The OSM map gets extra points today because it shows us where to get drinking water: There's a pump right next to the level crossing. It's become quite hot, almost 30 degrees. We fill up everything we have. A man comes from his yard and wants to fill his buckets. Menno asks if he can take a photo. Sure, says Sergei, and invites us to tea. Encounters, hospitality, abandoned villages and lonely stretches of land: this diary takes you on a 4000-kilometer journey through rarely visited corners of three countries in north-eastern Europe. With bikes and tent we cycle far away from tourism from Russia to Karelia, through Finland and across the Arctic Circle. Spring also moves north with us, complete with flower meadows, cuckoo calls and swarms of mosquitoes. For 60 days we experience adventure instead of everyday life, and pedal our bikes instead of the hamster wheel.

Uta Schulz: Uta Schulz, born in Potsdam in 1977, works as a translator and is the author of the travel story »From Moscow to the North Cape by Bike«. The Atlantic is at the top of her list of priorities, hence her adopted country of Portugal. Bicycling, traveling and cooking are in second place, while writing, reading and language learning compete for third place. In addition, she collects professions. So far in her collection: flute maker, industrial mechanic, mechanical engineer, navigational officer on traditional sailing ships, technical translator and author. Terminologist and content creator for a multilingual bike blog is in the planning stage. You can soon follow the terminologist on LinkedIn and the bike blogger with weonbikes.com on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.