Karl Stanton

My failed attempt at Vaxholm

Yesterday I tried to ride to Vaxholm. Vaxholm is one of the first points of the Stockholm archipelago, and is easy to get to by boat, and almost impossible by bike.

Stockholm in general has excellent bike paths, well signed with distances, wide and smooth. That is, until the council can’t be bothered anymore. Several times on this trip I ended up on dirt roads, industrial areas and peoples back yards. At point I was heading on to a highway. One minute I’m following bike path directions, the next I’m on the E18 heading to Oslo.

So I got frustrated and had to abort my mission. I was around 15 kms from my goal, which would have rendered me spending the afternoon on an island, drinking beer and having fun. Instead, I returned to Stockholm, and drank beer in the park with some friends.

It’s also nice to ride back to places I ventured to when it was snowing, this is a totally different town now. Summer is here, the rides are long and the beer is cold. Loving summer!

My first ride in Stockholm.

Well I’ve waited patiently for the weather to be forgiving enough to go ride, and today was the day. Since I didn’t have a bike pump, I spent the first few hours of my walk through Stockholm looking for a bike shop or sporting equivalent but with no avail. I mentioned this to my work mate and it all became very clear… you see Stockholm loves bikes, and Stockholm loves you.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Cykelpump (warning: link is in Swedish). A free initiative by the Stockholm council which allows anybody with a bike to roll up and inflate their tyres. What’s the best part about it? They’re Presta fits. Which suits me perfectly!

What a cool city. The only downside is, that when there’s no snow, there’s mud… and myself and the bike were covered a little. Time to get some new bike gear.

More photos to come, I have no battery left on my cameras and no Aus to Euro converters. I expect one to arrive Monday. Till then, Adjö!

The Gold-Coast.

It has finally stopped raining, so today we cruised from Burleigh Waters to Main Beach and back along the scenic bike paths.

Tomorrow we’re going fishing on my Dad’s boat, and I hope to cop a nice tan between now and Sweden. Just to rub it in a little.