Riga > Tallinn > Lahti > Helsinki | 2025

<b>Laipni lūgti Latvijā</b> — My son Aleks and I landed in Riga. Just three hours earlier at Ljubljana (Slovenia) airport, the oversized boxes were barely loaded onto the small plane.

With our bikes assembled, oiled, and loaded, we pedaled into the suburban Mežaparks.

Back in the 1970s, a huge neon sign on the roof of a hotel proudly declared <i>Glory to the Communist Party</i>. After a storm, some of the letters burned out, leaving only <i>Glory to … drinking</i>.

For kilometers we cycled along the sea, enjoying every moment. Though our bikes' vital parts didn't share the joy.

The colors of a photogenic sunset decide whether the next day will be dry or drenched.

The only two flight connections from Slovenia to this corner of Europe dictated the start and finish points of our journey.

At home I spent months planning with ChatGPT, but in the end Aleks navigated and (re)organized as we went. I just had to pedal and follow.

<b>Tere tulemast Eestisse!</b> Forests, meadows, endless trees, and here and there a blueberry hidden in the brush.

In 1959, two wooden elephants were built on the beach of a seaside resort. Their trunks served as water slides. So, the elephant became the town's symbol.

110 kilometers clearly didn't tire Aleks. He still went out to party in the city that night.

The socialist and Soviet past is noticeable only on some housing blocks from that era.

For starters we chose <i>hapukapsa</i> and <i>soljanka</i> soups. The chef also prepared the second and third courses.

Roadside restaurants were rare, so we had to rely on <i>self-sufficiency</i>.

Refreshing nightly swims and splashes.

Cemeteries turned into our regular <i>must-visit</i> spots, most of them overgrown by Baltic forests.

Even a garden piled with bulky waste (top right) turns into a <i>luxury</i> resort during a downpour.

Campsites offered surprisingly well-equipped kitchens. The better the kitchen was equipped, the less we paid for the night. “Chef, what's on today's menu?”

As the self-appointed two-man jury, we crowned the campsite that's accessed through a factory yard as the winner.

Where did we pitch our tent this time? That's why we have an olive green one.

Estonia's IT sector is advanced. On buses, a system greeted passengers as they boarded. Once, a cheeky programmer reprogrammed it, and for several nights the loudspeaker announced: “Welcome aboard! Today's ride includes turbulence and a possible emergency landing.”

Between Tallinn and Helsinki, there are 13 ferry connections each day. Specially designed ramps allow vehicles to be loaded on two levels at once.

In its first year (2017), passengers consumed 16 tons of shrimp sandwiches and drank 51 tons of coffee.

From the port, we puffed along an abandoned railway line to Helsinki's main station, then boarded a train heading 100 km north.

<b>Tervetuloa Suomeen!</b> <i>The Land of a Thousand Lakes</i> has 168,000 lakes and 179,000 islands. During our visit, it was a sweltering 30 °C.

In the photo it looks like we're in a remote forest, but in fact we are in the center of a city of 120,000 people.

We rarely step inside churches, but here we made an exception. Then a few kilometers later, in the middle of nowhere …

… my chain snapped. The spare link, of course, was at home. Soon the <i>only</i> cyclists around appeared. Together we patched it up temporarily and returned to a workshop 25 km away.

The cycling infrastructure here is simply <b>DIVINE</b>. Often the (separate) bike path runs through uninhabited landscapes where, for hours, we met no one.

Mosquitoes only bothered us after sunset. Our half-liter bottle of repellent stayed nearly full. The head nets only made us look ridiculous.

The long July days were a blessing. There was no need to rush. Grocery shops stayed open until 22:00, even 23:00, including Sundays.

The Ministry of Health advises: the sauna may only be entered with sufficiently chilled beer!

What are they looking at? Wait a few seconds and you'll see.

In Helsinki, not a single person died in traffic accidents in the last 12 months. There were 277 injuries, compared to nearly 1,000 per year back in the 80s.

We had <i>reserved</i> our boxes weeks in advance and transported them to our rented apartment a few kilometers away. I even made tiny rollers at home.

Aleks received news that he had passed all his exams. We celebrated in the city center and ended our tour. The whole tour cost us 2100 €.

One box was once again too tall, squeezing through the airport X-ray with just a millimeter to spare. We know that 110 cm is max … for next time.

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Carinthia | Upper Carniola

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Berchtesgaden

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Netherlands, Belgium, Germany

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Salzburg, Chiemsee, Inn, Passau, Danube, Traunsee

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Weissensee

Austria: Weissensee

142 km | August 2018

Prague, Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Lipno Lake ~ Moldau ~ Prague ~ Elbe

510 km | June 2018

Milano ~ St. Moritz ~ Innsbruck

Italy | Switzerland | Austria: Milano ~ St. Moritz ~ Innsbruck

498 km | June 2018

Lake Neusiedl ~ Vienna (Wien) ~ Bratislava

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358 km | September 2017

Bozen ~ Stelvio Pass ~ Lake Como ~ Lake Garda

Italy:
Bolzano ~ Stelvio Pass ~ Lake Como ~ Lake Garda

405 km | June 2017

Spring of the river Drau ~ Brenner Pass ~ Innsbruck ~ Munich

Spring of the river Drau ~ Brenner Pass ~ Innsbruck ~ Munich

400 km | June 2017

Lake Balaton, Hungary

Hungary:
Lake Balaton

244 km | September 2016

Venice ~ San Marino ~ Rimini

Italy:
Venice ~ San Marino ~ Rimini

377 km | June 2016

Spring of the river Drau ~ Cortina d'Ampezzo ~ Venice

Italy: Spring of the river Drau ~ Cortina d'Ampezzo ~ Venice

304 km | June 2016

South Tyrol ~ Lake Garda ~ Venice

Italy:
South Tyrol ~ Lake Garda ~ Venice

495 km | September 2015

Rhein ~ Lake Constance (Bodensee)

Austria | Germany | Switzerland:
Rhine ~ Lake Constance

328 km | June 2015

Parenzana

Slovenia | Croatia:
Parenzana

225 km | June 2015

Tour along the river Mur Austria

Austria | Slovenia:
Tour along the river Mur

320 km | June 2014

Salzburg ~ Ljubljana

Austria | Italy | Slovenia: Salzburg ~ Ljubljana

379 km | September 2013

Alpe Adria cycle path

Slovenia | Italy:
Alpe Adria cycle path

296 km | June 2013

Murska Sobota ~ Varaždin ~ Ptuj

Slovenia | Croatia:
Murska Sobota ~ Varaždin ~ Ptuj

165 km | June 2012

Venice ~ Isola

Italy | Slovenia:
Venice ~ Isola

370 km | June 2012

Drau cycle path ~ Drauradweg

Drau cycle path

609 km | September 2010