Mostly rainy today. I already have to pack my tent in the rain. I think I got me a slight cold yesterday. I don't feel too well, and I'm having problems with the inclines. The official route follows some small roads and dirt tracks, climbing to 160m. I don't feel up to that, and decide to use the main road at sea level.
After about 16 km I make a late breakfast break at the harbour of Farsund. In a supermarket I get something for breakfast, and food for the rest of the day.
As always my bicycle draws lots of interesting looks. I start a conversation with some polish sailors who are here with a replica of a 17th century sailing vessel, the Victoria.
While I'm eating my breakfast (lunch?) a norwegian approaches me, ask me whether I'm here for another half hour. He'd like to notify the local newspaper, which would probably be interested in writing something about me. He makes a short phone call and informs that that shortly a reporter should be arriving.
While I'm waiting for the reporter I have a closer look at the Victoria. One of the guys I was talking with earlier offers me a short tour, which I gladly accept. It's a two-master, usually sailing with a crew of 5 to 11 men. The accommodations below deck are a bit cramped, they remind me of the living situations on U-Boats.
As I return from the ship the reporter is already waiting at my bike. I talk to her about the advantages and disadvantages of recumbent bikes, about the North Sea Cycle Route, and previous visits I have made to Norway. After she made a few pictures and bid her farewell, it occurs to me that I haven't asked her from which paper she was, and when the article would be published.
Considering the weather, my cold, and the hope to get a copy of the newspaper with the article about me I decide to stay until tomorrow.
The next camping site is on a peninsular about 10 kilometers to the south. It is located beautifully in a wooded area in a bay with a nice beach. The only downside is a large factory located on the same peninsular, about 2 kilometers away. Depending on the direction of the wind you can hear it, and smell it chemical smell. It reminds me of visits to the industrial Ruhr-Area during my childhood, when the factories had no filters in their smoke stacks.
