leaving Avranches, Guénaël Josseaume arrived in Norway

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After France, Belgiumthe Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, Guénaël Josseaume reached Norway.

Now he ventures into the most difficult part of his journey, in colder temperatures, “a change of scenery and conditions”. He equipped himself with new equipment along the way and clothing for extreme weather conditions

“Sweden and Norway, there may be snow and ice, I bought two tires suitable for ice with studs, I have to have them on the bike, it's a bit bulky, but it's not heavy. On the bike, I damaged my cassette and my chain, so I changed both and as a prevention, I have a cassette in stock and two chains. And I added two ergonomic handles, so that I can change my hand position when I get too tired with the normal handles.”

» He also lightened his weight, “I shed five kilos in Flensburg (Germany), it’s not negligible, I realized that I had planned too many things (…) I have passes to climb in Norway, so if I want to climb them, I better take some time off.”

A solitary journey filled with encounters

Every day, he travels about a sixty kilometersand looks for accommodation with locals, for the night, via online sites, “I have slept a lot with locals with the site warm showers. I used Welcome to my garden a lot when I was in Belgium and the Netherlands, for all light travelers, both for a hiker on foot and a traveler by bike.” He also slept in shelters, wooden shelters in nature, in Denmark and Sweden, or sought accommodation from the inhabitants he encountered on his route. Among all these meetings, some were notable, notably with a family in Hamburg (Germany), where he rested for a week to treat tendinitis and cysts, “they did not want to let me leave until I was neat”, or an evening in the Netherlands with a carpenter who welcomed him into his workshop “It was a nice meeting too. He gave me advice, we had a long discussion in the evening.”

An adventure that lives up to expectations

“I'm really happy to do it and I meet lots of people, it's really something unique! And I feel free, I do what I want, when I want, I go where I want, that's great. And it allows me to take time to reflect a little on my life, and on what I find essential. We realize that when we're in a bit of a bind or have made an effort for a day, and what we just want is a good shower, a good meal, and a good bed, that's it, we understood what life was basically, and suddenly we don't care about all the superfluities. So that’s cool, it makes you aware of a lot of things.”

His journey nicknamed Floki Road can be followed on Instagram, Facebook, Polarsteps or on the website of the NGO Tapama, partner of the project; “even in the street people who are a little curious, who ask me where I'm going, where I come from, I answer them. And that's how they follow me, I give them my Instagram, and off they go. For that, it’s great! “.

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