Riding with Reindeer: A Bicycle Odyssey through Finland, Lapland, and Arctic Norway

by Robert M. Goldstein

In the summer of 2007, Robert Goldstein departs Helsinki on a self-supported bicycle epic across Finland with the goal of pedaling to the Barents Sea. Aboard a folding bicycle towing a wagon, he weathers furious storms, survives a near-disastrous accident and obsesses whether he will be eaten by a bear as he makes his way through the remote forests of Eastern Finland. In sparsely populated Lapland, his solitude is relieved by reindeer who become his constant companions as he slowly makes his way through the Arctic. More than a travelogue, Riding with Reindeer intersperses an often humorous narrative about the author’s adventures (he manages to get trapped in the women’s shower in one remote village) with rich cultural and historical anecdotes as he passes through endless forests littered with rotted fortifications, rusted tanks and mass graves—the detritus of Finland’s desperate defense against a massive Soviet invasion in the winter of 1939. Riding with Reindeer gives insight into the mind of the solitary traveler and into the soul of a country whose honest and resourceful yet often taciturn citizens are always willing to lend a helping hand to the stranger on the bicycle gamely grinding his way through their “Suomi” – literally “the end of the land.”

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biography

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2010

About the author

Robert M. Goldstein was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Santa Clara, California, where he began his first bicycle forays. After graduating from Oregon State University in 1977 with a bachelors degree in Technical Journalism, he worked as a newspaper reporter for the Walla Walla Union Bulletin and the Bellevue Journal-American. In the late 1980s, his career took a different direction after he received his Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington. Since that time he has held a variety of administrative posts in California and Washington. He has traveled extensively, and has published travel articles on Nepal, Bhutan, and China in the Seattle Times and Journal-American. His critically acclaimed first book, The Gentleman from Finland Adventures on the Trans-Siberian Express, chronicles a madcap journey across the Soviet Union. The book earned Goldstein the coveted Benjamin Franklin Award for best travel book published by a small publisher in North America in 2005. His most recent book, Riding with Reindeer A Bicycle Odyssey through Finland, Lapland and Arctic Norway, takes the reader along on a self-supported solo bike trip from Helsinki to the Arctic Ocean. Currently, he is the Chief Financial Officer of the Kitsap Regional Library. He lives in Seattle."

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the arm-chair traveler, this is a wonderful story of a man from Seattle who decides to bicycle the length and width of Finland. His way of writing is both humorous and informative. A must read for anyone wanting to travel Finland and Lapland. I was sorry when the book ended; it was like an old friend. I've been to Finland and Lapland and the author's travel comments really filled in some of the historical gaps about the area for me.

[Tumas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author accurately describes moods, various misunderstandings and many challenges that a first-time solo bicycle tourist experiences in a foreign country on a reasonably lengthy bike tour.

A well-written and inspiring book about bicycle touring and Finland.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great adventure book. The author, Robert Goldstein, was a guest speaker at our Daughters of Norway group meeting in April 2015. He was a delightful speaker and we could have listened to him for hours after his allotted time frame of 45 min to an hour. Some of our members had already read this book as it was a choice for our DoN book group. Robert brought both of his books to the meeting (and I bought both of them) but have not yet read the other one which is The Gentleman from Finland-Adventures on the Trans-Siberian Express, winner of the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Award for travel writing.

I was wondering how Robert could be such a good writer when he was CFO of the Seattle Library. Then, a little over half-way through, I read the little blurb, About the Author, in the back of the book. His first college degree as a young man was in journalism and he subsequently worked for newspapers in Walla Walla and Bellevue WA. No wonder he was such a good writer.

He accomplished an amazing feat, riding a bicycle with wagon, from Helsinki, Finland, up to the Sami area, over to Norway, then back into Finland and back to Helsinki - 2,100 miles in a little under two months. Reading about his adventures will make you smile, laugh, and empathize with his mosquito experiences. He also includes very interesting history about the various places he pedals through. This book is a great read.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Open this book and join the author, Robert Goldstein, on an enjoyable bike ride through Finland. You will read about his adventures and misadventures, and along the way learn much about Finnish and Sami history and culture. Goldstein is an engaging writer, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. On the other hand, this trip is a serious matter -- a challenge that few would dare to undertake, and even fewer would ever complete. Nitpickers will note that a couple of his attempts at Finnish spelling and language go awry (the Finnish greeting is "Hei," not "eh), but that does nothing to detract from this fine book.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as it was recommended by the company that runs the bike tour I just did in Finland. I wish I had been able to finish it before the trip began. Despite reading it during and after the trip, I really enjoyed the history embedded in the story as it provided the historical and cultural context to the trip that would have been obtained by much drier reading sources. I very much appreciated the biking challenges and adventure aspects as I can only marginally appreciate them as we accomplished less than 10% of the distance that he did. I highly recommend this book for others that might be considering a similar adventure.

[Susan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I learned quite a bit of the history of Finland.

[Aaron Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could really relate to the thoughts and feelings of the author as he traveled solo across some very remote areas with little civilization. A good book for anyone who has completed a solo trip.

[David Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book.

[Lisa Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When traveling I love reading books written about the new land I’m in. I took this book along on a trip to Norway. It’s funny and well written. Quite an epic tale!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goldstein has a distinctive breezy writing style - some might not care for it but I liked it. Early on he veers towards almost having too much history and background of where he is traveling but then he shifts to having less, which is more agreeable to me. He talks enough about the cycling aspects of his trip to interest me, a cyclist, but not so much that or in a way that would be disinteresting for someone who doesn't ride. It's mostly a first person chronological description of his trip and his discoveries, including about himself (with only a minimal amount of that).

Lately I have noticed that books describing trips from point A to point B will describe travel of less than half the distance in far more than half the book - the second halves of the trips come across as an afterthought. Goldstein is more proportional in his presentation.

I am reminded of "Storm" a book about a travel in Scandanavia during summer by motorcycle - if you are on a bike, the weather matters, and the travails of a Finnish summer play a big part here.

Really, it was impossible for me not to like this book, since I identify with Goldstein in various ways.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so funny! As an American married to a Finn, I can personally relate to Bob's experiences on so many levels. Not only is the book funny, but it's also informational as well as educational, a must read guide for any traveler to Finland who might be interested in understanding the Finnish culture as well as its history. Although I have not made this trek by bicycle, I have traveled from Helsinki to Inari by car / train, and have had many similar experiences along the way, and Bob's interpretation of those experiences is on target.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read whilst spending a 5 night break on the Finnish/Swedish border, not far from Muonio, in the Arctic Circle. I'd looked for books about Finland and this seemed like an interesting one. It's well written, and full of information about Finnish history, as well as covering the interesting journey that Robert made. A great accompaniment to a great trip.

[Daleo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ok book about a fellow's bicycling trip through Finland, from the south, right up to the Arctic Ocean. He takes the opportunity to relate some history and cultural observations about Finland and those wild and crazy Finns. Having gone on a few long bike tours, and being married to a Finn, I found the account to be quite interesting.

[Kylie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light, easy read. Was entertaining and made me want to get out on my bike and travel. However, the author should've proofread his Finnish before publishing; was very distracting to see even basic words butchered.

[Kristine Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read about a CFO at a library(!) who decided life was too stressful and thought he would bike the length of Finland, Lapland, and Arctic Norway. Finland is not flat! Reindeer are everywhere, sort of..... :)

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this travel memoir. Robert Goldstein biked over 1000 km through Finland and Norway. Since I know almost nothing about Finland, I found the history and anecdotes in this book very interesting.

[JulieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he does all he can to make the days distinct from one another, when you're writing about spending day after day riding your bike around Finland, there's going to be a fair bit of monotony.

[Joan MacLennan Mahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it!

[Karl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a bit too much detail about the trip, but the Finnish history was really interesting.

[Suzanne Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you wish to be transformed undertaking a personal journey, read this book and then do the ride. I wish I were 20 years younger; it would be at the top of my list of things to do.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a pretty funny travel book.

[Rachel Welton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Goldstein's style of writing and situational humour.

[Polly-Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever visited Finland (or want to), this is a delight. I'm not inspired to ride a bicycle from Helsinki to Lapland, but I thoroughly enjoyed the author's adventures. Humorous, descriptive and full of unusual characters.

[David Walsh]

My affinity with this story is due to spending a year in Finland as a student over 45 years ago.

Goldstein effectively captures the geographic sense of the country as he pedals through a foreign land with little language skills and some background in the history and culture of Finland. He is an easy writer, the perfect style for a travel book.

He dispels a few myths, including one that says Finland is flat. He has the usual array of travel adventures due to equipment breakdowns and weather-driven events. But he also leaves the reader with the sense of loneliness that accrues to solo adventurer.

He does make me want to go back for a visit.