Leaving Lappland
The coastal route to Oulu looked enticing but it would have entailed a long detour. Eurovelo planners had to work around the restriction that cyclists aren't allowed on the main road down there. Thus I fell back on the interior.
Most of the day I rolled through the same monotonous forest environent of mostly conifers but occasionally also birches. In the morning the wind was blowing from the south which made for an annoying headwind most of the time. From time to time I passed a lake or river which provided some variety. On one occasion the route was an unsurfaced gravel stretch but nevertheless well rideable.
In between the start and end towns Rovaniemi and Oulu, I often rode alone on those country roads for a long while. It wasn't just the cars that weren't there but also a clear lack of reindeer. I saw the first animal only in the final third of the day. As usual I made no elk sightings despite numerous warningw. A family of swans made a cameo though to my surprise.
Oulu
As one enters the suburbs of Oulu, suspense is building up due to the extensive, well-impleented network of bicycle paths. Surely, at the end of these roads something beautiful can be found? The town delivers: there are bike paths on nearly every road, on both sides with a lane for both directions each even. No cars interfere with the pedestrians and cyclists on the central islands in the Baltic. And people actively seem to enjoy this marvel of urban planning where quality of live was imperative when roads were layed out, not just the interests of drivers. The town reminds a bit of Strasbourg in that respect.
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