Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
The End
Because some things have to be completed, I have decided to put an end this blog, by finally posting the final, "wrap-up" post.
Where did we last meet? Let's roll back to the day when I had a super late breakfast at the photographer's home in Warsaw. As said in that post, we had a night BBQ, so naturally I slept in. That day, when I finally packed my things and was ready to roll, I left my hosts apartment and was on my way to a near-by city called Wyszkow. I had the last look at the capital city of Poland. I got a bit lost on as I was trying to find the right way out of the city, but then finally I saw a sign that informed me that I have left Warsaw. For most part of the day I went along a highway, there was a special smaller road for bikers, slower cars, local buses, etc. But at times this road was very confusing as it would trail off when ever the highway had a exit. So often I was not very sure of the right way to go. Besides, now I was no longer moving straight East, so following directions based on the sun was a bit trickier, it all depended on the actual time.
As any other day, I passes other cyclers, and other cyclers passes me. But it is important to note this one guy (well man, not guy, I think he was about 50), he had a really cool, personalized bicycle. He also had a radio, the station he had on played good oldies. (Now that I come to think of it, it probably was a music player, not radio that was playing.) He was moving at a very constant pace, not really racing anywhere, and not going real slow either. I could tell by his clothes that he is out for a cycling trip. Because i don't go at same pace, (sometimes I feel like going real fast, just pushing as much as I can, and other times I just want to go slow and relax), we passed each other some times. After having passed each other several times we both finally smiled (laughed) at each other. We confirmed that we don't speak a common language. He knew none English, and I spoke zero Polish. He tried Russian, even German. So we failed miserably at communicating. However, somehow we determined that he goes the same direction as me, so we cycled along side each other. We tried talking several times, as we both were curious about each other stories, but that didn't work out so well. He wanted to stop at McDonalds, so I stopped too and watched his bike when he went in. And he got two colas, one for me. :) It was really sweet of him. As I understood he had gone to Warsaw the previous day, and now he was on his way home. He said that he used to cycle a lot more when he was younger. We continued our journey, but when we got closer to my destination for that day he showed me the right way and turned off to go elsewhere. I was very glad to have met him, otherwise I might have gotten lost a few times. I stopped in some bus stop for a quick snack, and then I completed the last bit of the cycling trip for that day.
Warsaw - Wyszkow distance: 60 km
My host in Wyszkow: this guy had a brand new profile on Couch Surfing, no pictures, no description, no references. You might wonder why I went along with it. Well this guy is a friend of some other guy to whom I sent a couch request. This other guy had a brilliant profile, but he denied my couchrequest because he wasn't in city that day, but he told me that his friend, a really great guy has always wanted to try CS, especially since apparently they don't get many people travelling to their city. And well, my gut said it should be fine, and it was! Since I was this guys first guests via CS, he was extremely nice, he cooked me dinner, we talked about life. It was sad to hear about some bad things that had happened in his life, but I found it brave of him to stay positive.
In the morning he had made some sandwiches for me, and the left over ones he packed for me for the road. :) Great guy.
I departed relatively early because my host had to attend something with his daughter. I was again pleased with the sunny weather (Gosh, it so hard to pin-point to that now, in winter!!!!). I went to a store to buy some more food for the road, and chocolate for my next host, and then I was out of the small city. For half of the way I cycled along the same road as the previous day. There again was a smaller road along the bigger one (the original highway connects Warsaw and Bialystok). I went along this until a city called Ostrow Mazowiecka, right before actually entering this city I turned off the road (actually I turned off a bit too early, but it was still good, I just went through some private home area of the city). And then, again, I was on a smaller road on my way to Lomza. There were only two lines (one each direction), and no place for me really, but luckily the traffic wasn't too crazy for most of the way, so it was not too stressful. Along the way I contacted my host to let him know how far along I am, and so he would know my approximate arrival time. Although the way to Lomza was more or less simple, I was pretty tired when I finally arrived to my hosts place.
Wyszkow - Lomza distance cycled: 90 km
My host was an ERASMUS student in Lomza and was due to leave Poland in a couple of weeks. He was renting a room in some family home in the city. He shared the second floor with another person. It happened to be his birthday (shame on me for not noticing that when I was checking his profile on CS!), but luckily at least he said the chocolate I got for him was his favourite. We walked about the city, there wasn't really too much to see though. We went back to his place and had a small birthday party for him. Stayed up all night talking about travelling, turned out he had been to Riga, and I was glad to hear that he really likes Latvia. The following day, June 18, I decided to rest a whole day, and was lucky that my host was ok with hosting me for one more night. During this day, we went to see more of the city, and I also had a quick look at my bike so it's in a decent condition for the rest of the trip. The next day, Wednesday, I was well rested and ready to roll to my last stop in Poland - Elk.
To be honest, I don't remember much of this day. There is only one picture I have, so I have nothing to go on, and my memory is very shady, as it is hard to remember what happened each day. I do recall that my host walked me to the centre of the city, and pointed the direction where I should go, claiming that that's the way where the bus went when he went to Lithuania. The road went well downhill, so it was relaxing regardless of the busy traffic. The way to Elk was very fragmented, there was no one clear big road, so I just tried to get to the next bigger city, and so all the way to Elk. I recall that there were very poor signs, and it was confusing at times, to turn left, or right. The first half, even more was easier, but once I got closer to my destination, i tried to follow some smaller roads, that had some cycling signs, but they were inconsistent, and missing in some places.
Distance from Lomza to Elk: 90 km
My hosts in Elk were a young couple, who used to play in a band together, but now they had just had a baby born a few month ago. Marta, the mother, was a stay-at-home mum. It was really cool to know that we shared names, she also said to have interest in theatre. They gifted me a CD of their former band. The songs are really nice, though in Polish, but my host said that he wrote the lyrics, and that he doesn't write about love, like everyone else, but about friends and friendships. We went put for a walk, I came to really like the city, it had amazing, big lake, and the city was very green, many parks. It was definitely my favourite city in Poland that I had visited during my trip.
In the morning I was off to cross the next border. I was lucky to find a host not too far from the border in Lithuania in Kalvarija. This was one of those cases where I went to a city only because I found a host. There aren't many big cities in Lithuania, and hence less available hosts. The way to Lithuania was relaxing even though I made an accidental de-tour by turning the wrong way, over calculated how much I need to keep to the left. But the small roads and county side was pretty. I met a few cows on my way (literally). And bought ice cream in some small bus-shop place. I smiled at the people staring at me, probably wonder who I was and where I'm going. I first go to city Suwalki, and then I joined the main road that was going to the border. I was very upset that the road was busy with trucks. Very scary riding at the edge of the road while crazy truck-drivers drive real close by, sometimes horning at me. But I was really glad when I finally reached the border, though afterwards the road was still very busy. Only a small distance was left. When I followed the signs to get off the right exit, i was please to find out that the street I need is right near by. Of course the city was (and still is) small, but still. Then I had a less pleasant surprise when I realized that the houses don't have numbers on them. So I tried asking people, but they didn't understand. Even when I showed the address in writing, they didn't want to help. But then I asked a cute guy, and he knew English, he laughed at my question, because i guess everyone just knows which house is which. But he politely told me which house it the one I'm looking for.
Distance cycled from Elk to Kalvarija: 110 km.
My host was a very interesting man, his flat was extremely minimalist, with literally only the things one most absolutely needs. He cooked food for me, and we talked a lot about pretty much everything. It was very interesting, he had innovative ideas I had not heard before.
The next day I had to get to Kaunas. My host left for work, and told me to just close the door as I leave. So I had a long, lazy morning, not very proud or happy for this, as I had to leave timely because I wanted to be able to see Kaunas a bit. Well, the start of the day was lazy, and so was the rest of the day. It was hard to keep going for a longer time and I fund myself stopping and resting more times then most days. As I got closer to Kaunas, the traffic diluted to less trucks, but actually more cars overall, but the road was wide and most of the way I had enough safe place on the road. I was happy that my hosts place was on the north side of the city. I was tired, and at least I didn't have to go through a busy city centre. My host was a very smart girl (and her boyfriend). Her boyfriend got us pizza and we stayed outside on her roof/terrace enjoyed the night sky and travel talks. She had a very cute and nosy dog, who was full of love! :)
Kalvarija - Kaunas: 80 km.
The next morning I went through the city, took a quick look at what seemed to be some of the important tourist things, including the castle. Then I went across the bridge over to start my way to Panevezys. About two blocks later I was having some bike troubles. I stopped to see what was upsetting my bicycle only to find out that the front tire was flat. This was very bad timing, as I had spent a lot of the day in Kunas, and I had a very long distance to go that day. But so I was determined to find a bike shop where I could get the inner tube changed. After checking some false locations that my phone told me, I asked some locals if they knew any bike shop, and finally I found one. There I gave them the spare tube I had with me, and decided to ask them to change the tire as well (it was very used, and that's why it went flat in the first place). So they changed it all very promptly and soon I was back on the road! :)
It wasn't very easy to get out of the city, to find the best road to get to the main road going to Panevezys, but I managed. I followed the road up until the roundabout, well, something like a roundabout, and then I turned off towards the west side of the city where my host was staying.
Kaunas - Panevezys: 110 km
I stayed in a flat where a bunch of volunteers were staying. There was four of them, girl from Georgia (my host), girl from France, girl from Austria, and a guy from Turkey. They all were in Panevezys through European Volunteer Service volunteering with disabled people. They were actually having a sort of good-bye party as their term was over in a week, and most of them were leaving Lithuania in the upcoming week. It was very nice, relaxing evening, which later turned out to be the last one of this trip.
The following day, June 22nd, a Saturday, I begun my way to the last border of the trip. I followed the main road E67. I had booked a room in a guest house in Latvia for the night of the 22nd. And as I was on my way towards the border I had mixed feeling about my trip. It was about to be over, and I didn't want it to be over, and I was going to go to Rundles Palace (the guest house was near by). Up until just a little in Latvia, I figured that it is smarter to get to Riga that very day. When I crossed the border, I got myself a SIM card for the phone in the first gas station I saw. As I was outside fixing my phone, a random old man came up to me and asked where I was headed, but he didn't really care, I think. He had a bouquet of flowers with him, he took one flower out of it and gave it to me. :) He took the flowers to the lady working in the gas station, they chatted for some time, and when he came out he gave me a chocolate bar and wished me a good ride. I should also note that it was very lovely to be in Latvia, to be able to say Paldies! I was home!
Panevezys - Bauska: 90 km
Then I decided to make a radical move. I figured that I don't want to arrive at home on the 23rd of June, because, let's face it, in Latvia no one is home on the 23rd of June, not if you live in the city. And I didn't have any house keys.
Ah, it's funny how the the entire month I had no HOME keys, only keys to my lock for the bicycle, that was all I had! And it was an amazing feeling to not be tied to one place.
Anywho, I decided to get to Bauska and then take a bus from Bauska to Riga. And that was it! The end, the best time of my life (so far) was over.
I felt like this needed to be finished, and there it is.
Congrats if you managed to read this long, long post.
Also, thanks to all those who tuned in in summer when I was on the road.
See you all next summer, when maybe I'll have new adventures to share.
Where did we last meet? Let's roll back to the day when I had a super late breakfast at the photographer's home in Warsaw. As said in that post, we had a night BBQ, so naturally I slept in. That day, when I finally packed my things and was ready to roll, I left my hosts apartment and was on my way to a near-by city called Wyszkow. I had the last look at the capital city of Poland. I got a bit lost on as I was trying to find the right way out of the city, but then finally I saw a sign that informed me that I have left Warsaw. For most part of the day I went along a highway, there was a special smaller road for bikers, slower cars, local buses, etc. But at times this road was very confusing as it would trail off when ever the highway had a exit. So often I was not very sure of the right way to go. Besides, now I was no longer moving straight East, so following directions based on the sun was a bit trickier, it all depended on the actual time.
As any other day, I passes other cyclers, and other cyclers passes me. But it is important to note this one guy (well man, not guy, I think he was about 50), he had a really cool, personalized bicycle. He also had a radio, the station he had on played good oldies. (Now that I come to think of it, it probably was a music player, not radio that was playing.) He was moving at a very constant pace, not really racing anywhere, and not going real slow either. I could tell by his clothes that he is out for a cycling trip. Because i don't go at same pace, (sometimes I feel like going real fast, just pushing as much as I can, and other times I just want to go slow and relax), we passed each other some times. After having passed each other several times we both finally smiled (laughed) at each other. We confirmed that we don't speak a common language. He knew none English, and I spoke zero Polish. He tried Russian, even German. So we failed miserably at communicating. However, somehow we determined that he goes the same direction as me, so we cycled along side each other. We tried talking several times, as we both were curious about each other stories, but that didn't work out so well. He wanted to stop at McDonalds, so I stopped too and watched his bike when he went in. And he got two colas, one for me. :) It was really sweet of him. As I understood he had gone to Warsaw the previous day, and now he was on his way home. He said that he used to cycle a lot more when he was younger. We continued our journey, but when we got closer to my destination for that day he showed me the right way and turned off to go elsewhere. I was very glad to have met him, otherwise I might have gotten lost a few times. I stopped in some bus stop for a quick snack, and then I completed the last bit of the cycling trip for that day.
Warsaw - Wyszkow distance: 60 km
My host in Wyszkow: this guy had a brand new profile on Couch Surfing, no pictures, no description, no references. You might wonder why I went along with it. Well this guy is a friend of some other guy to whom I sent a couch request. This other guy had a brilliant profile, but he denied my couchrequest because he wasn't in city that day, but he told me that his friend, a really great guy has always wanted to try CS, especially since apparently they don't get many people travelling to their city. And well, my gut said it should be fine, and it was! Since I was this guys first guests via CS, he was extremely nice, he cooked me dinner, we talked about life. It was sad to hear about some bad things that had happened in his life, but I found it brave of him to stay positive.
In the morning he had made some sandwiches for me, and the left over ones he packed for me for the road. :) Great guy.
I departed relatively early because my host had to attend something with his daughter. I was again pleased with the sunny weather (Gosh, it so hard to pin-point to that now, in winter!!!!). I went to a store to buy some more food for the road, and chocolate for my next host, and then I was out of the small city. For half of the way I cycled along the same road as the previous day. There again was a smaller road along the bigger one (the original highway connects Warsaw and Bialystok). I went along this until a city called Ostrow Mazowiecka, right before actually entering this city I turned off the road (actually I turned off a bit too early, but it was still good, I just went through some private home area of the city). And then, again, I was on a smaller road on my way to Lomza. There were only two lines (one each direction), and no place for me really, but luckily the traffic wasn't too crazy for most of the way, so it was not too stressful. Along the way I contacted my host to let him know how far along I am, and so he would know my approximate arrival time. Although the way to Lomza was more or less simple, I was pretty tired when I finally arrived to my hosts place.
Wyszkow - Lomza distance cycled: 90 km
My host was an ERASMUS student in Lomza and was due to leave Poland in a couple of weeks. He was renting a room in some family home in the city. He shared the second floor with another person. It happened to be his birthday (shame on me for not noticing that when I was checking his profile on CS!), but luckily at least he said the chocolate I got for him was his favourite. We walked about the city, there wasn't really too much to see though. We went back to his place and had a small birthday party for him. Stayed up all night talking about travelling, turned out he had been to Riga, and I was glad to hear that he really likes Latvia. The following day, June 18, I decided to rest a whole day, and was lucky that my host was ok with hosting me for one more night. During this day, we went to see more of the city, and I also had a quick look at my bike so it's in a decent condition for the rest of the trip. The next day, Wednesday, I was well rested and ready to roll to my last stop in Poland - Elk.
To be honest, I don't remember much of this day. There is only one picture I have, so I have nothing to go on, and my memory is very shady, as it is hard to remember what happened each day. I do recall that my host walked me to the centre of the city, and pointed the direction where I should go, claiming that that's the way where the bus went when he went to Lithuania. The road went well downhill, so it was relaxing regardless of the busy traffic. The way to Elk was very fragmented, there was no one clear big road, so I just tried to get to the next bigger city, and so all the way to Elk. I recall that there were very poor signs, and it was confusing at times, to turn left, or right. The first half, even more was easier, but once I got closer to my destination, i tried to follow some smaller roads, that had some cycling signs, but they were inconsistent, and missing in some places.
Distance from Lomza to Elk: 90 km
My hosts in Elk were a young couple, who used to play in a band together, but now they had just had a baby born a few month ago. Marta, the mother, was a stay-at-home mum. It was really cool to know that we shared names, she also said to have interest in theatre. They gifted me a CD of their former band. The songs are really nice, though in Polish, but my host said that he wrote the lyrics, and that he doesn't write about love, like everyone else, but about friends and friendships. We went put for a walk, I came to really like the city, it had amazing, big lake, and the city was very green, many parks. It was definitely my favourite city in Poland that I had visited during my trip.
In the morning I was off to cross the next border. I was lucky to find a host not too far from the border in Lithuania in Kalvarija. This was one of those cases where I went to a city only because I found a host. There aren't many big cities in Lithuania, and hence less available hosts. The way to Lithuania was relaxing even though I made an accidental de-tour by turning the wrong way, over calculated how much I need to keep to the left. But the small roads and county side was pretty. I met a few cows on my way (literally). And bought ice cream in some small bus-shop place. I smiled at the people staring at me, probably wonder who I was and where I'm going. I first go to city Suwalki, and then I joined the main road that was going to the border. I was very upset that the road was busy with trucks. Very scary riding at the edge of the road while crazy truck-drivers drive real close by, sometimes horning at me. But I was really glad when I finally reached the border, though afterwards the road was still very busy. Only a small distance was left. When I followed the signs to get off the right exit, i was please to find out that the street I need is right near by. Of course the city was (and still is) small, but still. Then I had a less pleasant surprise when I realized that the houses don't have numbers on them. So I tried asking people, but they didn't understand. Even when I showed the address in writing, they didn't want to help. But then I asked a cute guy, and he knew English, he laughed at my question, because i guess everyone just knows which house is which. But he politely told me which house it the one I'm looking for.
Distance cycled from Elk to Kalvarija: 110 km.
My host was a very interesting man, his flat was extremely minimalist, with literally only the things one most absolutely needs. He cooked food for me, and we talked a lot about pretty much everything. It was very interesting, he had innovative ideas I had not heard before.
The next day I had to get to Kaunas. My host left for work, and told me to just close the door as I leave. So I had a long, lazy morning, not very proud or happy for this, as I had to leave timely because I wanted to be able to see Kaunas a bit. Well, the start of the day was lazy, and so was the rest of the day. It was hard to keep going for a longer time and I fund myself stopping and resting more times then most days. As I got closer to Kaunas, the traffic diluted to less trucks, but actually more cars overall, but the road was wide and most of the way I had enough safe place on the road. I was happy that my hosts place was on the north side of the city. I was tired, and at least I didn't have to go through a busy city centre. My host was a very smart girl (and her boyfriend). Her boyfriend got us pizza and we stayed outside on her roof/terrace enjoyed the night sky and travel talks. She had a very cute and nosy dog, who was full of love! :)
Kalvarija - Kaunas: 80 km.
The next morning I went through the city, took a quick look at what seemed to be some of the important tourist things, including the castle. Then I went across the bridge over to start my way to Panevezys. About two blocks later I was having some bike troubles. I stopped to see what was upsetting my bicycle only to find out that the front tire was flat. This was very bad timing, as I had spent a lot of the day in Kunas, and I had a very long distance to go that day. But so I was determined to find a bike shop where I could get the inner tube changed. After checking some false locations that my phone told me, I asked some locals if they knew any bike shop, and finally I found one. There I gave them the spare tube I had with me, and decided to ask them to change the tire as well (it was very used, and that's why it went flat in the first place). So they changed it all very promptly and soon I was back on the road! :)
It wasn't very easy to get out of the city, to find the best road to get to the main road going to Panevezys, but I managed. I followed the road up until the roundabout, well, something like a roundabout, and then I turned off towards the west side of the city where my host was staying.
Kaunas - Panevezys: 110 km
I stayed in a flat where a bunch of volunteers were staying. There was four of them, girl from Georgia (my host), girl from France, girl from Austria, and a guy from Turkey. They all were in Panevezys through European Volunteer Service volunteering with disabled people. They were actually having a sort of good-bye party as their term was over in a week, and most of them were leaving Lithuania in the upcoming week. It was very nice, relaxing evening, which later turned out to be the last one of this trip.
The following day, June 22nd, a Saturday, I begun my way to the last border of the trip. I followed the main road E67. I had booked a room in a guest house in Latvia for the night of the 22nd. And as I was on my way towards the border I had mixed feeling about my trip. It was about to be over, and I didn't want it to be over, and I was going to go to Rundles Palace (the guest house was near by). Up until just a little in Latvia, I figured that it is smarter to get to Riga that very day. When I crossed the border, I got myself a SIM card for the phone in the first gas station I saw. As I was outside fixing my phone, a random old man came up to me and asked where I was headed, but he didn't really care, I think. He had a bouquet of flowers with him, he took one flower out of it and gave it to me. :) He took the flowers to the lady working in the gas station, they chatted for some time, and when he came out he gave me a chocolate bar and wished me a good ride. I should also note that it was very lovely to be in Latvia, to be able to say Paldies! I was home!
Panevezys - Bauska: 90 km
Then I decided to make a radical move. I figured that I don't want to arrive at home on the 23rd of June, because, let's face it, in Latvia no one is home on the 23rd of June, not if you live in the city. And I didn't have any house keys.
Ah, it's funny how the the entire month I had no HOME keys, only keys to my lock for the bicycle, that was all I had! And it was an amazing feeling to not be tied to one place.
Anywho, I decided to get to Bauska and then take a bus from Bauska to Riga. And that was it! The end, the best time of my life (so far) was over.
I felt like this needed to be finished, and there it is.
Congrats if you managed to read this long, long post.
Also, thanks to all those who tuned in in summer when I was on the road.
Overall, I really did have an amazing adventure and going on this trip has been the best choice I have ever made. It was a perfect trip, with zero regrets, lovely weather, helpful people, self exploration, challenges, laughter and even some tears, it was one of a kind.
See you all next summer, when maybe I'll have new adventures to share.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
More Lime
Today I will be going to Lithuania.
I shall post about my last couple days later, when I have more time. :P
I shall post about my last couple days later, when I have more time. :P
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Battle
I feel like I make it sound like the trip is all rainbows and butterflies. It is in general an amazing experience, but every day is a battle. Every hill is a challenge, and every kilometre takes effort to complete. It takes a lot of physical and mental strength to keep going every day. Every day I have moments when I feel like it's tough, the sun is burns, traffic gets too dangerous, bag is too heavy, it gets hard to find accommodation for the day, I get lost, I can't decide which way to go, difficulties to communicate to others due to language barrier... The list goes on and on, there are countless challenges that I am forced to face every day. Plus there is always the safety factor - am I safe where I am at, will I be safe at the destination, are my things safe, and will my bike be safe? Constant questions and doubts are going through my mind all the time.
Yes, I am on a holiday, but it is not the relaxing type of holiday. It's action!
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, I'm just pointing it out that it is not always as easy as it seems.
Yesterday I had a short trip to Warsaw. On the way I also passed through the city where Chopin was born - Żelazowa Wola. I stopped there to have an ice cream, that's all. :D
The trip to Warsaw was fairly simple. I went on a road that wasn't too busy most of the time. When I got closer to the destination, I used the cycling paths or the side walks. One funny thing happened though. I was about half way between Sochaczew and Warsaw, and police decided to stop me. They rode at my side and said something in Polish, then stopped. I assumed they wanted me to stop, so I did. The two officers got out of their car and came up to me and one of them (a rather handsome fella :D) started speaking Polish.
-Something in Polish.
-Sorry, I don't speak Polish.
-You don't speak Polish?
-No.
-Do you speak English?
-Yes, I do understand English.
-Where are you from?
-Latvia.
-Latvia?
-Yes.
-Do you have any ID?
-Yes. (Found my passport and gave it to him)
-Rituma Marta. Ok. Where do you live in Poland?
-I don't. I'm just passing by.
-Ahh, OK.
-What seems to be the problem?
-(He then inspects how my bag is placed on the back rack and tells something to the other officer) Hmmm, ok, nothing.
And then I got my ID back and they just let me go. It was a very strange encounter.
I found my host's flat fairly soon. It was early evening when I arrived. He made some pasta. Then he showed me the way to the city. I cycled about quite a bit. Stopped at the Citadel and enjoyed some time swinging on swings. This was great as I hadn't been on swings for a very long time. Felt like a child again.
In the city I met with a person from Couch Surfing. He showed me around a bit, and then we went for a couple of beers. He did a similar journey to mine two years back; cycled from Poland to England.
When I got back to my host's studio apartment he and some of his friends were about to have a midnight BBQ. So I joined them, it turned out to be a very fun night. :D
I got some nice breakfast (at lunch time, haha). And now I shall continue my journey. I have about 60 km to cycle today, so not too far.
Distance: 65 km
Yes, I am on a holiday, but it is not the relaxing type of holiday. It's action!
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, I'm just pointing it out that it is not always as easy as it seems.
Yesterday I had a short trip to Warsaw. On the way I also passed through the city where Chopin was born - Żelazowa Wola. I stopped there to have an ice cream, that's all. :D
The trip to Warsaw was fairly simple. I went on a road that wasn't too busy most of the time. When I got closer to the destination, I used the cycling paths or the side walks. One funny thing happened though. I was about half way between Sochaczew and Warsaw, and police decided to stop me. They rode at my side and said something in Polish, then stopped. I assumed they wanted me to stop, so I did. The two officers got out of their car and came up to me and one of them (a rather handsome fella :D) started speaking Polish.
-Something in Polish.
-Sorry, I don't speak Polish.
-You don't speak Polish?
-No.
-Do you speak English?
-Yes, I do understand English.
-Where are you from?
-Latvia.
-Latvia?
-Yes.
-Do you have any ID?
-Yes. (Found my passport and gave it to him)
-Rituma Marta. Ok. Where do you live in Poland?
-I don't. I'm just passing by.
-Ahh, OK.
-What seems to be the problem?
-(He then inspects how my bag is placed on the back rack and tells something to the other officer) Hmmm, ok, nothing.
And then I got my ID back and they just let me go. It was a very strange encounter.
I found my host's flat fairly soon. It was early evening when I arrived. He made some pasta. Then he showed me the way to the city. I cycled about quite a bit. Stopped at the Citadel and enjoyed some time swinging on swings. This was great as I hadn't been on swings for a very long time. Felt like a child again.
In the city I met with a person from Couch Surfing. He showed me around a bit, and then we went for a couple of beers. He did a similar journey to mine two years back; cycled from Poland to England.
When I got back to my host's studio apartment he and some of his friends were about to have a midnight BBQ. So I joined them, it turned out to be a very fun night. :D
I got some nice breakfast (at lunch time, haha). And now I shall continue my journey. I have about 60 km to cycle today, so not too far.
Distance: 65 km
Friday, June 14, 2013
Long Story
Where to start?
So on the 10th of June I cycled from Zbaszyn to Poznan. That was roughly 80 km, but I got lost along the way a bit. I departed from the Zb...something city after noon, and was in Poznan fairly late. The route I took was Zbaszyn - Nowy Tomysl - Michorzewo - Buk - Wieckowice - Poznan. Somewhere before Buk I got lost, because originally I did not plan on passing through this city.
That night I stayed at a couch surfing host's dorm. She was a student at an university in Poznan. I was very glad she took me in, as it is exam time, and many other students declined my couch requests due to exams. I liked talking to her as she had interesting stories to tell about her travels.
Distance: 85 km
The following morning my host left to go to university and I left for Konin. It was around 10 in the morning, if I remember correctly. I believe I was about 5km into my journey when my bicycle started to make very scary noises, it was cracking, and it was very difficult to keep pedalling. I decided that there is no way I can cycle like this more than 100 km, distance to Konin. So I tried fixing my bike, but I realized the back wheel was turning with it's screw. I failed to fix it. Then a man, I'll call him Superman, came to rescue me. He helped me to carry the bicycle to a bike-shop that was about 1 km away. The bike-shop worker found out that the back wheel is not usable, so he had to change the wheel, tire, chain, and back chain disk.
At fist the two men at the shop said that they can get it fixed by tomorrow (the following day). This, of course, was not an option for me, so I asked if there is anyway they could do it today, not just today, but right away. And finally they were kind enough to fix it within two hours. While they were fixing it, Superman took me to his friend's place, who lived near by. There we had some coffee, and the nice woman even gave me delicious lunch. With the help of this woman's son, I was able to tell my Superman that it is too late for me to cycle to Konin, and that I would like to take a train to there. We picked up my bike, and then he cycled with me to the station and helped me to get a ticket. This man was just amazing! I can't believe how lucky I was that he stopped to help me. I got his name and address, so I think I will send him a superman t-shirt when I'm done with my journey.
I arrived in Konin, then found my hosts place. For that night I stayed with a couple who have travelled a lot, it was nice to hear about their adventures, I also learned a lot new about Poland.
Then the following morning I was off to Kutno.
I left Konin early, my bike was good and rolling, and I was well rested. I took the route 92, so it was easy to get to my next stop. No wondering about, or getting lost. The weather still was good, and the road was wide, so I didn't have to worry about all the cars. It was abut 90 km ride. I arrived there earlier than I thought I would. I met up with my host and he took me to his spacious apartment that was very close by. He cooked a lovely dinner. We enjoyed each other's company over couple glasses of wine. It was very interesting to talk to my host as he had very solid ideas and thoughts about life and future, and people. We had some good laughs.
Distance: 90 km
The following morning, Thursday, 13th of June, due to my hosts schedule we departed early. He went to work, and I was off to a city not too far away called Sochacew. Again, I chose the easy 92 route, which then turned into route 2, and it lead me right to the city. It was not far away, and I was cycling fairly fast, so I was good on my way by mid day. I stopped couple of times along the way, enjoyed the weather, and had a good lunch in one bar/restaurant on the way. I found my hosts home easy, and before arriving I got myself a big three-scoop ice cream! Just what I needed in the heat. My host was very hospitable, fed me nice dinner, and we had a short chat about this-and-that.
Distance: 70 km
Today I am going to Warsaw, that's roughly 60 km, but I can't know for sure, since I don't know where my next host lives. :D
PEACE OUT!
So on the 10th of June I cycled from Zbaszyn to Poznan. That was roughly 80 km, but I got lost along the way a bit. I departed from the Zb...something city after noon, and was in Poznan fairly late. The route I took was Zbaszyn - Nowy Tomysl - Michorzewo - Buk - Wieckowice - Poznan. Somewhere before Buk I got lost, because originally I did not plan on passing through this city.
That night I stayed at a couch surfing host's dorm. She was a student at an university in Poznan. I was very glad she took me in, as it is exam time, and many other students declined my couch requests due to exams. I liked talking to her as she had interesting stories to tell about her travels.
Distance: 85 km
The following morning my host left to go to university and I left for Konin. It was around 10 in the morning, if I remember correctly. I believe I was about 5km into my journey when my bicycle started to make very scary noises, it was cracking, and it was very difficult to keep pedalling. I decided that there is no way I can cycle like this more than 100 km, distance to Konin. So I tried fixing my bike, but I realized the back wheel was turning with it's screw. I failed to fix it. Then a man, I'll call him Superman, came to rescue me. He helped me to carry the bicycle to a bike-shop that was about 1 km away. The bike-shop worker found out that the back wheel is not usable, so he had to change the wheel, tire, chain, and back chain disk.
At fist the two men at the shop said that they can get it fixed by tomorrow (the following day). This, of course, was not an option for me, so I asked if there is anyway they could do it today, not just today, but right away. And finally they were kind enough to fix it within two hours. While they were fixing it, Superman took me to his friend's place, who lived near by. There we had some coffee, and the nice woman even gave me delicious lunch. With the help of this woman's son, I was able to tell my Superman that it is too late for me to cycle to Konin, and that I would like to take a train to there. We picked up my bike, and then he cycled with me to the station and helped me to get a ticket. This man was just amazing! I can't believe how lucky I was that he stopped to help me. I got his name and address, so I think I will send him a superman t-shirt when I'm done with my journey.
I arrived in Konin, then found my hosts place. For that night I stayed with a couple who have travelled a lot, it was nice to hear about their adventures, I also learned a lot new about Poland.
Then the following morning I was off to Kutno.
I left Konin early, my bike was good and rolling, and I was well rested. I took the route 92, so it was easy to get to my next stop. No wondering about, or getting lost. The weather still was good, and the road was wide, so I didn't have to worry about all the cars. It was abut 90 km ride. I arrived there earlier than I thought I would. I met up with my host and he took me to his spacious apartment that was very close by. He cooked a lovely dinner. We enjoyed each other's company over couple glasses of wine. It was very interesting to talk to my host as he had very solid ideas and thoughts about life and future, and people. We had some good laughs.
Distance: 90 km
The following morning, Thursday, 13th of June, due to my hosts schedule we departed early. He went to work, and I was off to a city not too far away called Sochacew. Again, I chose the easy 92 route, which then turned into route 2, and it lead me right to the city. It was not far away, and I was cycling fairly fast, so I was good on my way by mid day. I stopped couple of times along the way, enjoyed the weather, and had a good lunch in one bar/restaurant on the way. I found my hosts home easy, and before arriving I got myself a big three-scoop ice cream! Just what I needed in the heat. My host was very hospitable, fed me nice dinner, and we had a short chat about this-and-that.
Distance: 70 km
Today I am going to Warsaw, that's roughly 60 km, but I can't know for sure, since I don't know where my next host lives. :D
PEACE OUT!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Welcome to Poland - Home of Good Food
My journey continues to bring great experience! Yesterday I cycled from Selecin to Zbaszyn. The Polish names still surprise me! How can there be so many consonants in a row. It is very hard to even write things down, not to mention pronouncing them. To be honest, I don't even try! In my head it is Zb...something city. On my way I accidentally took two de-tours, this added about 10 km to my day's trip, so not too bad. The weather started off being very hot! But as I went East, it got a cloudier, still very warm, but it was bearable. I left Sulecin very late, my host's mother made me dinner. When I came to thinking about it, it was my first warm meal in several day time. The food was great! FULL of flavour, loving it. And when I arrived to Zbaszyn my host also gave me warm dinner, and again, the food was very good! My host is a very nice girl, she lives with her husband and two little boys. She is a very nice girl, with a kind heart!
I will be leaving, hopefully soon, since I don't want to arrive to Poznan too late.
The map of Poland that I purchased in Germany is very poor. It has only major roads, which does no good for me, as it is better to travel along the smaller roads. Now I often rely on GPS on my phone.
Good quality roads are great for speed, however, cars use this to go fast as well, so such roads are not very safe. The older, bad roads can be literally a pain in the bum, but at least I know that cars will not go fast, so it feels a lot safer. Poland runs short on cycling routes. They are present in some cities, but between cities, not really. There are some routes that are marked as cycling routes, but here they don't have may signs as to where the paths go.
Anyway. I should get ready for the days trip. ;)
Distance: 85 km
P.S. It takes a long time to upload pictures, that's why there are very few up. Sorry about that. I know I am several days behind, deal with it. :P haha BYE now.
I will be leaving, hopefully soon, since I don't want to arrive to Poznan too late.
The map of Poland that I purchased in Germany is very poor. It has only major roads, which does no good for me, as it is better to travel along the smaller roads. Now I often rely on GPS on my phone.
Good quality roads are great for speed, however, cars use this to go fast as well, so such roads are not very safe. The older, bad roads can be literally a pain in the bum, but at least I know that cars will not go fast, so it feels a lot safer. Poland runs short on cycling routes. They are present in some cities, but between cities, not really. There are some routes that are marked as cycling routes, but here they don't have may signs as to where the paths go.
Anyway. I should get ready for the days trip. ;)
Distance: 85 km
P.S. It takes a long time to upload pictures, that's why there are very few up. Sorry about that. I know I am several days behind, deal with it. :P haha BYE now.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Berlin and then Crossing the Border
Berlin. Berlin. Berlin. Berlin is full of everything. It has a lot to offer, and falls short on almost nothing. It is beautiful, has great sight seeing places, and colourful history to tell. My friends' mother took me to an ice-cream place where they serve the best ice-cream in Berlin. I've not tried every ice-cream place there, but I do believe that that was best ice cream in the city! It was brilliant, full of flavour. The next day, Friday, I had a long morning, as per usual, and then went for a cycling tour in the city. I managed to see a lot of hings despite the short time I spent there. Along the things I saw were the Brandenburg Gate, Tiergarten, part of Berlin Wall, the Jewish Memorial, and others. After my short city tour I was off to Furstenwalde, a city not too far from the Polish and German border. I left the city relatively late, and arrived at my hosts place at about ten in the evening. The ride wasn't too exhausting. My host in Furstenwalde was a very pleasant man who welcomed me like a friend. We talked about my trip and other things. It was a very nice, calm evening/ In the morning after late breakfast he and two of his kids ode with me to show me the right way to go off to Poland.
Distance: 50 km
The ride from Furstenwalde started off not too good. It was a very hot day, and I had put a lot of sun cream on, and was very frustrated about the heat, it was difficult to ride in such condition. But soon I grew accustom to the situation and managed to overcome my frustration. I got to the border at Frankfurt Oder (Germany) and Slubice (Poland). From there I cycled to my host's city Sulecin. I took my time on the German side of the trip, and so I was a bit behind schedule. Poland welcomed with beautiful cities, and in some places free WiFi spots. Can't complain! :D The ride in Poland was on the road since there were no cycling paths. It felt very unsafe, but it's not like I had much of a choice. I had my high visibility vest on, made me feel a bit safer. I arrived at my host's place at soon after ten. It has so far been a great experience. My host stays with her parents (until today, so I was very lucky), they took me in like a guest of honour! I am the first guest they are having from Couch Surfing, so they tried their very best to make me feel like at home. Actually all my hosts so far have been wonderful and there is no bad thing to say. I've been very fortunate. Today I have about 80 km ride from Sulecin to Zbaszyn. My host's mother just now told me that there is quite a bit of the road to go uphill. I think I will handle it well. I had a surprise yesterday to see that Poland has some hills. They don't seem very apparent, but when on a bicycle every hill is noticeable. It is always worth it because what goes up must come down. :)
Distance 100 km
P.S. I will no longer write the time, since I basically spend the whole day to get from point A to point B. That what I am here for! :D
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Berlin
Today I had a long short ride. In the morning I took some time to plan where I will spend the first day when I get in Poland. I had a long morning. When I finally left my hosts place, it was noon. I took some time to cycle around the city. The weather was great, again. For the first time I did not wear a long sleeve shirt, instead I had a short shirt, and rolled up my leggings. I put on a lot of sun cream. Before going to Berlin I took a de-tour the other direction. There I found a nice picnic area there were no people there, so I parked my bike, took out some of my clothes that were still a bit wet, so they would dry in the sun. I ate some lunch and spent almost two hours just enjoying the sun!
After all that I finally cycled to Berlin. An old friend of mine was able to arrange me a place to stay for the night with her mother. This was really sweet! So here I am now in Berlin. I don't think I will go out today since tomorrow I have a very long day. I shall get up early and see the city a bit, and then off to Hangelsberg.
Time: ALL DAY :D
Distance: 40 km
After all that I finally cycled to Berlin. An old friend of mine was able to arrange me a place to stay for the night with her mother. This was really sweet! So here I am now in Berlin. I don't think I will go out today since tomorrow I have a very long day. I shall get up early and see the city a bit, and then off to Hangelsberg.
Time: ALL DAY :D
Distance: 40 km
Cheating or Well Deserved Rest?
WRITTEN YESTERDAY ON THE 5TH OF JUNE
On the 4th of June I left Wolfsburg very late due to the invention of internet and skype. To be honest, I left late because I procrastinated and couldn't get myself off to an early start. I finally left Wolfsburg at about 12:30. I Had said to my host in Magdeburg, 65-year-old Guntar, that I would arrive there at around nine in the evening. The distance between the two cities is a bit less than 90 km. Knowing my pace, I knew I had to be speedy, so I could get to Magdeburg on time. So I chose to use the GPS on my phone to find my way when I felt lost, or when I was not sure about the right direction. This did speed me up quite a bit. The ride to Magdeburg was not very tough, I was well rested, had had a long lazy-morning, and was mentally ready for this trip. The route I took was Wolfsburg - Oebisfeld - Etingen - Calvorde - Wieglitz - Haldensleben - Vahldorf - Magdeburg. The first bit I went on route 188, it wasn't a good road for cycling, but I was on it midday, therefore the traffic was not too busy and I was able to get to Oebisfeld all in one piece. Plus riding on such a fast moving road made it impossible for me to stop, so I was going at a good speed. I then took a route to Haldensleben, however, there again were no cycling routes, so I was cycling along the side of the road. At one moment I tried to go along the Mittelland Canal, but I failed at that because the route was there at one moment and then it was gone, so I had to cycle a part of the route back. I then joined the previous route. At one point I managed to cycle on a bike route, but that ended about 15 km away from my goal, so, again, I was forced to cycle along the big road. I then used GPS to find my host's home, and I arrived there at ten minutes past nine, so practically right on time.
Time: 8.5 h
Distance: 90 km
The sun was very bright almost all day long, and I managed to tan my arms a bit since I folded up my sleeves. My knees still hurt, and so did my back. I arrived to Magdeburg to learn that my CS host was a very unique individual. We talked a lot about life, people, psychology, future, past, and many other things. I learned some interesting insights, and that he has some trains of thoughts a lot like I do. We got along brilliantly. Sadly his wife knew very little English, and was working early the following morning, so I didn't get to spend much time with her.
In the evening I learned that my next stop Potsdam was further that I thought - 130 km. I am still not very sure how this miscalculation happened. So as a solution I was considering taking the train half way, and then cycling the rest. BUT after a lot of thinking, and talking to my host I decided to cheat and take the day to rest. In the morning I took my time to sleep well, then me and Guntar had breakfast out in the sun. Again, we talked a lot, and I enjoyed every part of it. He then drove me to the train station where he helped me to get a train ticket for me and my bicycle to Potsdam. He then drove us to the river Elbe which is currently over flooded. We had a very quick driving tour through the city. Then it was time for me to take the train, and again Guntar helped me with that.
The train ride to the city of Potsdam was very quick. I am currently in the city at the Sanssouci Park enjoying the weather, and writing this post (which I shall publish when I get access to the internet). The city is just lovely! So far I've had a good rest day, my knees feel better, my bum hurts less, and my back pain has for now has disappeared. I will later go to yet another host from CS, where I shall spend the night. Tomorrow I have a very short ride to Berlin.
CONTINUED TODAY
After the nice ride in the city I arrived to my hosts apartment. My host is a young guy Johannes, he lives with some flatmates in a very spacious flat. In the evening three of us went out for a beer. It was a nice evening. I learned a lot about the city of Potsdam and Johannes talked a lot about his travelling experiences. He has been to many places! As mentioned, today I will be going to Berlin! That is only 30 km away, so I am looking forward to it. :)
On the 4th of June I left Wolfsburg very late due to the invention of internet and skype. To be honest, I left late because I procrastinated and couldn't get myself off to an early start. I finally left Wolfsburg at about 12:30. I Had said to my host in Magdeburg, 65-year-old Guntar, that I would arrive there at around nine in the evening. The distance between the two cities is a bit less than 90 km. Knowing my pace, I knew I had to be speedy, so I could get to Magdeburg on time. So I chose to use the GPS on my phone to find my way when I felt lost, or when I was not sure about the right direction. This did speed me up quite a bit. The ride to Magdeburg was not very tough, I was well rested, had had a long lazy-morning, and was mentally ready for this trip. The route I took was Wolfsburg - Oebisfeld - Etingen - Calvorde - Wieglitz - Haldensleben - Vahldorf - Magdeburg. The first bit I went on route 188, it wasn't a good road for cycling, but I was on it midday, therefore the traffic was not too busy and I was able to get to Oebisfeld all in one piece. Plus riding on such a fast moving road made it impossible for me to stop, so I was going at a good speed. I then took a route to Haldensleben, however, there again were no cycling routes, so I was cycling along the side of the road. At one moment I tried to go along the Mittelland Canal, but I failed at that because the route was there at one moment and then it was gone, so I had to cycle a part of the route back. I then joined the previous route. At one point I managed to cycle on a bike route, but that ended about 15 km away from my goal, so, again, I was forced to cycle along the big road. I then used GPS to find my host's home, and I arrived there at ten minutes past nine, so practically right on time.
Time: 8.5 h
Distance: 90 km
The sun was very bright almost all day long, and I managed to tan my arms a bit since I folded up my sleeves. My knees still hurt, and so did my back. I arrived to Magdeburg to learn that my CS host was a very unique individual. We talked a lot about life, people, psychology, future, past, and many other things. I learned some interesting insights, and that he has some trains of thoughts a lot like I do. We got along brilliantly. Sadly his wife knew very little English, and was working early the following morning, so I didn't get to spend much time with her.
In the evening I learned that my next stop Potsdam was further that I thought - 130 km. I am still not very sure how this miscalculation happened. So as a solution I was considering taking the train half way, and then cycling the rest. BUT after a lot of thinking, and talking to my host I decided to cheat and take the day to rest. In the morning I took my time to sleep well, then me and Guntar had breakfast out in the sun. Again, we talked a lot, and I enjoyed every part of it. He then drove me to the train station where he helped me to get a train ticket for me and my bicycle to Potsdam. He then drove us to the river Elbe which is currently over flooded. We had a very quick driving tour through the city. Then it was time for me to take the train, and again Guntar helped me with that.
The train ride to the city of Potsdam was very quick. I am currently in the city at the Sanssouci Park enjoying the weather, and writing this post (which I shall publish when I get access to the internet). The city is just lovely! So far I've had a good rest day, my knees feel better, my bum hurts less, and my back pain has for now has disappeared. I will later go to yet another host from CS, where I shall spend the night. Tomorrow I have a very short ride to Berlin.
CONTINUED TODAY
After the nice ride in the city I arrived to my hosts apartment. My host is a young guy Johannes, he lives with some flatmates in a very spacious flat. In the evening three of us went out for a beer. It was a nice evening. I learned a lot about the city of Potsdam and Johannes talked a lot about his travelling experiences. He has been to many places! As mentioned, today I will be going to Berlin! That is only 30 km away, so I am looking forward to it. :)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Volkswagen
Yet another day has gone by. My knees are aching and legs are more bruised than ever. It's unbelievable how far I've come already. But there is still a long way to go... The journey from Hanover to Wolfsburg was not as tough as it should have been. I managed to go most of the way along the Mittellland Canal. But the start of the day was excruciating. It was hard to get out of Hanover since all the road signs were for cars and all ended up on highways. I needed to start my day's journey on route 443, but the part of his road that was in the city was a highway, so I had to get just out of the city to get on this route. I managed to find some cycling routes just outside of the city. I had to go through the woods where the route was barely visible, and most of the way was muddy. But I eventually hit a road and luckily it was the 443. I went long this road till Peine where I started to cycle along the canal up until Wolfsburg. I did have to get of the route for some time because there was a harbour where there was no cycle route through it. The route of the day: Hanover - Sehnde - Peine - Wattenbuttel - Wedelsbuttel - Wolfsburg.
The path along the canal was tricky at times, sometimes there was barely any path at all, or it was very muddy. It was tough to ride through as I had to hold on to the steering wheel tight to not to fall. But then I did have my first fall, however, I got up quickly and kept going.
The path along the canal was tricky at times, sometimes there was barely any path at all, or it was very muddy. It was tough to ride through as I had to hold on to the steering wheel tight to not to fall. But then I did have my first fall, however, I got up quickly and kept going.
I am in the Volkswagen city: Wolfburg. According to my CS host about 5500 people are employed at the Volkswagen company that is located to the North of Mittelland Canal. The whole city here stands only because of Volkswagen.
Today I am to get to Magdeburg, I should get going! :)
Time: 10.5 h
Distance: 90 km
Today I am to get to Magdeburg, I should get going! :)
Time: 10.5 h
Distance: 90 km
Monday, June 3, 2013
2 in 1
I've not really been able to get to the internet to post at the end of every day. In this post I will summarize two day journey. First Lingen - Rodinghausen, second Rodinghausen - Hanover.
June 1st
The first full day in Germany. The start was fairly simple. I was well rested and fed by my good host Kasia. The route was Lingen - Freren - Hopsten - Recke - Mettingen - Westerkappeln - Osnabruck - Wissingen - Buer - Rodinghausen. Around Osnabruck tings got more complex. I was searching for directions to my city but found none. I was going roughly the right way, but not quite, since I managed to get lost and off the route several times. Also the first bit of German hills was on the last bit to Rodinghausen. It was a nice surprise since, of course, I was tired already. When I finally found the city it took me some time to find the Youth Hostel, and when I did there was no one there in charge. I called a number that had been left on a door there only to find out that the person on the other side knew zero English. She understood it was me who was calling, I said my name and that I had sent an e-mail two days ago. I managed to find a girl who gladly helped me to translate what the lady on the other end was saying. Long story short, I got my bed even though it was late, I managed to have a good night sleep and a good breakfast the next morning.
Distance: 100 km
Time: 9 h
2nd of June
The day started off well in the hills, so there was a lot of going up up up, then down, down, down. Needless to say, the down part was what I enjoyed the most. The route for the day was Rodinghausen - Hulhorst - Minden - Buckeburg - Obernkirchen - Bad Nenndorf - Ronnenberg - Hemmingern - Hanover.
I got very lost around Buckeburg. I somehow mislead myself on the highway, panicked and had to get off it, climbed the fence and went through bushes to get off of there. This was officially my first braking-point. I sat down on the side of the street and had my first doubts and first tears. In my head Shakira's song Waka Waka was playing: You're a good soldier choosing your battles, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and back in the saddle. You're on the front line, everyone's watching, you know it's serious, we're getting closer, this isn't over. The pressure is on, you feel it, but you've got it all, believe it... When you fall get up, and if you fall GET UP!!
So I wiped away the tears, fixed up my bike and off to Hanover I went. In a while I finally found route 65 that took me to the city. However I sadly spent about two hours looking for my hostel. It was just out of the city, but there were no directions as to how to get to that part of the city. It was a bit of a nightmare, but I eventually go there. Spent the night, and here I am, ready to go to my next stop - Wolfsburg where a host from Couch Surfing will be waiting for me. Wish me luck.
Distance: 95 km
Time: 11.5 h
I shall put again some more pictures in a day or two.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Germany
..so maybe cycling 120 something kilometres on the second day was not the smartest thing to do.
Last nights ride to Germany was tough. As per usual I got slowed down because of uncertain routes. But this time I was also slowed down by my lack of strength. The last 20 km were a real battle. I had to go this far because I got an offer from Couch Surfing (CS). This is my first time using this fabulous thing and so far I really love it! My host has a lot more experience in this, however, this is the first time she hosts someone from CS. She is a wonderful host, has so far went far and beyond of what I ever expected. I arrived late, but she still took me in. She made nice dinner and then we sat there talking about almost everything. It was just great!
There were two main challenges of the day. First, the wind! At some points it was even hard to stay on the road. The second challenge was the distance! It was a bit too much to handle on the second day, and I arrived quite late to Lingen.
The route I took (tried to stay on): Apeldoorn - Twello - Deventer - Bathmen - Holten - Rijssen - Wierden - Almelo - Ootmarsum - Nordhorn (Germany) - Lingen. The last bit, from Nordhorn to Lingen I thought will be a quick journey, but it was a lot longer than I thought. First it was hard to navigate myself in Nordhorn. When I finally found a route to Lingen it said that the distance is 27km. That seemed a lot since I expected it to be somewhere around 15km. This route went along Ems-Vechte-Kanal. It didn't go straight to Lingen, but I got there eventually!
Distance: 130 km
Time: 12h
Last nights ride to Germany was tough. As per usual I got slowed down because of uncertain routes. But this time I was also slowed down by my lack of strength. The last 20 km were a real battle. I had to go this far because I got an offer from Couch Surfing (CS). This is my first time using this fabulous thing and so far I really love it! My host has a lot more experience in this, however, this is the first time she hosts someone from CS. She is a wonderful host, has so far went far and beyond of what I ever expected. I arrived late, but she still took me in. She made nice dinner and then we sat there talking about almost everything. It was just great!
There were two main challenges of the day. First, the wind! At some points it was even hard to stay on the road. The second challenge was the distance! It was a bit too much to handle on the second day, and I arrived quite late to Lingen.
The route I took (tried to stay on): Apeldoorn - Twello - Deventer - Bathmen - Holten - Rijssen - Wierden - Almelo - Ootmarsum - Nordhorn (Germany) - Lingen. The last bit, from Nordhorn to Lingen I thought will be a quick journey, but it was a lot longer than I thought. First it was hard to navigate myself in Nordhorn. When I finally found a route to Lingen it said that the distance is 27km. That seemed a lot since I expected it to be somewhere around 15km. This route went along Ems-Vechte-Kanal. It didn't go straight to Lingen, but I got there eventually!
Distance: 130 km
Time: 12h
Friday, May 31, 2013
Picture Time
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Glasgow-Edinburgh
Glasgow-Edinburgh
London
London (Eye)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Amsterdam - Apeldoorn
I can't stop praising Amsterdam! I believe it is like a dream city of mine, it has great people, it is not too big, and not too small, they have great nature spots, they recycle, it is in Europe (right in the middle of it! :D), they have free spirited people, easy going, and OF COURSE, they have cycle paths EVERYWHERE! The culture of cycling there is phenomenal. I really want to go there again some day!
The one full day I spent in Amsterdam the weather man had decided to send some pretty bad showers. This was great to see since I hadn't seen normal rainfall for a long time. There was thunder as well! Brave! In Scotland it rains a lot, but all the time, and not crazy wild showers, just some rain here, some there.
Anyway, I did go out in the city a bit. I also purchased a map of Netherlands and a good map for Germany. I do look up beforehand where I am going, but a map is a best buddy kind of thing. :D
It really helped a lot when I was wondering about to get to tonight's stop.
There was supposed to rain in Amsterdam and in Apeldoorn today, however, the weather was great all the way to the hostel. If anyone really cares, or pondering, here is the route I took (excluding the wrong ways :D) Amsterdam - Muiden - Naarden - Bussum - Laren - Baarn - Bunschoten-Spakenburg - NIjkerk - Voorthuizen -- Apeldoorn. The last bit from Voorthuizen to Apeldoorn was the easiest, and hardest at the same time. It was a long stretch of about 30km. It was great that for that bit of the route I didn't have to wonder if I was going the right way. However, I was tired, and seeing endless road ahead of me was pretty depressing. But then I did have to spend some extra minutes searching for the hostel.
Now I am again planning my later journey, planning what routes I'm taking and where I will spend the nights. For tomorrow I have luckily managed to find a place on Couch Surfing. This is the first time I am using this, so I am really hoping for a good experience. Plus I was lucky to get a response from a user since the Bed&Bike I e-mailed never replied until just recently saying they don't have any free beds for tomorrow night.
So off to bed soon, and then tomorrow, Germany, here I come! :)
*I will put up some pictures tomorrow morning. ;)
Time: 8.5h
Distance: 95km
P.S. The time I indicate is including the breaks and stops.
The one full day I spent in Amsterdam the weather man had decided to send some pretty bad showers. This was great to see since I hadn't seen normal rainfall for a long time. There was thunder as well! Brave! In Scotland it rains a lot, but all the time, and not crazy wild showers, just some rain here, some there.
Anyway, I did go out in the city a bit. I also purchased a map of Netherlands and a good map for Germany. I do look up beforehand where I am going, but a map is a best buddy kind of thing. :D
It really helped a lot when I was wondering about to get to tonight's stop.
There was supposed to rain in Amsterdam and in Apeldoorn today, however, the weather was great all the way to the hostel. If anyone really cares, or pondering, here is the route I took (excluding the wrong ways :D) Amsterdam - Muiden - Naarden - Bussum - Laren - Baarn - Bunschoten-Spakenburg - NIjkerk - Voorthuizen -- Apeldoorn. The last bit from Voorthuizen to Apeldoorn was the easiest, and hardest at the same time. It was a long stretch of about 30km. It was great that for that bit of the route I didn't have to wonder if I was going the right way. However, I was tired, and seeing endless road ahead of me was pretty depressing. But then I did have to spend some extra minutes searching for the hostel.
Now I am again planning my later journey, planning what routes I'm taking and where I will spend the nights. For tomorrow I have luckily managed to find a place on Couch Surfing. This is the first time I am using this, so I am really hoping for a good experience. Plus I was lucky to get a response from a user since the Bed&Bike I e-mailed never replied until just recently saying they don't have any free beds for tomorrow night.
So off to bed soon, and then tomorrow, Germany, here I come! :)
*I will put up some pictures tomorrow morning. ;)
Time: 8.5h
Distance: 95km
P.S. The time I indicate is including the breaks and stops.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The Amazing Race
London was glamorous, just as I remembered it. The Victoria bus station did bring back bad memories of how I had missed a bus to Glasgow when I was there in October, but being positive I was able to push the negativity astray. Since I was almost refused to take my bike on the bus to London I knew I had to pack my bicycle, so I would not have to worry about leaving it aside when I left for Amsterdam.
I got off the bus and went to find cardboard boxes and some tape. It didn't take too long, luckily. So then I was the odd girl at the bus station somehow wrapping up my love, my bicycle. I gave it to luggage storage to pick it up later, and headed to the city to meet up with Gunta and Kristiana (as random as that was..). We went for a dinner in a really neat Greek place. But time flew by, and the time we estimated to get me back to the bus station turned out to be short. Kristiana guided us through the city and London's subway, and we literally run to the Victoria bus station. It really was an amazing race! I got my bike, but was unable to take my bag. I grabbed it and run to gate 15, where my bus was calling last passengers. I imagine the view, a crazy gal running through with a bike that's somehow covered with cardboard boxes. My friends were both at different locations in the bus station. I run to the bus and the first thing they said was that I am too late!!! Deja vu much? I felt like fainting. I asked everyone there if I could do a late check in. I went to the desk and said, they said to come here for a late check in. I gave them my passport and run off to the luggage storage to get my bag. I run back. Gunta helped me to get the bag to the bus! I was mentally tired.
I got to the bus, gave my friends each a kiss and off on the bus I went; took the last empty seat. Gunta and Kristiana were at their happy dance, it was amazing. I am lucky to know some wonderful people like them!
So I was on a long ride to Amsterdam. Hours later morning came, and so did Amsterdam. After leaving the bus I unpacked my bike and off to the city centre I went. Soon I found my hostel. I have spent the day here, and in the city. Mostly I've been planning my next few days.
But tomorrow I will have all day in Amsterdam. Today I realized what an amazing place this is to start a long cycling journey. Amsterdam truly is the ultimate bicycle city. :D
I got off the bus and went to find cardboard boxes and some tape. It didn't take too long, luckily. So then I was the odd girl at the bus station somehow wrapping up my love, my bicycle. I gave it to luggage storage to pick it up later, and headed to the city to meet up with Gunta and Kristiana (as random as that was..). We went for a dinner in a really neat Greek place. But time flew by, and the time we estimated to get me back to the bus station turned out to be short. Kristiana guided us through the city and London's subway, and we literally run to the Victoria bus station. It really was an amazing race! I got my bike, but was unable to take my bag. I grabbed it and run to gate 15, where my bus was calling last passengers. I imagine the view, a crazy gal running through with a bike that's somehow covered with cardboard boxes. My friends were both at different locations in the bus station. I run to the bus and the first thing they said was that I am too late!!! Deja vu much? I felt like fainting. I asked everyone there if I could do a late check in. I went to the desk and said, they said to come here for a late check in. I gave them my passport and run off to the luggage storage to get my bag. I run back. Gunta helped me to get the bag to the bus! I was mentally tired.
I got to the bus, gave my friends each a kiss and off on the bus I went; took the last empty seat. Gunta and Kristiana were at their happy dance, it was amazing. I am lucky to know some wonderful people like them!
So I was on a long ride to Amsterdam. Hours later morning came, and so did Amsterdam. After leaving the bus I unpacked my bike and off to the city centre I went. Soon I found my hostel. I have spent the day here, and in the city. Mostly I've been planning my next few days.
But tomorrow I will have all day in Amsterdam. Today I realized what an amazing place this is to start a long cycling journey. Amsterdam truly is the ultimate bicycle city. :D
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Glasgow - Edinburgh
Where to start?
This is my first post, so I better tell you all what this is. I've been living in Scotland for two and a half years now, and I decided it is finally time to move back to Latvia. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, however, I couldn't find the right time. So instead of waiting for the right time, I just decided to make things happen. But to make things more adventurous I am cycling most of the way. I begun my journey yesterday as I cycled all the way from Glasgow to Edinburgh. This was the first long ride that I have ever been on. It went better than I thought.
I left Glasgow soon after 11 AM and it took me roughly 6 hours to get to Edinburgh. I think I would have never departed if it hadn't been for my brother. He helped me more that I would have ever imagined anyone helping me. His kind heart got me where I am now.
The ride was not easy, I got lost and confused a few times. But the beautiful nature and scenery made me care less about the time or location, I just sucked in last of the gorgeous Scotland. I knew I would reach Edinburgh eventually, and that's all that really mattered at that time. After checking google maps for the approximate route I was taking, I learned that the total distance I rode was 85 km. I spent the night at a hostel in Edinburgh city centre. The hostel Caledonian Backpackers was really neat, great and helpful staff, very tidy and clean, nice people, and very, very cosy, had a great atmosphere, the bed was comfortable and sheets were clean. All in all I really wish I had more time to stay there.
Now I am on the bus and on the way to London. Today evening I will be hopping another bus to Amsterdam. So tomorrow morning I will be getting of the bus in The Netherlands. There I shall spend two days and on the 30th of May I start my long tour from Amsterdam to Latvia. So far I've met nice people along the way and have had only the best experience.
Now a nap, and I'll wake up in London. Peace out. :D
Time: 8h
Distance: 85 km
This is my first post, so I better tell you all what this is. I've been living in Scotland for two and a half years now, and I decided it is finally time to move back to Latvia. I've been wanting to do this for a while now, however, I couldn't find the right time. So instead of waiting for the right time, I just decided to make things happen. But to make things more adventurous I am cycling most of the way. I begun my journey yesterday as I cycled all the way from Glasgow to Edinburgh. This was the first long ride that I have ever been on. It went better than I thought.
I left Glasgow soon after 11 AM and it took me roughly 6 hours to get to Edinburgh. I think I would have never departed if it hadn't been for my brother. He helped me more that I would have ever imagined anyone helping me. His kind heart got me where I am now.
The ride was not easy, I got lost and confused a few times. But the beautiful nature and scenery made me care less about the time or location, I just sucked in last of the gorgeous Scotland. I knew I would reach Edinburgh eventually, and that's all that really mattered at that time. After checking google maps for the approximate route I was taking, I learned that the total distance I rode was 85 km. I spent the night at a hostel in Edinburgh city centre. The hostel Caledonian Backpackers was really neat, great and helpful staff, very tidy and clean, nice people, and very, very cosy, had a great atmosphere, the bed was comfortable and sheets were clean. All in all I really wish I had more time to stay there.
Now I am on the bus and on the way to London. Today evening I will be hopping another bus to Amsterdam. So tomorrow morning I will be getting of the bus in The Netherlands. There I shall spend two days and on the 30th of May I start my long tour from Amsterdam to Latvia. So far I've met nice people along the way and have had only the best experience.
Now a nap, and I'll wake up in London. Peace out. :D
Time: 8h
Distance: 85 km
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