Frozen lakes, memorable encounters, and personal moments. Traveling across Europe on two wheels

Basically, there aren't that many places here in Europe that you can consider truly lonely, as there are people living everywhere. We thought we'd find it once we arrived in Finland, but even that wasn't the case. Southern Finland at least has houses and supermarkets every few kilometers. We'd probably say Lapland has been the loneliest place so far. 

We've just come to the end of the season and all the skiers have gone home, so it's really dead. And as spring here really isn't actually warm, as you might expect, there are hardly any tourists in the area. There are also very few towns here, and so you often find yourself cycling through kilometers of forest and fjell... and even over frozen lakes! That was really a crazy feeling!

On average, we do 76 kilometers and 500 meters of altitude, and ride a little over 5 hours each day. For us, it doesn't feel that fast and we also like to take very long breaks: two or three hour-long stops for coffee, just to admire the landscape.

It was a bit harder at the beginning when the days were shorter, but now we're getting up to 18 hours of daylight, it's really relaxed. And since Poland, there's been hardly any altitude difference. We encountered the most hills in Croatia, Greece, and along the Albanian coastline - and of course, that's when you also notice every kilo, but that makes the descents all the more satisfying. 

Where to even start! The best moments have been when we've met other bike travelers. For example, we once met someone who had a cat with him, and here, in Scandinavia, we keep meeting up with the same cyclist again and again - and sometimes travel a little bit with him. It's always awesome to have such encounters as we're all sharing a common experience, and these people can understand the same highs and lows that we feel.

For us, the bad times have often gone on to turn into really great experiences.  We had 12 days of rain in Albania, for example, and were struggling to find a place to sleep, but then a hotel owner let us stay in his bungalow for free. These situations have not been uncommon: terrible to start with but then turning out to be really great. It makes the overall experience more intense. 

It's hard to say which were the most beautiful stages of the route, as almost all of them had their own charm somehow, but if we had to decide, we'd probably say Crete and Finland.

Simon: I actually brought my travel guitar with me. Others wouldn't bother, but I personally consider it a necessity, but that's probably also because I earn money playing music at home. I'm in a band and we perform at weddings, birthdays, and events. We have a couple of gigs lined up when we get back and I have to keep my fingers nimble and stay in practice. 

Deborah: I took way too many clothes with me. I sent some things back home with a friend while in Turkey and then in Bulgaria I sent another round of things back. It's all been more balanced since then. Regarding Simon's guitar, I think it's worth it, because it makes a really nice atmosphere in the evening, especially if you have a campfire going. Everyone has that one "useless" item, like a drone perhaps. 

Our bikes alone weigh 16 kilos and with luggage on top they weigh around 30 kilos. When it came to food, we were extremely hungry at the beginning without any experience, because we didn't want to starve (a problem for all long-distance cyclists). But we got away from that quite quickly and now buy fresh food every day. That also saves a lot of weight.

On the subject of showers: this is completely overrated...In southern Europe we used to bathe in the sea, but now we clean ourselves like cats: a quick wash and go! Once we 'washed' in the snow. It works, provided you dry yourself in front of the fire.

We rarely sleep in accommodations.  So far, this has only happened nine times. There, of course, we enjoy the shower all the more. It's crazy how such little things gain a new appreciation.

In terms of the local people, we'd definitely say Albania. They were incredibly friendly and open-minded. They were always so enthusiastic to speak to us and we've even had dinner invitations. For scenery, it would be Finland, because we are huge fans of Scnadinavia. We even saw reindeer and moose tracks. Greece and Turkey were also incredibly beautiful. The sea, the mountains...

The difficult times have often been weather related. A headwind is one of the worst things because you can't keep going and you waste a lot of energy. Persistent rain is also exhausting and wet weather makes you cold.

We learned that you have to hang on and keep going because this too will end. Focus on the simple things: the encounters, the breathtaking nature along the way.

Even with time management, you gradually become more relaxed. You learn that you always end up finding a place to sleep and that the weather gets better one day or another. Then we learned that a lot of things happen in the head. The approach is crucial. 

The secret is to accept the worst, because when things get better, everything gets even better. Just like back in Albania...