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July 25, 2004, Sasha Days 10-13 Heading north was a very exciting prospect, although we knew that the road to Mosjoen was long, very long. We left the sleepy village of Ernst up north through some beautiful valleys and roads finally reaching the autobahn north. Although the speed on the road forces you to pay attention, the autobahn was pretty boring, and at one point we were bombarded with unholy amounts of rain. At around 4pm we pulled over at one of the million rest stops and laid down on a picnic bench. Within minutes we were asleep in our helmets. It's surprisingly comfortable to sleep in your gear. Clearer skies ahead landed us in Brenan, a bizarre town that reminded me of San Francisco without hills. A wild goose chase for a hotel led us to a small suburb of Brenan just north where we found another immaculately clean B&B. The woman who ran it didn't speak English, so once again we used a lot of hand gestures and writing numbers on paper. That night we ate Mexican food with German beer. Both were questionable but it was a welcome break from the heavy-handed spoon of German country cooking. Off to a late start the next day we were in search of an internet cafe in Hamburg so we could download new maps to our GPS. Hamburg is an interesting place, there seemed to be a million German tourists walking the main drag, and the department stores were packed especially for a week day. We ended up finding a nice cafe on the roof of a large department store for our map downloading adventure. Maps loaded, we hit the autobahn once again and found a small town near the Denmark border: Schelswig. It was a cute little university town with a nice pedestrian street down the middle. Leslie's sharp eyes spotted a German hostel on the university campus. A much needed stroll downtown proved that the town is virtually empty during the summer, and most shops/restaurants were closed. We spotted a crowded pub which served a very nice dinner accompanied by a very eager Flemish waitress who spoke 5 languages. Days 14-17 The Danish border was a welcome sight, even the speed limit sign on the highway was oddly comforting. We hopped on a ferry to the main island and enjoyed the privilege of having a motorcycle: cheap tickets and no waiting in line. A couple other motorcyclists joined us on the crossing, one with blue hair and both with small kids on the back. Even though we just passed through this tiny country, we were mostly impressed with a very well equipped gas station. It had a cafe with very good food, a market and free wireless internet access! Next thing we knew we were crossing the new bridge from Copenhagen to Malmo, Sweden. Leslie's keen hotel-sense once again landed us a nice room, cheap for Scandinavian standards. Malmo is at the southern tip of Sweeden and turned out to be a beautiful little town. We had Indian food on the main square which was filled with about 10 restaurants all with outside seating. There was a large 'jumbotron' setup playing music videos, so we ate mediocre Indian food as we listened to Britney Spears and KISS. The next day we made a run for Oslo. As we crossed the border I couldn't help but smile and feel snug and warm. Every time I first arrive in Norway it's the same feeling. Safe and comfortable. Having Leslie along my side made it a million times more special. That evening the GPS brought us to Kari's house, my mom's cousin. She lives in a funky old apartment that dates back to the 1800's. The area where she lives is known as the bad part of town, but by American standards it was beautiful, clean and safe. We were welcomed with a large pot of 'Fisk suppa', kind of like a clam chowder but with fish. The next day was our first day in Europe off the bike. We wandered around Oslo and saw the sights, ate the food and took in 2 tons of sunshine. Off to Levanger, a small town just north of Trondheim. It took a full day to get there, with only a couple stops for gas and food along the way. One of the stops was in Lillihamar, host to the 1994 winter games. The town is still reveling from the games a decade ago, and seems to attract more people now than ever. Finally rolling into Trondheim around 10pm, we met with my aunt Aida, brother Bjorn, and sister in-law Karman who were fresh from an evening partying with the local Hells Angels. They were throwing their big party of the year that night at their enormous club house on the edge of town. A quick hour ride up to Levanger not exceeding 50mph and we were warm and cozy at my aunt's home. The next day was filled with the most beautiful scenery I've ever ridden through. Leslie took a break from the bike and drove up in the family Renault. We stopped at the Zoo half way to look at bears, reindeer, eat hot dogs and ride a bobsled style ride that was way to dangerous for American liability. The farm where my family lives is just outside of Mosjoen, and rolling up on the motorcycle was a dream come true. Everything was perfect, the smell, the sunlight at 10pm, the warm smiles to greet us, riding my bike up the little hill to the house. A few days in Mosjoen off the bike, running around in the borrowed Renault. Bjorn and Karman are with us and we're all having a wonderful time, visiting distant relatives and eating our own weight in food twice a day.