Oslo Archives - Leanne Nowell

Writing to you from a comfy bed in my daughters spare room in Norway.

After the spring lockdown at home in Rome followed by an intensely local summer we took the first edgy opportunity to jet up to the north to visit our children.

Six of them altogether.

Two being grandchildren, two offspring and two partners. So here we are together after a year of separation.

In Norway there has been no strict lockdowns as people are respectful of social distancing. No mask wearing in the shops or restaurants until now. The Covid infection rate is low and tracing efficient. When we arrived at the airport we took a free test which came back negative. Ten days later we came out of quarantine with relief and congratulations from the neighbours.

Three weeks later – Today we would be heading home but we’ve run into another quarantine. News of some children at the banehage “kindergarten” having been tested positive for COVID-19. Classrooms closed and now the working parents are battling through their days teleworking at home with toddlers demanding undivided attention. You should see the mass pushchair patrolling in this neighbourhood.

In the meantime we’re making meal plans and getting into a rhythm which may well become a semi-permanent stay. I’m enjoying the 3 generation family life and learning to cook again. Each of us has a work station in the house, even the tiniest cutie and they know what quarantine means, so they keep away from neighbour friends.

The news from Italy looks scary, thousands of new infections every day! We are going into a dark winter this year. The bright and beautiful light in that bleakness is being together with family this time. Although we’re missing our Australians and South Africans, knowing they’re in the southern summer sunshine is a small comfort.

To all of you on the same planet with Covid lurking nearby, take extreme care of yourselves, max each minute, and keep smiling.

Oslo with Megan and Elia, watercolour painting by Leanne Talbot Nowell

I’m so excited to be riding into Oslo over the finish line today! So thrilled to be seeing my family again.

Bright blues skies and hot. Tyrone navigated the way from Moss, passed his house in Ås, lunch in Ski, and soon we are speeding downhill into Oslo. Megs and Ste are waiting with my one year old grandson Elia in front of the marble white Opera house on the bay. They’ve made a fabulous large paper banner with ROME TO OSLO printed on it, holding it up across the path.

Ty has sped off ahead to be ready photograph the arrival scene. The drama of the moment is slightly diluted by getting caught up in a net of Chinese tourists, however I force my way through them and go blasting through the middle of the banner in a flash, tearing it in half.

I wish I could do it again with more relish this time… both the tearing of the banner and the entire ride.

Angel baby Elia is ok with being handed over to this stinky old cyclist grandma for kisses. I’m quite overwhelmed and lost for words.

After a sprinkling of confetti, a cin cin of Prosecco, a glass of red South African wine with a delicious home cooked meal, the relaxing begins. There’s plenty of fun and games with Elia.
I’m so happy to be back with my family! So much to celebrate together, one of the reasons is Megan has an appointment tomorrow for a pregnancy scan. I am invited to go along and see if we are expecting a boy or a girl !!!

7 points to the north star – zooming out

Cycling for two months and clocking a grand total of 4180 kilometers. Top speed 59.8 Kph, at which point the panniers would rise up dangerously, like wings opening for take-off. Average speed 18.5 kph. Oiled chain twice and pumped one tire once. Used Booking dot com and Google maps on an iphone 5.

Sleeping in 50 different beds which varied from a raw mattress to a bed fit for a queen and everything in between. Searching for accommodation every afternoon caused me some stress, but thankfully was never forced to sleep under a bush. Navigating was the most complicated part of the ride for me.

Being alone for most of the time left me with the seven “me’s” who were labelled: Dizzy blonde, Stupid-bloody-fool, Guru, Panic-pot, Happy, Sneezy, and Dopey. Guru was the most annoying of all, always shouting “Get up out of that bed immediately and get on your bike” or yelling “PAY ATTENTION ! … STOP…… go go go GOOOO…. take your blinkers off …wait… keep pedalling … get your aaas into gear. Let it be known that we all need to listen to our inner Guru, no matter what your mission happens to be or how brutal that voice is.

Changing identity and becoming a man; no makeup, no hair brush, a ravenous appetite, strong muscles, navigating by the sun, loving my bike too much, drinking beer, not caring about my ugly face, wearing the same clothes every day and going places where women don’t usually go for example prohibited factory yards, pubs full of pirates, wolf territory. It was liberating. Much to my surprise and relief the body managed to survive the journey. The hands grew a bit claw-like and developed pads on the palms… werewolf symptoms?

Appreciating the champions – my husband Simon, and my imaginary cycling team (my children who cheered me on), and all my family and friends as the ‘blog-backup support team’ who constantly wrote kind messages to keep me going. Thank you everyone. I would have been miserable without you. Your put wind in my tires and power in my pedals.

Being teased by those who poopoo my journey because of the eeee bike, once you get your very own ebike you will understand that it’s the best form of transport on the planet. Since the reasons for this tour were not about proving myself, but rather a really exciting way to experience beautiful Europe and actually enjoy the feeling of traveling from one place to another. At the same time I tried to teach myself to be brave so I can handle a personal struggle which has not been discussed in the story.

Europe is a remarkably safe place for solo women travellers, despite what you see on TV. Even with covid 19 now in circulation, it is quite easy to avoid trouble. People are kind and helpful wherever you go. Especially children. Kids notice a lot of things that adults are too busy to see. So many small gestures from kids gave me huge encouragement to continue.

The answer to the most common question of all is…how sore is your seat?…. It’s a resounding sore!

FINISHED…