Thanks to my rollator, I come across enjoyable interactions.

As I reach the boat harbour and look out over the bay, I notice two tents set up further down on one of the piers with a grill area. I grab my camera equipped with the most powerful of my zoom lenses and attach it to the tripod secured to my Veloped. There are two people with bicycles camping over there. I take a few photos as I start making my way towards them. I always seek permission for using photos, and I'm also curious to learn more about them.

To my pleasant surprise, I see that they are two older gentlemen. When I greet them, I receive a friendly “Hello” in return, as one of them adds, “Pino can little Swedish”.

These two charming gentlemen, both in their 70s, come from Germany. They have travelled from Gothenburg and are now spending the night here in the small village of Söråker. Through a mix of English, Swedish, and German, I learn about their incredible cycling journey. Their current goal is Umeå, from where they plan to take the ferry to Vaasa and continue cycling through Finland.

They're fascinated by my Veloped, which I've named Ninja since she takes me “over hill and dale”. I'm equally fascinated and impressed by them.

A few days later in the same spot, I encountered Romain, a Frenchman. He has also cycled from Norway, passing through Docksta, Ångermanland. Now, he's enjoying breakfast after spending the night in the shelter. His cycling journey from France has taken him 19 days to reach Söråker. We had a pleasant chat in English. He didn't have a set travel route or timeline. Imagine stumbling upon these long-distance cyclists here in Söråker. Unbelievable!

I walked away with a smile as I reflected on how fortunate I am to have my Ninja with me. Without my Veloped, I wouldn't have managed these year-round walks come rain or shine. I rely on my Ninja for both my fitness and my well-being.