magnet on a stick, I have gone passed 100's of cans on the side of the roads and they all can be returned for money at a supermarket. The bike and rig is way to heavy to keep stopping and starting to get cans. Shame I havent taught the dogs to collect them!

Cool, I just decided that I will put the tent up just behind the church so im hidden from the road. Tomorrow I will have a long lay in bed until at least 10am as I wont get fried by the rising sun. There's a Library here also so ill go there in the morning after i have some breakfast here. Then at midday head off to Askim. Need to check weather. If I do 50km tomorrow the next day the same, then Ill be in Oslo!I decided Ill just stick to main roads as in general they are flatter and less hilly. Someone just asked me about what dog food the dogs want, but I told them they have salmon in the trailer, and im the hungry one! And I carry their food everywhere when its never really ever needed as we go dumpsterdiving.

I just went to go check the bins again and from a distance I saw an old guy who decided to pick all the tiny pieces of wood shavings up from where i was sat on the bench earlier. (I didnt clean up every last piece as its is only wood after all!) So ill leave it another hour before I go check the rest of the trash out. God it was just full of salmon. I wonder how many tons of food especially animals are grown, then killed, then thrown away because theres been new ones delivered. FUCK THE SYSTEM - ANARCHY ANYDAY! They are the real criminals!

Im eating cottage cheese! Yum! But wait, here its like a yogurt with a corner of strawberry jam. Bit weird, yogurt is better anyday. Oh yeh. the first thing I found in the trash in Norway was waffles at a gas station with Norwiegen Cheese inside. So Ironic that was the first thing to find here. So now im behind the church, the tent is up and im tired. Hope to rest until tomorrow late morning. Yeh well weird the cottage cheese with strawberrys! Just got lunch from the same containers for tomorrow - Chicken breasts, burgers and 3 whole chickens for the dogs!

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Ive lost the rest of the diary!!

I remember though that we headed after to Askim, and ended up following a cycle path on the side of the highway passing by an african guy living in his car. Then there was a gas station, the evening was drawing in, and so I decided we would crash at the gas station overnight. It was busy, it was weekend. I parked the bike along the wall and sat to relax and people started handing me money. It must have been the weekend, people were seeing the bike and the "Happy traveler, but hungry and broke" sign and were happy to give some money over. This was when I saw how rich this country is. I remember one guy, he said "Ah man im so sorry I only have "Little money on me" (his words) I would love to give you more, but take this.. " He gave me the equivalent of 28 euro and walked off! 28 euro!!! what the hell! and that was "little money?"
I set up the tent and didnt even sleep that night. There happened to be a techno party in the carpark behind the gas station. Car we with soundsytems and the boot open blasting out tunes. Reminded me of the old days somewhat! At around 2am it started to quieten down, but then someone arrived with a generator! The next morning I was so tired I decided to find out if there was a train from Askim to Oslo,and there was! We went to the train station easily and I had no money to buy a ticket and decided just to risk getting asked to leave the train before Oslo. Any amount of Kms would save me a ride! It was really early in the morning at the train station and we had some time to wait,I wanted to go to a toilet and saw a hotel over the road. I went to ask bout a toilet as the door was open but it seemed the whole place was shut, it was quiet nobody around, with a breakfast banquet laid out which made my mouth water badly. Then from a distance I hear someone start whistling a tune, and I went to to find them to ask about a toilet and maybe to buy a coffee. I meet a startled guy, he was working alone and told me the place was actually shut but would open in an hour. I went to the toilet and asked about a coffee. He said that I could just take a cup from the room with the breakfast stuff in it, and walked off, leaving me stood in a hotel dining place. Next to the coffee was bacon and scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, a full layout hot buffet. I got a coffee and of course ate quiet a bit of food too. It was by far the best place I had asked about a toilet at before! I went back to the bike an the dogs at the train station and we got on the train and then it stopped after some minutes and someone told me the trains was cancelled and there would be a bus replacement instead. The bus turns up but the driver is heavily allegic to dogs and so they call a taxi for me. A Mercedes van turns up and I was sure we would get me , the dogs, the bike, and the trailer all in but we did, and 20mins later we were off driving to Oslo! Nobody even asked me for a ticket! Free Breakfast, Free train and a Free taxi, all before 9am in the morning!

Great, train comes and then stops, we swap and wait for a bus - turns out the driver is allergic to dogs. Taxi comes for us. Now im outside Oslo Central Station, free train ticket and someone gave me 200kr just now. Waiting for Jenny to sms as I dont have her number. Great vibes already.I love sitting on the street and just watching.
Today I met Lex, a scottish guy I think, cool guy, later he came back with a mate and we went to eat burgerking on him. Hoping Jenny will message me soon or ill be sat here a while! Some old woman just gave me a sandwich bless her, then a dog ran up to me , I just thought he was well friendly but he attacked the sandwich. I gave him the rest, he was hungry somehow. Haha theres so many roma gypsys here, great laughs, the "papa" is laying down on the path and the others are taking the piss out of him. well funny. But they are just here for a laugh and to take the piss out of the system I guess.

That was my welcoming to Oslo. I arrived and got in contact with my friend, who had actually planned to leave the next day to go travel, and so we saw each other the night I arrived and then I was alone in Oslo. Thats what I love about traveling, I knew nobody in Oslo and so I was completely open to any opportunity that would pass in the form of humans. I met a Spanish guy called Joe when I was playing guitar at the train station. He took the two photos below.

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I had only been there at the train station for an hour before Joe strolled passed with a rucksack and a ukele. Great guy. I was playing guitar and he was playing ukele, he made nice reggae so he played and I sang and soon the security came and told us to stop it. I had some wood still from Sweden and so I carried on making spoons instead and hid the guitar.

16th May Diary Entry

Last night I had a shower! I stayed at Jennys grans place. Today around an hour ago the police came up to me and said "Someone told us that there is a man in the street with a knife." "Can you put the knife away or I will arrest you". I wish a long , slow and painful death to every police man and woman. So just now I changed the sign to

"I was first playing music, but im not allowed.. Then I was making wooden spoons, but im not allowed, So Now What?!"
Fucking idiots, now people just give me money for doing nothing! haha.. OH YEH! I rang a number for a job that someone randomly gave me in a carpark in Germany. Awesome, in a few days Ill go meet the employer. Hmm yeh not sure still if I want "A Job". Tomorrow the city will be crazy as its the national day. Maybe Ill just sit here again.

17th May\ 18th Diary Entry

Ok today finally feels like im in Oslo because since I arrived everything has been closed. Ah yeh wait, today is the 18th, Ive been hanging around with Joe and Sam, sams norwiegen and joe is the whitest spanish guy you would ever meet.
Yesterday was a mad one.

That was quite epic, the write up was much more effort than the trip itself!! Im happy to have had a diary at least but obviously a camera would have also been nice! Bicycle traveling is the best by far. One day I will travel with horse, but for simplicity a bicycle is kind of like a horse, if you have dogs walking along side you you go the same speed as a low horse anyway! As usual I am only posting content to get your thoughts going and maybe you want to do a trip but think you need a mass amount of money for it? Never let money stop you fro traveling!

Thanks for reading!

Here's the recent article I did about Vitamin Intake