Today I made the decision to go a little out of the way and visit an area that was not necessarily on my route, but interesting enough to justify a detour.

I left the farm at Soderhamn (really very nice, but those damn mosquitos kept me awake at night) early, waving to all the foster care children that the farmers family are taking care of. They were all very well-behaved and spoke english perfectly. It almost felt like one of those washing detergent commercials from the 80s. But I've got to say, respect to the parents for keeping such a great household.

I went on my way to the High Coast, an area where the hills literally stand in the sea and which is considered to be oustandingly beautiful, UNESCO-status and all. The ride went along nicely. When I made a tank stop at the town of Sundsvall, I planned to have a quick coffee break as well. But nothing ever happens on Monday morning at Sundsvall, certainly not someone offering a coffee at a weary traveller. So I had to push on to the equally morose town of Harnosand. Yes, someone had actually opened a coffee house and yes, I got my money's worth, but man, was it boring. Of course, as I returned to my bike, I arrived just in time to see the local parking attendant make a quick getaway on what looked like a toddler's moped. Definitely very guilty of writing me a parking ticket. Well, I'm sure the good people of Harnosand will be getting excited for a looong time over that particularly important and fascinating event in their crummy little sh- ... oh well ...

Having had my fill of crummy little ... uhm ... towns, I rode off to my destination. The High Coast definitely turned out to be a sight for sore eyes. One beautiful lake, mountain, sea inlet and bay after another. And the people were quite welcoming for a change. This area turned out, I've got to say, to be the best reason to go to Scandinavia so far. When I found my stuga for the night (reasonably comfortable), I only took a few minutes of rest and then jumped on my bike again, just to enjoy the scenery once again. Lovely! 

You'll find some pictorial evidence of my joy below. I also made a short video; just go to https://youtu.be/7xQ_TZS4yAw 

Tomorrow it's off to the most northern Swedish province. The Arctic circle is getting closer and closer, and it's getting noticeably colder ...