A surprise awaited me at the Norwegian border. Seven young German cyclists had stopped there for lunch - the first other young people I'd seen travelling by bike. With school behind them and a year of community service ahead, they were enjoying a two week ride from Goteborg to Oslo, before returning to their hometown of Kiel. Having kindly invited me to join them for a little way, we ended up riding all the way to Oslo together. What an amazing bunch of people! I was mightily impressed by their gutsiness - especially the two girls who had never been cycle touring before. I was also rather embarassed that I couldn't keep up with the cracking pace they set. Riding in a bunch is a very different experience. It felt awesome when we were all cruising along together - a sleek line of eight cyclists moving like a well-oiled machine. But I found it extremely hard trying to keep up with someone else's pace, and was continually dropping off the back on the uphills. We rode a hilly 95km that day at over 21km/hr - my hardest day yet!
After saying our goodbyes I set out to explore Oslo by foot. The city is a lot more multicultural than I was expecting, and apparently has the highest cost of living of any city in the world. I don't know how the welfare system works, but there seem to be a lot of people falling through the cracks. Beggars and real down-and-out types mingle with the wealthy tourist hordes, and a beer and pizza will set you back about $50. Three rest days certainly put a big hole in my budget. Accommodation was scarce when I arrived. After several hours fruitlessly riding all over the city only to find hostels either fully booked or closed down, I eventually took a cabin on the MS Innvik - a ship moored in Oslo harbour. From the deck I ate my breakfast while watching workmen building a beautiful new opera house on a nearby peninsular. I spent a lovely day wandering the hills above the city with a friendly Canadian girl, and had a beautiful picnic dinner on the grassy walls of an old fortress while listening to live music down by the quay.
I was a big fan of Thor Heyerdahl as a kid, and the popular account of his journey across the pacific 'The Kon-Tiki Expedition' was the first adventure book I ever read. It left a lasting impression and I'm particularly grateful to Dad for introducing me to his story, inspiring me to have adventures of my own. For those who haven't heard of him, Heyerdahl was a famous Norwegian scientist, adventurer and environmentalist. There is a museum dedicated to his voyages and studies of pacific archaeology and cultural history, with both the Kon-Tiki raft and reed boat Ra II on display. The latter he sailed across the Atlantic in an epic trip of 57 days, demonstrating that Old World sailors could have influenced the pre-Colombian civilisations of Central America. For a week I followed the coast south of Oslo. Norwegians flock to this area during the summer months, being the warmest, sunniest part of the country. Tiny seaside villages overflow with tourists, markets and lively harbourside scenes. The rugged rocky coastlines reminded me a little of Tasmania, with the water probably being a similar temperature.
After weeks travelling alone with hardly another cyclist in sight, my time in Norway suddenly became very social. For a country which is so mountainous and has thousands of un-bike-friendly tunnels, there are a surprising number of cycle tourers. Ferries are a natural meeting point, and I kept bumping into the same people which was fun. For almost a week I travelled with an American couple, Bill and Aimee, who were great buddies to hang out with. Extremely warm and welcoming, we shared some good laughs. Our first day together was a marathon 133km - my longest day in the saddle ever! Several Dutch families shared meals with me, including a lovely couple, Jann and Trudy. It turns out we had shadowed each other all the way from Amsterdam. At 59 and 56 respectively, I was truly inspired by their energy and lust for life, and their willingness to be flexible and spontaneous. One of the things I've really missed about travelling alone is sharing meals with other people, so it was nice to eat sociably for a change. 
The coast was very beautiful, but I decided it was time to see a little bit of the interior, so I headed into the mountains for a few days. The road wound its way over 1000m passes which are home to winter ski resorts. Alpine plateaus and craggy peaks dominate the landscape, with flowering heather and placid lakes completing the picture. Light rain lent an atmostpheric beauty to the mist-clad hills, and at times it was so cold I was half-expecting it to start snowing. The final 800m descent followed a spectacular road built for the hydro-electric scheme, culminating with 27 hairpin bends and a 1.1km long tunnel. I emerged from the tunnel to the warm, moist air of the valley below and magnificent views of the Lysefjord.
My campsite at the head of the fjord must be one of the most picturesque locations imaginable. The lush green valley ends abruptly with the clear blue waters of the fjord, which is wedged between sheer cliffs soaring 1000m into the sky. While eating my dinner I watched awestruck as half a dozen basejumpers leapt off the massive walls of Kjerag Mountain. The next day I got a lift back up the mountain with a busload of basejumpers and hiked to the launching point above the fjord. This time my close proximity meant that I could hear the roar as they gained velocity during freefall, and clearly see their shutes open as they skillfully controlled their landing on the one small grassy piece of land at the bottom of the fjord. Peering over the edge was slightly intoxicating, and for the first time in my life I was actually tempted by the thrill of it. 12-15 seconds of pure adrenalin! What an extraordinary location. A ferry trip through the fjord later that afternoon spotting seals and golden eagles completed a fabulous day. 
Norway reminds me a little of Nepal, or how I imagine Nepal would be with wealth, development, and a lot fewer people. A land of many mountains, lush valleys, towering waterfalls and tiny cottages perched improbably on the steep mountainsides. Except that nowhere here is really inaccessible. The road infrastructure is absolutely mind-boggling. I've seen more incredible bridges in the last three weeks than I have in the rest of my life put together. And if it's too difficult to build a road on the side of a mountain, then there's undoubtedly a tunnel right through it. No expenses spared. With more ferries, bridges and mountains I made my way up the west coast to Bergen, and arrived feeling pretty tired. My luck held for a good two months, but I'm now suffering from a head cold and feeling a bit miserable. The hostel where I'm staying sleeps over 60 people in one massive room, with triple decker bunks and mattresses all over the floor. It's absolute chaos, with only 2 showers and 3 toilets, one of which is currently blocked. It feels like I'm living in a refugee camp. The only redeeming features are that it's very cheap - a real rarity in Norway - and they serve free waffles on Monday and Thursday nights!
Apart from spreading my germs around in dormitories, movie theatres and internet cafes, I have no idea yet where I'll be for the next few weeks. Norway is a beautiful country and I feel like I could stay here exploring for much longer. But I'm also starting to feel a bit weary and looking forward to doing something other than cycling. I've ridden 3400km and my legs feel really strong. I'm much fitter than when I started, but there's a cumulative effect that is slowly catching up with me, and I seem to need more rest days than I did to begin with. Hopefully I'll come up with a plan tomorrow!
