Henk van Dillen

My last days in Russia

My last days in Russia

An icy wind is coming from my left. Snowflakes fly horizontally past me. Today I left Murmansk. I follow the M18 which goes from Murmansk to the Norwegian border. It is already getting dark. I left late and still have…
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Camping in -22 degrees celcius

Camping in -22 degrees celcius

I’m preparing my dinner wearing a thermoshirt and and my thick down jacket. I have little choice for ingredients in this cold weather. Everything freezes immediately. I make my meals out of cans for a large part. With a little…
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Formalities

Formalities

I turn myself on another side on a narrow bed in the train cabin. The train shocks every now and then. My bike is in a different cabin. At least I hope so. I have putten my bags in a…
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Fighting against snow

Fighting against snow

“My friends never cycle in winter,” says a friendly guy who is staring at my bicycle. I just took a break in a petrol station outside of Saint Petersburg. “Vaude bags, you are from Europe I see.” He is a…
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Cycling movements

Cycling movements

I’m standing in line. A red light is lightning in front of me. It is the customs check at the airport in Saint Petersburg. It looks different than I’m used to. I don’t see the customs officer. I look into…
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Forget about the shower

Forget about the shower

A noise of cracking wood is shuttering the night. The noise is close-by. I wake up in my sleeping bag. What was that? A silence follows. Perhaps a deer, a fox or a falling branch? I’m hidden away deep into…
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