The most infuriating section is at the start, between Oslo and Hønefoss. The cities are distant of about 60km, but the line makes a detour in the North, it's the slowest section (often limited to 80km/h) and long waiting times are scheduled at passing loops due to the high regional traffic.

Outcome: it takes more than 2 hours for intercity trains to do Hønefoss -> Oslo. That kind of speed could be Romania (Bucarest - Ruse)... Meanwhile the E16 road is direct and takes about 1h to drive.

I was talking about railway capacity: it seems saturated with only 4 daily + 1 nightly round-trips between Olso and Bergen, and these sell out (at least now in high season) at high prices (a good place to #Interrail). On top you get regional services with a regular Takt around each of the ends (good!).

And of course although many stations have been upgraded to be accessible with high platforms and elevators, a single old station with 1 platform was enough to add an extra 15 min to our delay...

Sometimes, there is a proper cycling path too! But don't rejoy too fast: it's often shared with pedestrians, and in any case interrupts after at most a few km. Such as this half-finished round-about leading nowhere.

If the gambit is "you'll get cycling lanes if we got more roads to put on the side of", that's not a very good proposition...

#CyclingInfrastructure

15/

Let's talk about cycling infrastructure in Northern Spain. Most of the time, it's inexistant, simply a sign warning about the possibility of cyclists, with a fine print to overtake with a 1.5m distance written in microscopic font that no driver will ever be able to read. Which wasn't too bad as traffic is low outside of urban areas: after all, despite being clearly a car-first country, Spain isn't densely populated. #CyclingInfrastructure

14/

As we're in the Basque Country, let's talk about local traditions. One of them is the Basque pelota, a sport played on a dedicated court named fronton. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_pelota

We notice some differences across the border. In France we mostly see an outdoor wall with a characteristic red color and rouded shape. In Spain the front wall is often squared and there is a perpendicular side wall, generally indoors but sometimes in more curious places such as directly using the wall of a church!

13/

One nice thing: in Spain there is always a road sign mentioning a railway whenever the road crosses it, like for rivers in many countries.

This narrow-gauge may not look like much, with this second track now abandoned. But unlike France's pristine stations, there are actually trains running here hourly from 6am to 11pm, with modern interior operated by Euskotren! The way might be slow, but you can actually reach the cities of Bilbao or San Sebastian from any village on this railway. 💯

12/

Further on, we regularly cross groups of sport cyclists. Landscape is indeed beautiful and hilly. However, almost no women, despite women cycling growing in popularity in other countries. Could it have to be with the (un)safety of the roads?

Judge for yourself: Spain is a rare country where a mandatory minimum speed is reminded for overtaking lanes, and where a maximum speed is recommended on turns (rather than setting a strict limit). Rarely any shoulder space on the side of the road.

11/