Excuse me my friend, is this really happening?

Yes Anne.. this is really happening.

Well, I started my journey in Oslo and said goodbye to my dad who stayed with me for the first 2 days. I cried for a few minutes, because I hate saying goodbye.

Now it was just me and my bike, and the big adventure ahead.  Hhmmm, so now what? It was a rainy day, and in my opinion rainy days call for noodles which is how I met Simon Ferguson who owns a restaurant in Oslo called Tunco. Simon is originally from Australia, and tells me; ”We started TUNCO because we care. About people. About food. About health. About the environment. Our dream is to make the food industry more sustainable, give food to those in need and make people healthier and happier”. Doesn’t he sound too good to be true? But he and his partners actually made this dream a reality! We talked while we enjoyed food and plenty of drinks, and he even offered me a place to sleep. Thank you so much Simon!

Now I was ready to properly set off on the big journey. Cycling from Oslo to… well, I’m not really sure. A Lot of Good Food and Plenty of Nothing ahead. The first mountains were rough. My god, I was so angry and frustrated. Some parts I had to get off and walk, how the heck will I be able to finish this trip?!

Those first days I cycled long and hard hours, and cycling seriously makes you hungry. Hoping I would find something to eat along the route, but no. For hours on end, only forest. I kept reminding myself that Norway is not Holland where you find a pancake restaurant every 10 minutes. Turns out, in Norway you can cycle for hours without seeing a sign of civilization. I was tired, hungry, thirsty and it was raining. Here is a short movie of me being totally over this trip (on Day 3);

But you know what they say, after rain comes sunshine. I met these two great ladies, Helen and Anne, who had been together for 30 years and have a dog called Billie. They invited me into their paradise. I remember crying under the shower in their house because I was so, so happy and relieved. They gave me a cold beer, great food and company. We shared stories all evening and they made me feel completely at home.

Next day, I rolled up my sleeves, packed up with the sun shining and the legs felt great. Cycling is a great way to meet new people, and to discover the stories and secrets of the locals.  This is how I met Captain Morgan, Eleonore and Maikel, Lovely Lena, and the most energetic guy I met for a long time. His name is Anders and he owns a restaurant on a small little island called Marstrand. He invited me to come in and together we cooked his mother’s secret recipe , who passed away 2 years ago. Kidneys with cream and parsley. Sound pretty strange and scary, but it taste damn good! We talked about his passion for food over a beer and he told me a very special story how he met his girlfriend.  Curious yet? Stay tuned for the After Movie..!

What ‘s still to come? New people, places, flavors, landscapes and traditions. Slow traveling, a lot of food and more stories.

And for all of you out there – Don’t forget to laugh, eat and prepare food with friends and family. Know where your food comes from and most importantly, enjoy it!

Hope you enjoyed my first Life Cycle Story, talk to you soon.

Anne Pekelharing,
Life Cycle Stories