Bike Trip #1 - Eurovelo 6

WORRIES BEFORE STARTING:

Being able to keep up. I had been running a good bit, but hadn’t biked in a long time.
Bags had everything I needed and were weighed equally so as to not off-balance the bike.
The sun.

ADDRESSING WORRIES:

Keeping up wasn't an issue. But I had knee pain running before I left, and it came back for the first couple weeks of riding. If I were to do this again, I would ride my bike at least five days a week doing a little less than the mileage I would actually be doing and include hills. Do something to imitate the riding conditions
**Sidenote - I actually thought the pace would be too slow at times. Dad said he was averaging 10 mph before I got there, and I run comfortably at 7.5 mph. But 10 mph turned out to be perfect. Don't expect to do too much faster.
Bags were fine, and we filled them up with food as we continued to eat. Just weigh them and list what's in each so you know where everything goes.
Despite my best efforts, my exposed areas got darker. Definitely wear a long sleeve shirt, long fingered gloves, long socks, and something to protect your neck. And wear sunscreen. I regularly put it on my face, ears, neck, wrists (between gloves and shirt, which I secured with my watch and rubber bands), tops of knees, and legs.

HARDEST PART

I heard people ask what you think the hardest part will be. Many thought it would be having to get up and do it all again everyday. This was actually fine for me. Maybe it's because I did it with someone (Dad), or maybe it's the distance runner mentality - you run and don't stop until it's done, no matter what. But for me, the hardest part was my butt on the bike. The cycling was fine. Sometimes it's like walking - you just don't think about it and go. But my butt was just so uncomfortable and hurt. After a few hours, I'd get up on the bike and try to give the cheeks some rest every couple of minutes, almost an annoying amount. If I were to do this again, I'd try to keep most days to around 50 miles, or if I had to do longer, maybe plan longer breaks in the middle (though that might also annoy me because I like to just get there and be done with it).

AVERAGE DAY

Wake up, pack up, breakfast, load bikes

1-2 hours

Ride

Total length including breaks averaged 1 hour for every 10 miles
Breaks
Snack, lunch

Meet and spend time with hosts/check in to hotel
Shower and wash clothes in sink
Go to store for upcoming meals and snacks
At some point if possible, use computer to:

Schedule hosts/hotels for upcoming days
Look at tomorrow's route
Reroute if looks bad (trails)
Reroute directly to where we are staying

Explore area

Things needed for this trip:

ON BIKE:

Touring bike
Front and back racks
Sturdy handlebar bag (all sides should be solid, it shouldn't move if you shake it, could cause bike to wobble. Should also be easily detachable so you can keep important things in it, then detach it when you go in a store)
Panniers (bags to clip on racks)
Garmin/GPS/charger

BIKE GEAR

Helmet
2 pairs of bike gloves (long fingered, and in case one gets too sweaty)
Neck protector (handkerchief or something)
Sunglasses/eye protection
Sweatband that can fit under helmet
SPD cleats
SPD pedals
Water bottles
Small tarp and compression straps
Lock and chain
Lots of types of locks - mini locks for panniers, alarm lock if someone jostles bike, etc
Front and rear lights
Mirror
Bike multitool
Regular multitool
Spare tubes
Spare shifter cables
Tire patch kit
Chain lube
Portable bike pump
Rag (clean hands if chain comes undone)

IMPORTANT STUFF

Passport
Phone/charger
Wallet (something that can hold lots of coins)/money
Card (Capitol One or research, should have no foreign transaction fee for use. Might be fee to use ATM, so if need to, take out a good bit)
Tablet laptop/keyboard/charger/mouse (Dad brought small laptop, but it and charger were too bulky)
Universal plug adaptor
Portable battery
Notepad and pen
First aid (Band-Aids, Neosporin, Ace bandage, gauze pads… look up online)

CLOTHES (all should be quick-dry)

Packing cubes
Neon hi-viz vest
Required by law in some countries
If have vest, clothes/rain gear doesn't really need to be hi-viz
2 long sleeve, hi-viz, spf shirts
1 short sleeve shirt
2 shorts (zipper pockets for walking around with wallet)
2 socks
2 underwear
2 padded bike shorts
Shoes for walking around town
Sandals for camp showers
Waterproof top and bottom (hi-viz/Frogg Troggs?)
1 extra long sleeve for cold
1 extra long pants for cold

CAMP GEAR

Tent, rain protector, spikes, and footprint
Tent should be easy to setup/take down in case of rain
Sleeping bag and liner
Air mattress for sleeping bag
Pillow
Paracord (to hang up laundry) and clothes pins
Gas, burner attachment, and pot (not exactly these examples, but something similar - really just for pasta, which is light to carry)
Bowl and utensils
Empty travel container (put soap/shampoo in from hotels)

HYGIENE

Shower bag
Sunscreen
Soap and shampoo
Towel and washcloth
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Comb
Deodorant
Medicine (allergy/pain relief/antibiotic)
Hand sanitizer
Chap stick
Ear plugs (for sounds from road, dogs, other campers, or snoring)
Razor
Nail clippers
Tissues

MISCELLANEOUS

Couchsurfing/Warm Showers account
Thank you cards/gift from hometown (or present like wine/cookies before getting there)
Plastic bags
Hat
Rubber bands
Clips to close food (chips, cereal, etc)
Cinch sack (some groceries don't give out plastic bags, so you might need it when leaving the store)
Bathing suit
Emergency toilet paper
Duct tape
Umbrella
Bluetooth speaker
Could be fun to have music while riding
Small folding camp stool
While riding, might not find a place to sit and rest
**Most stuff can be purchased at a store, so don't sweat this stuff too much. If you need it, get it.

PLANNING BEFOREHAND

Bike box for plane

Get from bike shop - most give them away for free

Make sure you know how to take bike apart/put in box

Helpful to write down what order you took apart in/tools used. Makes it easier/faster to reassemble when landed

Check with airline - bike box can only be certain weight, usually ~70lbs
Currency and conversions
Length of trip
Rest days
Plane and ticket/return flight

Plane transports bikes/bikes in boxes

End location has bike shop and boxes for packing (boxes planned later into trip)
Destination each day/how long you'll be biking/know town has camp or hotel if no hosts
Location of supermarkets/groceries
Location of ATM’s
Location for wifi (McDonald's, etc)
Travel SIM card for data use everywhere

Sat, 6/16/18

Ken and Meg surprised me with a visit before I left. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to leave.
I mowed for the last timed, and Alex said he would mow while I was away, cuz he’s a boss.

Sun, 6/17/18

Mom came to my house in Pottstown to help me disassemble the bike. Probably should have done this earlier to make sure there were no hiccups, but it worked out. Actually had to take it to the bike shop because we couldn’t take the handlebars out, but it was an easy fix. Before I left, I unplugged everything, left some water out for Alex to water the plants, turned off my water, and deactivated my internet (since the promotion ended in July anway). Mom then drove me to the JFK airport for my 10:30pm flight to Dusseldorf. Arrival was scheduled for 12:00pm on 6/18/18. I then had to wait for my transfer flight at 6:40 pm for Basel, Switzerland. Arrival was scheduled for 8pm. There I met Dad, we put together the bike, then rode 5 miles to our hotel, Tivoli, in Huningue, France. I was starved since I didn’t get any food on the planes (you had to preorder and pay for it… I was super disappointed), where Dad had a Subway sub waiting for me. We ate, showered, and washed our clothes. I dumped my bags to make sure everything was in its proper spot, started making this journal, and now I’m passing out at 11:30 pm.

Tues, 6/19/18

Got up 7:45am and ate a banana, apple, and some cereal with warm milk. The milk here isn’t refrigerated because it’s sterilized, not pasteurized, so it will last on the shelves for 2-3 months if unopened. Dad told me what he does most mornings to get ready, including looking at the map of where we are going, places to stop, access to resources if we’re stopping at a campsite, local grocery stores, and so on. He also checks his email since it looks like he messages at least 10 people on either Couchsurfing or WarmShowers to stay at their house for a particular day.
First day of biking! We biked to Camp Waldesruh in Mettau, Switzerland, which was about 41 miles (46 total). We followed the river for a long time, which was beautiful. The border of the river was a wall of rock, upon which loads of small apartments were located. It was unique. We rode through a few small towns, many of which we saw almost no people or traffic. Felt like we were walking through a Walking Dead scene. One area had a street that was only foot-traffic with stores lining the road. Everything seemed relaxed and in slow motion there - the people even looked like they walked slow. Then we came upon a trail that was way too rocky and went on for way too long. SUCKED. When we finally got to the campsite, we went up a super steep hill (also gravel), and walked our bikes almost to the very top, only to find out we went up the wrong hill. We walked our bikes down, holding the brakes the entire time, then walked up a different hill and got to Camp Waldesruh around 3:30pm. It had its own small restaurant, and the showers were nice too. We made dinner (pasta), cleaned up, did whatever we needed on the internet, and got ready to call it a night.

Wedn, 6/20/18

Woke up at 6:30am and was on the road by 8am. Super easy riding day - 30 miles (76 total). A few trails, but much smoother than yesterday. Got to our destination at 11:30am - Eglisau, Switzerland. We stayed with a couple Dad found on Couchsurfing - Jens and Cora Wiese. As soon as we got there, they set out a full platter for us - bread, cheese, tomatoes, and yogurt. It was very inviting and a nice change of pace. Jens was a huge movie nerd too, and it was nice to talk film with him for a while. After we washed our clothes and set them out to dry, Jens took us to the the Rhein River, which we had been following on our bikes so far. We set out towels in a nice grassy area, where maybe 100 people were out with towels and swimming, and walked another couple of minutes up the path. We got in the river and floated down 10-15 minutes to the spot with our towels and stayed in the grass for a few more minutes. Then Jens took us for a short tour around town and back to his apartment. Jens and I talked movies for a while, which I enjoyed a lot, then Cora made us a dinner of white asparagus, ham, and potatoes. It's was filling and good. Later that night, we watched Birdman, which Jens loves, and went to bed.

Thur, 6/21/18

Today we got up around 7:15am and left at 8:15am after eating muesli for breakfast. We rode 37 miles (113 total) to Hemmenhofen, Germany. I’ve noticed the areas we bike through have been plentiful in vineyards, cranes, and quarries. The vineyards are up super steep hills, and the cranes look way too big for all the towns we ride through (which mostly consist of houses - no huge buildings or offices). Furthermore, the things that worried me at the beginning haven’t been a problem. We’ve been riding at a nice, easy pace. You don’t breathe hard unless you’re riding uphill. The rest is relatively comfortable. The bags haven’t been an issue, and I don’t seem burnt. We put sun lotion on in the morning on our face and necks, then use sun spray for our legs and the parts of our wrists that aren’t covered by our long sleeve shirts and bike gloves. That seems to last us the day (usually biking until 3pm). I’ve also noticed the water our hosts give us is carbonated (and usually warm - no ice). Must be a European thing. The toilet paper at yesterday’s and today’s homes has also been very tough - more like actual paper, just a little more flexible. In the US, our cheap toilet paper is rough, but here it seems to be a little rougher and thicker.

Anyway, today was a tougher ride with a lot of hills. There was a tough one within the first three miles, then we had to go up another one off course once we discovered that the EuroVelo 6 was closed at the Rhine Falls. Other than a few hills (which weren’t even that bad), another beautiful day. We stopped at the Rhine Falls, which are the largest in Europe. There was a spot you could get really close, and you could see and almost feel the power of it. We stopped at Pizzeria Pazza da Gianni for a pizza, which was excellent. Could have used some oregano, but it was thin and the bottom was crispy. Then we walked our bikes through Stein am Rhein, which was mostly a walking street with stores and painted buildings. It was very pretty. We eventually came to our host’s house for tonight a little after 3:00pm. The person who accepted us was Peter, but he wasn’t home and said we could stay there with his parents, Rita and Franz Hasenfratz (Franz is the only other guy pictured, and Rita is standing to my right). They didn’t speak English well, so we used Dad’s phone as a translator to communicate. That was challenging, but fun. After we put our stuff down, we took a dip in Lake Constance. They made us a spaghetti dinner, gave us some ice cream for dessert, and we called it a night not long after.

Fri, 6/22/18

Some other things I've noticed is that you can tell a new town is always coming up because you can usually see a church first standing taller than most of the other buildings (which isn't that tall). Also, I've seen a total of four “stop” signs the four days I've been here. I either see “yield” signs or wonder how there are not more accidents. There's also lawn mower Roomba’s here! Not many, but the first time I've seen anything like it! There's a few skate parks too. Haven't seen those in the US in awhile. Also a lot of Razor-type scooters. Passed a school where there were at least 50 of them parked in the bike rack.

Got up at 7:20am and Rita and Franz put out bread, cheese, meats, butter, jam, coffee, tea, and a hard boiled egg for breakfast. We left around 9:00am, and then they rode with us for at least 30 minutes! The rest of the day was tough. We had a loooooong climb today that didn't seem to end. We would get to a part that looked like the peak, then we would turn or go a little further to another hill. It was rough. Finally, we got to Tuttlingen, Germany around 1:20pm, having done 30 miles (143 total). It was a big city, which surprised me since it still seemed in the middle of the hill. Most towns we go through are very small. We rode through for three minutes, then another trail. If I were to run here, I don't even think running the perimeter of the town would get me seven miles. As we were walking around, a lot of vendors on the street were packing up and leaving, at 1:20pm on a Friday! Seemed odd. We got to Johanna Hagele’s apartment, where she lives with four other student roommates (pictured left to right is Laura, Johanna, Felix, and Silas), and they put us in a room way in the back since they were having a party tonight. Two of them were studying engineering psychology, which we had never heard of before. Dad and I went out for dinner and picked up bread, cheese, and ham from the store for sandwiches, then came back and talked to everyone for a good bit. Then we got gelato, and by the time we came back, people had started coming to the party. I went down to hang for awhile and had a good time meeting people.

Sat, 6/23/18

Other things I've noticed. Lots of sport complexes around here. Almost every town has a nice complex with soccer fields, tennis courts, etc. During the last two days, we came across classrooms of young kids outside doing or seeing stuff. Once we had to squeeze our way past a class on the trail. Lots of small cars here too. They're about the size of one of our cars if you took off the trunk space. Lots of American music as well. In the stores, shops, etc, they play our stuff. Also, really glad for my sunglasses. Today especially I've been pelted with bugs in the face. Some of them hit you pretty hard, especially the beatles. Luckily none have gone down my throat yet. Many of the houses have solar panels, even in the small towns. And everywhere we've gone has been biker-friendly. People driving don't seem to mind hanging behind you a little until the way is clear or they can see around the corner. Haven't seen any tissues or napkins either. Whenever I need to blow my nose at a host’s house, I always use the toilet paper. And as far as riding goes, my legs have felt fine, even after doing the 60 miles today. My butt hurts the worst by the end, as do my shoulders and neck. But the riding hasn't been too bad at all. You have to work up some of the hills, but the rest you do at whatever pace is comfortable for you.

Got up at 7:40am and quietly put everything away so as to not wake anyone. We ended up on the bikes a little after 9:00am. Today we started following the Danube River, which goes to the Black Sea, so hopefully most of our trip now should be downhill. It's brown, which is quite the contrast to the Rhine River, which was blue and beautiful. Our ride started by weaving our way between huge hills of trees and white rock, which was really pretty. We met a couple from Australia doing part of the EuroVelo 6, and we talked to them for a little when we stopped for lunch. The ride ended on a trail in fields, with the wind blowing hard against us. It was tough. We stopped in a store around our host's place at 3:45pm for a quick snack and to get a bottle of wine for €2.00, which Dad gets for all our hosts. We chilled at McDonald's for a bit, then got to Gabi and Uli List’s house around 5:15pm in Neufra, Germany after riding 60 miles (203 total). They made us a dinner of spaetzle and steak, then we cleaned up to get ready to watch the World Cup Germany against Sweden game. They also let me try a craft stout a friend of theirs made, which was delicious. The game was a lot of fun to watch. The teams were tied in overtime, which would have meant Germany would be eliminated. Sweden fouled, and a German player curved the ball into the goal with 15 seconds left, winning the game and keeping them in the World Cup. Great way to end the day.

Sun, 6/24/18

Woke up at 7:20am, then had a terrific breakfast with Gaby and Uli. They put out a fruit bowl, yogurt, muesli, bread, butter, cheese, jams, and tea. Then we left at 9:00am and rode 47.5 miles (250.5 total) to Ulm, Germany. Because it was Sunday and most stores close early, we first stopped at the local grocery store for food, but it was already closed. We passed through a few towns today, and mostly everything was closed and no one was on the streets. It felt apocalyptic, like I Am Legend, and Dad said it was eerie how quiet it was. Once it hit around 12:00pm we saw more people out, especially in the bigger towns. We got to Ulm around 2:45pm and first stopped at the Ulmer Münster Church, which is the tallest in the world. Then we made our way to Canoe Club Camp and set up. There, we met up with an Australian couple, David and Adele Arthur (crazyguyonabike.com/cytak22), we met on the trail yesterday.

Mon, 6/25/18

Got up at 6:20am, left camp by 7:30am for Donauworth, Germany, which was a 59 miles away (309.5 total). Not an exciting day. It was chilly, and we rode through lots of fields and gravelly paths, which wreak havoc on your butt. Got to Kanu-Club Camping by 2:00pm, set up the tents, showered, hung the clothes out to dry, then did a quick ride into town for wifi and food. David and Adele came into camp as we were heading into town. I also saw other people I had met the night before - Calem and Edith, a Scottish couple.

Tues, 6/26/18

We've been following signs the whole trip designating the EuroVelo 6 pathway (it's the “6” in the top right of the sign below). Signs are everywhere, making it relatively easy to follow the path so far.

Got up 6:45am and left camp by 8:15am. Some hills in the beginning, but pretty good riding overall. Stopped a little before 1:00pm at a McDonald's in Ingolstadt for wifi to see if anyone replied to Dad's couchsurfing email to host us tonight, but no luck, so we went to Azur Waldcamping, which was really close and the end of our 42 mile ride (351.5 total). We showered, set up the tents, and went out for supplies. First we stopped at Decathalon sports store for gas to cook with and other little things, then to the grocery store for dinner. After eating, we talked to Paul and Mika, a couple from the Netherlands, then prepped to call it a night.

Wedn, 6/27/18

Got up at 6:30am and left by 8:00am for Regensburg, Germany, which was a 58.5 mile ride (410 total). We were crushing it in the beginning, getting ready for a big hill at mile 30. We had to get a boat ride to the other side of the Danube River right before the hill, and a guy helped us buy tickets, which ended up being for a ferry that made us skip the big hill entirely, which worked out because my knee was bothering me. By the end of the ride, the wind started to pick up and hit us hard. I had to shift into a lower gear just to compensate. We got to Regensburg by 2:00pm and went right to Historische Wurstküche, a sausage place that is the longest continually open restaurant in the world. It was built in 1135 as an office before it became a restaurant some years later. Then Dad and I saw St. Peter's Cathedral, which was really pretty. We stopped at a McDonald's for wifi so Dad could contact our host for the next two nights, and the host asked us to wait until the Germany vs. Korea game was over (which was at least 30 min, which Germany lost) and then met up at a cafe. Then he (Philipp Wortman) came, we had a quick drink, then he gave us a tour around the city. He knew an incredible amount of history and details about architecture you would normally just look over. It was very interesting. We got a drink from a restaurant across from St. Peter's Cathedral, then went to dinner at Alte Linde, a beer garden right on the Danube. Philipp got us a table where two other guys were already sitting, and they were really nice and fun to talk to. The one had been to America a few times and knew a lot of accents. The other warned us more about Romania, which was a little worrisome because this was the second day in a row this had happened. Philipp ordered us all the same dish, which was a delicious pork dinner with an interesting, chewy potato dumpling. We ate, talked to everyone at the table, then made our way back to his apartment to call it a night.

Thur, 6/28/18

Rest day! Today, Dad and I are just biking around and seeing things in Regensburg, which turned out to be great timing because it rained all day. We probably did around 12 miles (422 total). We started by stopping at a grocery store for some breakfast at the bakery, then McDonald's for couchsurfing stuff. In the town square, we bumped into David and Adele! Next we took an audio tour of the Museum of History, then hit up St. Emmeram’s Church. It was much smaller than the others I've seen, but it was painted beautifully inside and had elaborate sculptures and structures. We went to another McDonald's for couchsurfing stuff after that, then got pizzas (again, excellent, with thin, crispy crust on the bottom) at Pizzeria Da Tino, and I had a wheat beer mixed with Coke, and it was really good!

Fri, 6/29/18

Got up at 7:00am from a knock on the door from Philipp, had a quick bite for breakfast, and was on the road by 8:20am to Deggendorf (61.3 miles, 483.3 total). We stopped a few minutes in under a bridge because of rain, waited around 10 minutes, and was on the road again when it pretty much stopped. After stopping for rain, fixing a loose screw on my bike chain ring, and lunch, we got to Deggendorf around 2:30pm. It was an easy biking day, with no hills and only a few small gravel trails. It's a nice city, or at least the main square is. The traffic wasn't bad, and the stores all looked cool with different colors. When we got there though, there were loads of flying ants. They were in store windows, on the ground, on us and our bags… it was a lot. Dad and I first stopped in a grocery store to get a liter of ice cream to split, then waited to meet Pepe Ramirez by the Town Hall. He took us to his favorite place to get a doner - a turkish gyro that we’ve seen stores for all over the big cities - which was great. Then we biked back to his place, and later he and I went out to grab beers to drink later.

Sat, 6/30/18

One thing before I start - church bells ring all the time in Germany. On the quarter hour, half hour, on the hour, and then they ring for at least three minutes straight, if not longer. It's dumb.

Got up at 6:40am and was on the road by 7:45am. We got to Passau, Germany a little before 11:00am. It was a short ride - only 38 miles (521.3 total). Pretty easy too - relatively flat with few trails. Would have gone really smoothly had my knee not started acting up when we were almost there. Once we were there, Dad showed me around a little based on what he remembered from his river cruise to Passau a year or two ago. We saw the town hall, artists alley, and St. Stephan’s Church, which has the largest pipe organ in Europe. Then we went grocery shopping for dinner and meals tomorrow since everywhere is usually closed on Sundays. We got to Viktoria Schick’s house around 7:00pm since she was out working until then. She's a student that shares a place with at least five other students (pictured left to right is Fahad, Juan, Kamilla, and Vicky). We talked in the kitchen for a good bit, then moved off to the side where we talked to Fahad (right), SoloMan (left), and eventually Edwin (middle) for a bit, which was a lot of fun.

Sun, 7/1/18

Got up at 7:10am and left Passau, Germany by 8:10am for Linz, Austria, which was 62.5 miles (583.8 total). Today was probably the smoothest day we've had yet. My knee didn't bother me much today, we followed the river almost the whole time, there were no trails, and no hills! Added bonus that we saw our Australian friends during the ride. Also saw rollerbladers for the first time today. We also took two ferries today to get to the bike path on the other side of the river. We got to Linz around 3:00pm, and it was a pretty cool city. The main street we rode our bikes down was covered in wires for tram cars and it looked like cars weren't allowed in those areas. We also stopped in Ursulinenkirche, which was a smaller church and looked really nice inside, but it also had yoga balls covering the floor. Someone who worked there said it was by an artist and meant to symbolize a balanced physical and spiritual life. Then we stopped at a McDonald's for a while for couchsurfing stuff. We eventually made our way to Sara Hernandez's (pictured left) apartment where she lives with her partner, Dani (right). We had trouble finding it because Dani’s name was on the buzzer, and all we had was Sara's name. After washing up, Dani put out some vegetable nachos and later some delicious crepes. They were both in education and we talked about school and how to get me a girlfriend for a while. They were a lot of fun.

Mon, 7/2/18

Another thing I've noticed: toilets and showers are normally in two separate rooms, and light switches for both are in the hallway, not in the rooms. Not only are they separate, but the toilet room has no sink - the sink is in the same room as the shower!

Got up at 7:00am and left at 8:25am for Ybbs, Austria, which was a 56.5 miles ride (640.3 total). Sara and Dani put out a nice spread for breakfast - fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, bread, cheese, butter, jam… the works. We left and got out of the city around 8:45am and hit the trail. The path was great again - no hills and 99% paved (saw David and Adele again). But the wind was killer today. Had to shift to an easier gear several times because of it. We got to Ybbs around 2:30pm, but our host asked for us at 6:00pm, so we stopped at a grocery for some snacks and headed to McDonald's for wifi, where a girl from Estonia started talking to us about our trip. Turned out that she hitchhikes and bikes a lot as well (she had hitchhiked from Estonia to Warsaw, Poland, and was biking to Italy). Then we headed to Alex's house. He was a chill guy who practiced Buddhist meditation techniques, and bought us cakes! Alex's dad came home not long after we showered, and we started watching the World Cup, Belgium vs. Japan.

Tues, 7/3/18

Another big surprise - water can be more expensive than beer here. If you're looking to save some money, you might have to look at what drink is actually cheapest. No free refills as well - at sit down places or fast food. That includes water. We've also been to two different restaurants now where bread baskets were given, and they charged you for each piece of bread you took!

Left around 8:30am today after Alex's father, who spoke no English, made us a nice breakfast of bread, meat, hard boiled eggs, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Alex had to leave early for work. We rode to Dürnstein, Austria today - about 38.1 miles (678.4 total). Really nice riding today. Saw beautiful hills, scaffolded and covered in vineyards and apricot trees. Stopped at Melk today and saw the abbey. It was a really nice area, and the abbey was gorgeous. They had relics in there claiming to have a shard of bone from a saint, or a piece of wood from the cross. The view from the balcony was awesome, overlooking all of Melk. And the church section was ornate, with loads of gold sculptures inside. Again, we saw David and Adele there! We got to Dürnstein around 2:00pm, and Dad remembered a lot of it from his river cruise with Mom two years ago. Our host today was Andrea Pölz, who of course lived up a steep hill. She had just gotten back from a couple month stay in South America, working and practicing her Spanish so she could teach it (along with physics, since all teachers need to teach two subjects). She was inspired to create a Couchsurfing account after that, and we were her first guests! Her family had a vineyard and apricot trees, and they made some of their own wine and jam. She showed us around town, including the church building, which the other half doubled as the town school having a total of about 25 kids grades 1-12. She left a little later and Dad and I got dinner at a restaurant (where I ordered weiner schnitzel and it was good!), then came back to her house to send out more requests.

Wedn, 7/4/18

Another thing - everyday on our ride we come across this white crap floating in the air. They're seeds from poplar trees, but they make you nervous to ride through it, thinking some might get stuck in your eye. It hasn't yet, but still…

Left Andreas at 8:50am today for Vienna, Austria - a 53.7 mile ride (732.1 total). She put out yogurt, butter, and jams, and we ate bread we bought at the cafe yesterday. We talked for a good bit (hence the late start time), she gave us apricots from her vineyard, and we were on our way. Great riding again today. A little boring near the beginning - less scenic. But paved paths and not a bad breeze today. Saw David and Adele again, and they were also planning on staying in Vienna for two nights, so we might bump into them again soon! We rode into Vienna around 2:00pm. Probably the busiest city yet. Loads of people on the street, and lanes for buses, cars, bikes, and pedestrians. We rode up to Domkirche St. Stephan, another magnificent church, though they're all starting to blend together for me. We stopped at the store and ate another liter of ice cream because it's so much cheaper than buying two cones. Then we stopped at a McDonald's for some wifi quick, and a manager stopped, looked at us, and said “Just using wifi?” We said yes and we'd be out quick. He said he appreciated the honesty, then brought us back a small Coke to make it look like we were customers, which was awesome. Then we walked our bikes to Hofburg Palace, which was enormous and attached to the Hofburg Vienna Center, which was even bigger. Then we went to our hotel (Kolping Wien Zentral), locked up the bikes, and got settled in our room. Later, we went to the store to make ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner and get breakfast, only to find out when we got back that the hotel has free breakfast.

Thur, 7/5/18

Another thing - the trail has mostly been very nice. Almost everyday we see people out making sure things are clean, grass is cut, and things are maintained.

Rest day! Breakfast at the hotel was good. Not the typical stuff you'd find in an American hotel, but much more real food and still filling. I opened up one of the things to keep food hot and found warm bread and hot dogs inside. No scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, or bacon. But lots of breads, cereals/oatmeals, fruits, thin meats, and yogurt. None of that rubbery stuff either, like most scrambled eggs and pancakes are in US hotels - all real/organic. We then got ready for our hop on/hop off bus tour. We first stopped at Schönbrunn Palace, but on the way I took a picture of Maria vom Siege church, which looked pretty. The palace was enormous, as was its lawn area. There was a zoo in there and extravagant fountains. Then I took a guided tour of the Opera House. He told us that most tickets cost €200 for seats, but only €3 for standing room. He said even the seats are extremely low cost so that everyone can have the opportunity to appreciate the arts, and that with each performance, the Opera House actually loses money. They remain open because ⅔ of the budget comes from state subsidies, and the rest of the money comes from its only profitable night, the Opera ball, where tickets costs range from €200-€23,000. The building also uses enough electricity to power a town of 15,000 people. There was an Emperor's Room you can rent in there as well for €500 for 20 minutes. We got back on the bus, rode it around a good bit, and eventually landed at Julius Meinl, a place famous for its coffee, and I had my first coffee there (though it was an iced coffee). We walked back to Hofburg Palace for more pictures, then returned to the hotel.

Fri, 7/6/18

Was on the road leaving Vienna, Austria by 8:30am for Bratislava, Slovakia. Austria has probably been my favorite place to ride/visit so far. It had the small nice towns of Germany, but also amazing hills and paths by the river. I think I even liked that big cities better. Had another filling breakfast at the hotel, then packed some fruit and sandwiches for the road. Probably the best day of riding yet. We got to Bratislava by 12:45pm after riding 55 miles (787.1 total). We had the wind at our backs the whole time, and it was a little windy. It was supposed to rain today, and the sky looked pretty 50/50 the whole way there. The trees and plants were all moving in the wind, but it was finally at our backs today and we made amazing time. Bumped into Paul and Mika today too - the last time we saw them was on 6/26 in Ingolstadt! Almost as soon as we got to the main shopping street, we were bombarded with people in stands selling stuff, lots of people on the street playing music, singing, acting like statues, etc. Dad took a picture of me in a chair with Napoleon (?) leaning over it where Aunt Bobby and Bunny and Mom and Dad had taken pictures previously. Then we went to our host's flat, Karol. Easy night then. Had dinner, watched some of the World Cup, and went to bed.

Sat, 7/7/18

Another thing - I've felt the least safe in Slovakia so far out of all the countries. Combo of things: 1) Karol told us to take everything from the bikes up to his room and checked on them twice to make sure they were still there. He also said the corruption in the government was bad there. 2) Nowhere near as many bikers. Where Pepe and I went to get beers at a gas station and left our bikes unchained outside, there wasn't even a place to put bikes in Bratislava - plus Karol’s comments. 3) Things in Slovakia are just not as nice. Everyone in the previous three countries always seemed to be driving new cars - all looked really good, and I never saw one that looked dingey/old. Places looked nice too. But not so in Slovakia. Again, seemed less biker friendly and had older/beat up looking cars/buildings/roads.

Left at 7:40am for Karmano, Slovakia - a 67 mile ride (854.1 total). Ate a small breakfast at Karol’s, and left not long after. It rained pretty good last night, and about 10 minutes into the ride, we came across a section of road covered in a couple of inches of water. While trying to get up onto the curve so we could ride through less water, I slipped and got both my feet soaked. After that, the riding was smooth for a good bit. A little boring, but the wind was at our backs and the path was super smooth. For the first time, I shifted to the main hardest gear and we got to 19 mph! But around the last 20 miles, the path got gravelly with big rocks, and we kept sliding and it was hard to pedal for about 15 minutes. We got off on a road eventually, but then the GPS led us on two other bad paths, so we decided to take two main roads to the city and got there around 1:20pm. We arrived at our hotel, only to find it locked and no one there! Dad had to call someone to let us in, set up the room, and give us our key. Of course our room was on the third floor up what seemed like a lot of stairs. We went to the store after that to get food for tomorrow (since everything will be closed because it'll be Sunday), looked for places to eat, and were a little surprised to see most places empty/locked up/closed. Blows my mind how places actually close here in the middle of the day/have no one there to manage them. Then we got dinner at a restaurant next door. We both got chicken cordon bleus, I got a beer, Dad got a Coke, and the bill was €12. We went up to our room after that (around 5:15pm), content to stay in and not use the stairs again.

Sun, 7/8/18

Things I miss the most about the US:

Being able to converse with anyone at anytime.
Being able to read signs/labels/menus.
Cell reception.
Stores being open all day, everyday.
Getting water for free and soda at restaurants AND getting unlimited refills.
Normal daylight hours. Sunrise is around 4:50am and sunset is around 9:00pm
Sleeping in my own bed/not waking up a couple of times a week to Dad snoring… lol.

Left our small hotel in Karmano, Slovakia at 8:10am to head towards Tahitotfalu, Hungary - a 57.4 mile ride (911.5 total). Again, not a fun day riding through Slovakia. Trails that made our bikes slide, bumpy roads, and rides through areas that looked beat up/deserted/had me looking around to make sure no one was going to come out of a dilapidated house and jump us. Twice the path led to a dead end/obstacle that we had to walk around. But then we crossed the bridge into Hungary, and things seemed a lot better. A bike race was going on, so we saw a few racers. A lot more bikers in general so far. Even later as we road on a main street to get to the camp, we were passed by the most road cyclers we've seen yet. Money is funny here. The currency is the florint, and $1 = 275 Ft. We got burgers at Danube Camping for 1600 Ft, or $5.81.

Mon, 7/9/18

Woke up a little before 6:00am because of the sun/birds/cars. Packed up the tent and was on the road by 8:00am. We started on the road, which was fine. Cars were pretty good about giving us some room. Then we got off on a path, and I can't believe the bikes held together. It was rough for a bit. But we got to Budapest around 10:00am after 21.6 miles. Later, we had to do another 9 miles to our host’s (Varga) house (942.1 total). We rode right to the spot where free walking tours start, so we chained up the bikes, put on walking shoes, and joined a tour. The first thing we saw was the Royal Palace. It was built in case the Habsburg royal family came to stay… and they never did. Next we stopped by a fountain with a personification of Danube on top, which was neat since we've been following it for sometime now. Next we saw St. Stephen Basilica, which looked very pretty. Later Dad and I went in, and the whole inside was gold, green, and red, which I liked a lot since it stood out as something different from all the other churches we've seen. The Holy Right Hand is there too - the mummified right hand on St. Stephen. Then we walked across the Chain Bridge (which is apparently pretty famous) and walked up the hill to the Royal Palace, which offered a beautiful view overlooking the Pest side of the city, which is flat compared to the hilly and greener Buda side. Up there, we saw St. Matthias Church, whose roof was decorated in a colorful mosaic. That was the end of the tour, and after we stopped at St. Stephen's again, we went to Liberty Park, where a memorial was placed to Holocaust survivors… kind of. It was of the angel Gabriel, symbolizing Hungary and holding a symbol of Liberty, and a German (Nazi) bird swooping down to take it away. The city was outraged at this, since Hungary joined the Nazi party willingly, killed Jews, and was the first country to instate anti-Jewish laws. Basically, the memorial was a false representation of what actually happened, making it look like Hungary was forced into the Nazi party. In response, people put up a spiked chain around the poles in front of the memorial and put up pictures of people that died due to the Holocaust as well as descriptive documents of why the memorial is hideously wrong. We stopped at another memorial after that by the river, where a bunch of shoe molds were at the edge of the walkway facing the river. This was where Jews were lined up and shot. Then Dad and I biked in the direction of Varga’s house, which again was about 9 miles away. Unfortunately, most of that way was on highway, so it was pretty stressful. We stopped before we got there and got doner for dinner, which was fantastic again. Then we got to his house, washed up, and he showed us places to go and public transportation options for tomorrow.

Tues, 7/10/18

Rest day on TGI Tuuuueessdayyyyyyy! Got up after what felt like a good night's sleep and walked down to the bus station, where we got 24 hour tickets for buses, trams, and boats. Throughout the day, we used the public transportation often, and I was only checked for my ticket twice. I think if we dressed more normal and just went for it instead of looking around a little/dressed in what we typically ride in, we wouldn't have been stopped at all. The same was true in Vienna for our hop on/hop off bus - was checked only once or twice out of the many times we used it. We first stopped at the Parliament building to get me a ticket for a tour. Already (around 9:30am) most of the English tours were sold out for an earlier time, so we got a ticket for 2:15pm and made our way to Széchenyi Thermal Bath. It was really nice. There were at least 15 different baths, all mostly hot/warm, including a big one outside. There were saunas and a beer spa, but I couldn't find it (pretty sure it was extra and only certain times). I would definitely do that again though. Next we went to the Opera House, but the auditorium was closed for renovations, so we didn't get tickets for the tour. Then we went back to the Parliament area, walked around, and got langos, a Hungarian fried bread dish with garlic. It was good, but I'd like to try it with more toppings or a dessert one. Then it was time for my Parliament tour. The building was huge and extravagant, almost like the cathedrals. Then we went to Central Market, which was a huge indoor area with loads of stands of people selling stuff - food on the bottom, other stuff up top. Next we got a bus back to the beginning, went to a mall with a grocery for breakfast stuff, then hit KFC for dinner.

Wedn, 7/11/18

Adding to the list of things I've noticed - I've seen more child workers in Hungary than I have ever seen anywhere else - in the souvenir stands in Budapest, the girl we talked to about our room today… a lot seem to be 15 and under.

Left at 8:00am for a hotel in Szalkszentmárton, Hungary - a 53 mile ride (995.1 total). Had breakfast in our room and said goodbye to our host before we left. Wasn't a hard ride today, but it wasn't fun either. Most of it was roads that were hardly paved, covered in rocks and potholes. We were constantly watching where we were going so as to avoid the worst of it. Then once we finally hit a good road for a bit, the GPS said to continue straight onto a path you could barely tell was there - just grass and dirt. We said forget that and turned on the road to get to the next turn in the right direction. The road we were supposed to turn on also turned out to be crap, so we went on even further until we could turn on the highway in the original right direction. Even the highway wasn't in the best of shape, but luckily it wasn't too busy either. The highway led us straight to our motel (we got there a little before 1:00pm), which also was not in great condition. First, they told Dad they had no room. Then Dad found the email with the reservation and they got us our room. The door handle was loose, there was a folded damp towel in the closet, and the room had no power. We asked the girl about it, and she said power comes on at 3:30pm. What the frick?! Luckily it came on at 1:30pm and we were able to work with a weak wifi signal from there. Then we rode into town to see what was there… which was basically nothing. No restaurants, two grocery stores, each with a total area smaller than my entire house, a bakery, and maybe two or three other small stores you could barely tell were open. Don't know how people live in places like this and the ones we passed today. Speaking of these conditions, Dad said no wonder so many people end the ride at Budapest. Most people we saw camping said they were stopping there, so no chance of seeing them again. And maybe Hungary won't be better than Slovakia. The first day and a half was good to Budapest, but today was crap trails. But to end on a positive note, Dad also said no one in the family had been this far south and east from this point on - he and Mom took a river cruise from Budapest to Passau two years ago, so after Budapest is all new territory for everyone! Also, the TV in the room works, so going to watch the World Cup England vs. Croatia tonight!

Thur, 7/12/18

More things - Slovakia and Hungary are both huge into poppy seed pastries. Like rolls literally stuffed full of seeds. I personally don't think they taste good. Both countries also farm fields and fields of sunflowers, which can be really pretty. Lastly, most of the grocery stores we go to only have one, maybe two cashiers, despite being in populated areas and having lines eight people deep.

Left the motel after having breakfast in the room and getting ready at 7:55am for Baja, Hungary - a 68 mile ride (1063.1 total). Hungary redeemed itself today with the trail - it was mostly smooth and easy riding, just boring and flat. Legs felt pretty good after it too, but my butt was killing me. We rode into Baja around 2:45pm, went to the store, and got milk, pastries, and a liter of ice cream to eat. Passed through the main square when they were setting up for a Fish Soup Festival, which is a pretty big deal here. Then we went to our host’s house, Roland and Esther Görög (pictured left to right is Renny, Anna, Volly, Esther, Roland, and Downut [pretty sure I butchered all the kids spelling]). The parents were super nice and easy to talk to - kids were nice too, just didn't speak English. They also had a hedgehog (that they had found outside) curled up on a bed, which was the first time I had ever held one. They made us a chili dinner and a fresh baked dessert of a poppy seed pastry. We also asked them about Romania, and they eased our worries a little there. Then we looked up where Dracula's Castle was in Transylvania, Romania, but we weren't cycling anywhere near it. We talked for a good bit after that, then got ready for bed.

Fri, 7/13/18

Weird language stuff - the Hungarian word for “seven” sounds just like “eight,” and a Hungarian word for “hello” sounds just like “see ya.” Also, places still advertise air conditioning here - it's not always a given. Lastly, the stuff I said before about cute small towns we rode through that you could identify by churches, and the people we saw taking care of the path and plants by the road, ended with Austria. If we ride through a small town now, they either look taken care of and friendly and have people walking around/on bikes, or they look like they're in bad shape and you don't really see anyone.

Left our hosts in Baja, Hungary at 7:15am for Suza, Croatia - about 56 mile ride (1119.1 total). We didn't really start riding though until about 45 minutes later when we finally found the trail on the GPS. Most of the ride again was boring - flat, straight trail with the sun beating down on us, but at least it was paved. We left Roland's house without eating breakfast first, so we were going to stop at the first grocery store we saw to get something, but we never passed one. Ended up stopping on the trail to eat the muesli and fruit we still had. Then we got off the trail at one point, and for the next five miles we saw more police officers than we had the whole trip - at least 25 of them spaced out on the road. It was weird and a little unsettling, made me think something was wrong or about to happen. But we came across a small town after that and a woman pointed us in the direction of the grocery store, then invited us to have a drink with her. So we stopped for about 30-45 minutes, ate, and talked with Briggy and Elizabeth, though Briggy was the only one who spoke English (she did some translating for the University of Pennsylvania). Then about a mile or two down the road we came to the border crossing into Serbia. They stamped our passports, and about 10 miles later we had to stop to get them stamped again to leave Serbia, then stamped once more to enter Croatia. We rode past one car that got stopped at each passport station. There must have been something off with their passports, because at each station, their car and bags were searched thoroughly and they were given a pat-down. We stopped at the only other store we saw about 1.5 miles away from our camp to get breakfast for tomorrow, and there we bumped into a guy from North Carolina. He had been living in Ukraine the last 10 years and was in Croatia for a Bible Camp. After the store, we made our way to Camp Suza, arriving around 1:45pm, and got set up. The camp had a small river near it, and the fact that we were staying at a camp on Friday the 13th made the movie reference perfect. Two other people came in not long after, Mary and Tsvay (?), a French girl and Israeli man. We all went up to the restaurant that owned the camp together to pay and show passports, and the owner (Mario) brought us out wine, bread, vegetables, and meats. Then Dad and I went to dinner at quite a popular restaurant for a small town (Kovac Carda), and I got a delicious plate of squid stuffed with a ham and cheese paste and covered in garlic.

Sat, 7/14/18

It drives me crazy that I have to pace myself with drinks (like water and soda) when we go out for food. Even water costs money and is sometimes more expensive than beer, and nothing gets free refills. So if I order a water, it usually comes out in a 0.33-0.5 L glass that I then have to make last until my food comes out unless I want to PAY FOR MORE WATER. I hate it so much. On a more positive note, Croatia is in the final match for the World Cup, so we've been seeing a lot of flags. Pretty cool time to be here. Lastly, money is crazy. In Hungary, $1 = 276 florints. They don't even have a monetary unit of “1” - the lowest they have is 10 florints. In Croatia, $1 = 6.33 kuna, and in Serbia, $1 = 101 dinar.

Left the campsite around 7:20am for Vukovar, Croatia - a 56.9 mile ride (1176 total). We got off to a bad start. For about 17 miles, the path was unpaved but would've been smooth if we didn't have to watch out for all the potholes to avoid. Then the last three miles there was road work, and our bikes rattled on the larger stones sticking out of the trail. And trucks drove by kicking up lots of dirt in the air. It was miserable. But everything after that went smoothly and was paved. We did see some wild boar and a bunch of frogs on the trail though, so that was cool. We got to our hotel, Pansion Vila Vanda - Megaron, around 1:20pm, and the girl at the desk gave me a beer on the house! We showered and walked into town, first to find me a magnet, which proved more difficult than it should have. The girl at the desk pointed us to a souvenir stand, but by the time we got there around 2:45pm, it had already closed! We passed another stand that also closed at 2:00pm. So we went to the store to get some food for tomorrow (even though grocery stores out this way are open on Sundays till 2:00pm), and on our way back we passed another stand with magazines and candy and stuff. As a last ditch effort, I asked if she had magnets, and she was able to dig some up! I picked the only one that said “Croatia” on it, though I have no idea what was pictured on it. When we got back to the hotel, Tsvay was there! We spoke quick then made our way to the room to relax and plan a little, though we did it shirtless since the room had no AC. A little bit later we went to dinner at Pizzeria Chiara and each had a 14in pizza for $5 each! Then we went back to the hotel. We couldn't find the World Cup game, so we put on Wall E instead and got ready for bed.

Sun, 7/15/18

Left the hotel in Vukovar, Croatia at 8:10am for Novi Sad, Serbia - a 51 mile ride (1227 total). Tsvay left a little before us, but we passed him and said goodbye. Then later on the road we ran into Mary! We all stopped at a store a couple of minutes later and had a snack together. Next, we passed the two passport stations and started riding in Serbia. The path today was mostly really smooth. One part was unpaved with potholes and rocky, but we weren't on there too long. We got to Novi Sad around 1:15pm, locked our bikes up, and walked around the large pedestrian area of shops and restaurants for a little bit before stopping for a burger and Guinness at Red Cow Irish Pub. Next we went to our host, Dalibor’s, apartment, cleaned up, and watched France win the World Cup against Croatia. Then he took us out to town around where we pulled in on our bikes. First we stopped for food and he ordered us a platter of meats that looked like sausages he said were a Serbian dish. Next he took us for gelato, then a walk to a park. As the night went on, the streets only seemed to get more packed. Maybe it was because of the Exit Music Festival taking place, but people were everywhere. We made our way to a bridge and looked out over the Danube and the hundreds of people hanging out near the edge of the river. We also passed two girls on the bridge selling shots and another guy with a big bucket of beers he was selling - on the sidewalk! After that, we made our way back to Dalibor's apartment and got ready for bed.

Mon, 7/1618

No matter how stuffed I am before bed, I wake up every morning starving.

Left Novi Sad at 7:30am for Belgrade - a 62.5 mile ride (1289.5 total). On the way out of the city, we crossed a bridge, and hundreds of people were crossing into the city, as they were just leaving the Exit festival from last night. We also ran into Tsvay again on the other side. A few miles later, the GPS told us to go through a terrible path - all dirt and big rocks, unavoidable puddles we had to ride through, and short and abrupt hills that came out of nowhere. When we finally got off it, we saw we had only gone 12 miles in 2 hours… we usually average a little more than 10 mph. Then rest of the day was pretty good riding, though a couple of miles were on a busy two-lane highway. We finally got to Belgrade around 2:20pm, got something to eat, and made our way to our host's, Goran and Sonja’s, apartment. Not long after showering, they drove us out to town around 6:00pm. We walked for a little to two spots with an excellent view of the city, then stopped at a restaurant boat on the water for a drink. We were there for two hours talking before we left for dinner. They ordered for the group three different Serbian dishes to share from, and they were very good. We left the restaurant around 11:30pm. So far, our Serbian hosts seem to be the most friendly, or at least want to connect and spend time together the most. Goran and Sonja even offered to take us for coffee and another short tour in the morning. We ended up staying up a little past one, but it was a good night.

Tues, 7/17/18

Just like in Hungary, they have wild hedgehogs here! I haven't seen any though… I only know because we pass some as roadkill everyday. I also realized that people in the small towns we pass must have no variety in their diet. In these towns, the grocery stores are smaller than a Wawa, Rutter's, or any other mini-mart - the kind without the food station. They might have four different kinds of fruits and vegetables, one type of cereal if they have any at all. Very limited options.

Left Belgrade for Smederevo, Serbia around 10:00am - what turned out to be a 51 mile ride (1340.5 total). Originally, we had planned to spend an extra rest day in Belgrade and do over 70 miles the next day, but we broke it up instead into two smaller days. So today was only supposed to be 46 miles, but we had to add some on for getting out of the city (which was stressful - the city wasn't very biker friendly like Vienna and the roads were a little wet from early morning rain), taking a detour to a road so we could get off a path that was grass and dirt and overgrown (the detour turned out to be a highway, which was fine when we had a bus lane to ride in, but got a little stressful again when that disappeared), then taking a turn into a bigger town only to get a good bit in then have the GPS tell us we need to turn around. But after that it was smooth sailing. Today we also passed more dogs (I'm assuming some wild) than I've seen yet. One walking along the side of the road, others walking in front of houses with no leash or owner in sight, and one we saw sleeping on a wall. We were actually chased a little for the first time today. They were in front of some property, I think a business, so I don't think they were wild, but they barked and chased us a little, but we just peddled a little faster and lost them, nothing that had us worried. We got to our hotel in Smederevo after stopping at a store for snacks around 3:45pm and cleaned up. Luckily, they had AC and we immediately put it on - we don't stay in cool places very often. The last two nights at our host's I slept on top of the sheets in my underwear and was still too hot. We got dinner in the hotel later, then checked out the path on the computer to make sure it was good. Then we chilled and got ready for bed.

Wedn, 7/18/18

Left our hotel after having an omelette for breakfast at 8:55am for a short ride to Bela Crkva - a 39.3 mile ride (1379.8 total). We looked at the trail the night before and it looked really bad, so we rerouted to the highway,which took us almost the whole way there. It was really nice to ride on and didn't have many cars. We hit a little rain twice, but each time it didn't last long. We got to Camp Oaza at 12:00pm, and Dad ended up renting a camper for the night. He had made reservations for the camp previously, but was surprised when the receipt said something about two private beds. It all worked out though, since rain was off and on all day. Then rode into town to get food for tomorrow. Tomorrow is a 60+ mile ride and we needed to use a ferry that left either at 7:00am or 10:00am, so we got breakfast and other food so we could get up at 5:00am, leave by 6:00am, and get to the ferry in time.

0.33 L water = 48 dinar, 0.5 L beer = 46, 2L beer = 175

Thur, 7/19/18

Everything went according to plan this morning. We were at the ferry by 6:40am, only to find out that they posted a change in schedule for June, July, and August that the ferry comes at 7:30am. We got off the ferry at 8:00am and began our 67 mile ride (1446.8 total) to Donji Milanovac. About 75% of the day was a heavy drizzle, and my shorts were soaked through at one point. But it cleared up later on and the sun came out, though it was a bit windy. The ride today reminded me of Austria - paved and following the river between gorges. There were a few tunnels though. I thought one was going to be shorter than it actually was, kept my sunglasses on, and ended up taking a good fall. Scraped my knee and elbow pretty good, and the front tire wasn't in line with the handlebars. Luckily we just forced it back into place. We got to Donji Milanovac at 1:30pm and got an ice cream bar. We found our hotel, and I changed into my swimsuit so I could take a quick dip in the Danube River just to say I did. We cleaned up and walked around town, then got something to eat at a small sandwich stand. Dad pointed to a picture of a ham and cheese sandwich, and I pointed to a roast beef sandwich. She made sounds and motions we interpretted as “yes, no problem,” then brought us both out the same sandwich, and it wasn’t what either of us asked for. We went to the grocery store next, then back to the hotel to figure things out for tomorrow and wait for dinner. And at dinner, Dad got an additional appetizer he didn't order, and I got something for my meal that wasn't what I asked for (turns out it was, just not what I was expecting - I ordered “pariska snicla”, which was accompanied with the English translation “parisian steak”. I looked up images of the former and it was what I got, which looked like wiener schnitzel. Images of the latter turned up steak, which was what I wanted). We just didn't have good luck ordering food in this town. About 8:30pm after dinner, we stopped at the grocery store once more to pick up breakfast, and it was packed with kids with shopping baskets. The pedestrian street outside also had kids everywhere playing around. It was weird to see. Then we went back to the room to finalize stuff and call it a night.

Fri, 7/20/18

The people we have stayed with in Serbia have been wonderful. The couchsurfing hosts just wanted to hang and connect, the campsite owner was very nice, and the hotel/bed and breakfast we stayed at last night (owned by Helena and another guy) and the Bicycle Guest House we are at today (owned by Bojan) have people that have bent over backwards to meet or every need. Really great people. We're also starting to see a lot more stray dogs and cats after Belgrade. In the town last night, there were quite a few stray dogs on the street, and at least three different cats walked through the restaurant we ate at last night.

We each got the best night's rest we had gotten in a long time last night, and were on the road by 8:20am. Originally, the route we were planning on taking today went up to follow the Danube, then back down to get to Negotin, but it was about 74 miles. So we plotted an alternate route that cut straight to Negotin and was 34.6 miles (1481.4 total), but had a bunch of hills, including one that was at least a 1000 ft climb. It was a really rough hill, and we stopped a few times for a break. But the ride down was nice. There were three or four other smaller hills in there that were still a pain, but manageable. Some of the downhills made me nervous - we were going really fast and you can't always see what's ahead, and you have to put a lot of trust in your brakes. But it all worked out and we were in Negotin at 11:50am. It was a bigger town and had a nice pedestrian area. We got to our hostel/hotel, Guesthouse for Adventures and Cyclists, and were greeted by Bojan, who was really great. He showed us our room, which not only had AC, but a mini kitchen and bathrobes. Then he took us into town and showed me a place to get a magnet (which I was anxious about since this is our last night in Serbia), and a place to get pizza. After lunch and a quick stop at the store, we headed back to the hotel and Tsvay was there (he is pictured on my left, Bojan on my right)! We then gave Bojan our passports so he could clear them with the police and get us a receipt, since if you leave Serbia, they need to know where you were the previous night before they let you pass (though Dad read a blog where two other bikers were stopped and asked for their receipt from the place they stayed the night before, which they didn't have because they didn't know they needed one, and they were eventually let through). Later I met a really cool guy named Jonathon, who was from Sweden and backpacking via train to Serbia to visit his God-father, then going to Slovenia and its capital Ljubljana (which he said is the most environmentally friendly in the world) and Lake Bled, which looked beautiful. Not long after that, the same Austrian guy (Garoff) we talked to briefly on the ferry yesterday pulled in as well! Dad and I went to dinner later, then came back and talked to the group for a good bit (pictured left to right is Johannes, Monique, Jonathan, and Garoff). Then we got ready for bed to hit Romania tomorrow.

Sat, 7/21/18

The last couple of days, things have been pretty cheap in these countries. A 0.5 L beer might cost $0.50, a 14 in pizza costs $5, a room at a hotel for both of us averages less than $25, and a meal at a restaurant is usually around $15.

Left Negotin, Serbia around 8:35am for Calafat, Romania - a 34.7 mile ride (1516.1 total). It was a pretty easy day. Once we crossed the bridge from Serbia into Bulgaria (which we rode through before crossing into Romania), we gained an hour. So within seconds, we left Serbia at 9:30am and entered Bulgaria at 10:30am. I thought we had seen tons of sunflower crops before, but Bulgaria had everyone beat. Couldn't believe how big the sunflower crops were - a majority of the landscape was yellow. Then we crossed into Romania, which was a little annoying because the border guards held our passports for at least 15 minutes, but while we were waiting, another guard gave us a slice of watermelon, which was unexpected. We got to our hotel in Calafat, and the guy out front said no rooms, despite Dad paying for a reservation. He knew no English, and we couldn't tell if the place was closed or full. We found another hotel with the help of some nice locals, got a room, and Dad was able to cancel the other one and get his money back, which was nice. We washed up and went to the grocery store for food and a liter of ice cream to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary. While we were eating it outside, two kids no older than 10 tried to sell us a watch, which hasn't happened yet. Later we went to dinner at a restaurant and the whole thing including both meals and drinks cost $10. We went to the grocery store for some dessert, then back to the room to make plans for the future.

Sun, 7/22/18

Interesting start of the day when we went down to get our complimentary hotel breakfast, which was three hot dogs and sliced bread. We were on the road leaving Calafat towards Bechet, Romania by 8:05am - a 60 mile ride (1576.1 total). It was a good, easy ride today - very flat. It was supposed to be very hot, around 90°F, but we had good cloud cover, so it wasn't bad. Saw more stray dogs today. One didn't chase or bark at us, but one followed us for an impressive couple of minutes into a town, where we stopped, had a snack, and gave some to the dog. Once we left, he continued to follow us, running for even longer this time. We kept looking back and couldn't believe he was still there. But eventually he gave up and stopped. Also saw lots of horses pulling carts today. No buggies, just carts carrying mostly dead grass. Each town we went through also had a well, where you lower a bucket and bring up water. We didn't drink it though, figured it was dirty. All the towns we went through today were dirty too. Saw more trash scattered along the side of the road than previous days, and the main road we stayed on all day was usually the only paved one in the town - the roads branching off it were dirt. But the people were super friendly. Every town had people out sitting on benches or at the market, and a few would always yell hello. Kids would sometimes run out into the street to give high fives. Made me smile. We got to Bechet at 1:35pm and stopped at the market for milk and snacks. We went to our hotel, which again thankfully had a fridge and AC, showered and washed our clothes, and walked to the mini-mart attached to the hotel for another cold drink. People told us not to drink the water from the faucets in Romania or Bulgaria, so we're buying water when we can. Later we went to dinner. We each got a salad, then a cheese sticks appetizer, a chicken entree, a steak entree, then I got a chocolate shake - all for $16 (or 64 Leu). Then we went back to the hotel, did some planning, and relaxed.

Mon, 7/23/18

The last couple of days we have rode on some really long, straight streets. They just go on and on for as long as you can see. We've also heard a little Spanish here. Some people in the street say “hola” and “salud” as we pass by. Lastly, the “6’s” we've been following have disappeared. They were great in Serbia. They had them color coded - red for main route, green for alternate route and paved, and purple for detour into a town/stores. We haven't seen a EuroVelo 6 sign in a while.

Left our hotel in Bechet at 8:10am and rode 50 miles (1626.1 total) to Turnu Magurele, Romania, getting there at 12:15pm. We were cruising today, but mostly because we were really motivated at the beginning. Right after we had gotten the bikes all packed up and ready to go, we heard thunder. There was some sun ahead of us, but behind us was pretty grey. So we took off, hoping to outrun the rain. It eventually caught us and we got out the raincoats, but it wasn't enough to stop us. When we got to our “hotel,” I was surprised to see it was just someone's house who was renting out the bottom floor. But it was nice, and Dad and I got separate rooms. The rest of the day was easy. We couldn't really walk anywhere because the house was off the beaten path, and the town, although big, was dirty and I had no desire to go back. We finished up route stuff and couchsurfing requests, and relaxed. Dinner later was huge. She first put out bread and soup. I thought that was going to be it and ate a lot of bread. Then she brought out homemade sausages and a thick, dairy side dish. Next was a dessert made with most of the same ingredients plus sugar, and lastly watermelon. We were stuffed.

Tues, 7/24/18

I had mentioned the little towns we passed in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria looked really nice, like out of a fairy tale, but felt like ghost towns. Here, though the towns are dirty and rundown, we always see people. The towns have houses that are overgrown and shoddy, and you can't tell if someone lives there or not. Every house has a fence/wall usually less than 5 feet in front of it, and in every town you can pass a guy just standing in front of his property with his fists on his hips that'll stare at you as you ride by. The old women look like something out of an old Disney movie - kinda hunched, something covering her head, and long worn dresses and sweaters/blanket things. You don't see anyone between the ages of 18-35, just kids, some parents, and lots of old people. The towns have wells you have to crank for water, and it's hard to believe the houses have electricity.

Left Turnu Magurele at 8:05am for Giurgiu, Romania - a 74.3 mile ride (1700.4 total). No more days as long as this one for the rest of the trip! Got an excellent night's sleep, and for breakfast Daniel and Unella (owners of our “hotel,” Rustic House), brought out scrambled eggs, bread, homemade strawberry jam, and meats. The ride was uneventful again, just long. Passed through a lot of towns not in good shape and said hola to a bunch of people. Still made excellent timing and got to Giurgiu at 2:35pm. We washed up, hung up our clothes, and went to the store to buy dinner, breakfast, and some snacks.

Wedn, 7/25/18

Left Giurgiu, Romania at 8:45am for Tutrakan, Bulgaria - a 39.2 mile ride (1739.6 total). It feels so much better than yesterday. We got there at 12:15pm and it felt so good to be done. Uneventful riding again, but we haven't hit trails in a long time, thank goodness. It's all been paved - sometimes the road is lumpy and uneven or has a lot of little bumps, but it's still better than trails. We've pretty much been following the highway the last couple of days. Passing through the small towns in Romania wasn't a problem, but it got pretty busy today around the border. Hard to believe that whoever planned the EuroVelo 6 wanted people to ride there. The 10 day forecast said rain almost everyday, but we've been pretty lucky riding and haven't hit anything that's stopped us. But we were 0.5 miles away today and it started to pour. We stopped under a gas station, waited a short bit, then got to the hotel. After showering and washing clothes, we walked to the store, but three minutes in it started to downpour again. We took shelter under one house’s overhang and waited a few minutes for it to stop, but our shoes were soaked. Then once we were done shopping and less than 50 ft away from returning, it started up again! It was on and off all day after that. But the rain in the afternoon hasn't been a bad thing. There really hasn't been anything to see/do in last couple of towns we've stopped in. We just get to the hotel, wash up, go to the store, and come back. You can really tell there’s nothing to see based on how few pictures go up now.

Thur, 7/26/18

Left Tutrakan for Silistra, Bulgaria at 8:15am - a 37.6 mile ride (after getting there, we had time to kill and rode around at least two more miles, making the total 1779.2). Stayed on the highway again, but it was a hilly ride today. Got to Silistra around 11:35am, but our hosts, Valentin and Vanya, weren't ready for us until 2:00pm. They run a private school for learning English, and they were letting us stay in one of the empty classrooms. Luckily Valentin bumped into us while we were looking for the place and let us put our bags inside. Then we rode around aimlessly for a while, stopped by the park and library, then headed back. We were greeted by a few people at the door, most of whom worked at the school. We got settled and washed up, which was an odd situation again - this is the second day in a row that the toilet and shower have shared the same space - maybe it's a Bulgarian thing. Then I talked to some of the people still here - Irene, Chrissy, and two kids. The kids were given an assignment today to prepare questions you would ask two people cycling across Europe. They didn't know it, but Dad and I would be talking to their class tomorrow. While I was answering questions, Chrissy brought over a traditional Bulgarian drink - airyan (a milk, water, and salt mixture). It wasn't very good, but I lied and told her it was and finished it. Vanya and Valentin also said that we were their first couchsurfers, which was exciting! Dad and I got pizza at Stop Mozzarella, which was decent, picked up an ice cream bar, and headed back to the school. We did some planning on the computer, laid out our sleeping bags, and got ready for bed.

Fri, 7/27/18

Rest day! Last one before the end. We started the morning with a walk around a small section of the city. Irene told me where I could find a Bulgaria magnet, so we stopped there and picked one up (again, a weight off my shoulders since today is the last day in Bulgaria). Then we went in front of a class of four students and answered questions about bicycle touring that they had prepared as a homework assignment, which was really fun (Back row: Irene, Vanya, and Alex. Middle row: Valentin, Ivan, Margaret, Maxi, and Alice). It was a good way for them to practice English and they seemed curious about our trip. Then Dad and I went for another walk around the city. We got back, chilled on the computer/phone a good bit, then we talked with the adults (Irene, Alex, Vanya, and her daughter Danicka) for over 2.5 hours. Alex had said earlier that she was going to make banitsa for us, a traditional Bulgarian pastry. Not only did she bring it, but Chrissy sent over a small box with some AND Vanya made some too! We took a lot for leftovers. The rims on my back tire have begun to crack. We first noticed it a week ago, but it was getting worse. We bought super glue and played with the spokes, hoping to make it last.

Sat, 7/28/18

When we went to put the bikes outside this morning, my back tire didn't rotate properly. It wasn't spinning straight and kept getting stuck on the brakes. We played with it more, but nothing was helping. So we took it to a bike shop and waited an hour for it to open. They said no one could get there till 3:00pm to look at it, so we waited. Thankfully, Val let us stay at the school longer and told us we could stay there again if we needed. But while Dad and I were walking around, we came across a hardware store that sold bike parts. We took the bike there, and with Val's help as translator, we got the tire removed, a new one put on, and got a new cassette, all for about $25. We ended up finally leaving Silistra, Bulgaria for Seimens, Romania at 3:30pm - a 64.2 mile ride (1843.4 total). Things were looking up… until i got a flat around 6:00pm. And it was the new back tire, which we didn't have the tools to remove now. Some police were nearby and we asked for help, but they said they couldn't and that a town was 7km away. We tried hitchhiking, and one car stopped. A father and son, Sebastian and Radish, while unable to take us anywhere, had a bunch of tools and tried to remove the tire, but couldn't. We continued walking until we came to a town, and we asked some kids that said hello if they knew someone that could help. They got some tools and we were able to replace the tire and start riding again, but my tire wobbled and Dad tightened almost every spoke, but the tire started to rub against the frame, so then he had to loosen some again. By the time we started riding again, it was past 8:30pm. The tire started to rub again later, and we played with the spokes some more. We got to our hotel at 12:20am. The owner said he would make the cook make something for us, and though we insisted that wasn’t necessary, he said it was, and we had grilled chicken and potatoes. We showered, washed the clothes, and went to bed.

Sun, 7/29/18

Left Seimens at 10:30am for Constanta, Romania - a 45 mile ride (1888.4 total). We were supposed to ride another four days, ending August 2nd, but too much happened with my bike yesterday, we weren't able to get it to a proper bike shop, and we just don't trust it to go another 250 miles, so we decided to go right to Constanta and end early. It was an uneventful ride, but no problems, so that was good. It was also a super tiring today. Just the lack of sleep, rest, and all the sun today beat it out of us. We got 1.5 miles away from the Black Sea at 2:30pm and it started to downpour, so we stopped at got doners and waited an hour for the rain to stop. We rode onto the beach and dipped our front tires in the water. Then we went to the hostel, unpacked, and walked around the area. Constanta was packed and the hostel was right in the middle of a big pedestrian area, so it was easy to get around. We had dinner, talked to some guys at the hostel, and hit the sack.

Mon, 7/30/18

Didn't get a lot of sleep last night either. But we got up, had breakfast, and took a walk around Old Town. We walked down to the beach, then to a mosque that had a nice view of the city from the top. We returned to the hostel to change upcoming plans - sleeping in a hotel tonight for the same price, leaving Constanta early to spend an equal amount of time in Bucharest, and figuring out train plans. We couldn't wait to get to a hotel with private beds and AC… and it turns out we had to wait until Bucharest. It wasn't a hotel as much as a two story house with a lot of really small rooms. AC was only in the hallway, so we left our door open a lot. But we made it work. Next we went to City Park Mall, which was huge. We walked around most of it and stopped at the food court for lunch. Of course the two most packed places were the American fast food chains, McDonald's and KFC - points for America for making the food everyone wants. We returned to our room then and wrote thank you’s to the people that hosted us during the trip and to let them know we made it. We took one more walk around the block, made sandwiches for dinner, and kicked back. We did another 6 miles of riding too, making the total 1894.4 miles.

Tues, 7/31/18

Last night may have been the worst night of sleep yet. Two grown men cramped in a full sized bed which creaked every time anyone moved, and it was uncomfortably hot. Around 3:30am I decided I'd sleep in the kitchen area where the AC was if I could. Of course me moving woke Dad up, and we decide to open the door to let some AC in, which helped tremendously, allowing me to get about 5 hours of sleep. We had breakfast then spent the morning at the Black Sea. The water was nice and the perfect temperature. Guys here really have a thing for swim trunks that are way too small and Speedos. Then we walked to the mall and had lunch. While we were there, we checked out the movie theater, thinking we might see a movie tomorrow if we could. We asked if there were any English movies, and the girl said all movies were in English with Romanian subtitles, which was a nice surprise. We kind of remembered someone telling us this, that the Romanian entertainment industry doesn't have enough/want to spend money on dubbing. We walked back towards our place, stopped at a store for dinner supplies, and relaxed. We did another 3 miles of riding too, making the total 1897.4 miles.

Wedn, 8/1/18

Woke up at 7:00am after little better sleep, made egg, ham, and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, and went to the Black Sea for another dip. After returning and washing up, we headed to the mall to see The Incredibles 2. Unfortunately, they told us it seemed to be one of the only movies that was dubbed, so we canned it and walked back to the room. After chilling, we rode our bikes out to the sea again, then to the old Casino building pictured on my magnet, then back to Old Town for some gelato. Later we walked to the mall again for dinner, came back and washed up, and split a liter of ice cream. As we got ready for bed, we still heard the kids playing in the street. Every night so far, there has been at least 15 kids, all under 13, playing in the street outside our “hotel.” We did another 8 miles of riding too, making the total 1905.4 miles.

Doner!

Thur, 8/2/18

After packing up and leaving the hotel, we chilled the whole afternoon. We rode to the Casino area, grabbed a bench, then Dad read and I listened to a few podcasts. We got lunch later, then returned and did the same thing. Next we rode around town a little, just exploring. We returned to the benches and went back to reading and podcasts. Dinner, then went to the train station for Bucharest, departing at 8:00pm and arriving at 10:45pm. Listened to even more podcasts on the train. Loved that I could take a day and listen to stuff, was really missing it. Our room in Bucharest was a sight for sore eyes. It was big, had AC, two separate beds, a shower with an actual shower head on the wall with a curtain separating it from the toilet, and curtains that seemed thick. We did another 10 miles of riding too, making the total 1915.4 miles.

Fri, 8/3/18

Woke up and walked to a bus stop to make sure we got downtown in plenty of time for the food tour. We had scheduled a food tour at 10:30am, which I was excited to try. We got to the bus stop, where the lady at the front desk of the hotel said we could get a ticket. We didn't see a machine, but then the bus pulled up and we got on, thinking we could get a ticket on the bus. But we didn't see anywhere to buy a ticket on there either, so we just rode it where we needed to go. We met our guide, Andrei (pictured left), and two other people touring with us, Wesley and Esther (pictured right), and started our tour eating some breads and meats. Most of the tour consisted of Andrei telling us about the architecture and different types of neighborhoods we were going through. Our next stop was just for a drink, and the last one was at a farmers market where we ate cheeses, tomatoes, and skinless sausages. During the tour, we found out that Wesley and Esther were in Bucharest for a Romanian wedding. We discovered that weddings were the only thing in Romania that weren't cheap and are usually two day events with some crazy traditions, including the groomsmen kidnapping the bride, dropping her off at a club, then demanding the groom pay for her/get her back. This would happen during the wedding at some point, as Andrei said it's not unheard of to be at a club, then see a girl enter in a wedding dress. The tour ended at 4:30pm. While it was 6 hours, it didn't really feel like it was, so it was a good way to use up a day.

Sat, 8/4/18

Had muesli for breakfast, then walked to the bike shop just to check in. Then we went to see the Parliament building, which is supposed to be the second biggest of its kind in the world. Later we walked to Old Town and I had a good steak for lunch and Dad had a burger. This was the first place that actually asked us how we wanted the meat. Then we tried to find the farmers market we were at yesterday to get a donut again, but we couldn't find it. So we made our way back to the hotel to relax a little. We then ensured our bags would work on the plane, deciding what would go in Dad's bike box (since I'm leaving my bike here), what to trash, and putting everything in the two larger rear bags to make sure it would fit. We went to dinner at KFC, then came back for the night.

Sun, 8/5/18

Muesli for breakfast, then went to Old Town to a place that calls itself the most beautiful bookstore in the world - Cărturești Carusel. It was very nice. Then we went to the farmers market we couldn't find yesterday with the help of Andrei and the internet - the Obor Market. We really wanted some donuts the food tour ended with that tasted just like funnel cakes. We walked around for a good bit, but couldn't find them. We took one last ditch effort through a mall, and luckily found them on the other side. Unfortunately, they were out, so we waited 5-10 minutes and got fresh ones. We returned to the hotel to get off our feet a little. Eventually we went out for dinner and returned. It felt a little earlier than usual, but we needed to wash and hang our clothes so they would be dry by morning and able to be packed. We arranged with Andrei one more tour for tomorrow in exchange for my bike, which we were planning on leaving here anyway.

Mon, 8/6/18

We head to the airport today! Had muesli, packed our bags, and waited for the bike shop to open at 10:30am. Dropped off Dad's bike and our bags, then went to meet Andrei for our Darkside Tour at 11:30am. We started in a cemetery for the rich (Bellu Cemetery) and heard a few interesting stories listed under the pictures below. We also made our way to an alley for a drink with a bunch of colorful umbrellas. The owner put them up to brighten up the place because locals avoided it for a long time since two victims of a serial killer were found there. He was called the Vampire of Bucharest and killed over 50 blonde women. When he was caught, they asked him why, and all he said was it was his father's fault. The police did some digging and discovered his father was also a serial killer that was never caught. The tour ended around 3:30pm, and that was rushed since we told him we needed to be at the bike shop for the taxi at 4:00pm. We stopped at the hotel to give him my bike, where the receptionist also gave me my passport, since I had apparently forgotten it in the room.

This is the cemetery of a 19 year old daughter of a famous scientist. She was rumored to have inherited his intelligence, having been accepted to University at 16 and living in various cities across Europe. She died of pneumonia though, leaving her Dad devastated. He claimed he could still communicate with her, and she told him how she wanted her grave to look, to have her head separated from her body and placed in the globe at the top front of her grave, and to have a small castle built for her spirit to live in. The castle is a tourist attraction now, with many instruments used to communicate with the dead.

This is the grave of a rock climber, with the angel of death and an eagle on top. While she was climbing, she stumbled upon an eagle’s nest. It attacked her and she fell to her death. Her family brought back her body along with rocks from the mountain she was climbing.

This grave of a man crying over his dead wife had a crazy story. He traveled when he was young and fell for a girl in France. They had a fling, but he had to return to Romania and they didn't see each other anymore. He got married then and had a family. Years later, his son went to study in France and got married, then brought his wife home to meet his family. Somehow, through their dinner conversation, the man found out that his son's wife was his daughter he didn't know about from his fling in France. The man's wife committed suicide due to this, and his son's wife did the same since she was pregnant.

Graves of protestors at Revolution Square. In 1989, people were protesting their corrupt government. The leader fled and a general ordered his troops to fire upon the crowd, killing hundreds if not thousands. Unbeknownst to the general, his son was in the crowd - he gave the order resulting in his own son's death.

Mon, 8/6/18 - Wedn, 8/8/18

The Flight Home

The bike shop called us a taxi and we headed for the airport, getting there around 4:20pm for our 9:00pm flight to London. Unlike most airports though, this one didn't let you check-in early - it only opened up check-in two hours before the flight. So we found a spot at a cafe and took a seat. I shortly began listening to my podcasts. I had 19.3 hours downloaded… curious to see how much I get through. After landing in London, we encountered the same thing - no checking in until 2 hours before the flight. This airport also had a luxury lounge, but it only opened at 4:30am - an hour before our flight was supposed to leave. When we got in though, it was great. Free food, snacks, beer, sleeping pods, and more. It was really nice, though Dad said it was only a mediocre one. We also ran into some minor issues with transporting the bike while checking in, and the lady easily helped us through it. I could almost cry how easy it was to communicate, fix the problem quickly, and just understand things in general. I can't wait to get home. And in Iceland, no checking in until about 2 hours before. It's weird because in the US, they say to be at the airport around 3-4 hours early. And even in Dusseldorf on my connecting flight here, I was allowed to check in hours early - I think I got there when the gate was still for a different flight, then ended up dozing off there a couple of times only to awake and still find I was the only one there. But we finally landed in Baltimore, and I finished all my podcasts.

Flight schedule:

Bucharest at 9:25pm to London

5 hour wait
Flight was a little over 3 hours, but crossing time zones we landed at 11:00pm.

London at 6:00am to Reykjavik, Iceland

7 hour layover
Flight was about 3 hours, but crossing time zones we landed at 8:00am.

Reykjavik at 3:45pm to Washington DC

7 hour layover
Flight was about 6.5 hours, but crossing time zones we landed at 6:15pm

This Guy's Going Places

Search This Blog

Bike Trip #1 - Eurovelo 6 - 2018

Comments

Post a Comment