Oh boy...

It was a difficult decision to leave Prague. The city was nice, and I had actually stared to make friends at the Hostel. My last night there I had drinks with an two Australians, a Californian, and a pretty English girl, and were able to trade advice and war stories, including my trip into Berlin. It was a real nice time where I felt very comfortable. Most of the hostels (Jugandherberge) in Germany are filled with school age kids of band or sports, and run around all day, sometimes in the hundreds. Even right now there are many kids running up and down the halls, leaving me isolated, and somewhat annoyed. Supervision seems to be minimal.

But I left Prague nonetheless. I can say, for sure, that Prague is very difficult for cycling. There are few bicycle amenities; pedestrian, bus, automobile, and rail cars are in the streets. There are few traffic signals, which makes things even more dangerous as people don't seem to stop at intersections. The cobblestone streets and and especially imbed tram tracks seem are epically hazardous for bike wheels, and I often had the choice between riding between tram rails, in the door zone, or on the sidewalk which was busy with pedestrians and cafes. I've ridden in New York City, but that was easy compared to Prague. It was the first city where I decided it was too unsafe to ride, and walked the bike on the sidewalk. There were not many other bicyclists on the streets. Once out of the city, things cleared up, and my GPS did a good job on keeping me on track. I was following Google's “walking” directions as the “cycling” directions were not available. Although the route was very direct (nearly a strait line as viewed on a map) there were a bunch of dirt roads and unpaved paths that would have been difficult on a road bike. There were a few areas of muddy or overgrown tractor paths that I refused to do, and was sometimes able to find suitable roads that ran aside to the recommended path.

The bigger story heading back to Germany was hills and rain. It occurred to me that of the month I've been here I've only had two days that did not need my rain jacket while riding. I received flood advisories on my cell phone, and indeed, creeks and rivers seemed high. The terrain back into Germany was not steep like the way in, but a continuous gradual incline slowed me down and it took me four days to complete the 160 miles (I thought this may take me two days, maybe three).

Also slowing me down was the Pilsner Brewery, which I happened across nearly by accident on Google's walking path. On recommendation from a friend, and looking for refuge from the rain, I had lunch and took the brewery tour. The Pilsner brewery, located in Pilzen CZ, originated the Pilsner style beer. The tour was somewhat unimpressive and acted more of a history lesson of the old techniques and equipment that's all been retired for the newer, stainless tanks and computer control. Most impressive was the 9km of underground tunnels that were hand dug to house fermentation vessels. This was necessary to keep the fermenting beer at a cool temperature, and had a continuous flow of cold water from melting ice that ran from the high point to the low point in the tunnel system. The tour guide, which was in English, was unable to answer basic questions about the business or specifics of the brewing processes. I had a few bottles over the next couple days, and its safe to say I generally ran on pilsner and goulash in the cold wet weather.

There is something about the rain that is physically and mentally demanding. My front light quit in the rain, and I had problems with my brakes in the wet weather. My thermos came in handy again. I refused to camp and needed warm shower, good meal, and a place to sleep. Another surprise came on May 28^th which is major German holiday. All the stores and services I came across were closed, and after missing lunch and running on a half bag of pretzels, I got pretty desperate. I was lucky enough to run across a hotel keeper who opened for me. I was the only guest in the place in the otherwise dark hallways and vacant reception area. She even opened the kitchen, reheated some soup and salad (which was the first salad I've had in a month) that put me to sleep for the next 11 hours. It was more expensive then I would have liked, with chocolate on the pillow and toilet paper folded into a point, but I was desperate for a place and happy to make a deal.

The rest of the way into Nuremberg was an easy and short ride of about 40 miles. I was able to find and check into the Hostel no problem, once again has kids were running around outside as I pulled up. The Hostel is one of the nicer one's I've stayed at. It's a refurbished carriage house to the neighboring Castle and has been well decorated and appointed. I took a brief walk around the castle, that has some pretty amazing history dating back to the Roman empire. But it was Friday night, and I was hungry from riding and wanted to relax a little, so went into the city to get some cheep eats and maybe find a good, beer swinging, jovial German Beer hall. Another reoccurring theme over the past few days has been “boy, that food made me hungry.” I never found the beer hall, but I did get my wallet stolen. Yeay. I'm as much surprised as much as I am impressed that it would find its way out of my pocket with such ease; and in Germany of all places. People hardly lock their bikes here... this isn't Agrabah. I was able to cancel all cards quickly enough, but more importantly I lost all my cards and spent most of today arranging rush international shipments of replacement cards. The people at the hostel have been very helpful in printing and faxing documents, and I've otherwise been on the phone or internet all day trying to make repairs. As such, I never really got out to see the city's sites, but could add a few names to the war trials. In retrospect, I guess it's good that I did not catch and confront the thief, or get outright mugged. Still, everything down to my phone was on the cards I canceled, and I'll have to stretch my emergency funds by camping the next few days until new cards can me mailed to the next hostel that I'll be staying.

This is the first real problem I've had when traveling, and again is weighing down the whole experience. After coming to the city looking for rest, refuge, and maybe a little fun, I'm somewhat disgusted and looking forward to packing up and moving on. It's becomes a challenge to relax when problems are constant and compounding. Handling climate is enough, dealing with people that mean you harm adds a whole new level of BS to deal with. Hopefully these issues are sequential and manageable. Although I did a very through job with internet, identity, equipment choice, training, health vaccinations etc etc etc, I guess I got caught not being careful with my belongs. I was going to get rid on one of the two bike locks I've been carrying, but I think I'll keep both after all.

Prauge

On continuing on my way south, I entered the Czech Republic and headed to Prague, one of the great capitals of Europe. It was about an 85 mile ride from Dresden to Prague, and crossed two mountain ranges that had me in my lowest gears, and my heart up into my ears; maybe 1200 ft each. These were matched with some steep and twisting descents on roads that were paved, but seem to be warn out or not really built well to begin with. In one area, the road was so rutted out that my petal hit the ground on the down stroke. Traffic was generally light, but there were few bike paths and a strange absence of traffic signals. I was following Google's walking directions that put me in some strange areas, back ally ways and unpaved walking paths; staircases where the bike had to be unloaded and brought up separately. I ran across a wild boar, a children's foam party, street juggler (performing under a red light), and a rail bike along the way (see pictures).

Aside from the infrastructure, it was one of the only places that didn't feel like America. There were crappy hubcap stands that sold beach ware and birdhouses near the border, depopulated and uncared for buildings that didn't quite say third world, but a pretty stark contrast from Germany. One city I went through had some really sad looking soviet style concrete apartment buildings, vacant streets on what was sunny Saturday afternoon... made me feel like I was back in Albany again. Otherwise the rolling mountain roads were quite scenic and I've uploaded pictures.

Although I was feeling pretty tired and could have stopped for the day, I did not know the language, or did I have any local currency (they are not on the Euro). Some of the rural hotels looked a bit... run down so I forged the rest of the way to Prague by my GPS, with my phone leading me to local hostels, where I picked the second one I found.

I've spent the past day and a half in the city, and all and all it is a really great place. There is no language barrier in the city, and multiple languages are printed everywhere for the huge amount of tourists that come here (about 60% of business, I've heard). There is lots of history and architecture, parks and museums, and I spent most of the first day seeing the sights. But Prague seems to be something of a European playground. There are lots of bars and smoke shops, and somewhat carefree mood as beer gardens, huka bars, and cannabis are legal. Prague seems to attract Europe’s party goers, and bros' from all over converge. I haven’t seen any competitive drinking, but I hear that one of the beer gardens sells beers by lots of 10 to keep things simple. In many places, beer is cheaper then water or bottled soft drinks.

On the less crazy side, large crowds gather in the old city square to watch the local sports teams, while the historic buildings are decoratively illuminated at night. A good mix of stores fill out he commercial district. The city has a bit of a hangover every morning, I where breakfast doesn’t start till 8:30 (6:00 am in Germany), there is also more graffiti, beggars, locked gates, and barred windows then I saw in before. Nonetheless, the wide range of history, good sights, as well as food and drink make Prague a pretty fun place. Also helping is the currency conversion which makes things quite affordable. The Hostel works out to be about $12 a night, compared to the $90 I was paying in Copenhagen. A good, sit down Italian dinner with half letter of beer may be 222ck, or about $11, which is less then the Olive Garden.

Due to the walkability of the city, low prices, and tons of fun things to do, I decided to stay two full days. I plan on retuning to southern Germany tomorrow, which may be a two or three day trip. More to come.

Dresden

Dresden was one one of Rick Steve's recommendations on places to see in Germany, so I added it to my travels as I head south. There were lots of wooded areas on the map, so decided to try crash camping again, this time on my own terms. The first day was one of the best days I've had so far. I was fresh from two days rest, the weather cleared, and temperatures climbed to the 80's. It was hard to stop as I rolled through really pretty forested areas and remote villages. I got my GPS working in an acceptable fashion, which eliminated time wasting and annoying stops at every intersection. The only problem, I find, is I have no idea were I am; the street, town, is all a blur when you're running down way points. In the enjoyment of riding I developed a headache a little table salt was able to resolve (I was drinking plain water). I didn't realize until the next day I also got a light sunburn on my arms.

Crash camping was pretty rough. I found a well wooded spot away from any towns and fell asleep to the sound of wind turbines in the distance. Still, I did not sleep well and my diet was poor. I started feeling spacey the next day which a pastry and apple juice was able to resolve. Still, I was thankful to make the rest of the way to Drazen. I was surprised in that the landscape was quite rural right up to the town line. I doubted my GPS when it told me I had 5 miles to go, yet, I was on a single lane county road all by myself. But it was true. It lead me right to the hostel doorstep, saving a ton of time as compared to Berlin.

Like other cities, Dresden it was bombed out and rebuilt after WW2. Most historic buildings have been rebuilt with a combination of salvaged and new materials, giving the buildings a checkered appearance with singed tops. Still, there was plenty of amazing buildings, gardens, and cobblestone walkways to get lost in. The pedestrian areas and outdoor cafes are in every direction. This has probably been my favorite city so far, with Lubeck being second. It has plenty to see and is well appointed with lots of services, yet, also a manageable size and not overly intense or crowded. Streetcars (trams) and bicycles seems to be the preferred mode of transit. Dresden has a large university nearby, and has a hip artsy feel.

I did not get to the northern section where the “nightlife” is supposed to happen, because I was tired yesterday and I'm trying to get an responsible, early start tomorrow morning. Still, the weather calls for rain in the morning, so I may stay in Dresden one more night. I'm planning on heading the Czech Republic tomorrow, and have just scratched the surface of conversational Czech. I think I'll have to give myself extra time, and perhaps two days to get to Prague though it's only 85 miles.

Personal reflections have not been forthcoming. I did have a chance to talk to someone over breakfast this morning, which is a bit of an oddity, and it was nice to have company. If anything, I'm getting frustrated at not knowing what is going on, or what signs say, or unable to remember street names etc. I feel like I'm bothering talk to people when I use a language they don't know or don't prefer. I only really feel that I'm welcome when I'm paying out. There has not been an overwhelming interest, friendlessness, or hospitality I was hoping for, and even smiles on the street are turned away like I'd expect in New York City. Fortunately, years of living on my own has hardened me to these things, and I don't feel overwhelming lonely but more detached then I was before. We'll have to see how this pans out. I am looking forward to English speaking countries for this reason.

Two days in Berlin

I've spent the past two days exploring Berlin, and though this is a longer stop then I intended, there was enough to see that I don't regret spending the time. The I put the bike away and took on Berlin's bus and subway system which was a little intimidating at first. The staff at the hostel were very helpful in marking up my maps and providing recommendations. The museums are closed on Mondays, so with a little bit of wondering the downtown area, I found a “hop on/hop off” tour bus with German and English narration. I used this for the day, seeing sites listed in the brochure, as well as taking side trips to do a few errands. I spent the most time at the Berlin Wall exhibit. Only part of the wall is still standing, and they've made an effort to preserve this history. The accompanying museum stands on what was the soviet headquarters during the war, but has been bombed down the foundation. The museum walks a fine line of preserving history by stating facts very plainly. The Holocaust memorial and fallen soldiers memorial are nearby as well. Being there was a bit of an experience. It is hard to imagine that this space occupied the central intelligence of the soviet party. Aerial photos show the city in ruins, and some structures that did not get rebuilt show the effects of war today. The wall itself, though it came later, is equally difficult to imagine dividing a city. I also visited “Check Point Charlie” which was a replication of the border patrol used when the wall existed. The wall's fall was symbolic with the fall of communism, and really shook things up when the city was stitched back together. Today people pass back and fourth freely, and you may not notice what side you are on. Some of the architecture is different, as in newer, on the east side of the wall, and there is a slightly different feel, but things are mostly harmonious at this point.

After a serious afternoon, I decided to lighten things up by going to the Hofbrauhause, a famous German beer hall. The one in Munchen is more popular, but I hear the on in Berlin actually came first. The beer went down easy, and I had to stop myself at two, along with dinner, of course.

The second day I bought an all access museum pass and hit all 5 museums on what's called museum island. Like the first day, my history knowledge was put to the test as they had artifacts from around the world, include Greece & Ron, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Turkey, as well as notable German artifacts and antiquities. Some of these included paintings from Napoleonic wars, and showed topics ranging from battle scenes, farm life, and the industrial revolution. Some of the reconstructed Roman and Babylonian exhibits were particularly interesting, where structures were exhumed and reconstructed in the museum, talking up large spaces. Egyptian tombs were recreated, and the famous bust of Aphrodite was on display (no photos allowed). If anything, I was surprised how open the exhibits were; it seemed these 2500 year old artifacts were left open with little barriers or protection, I could have easily reached out and touched any number of them, which added to the experience, but I have mixed feelings about. The museum buildings are interesting mix of old construction rebuilt with new materials and modern upgrades. Each building had an audio guide, and I spent about seven hours exploring these five buildings. I was hungry and tired of walking by the time I finished, but would have stayed longer if not for these reasons. See photos for details.

On the way home I stocked up on food for tomorrow. After looking into Poland, I decided it's just more then I can handle at this point. It would mean a new language currency, and customs etc., just when I'm starting to learn some German. I also need to watch my time as I'm already two weeks into my 3 month Schengen limit, and have a bunch of places I want to see yet.

To Berlin

My phone was still giving me trouble, so on my last day in Hamburg I loaded a bike route to my handlebar GPS unit to get me to Berlin. The day started out OK. The GPS took me on a convoluted but admittedly direct route route out of the city, then abruptly quit after the first 15 miles or so. It was still able to tell me direction and distance to Berlin in absolute terms, and left me guessing on a turn by turn basis which way way to go. The remote country roads were really beautiful, but none stayed direct for long, and I spent many miles riding tangential to my destination. I stumbled across a campsite late afternoon, and decided to call it. I got a pizza from some real local shop where we probably exchanged no whole words in English, bit still got by alright. The sheep pasture next to the campsite was novel way to fall asleep.

I woke early the next morning to what can only be described as an Adirondack weather, cool, damp, and foggy. There are birds and other animal noised I still haven’t identified. I made a hot breakfast, then got rolling by 6:30. I didn't want to get water from the campsite bathroom, so I left with just one bottle of water. The forests in northern Germany are actually quite nice. They have a sweet smell to them that I can only describe closest to a rich pine scent you'd find in our upstate area; but this was sweeter, more like flowers. I wanted make good progress the second day, and was able to manage my map and road signs to a somewhat main road that lead directly into the city. For two days the wind and sun was in my favor, and a I could easily maintain speed which made it hard to stop for long. I was actually coming into the front side of wind turbines.

There were many small towns along the way, and most of the trip was characterized by farm, town, farm, town, and so on. Some towns were very cute, but others were not all that nice, and were run down or had what appeared to be soviet era construction in various states of collapse. At least one concrete building had lines of rusty barbed wire on top of the wall, and I can only ponder what the building was used for.

I had fruit bread and cookies left over that kept me powered, but water was running low, then eventually ran out. I stopped several places that could not, or would not fill my bottles though I had made small purchases.


Also worth noting is the riding surfaces. There is a lot of variation in pavement, brick, cobblestone, dirt, wood, and one sandy spot that was difficult to manage with a loaded bike at speed.

Once I got into the city is where things got a shaky. I did not expect to find a campsite, but the hostels are usually well marked. My phone did not work, so I punched in the GPS coordinates and started following the direction the best I could. This eventually lead me back into the woods, on a long road that ended at a cell phone tower. (later learned that the coordinates they provide are in a different format then what we use in the US, and I was chasing nothing). It was getting late at this point. I had logged over 100 miles (maybe closer to 120), and had little of substance to eat or drink throughout the day. I thought I'd buy my way out of this one, and after checking two hotels I learned there was an important “football” game in town and things would likely be widely booked. It was about 10:30 at night (remember I had started at 6:30am), dark, and starting to rain. I was pretty beat, thirsty, and running out of options. The feeling of not knowing what will happen next or where you'll end up was challenging. There was a mental weight of not knowing what to do, being alone, lost, with nowhere to sleep. This was the first time I really stared to think I've actually gotten myself in too deep.

I bought a liter of water from a gas station, and headed back into the woods, put my headlight on, and made camp 20-30 meters from the road. I was too tired to cook. I did not sleep well as rain continued to fall through the night. It did stop long enough for me to wake early, wrap things up, and roll out at dawn. The next day was more of the same. No practical navigation options; no maps, no electronics, and only marginal help from few people that spoke a little English. I had to remind myself that it was not their problem that they spoke little English, but my problem for not knowing more German. I did find a delightful pastry shop that offered hot coffee, bread, and a danish away from the rain that had started falling again. I also found a local map posted inside a bus shelter that helped me get going in the right direction. The biggest help was calling the hostel and following the recommended bus route that I did eventually find it, but it took until noon (about 5 hours) to make the last 4-6km to their doorstep. I checked in, took a long shower, a nap and did a load of laundry. I went out and ate two Italian dinners and a strawberry ice, and, could probably eat again now.

Mortal of the story? Don't wonder into big cities thinking they will be easy to navigate. This was on a Saturday night, which may have made finding lodging harder. I NEED to get a new phone plan as the international data coverage stopped working days ago. I will also explore newer GPS models that give turn by turn directions instead of of direction only. There is real dependency here as I could have easily avoided all of this with good data. In the future I'll try to stop outside the city, make a reservation and plan a route, rather then winging it or being naively optimistic.

Now that I'm here, I can relax a little and plan to spend 3-4 days. There is a lot to see, and, and I am planning on spending a bunch of time exploring the capital. Also, I am thinking of heading to Poland or the Czech republic, which will require a lot of research on my end a I know very little of these countries.

To Hamburg

My last day in Denmark was the most difficult I’ve had so far. The wind picked up quite a bit, and was enough to blow my tent away, landing on its side and filling with rain water while I was off cooking breakfast. This was quite irritating as my refuge was compromised, but at least nobody was around to see. The wind continued during the day, and a 30-40 mph headwind forced me into some low gears on flat ground. With maybe 10 mph bike speed into the wind, the misty rain was really stinging in what turned out to be a long, slow, and not very far ride out of Denmark. I kept coming up on the back side of windmills, so I guess the wind was nothing unusual. I have gotten into the practice of filling my thermos with tea each morning, which I've been using more then my regular water bottle. I remind myself that every mile is another mile farther south, and each day is a day closer to summer.

The ferry to Germany is what one may expect, but I was surprised to the amount of eateries, duty free stores, and coffee shops for a 45 minute ride. I was the only biker on the ferry. I could not tell if I was welcome or annoying drivers.

Germany also has plenty of well marked, well maintained bike paths, so again, finding my way was not too difficult. I opted for a hostel in Fehmarn, which gave me a chance to dry out some hings. I was lucky to have a four person room to myself to put my things about. My tent was dripping when I hung it from the rafters in the garage. I did have some time to walk around the little town, which was small and very resort like; they had many pizza places and ice cream shops that I took part in. I find some of the international people and foods odd. For example, try ordering Italian food from a German vendor in English. Fortunately, many of the food names are the same. Similarly, you never think of black, Asian, or Indian Germans, but they're around.

My German is much better then my Danish, and I am able to ask for things, count, say “good morning” and such. I've put effort into learning words, where Danish just felt too hopeless to start learning. I've had a few interactions where people may not know how little I know. Some of the Spanish I know has crept in here and there, so I was a bit of a mess for a while, but am slowly getting better. I find that by staring an conversation in German, they'll continue to speak German even after you explain that you speak English. I've had a couple smile and nod “conversations.” Another oddity is American music which is played at a restaurant or supermarket where people don't seem to know the English...?

From Fehmaran, I wanted to plow on to Hamburg, which would have been about a 90 mile ride.

This was over ambitious, and I ended up in Lubeck, a small town of cultural importance in trading. (As a side note, I almost ended up I a beach resort town, but decided to go on. See pictures.) I was moving for the past 5 days or so, so I decided to take a day off and see the small city. As I walked around, I realized most of the river and bus tours were in German, so I headed to the museum and rented an English headset to see the exhibits there. I was also able to catch up on some sleep, laundry, and get a good sit down dinner at a real “German” restaurant. Lubeck seemed like a nice, well to do town that was very manageable for a tourist to navigate and take in.

All of the hostels I've stayed in since Copenhagen are part of a global association, and offer a good level of service at about a fifth of what the Holiday Inn was asking for a one person room. These hostels are nicer then a lot of the hotels I've stayed at in the US; clean spaces with modern design and decoration. Breakfast is included, which makes it an even better value and convenience in getting the day started. The only issue I've had is people snoring or otherwise coming or going during the night. Still, it's nice to be around other travelers, and perhaps share stories and experiences when you've spent the day on the road by yourself. The hostels offer a consistent level of service, but I may be missing out on the local culture by staying at a hostel rather then a bed and breakfast or something less insulated.

Today I traveled the last 60km or so to Hamburg, but a new problem arose when my phone's data plan began to slow down to the point it was unusable. I was able to use the compass on the phone, road signs, and asking for directions to get to Hamburg, but I had a real hard time once I was in the city. Hamburg's streets are not numbered like New York or Chicago, and the paper maps did not have resolution down to the street level. I was eventually able to find the hostel with the help of a public info booth and a separate tourist information center. Still, there was a lot of riding around, getting frustrated, annoyed, and worried that I'd ever find it. I'm glad I got an early start, and was checked in before 5:00pm. I've generally set the alarm for 6:00am and try to be on the road by 8:00. It may be time to fire up my handlebar GPS unit.

Hamburg is a big commercial city (bigger then I thought) and has a thriving port that is one of the largest in the world. After dinner the first night I went for a walk to explore the area. There are a few large ships to tour, and many nautical themed monuments and architectural features, including a gigantic Bismark memorial nearby. Some of the food I saw for sale was interesting, consisting of a various fish and seafood sandwiches, which I tried the second day I was there. I checked out some stuffy rooftop bars, and decided to see what else the city had to explore. But the information woman told me not to explore to far, and sure enough, like any good sea faring city, there are plenty of casinos, sex shops, and shady bars to be avoided. It seems Hamburg has one of the largest red light districts in Europe, which is strangely absent from the brochures, but was included on the bus tour I took the second day. The bus tour took us on a long loop around the perimeter of the city, where some original structures remain. The central part of the city was leveled in WW2 where some 700 us planes drop fire bombs burning down 70% or more of the city (sorry). As such, the center of the city is somewhat modern and filled with modern architecture, trendy stores and so on. Most of the older structures throw back the city origins or generations of fishermen, fish markets, and sea ports.

Some things are still missing. I still haven’t even found a good beer hall... seriously?! I've hard roomers of one down by the water I'll check out tonight. One good thing, is the woman of Hamburg are very pretty. It seems Denmark woman have a sort of emo hipster vibe that I'm not into. I'm working on scoring a dinner date, but I'll be off to Berlin tomorrow.

Drying out

What a big (and welcome) change today was from the past few days. The wind was at my back, and the sun in my face that allowed me to cover some serious distance. Having a heavy bike at speed is a bit of and experience, felt a bit like driving a bus. Fortunately, I have been shedding unneeded equipment to lighten the load and simplify things in general. One setback came early this morning where I found out an important bridge I wanted to cross did not allow bicycles, so I had to alter my route to the south. I will miss mainland Denmark for this reason, but there are other places I am anxious to see.

The ride today was filed with open vistas, flat rolling terrain, lots yellow flowers and windmills. It seem there is a flowering plant not that far away. The many towns that I've passed through have charm, and some still hold to the classic design and materials. Still, I'm a bit priced out, and am anxious to get to Germany, so I decided to hold off on partying and spend a few more days camping and biking.

I don't think I've made much ground on any great awakening or realizations about life, except to say that challenges pass, and to keep options open. Many thing I've thought to be worse then they actually were, from wrong turns to culinary errors, but having some resiliency and flexibility, or at least low standards, helps for a successful outcome.

You can look at my pictures here:

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/121074638@N08/with/14150933462

You can follow my progress here:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=07O5zE3pP9UijtdH2YgjtSMUjHD59o4f6

Rolling on out

The past few days have taken me south then west across the island, where I now camp over in Korsor. The scenery has been pretty amazing, especially large expanses of yellow flowered fields, lilacs (which seem to be popular), thatched houses, windmills new and old, and cool little towns to explore along the way. I also stopped at a Danish bakery, which did not disappoint. Denmark is also very flat, which has really helped when my bike is heavier then it could be. Marked bike paths correspond to Google maps, and with the built in compass, my phone has been a very valuable navigation tool. I have not had to use the handlebar GPS unit or paper maps too much yet. Danish drivers also seem to be pretty respectful and patient when dealing with bicyclists, which is something I'm not used to.

What has not helped is the weather. Three days of mid 40's temperature and on and off rain has put a damper on things, making riding and camping more difficult. My gear has been holding up well, and the expensive rain gear I got for the trip is proving its worth. Still, with cold weather and not sleeping well, I starting to feel run down and decided to jump for a small cabin. This will allow me to to dry my stuff and get a good night's sleep (which even at the hostel I did not really get). My first few days of riding of about 30 and 50 miles were shorter then they could have been, but I am trying to take it easy on myself, ramp up difficulty, and go for the long term.

A few problems have crept up on the bike; the leather saddle, which after wet, became deformed and uncomfortable to ride. I think the shifters may have been knocked out of alignment during the flight as well. There was also one flat tire the second day which was simple enough to fix and get rolling again.

Personally, I'm starting to get warn down too. I spend most of the day by myself, and have a hard time making conversations. Since I've left the city, fewer people speak English, and those that do I have a hard time finding common ground. People I do talk to seem impressed that I'm from NY, but it's the same polite conversation over and over again. Besides the lack of company, I've had a hard time relaxing with all the work that needs to be done. It seems that I'm working in one way or another most of the day. Yesterday I went to the supermarket to make dinner at camp. The Danish supermarket was a trip in itself, and somethings were really puzzle to what they were, or what they were used for. This was one of the times I really started to feel like a foreigner, which didn't really bother me too much. Still, the work has been constant, and the cold rain has made everything more difficult. I find myself getting annoyed, misplacing things, or other actions that indicate lack of rest. I don't know if I'm getting tougher or just warn out from this experience. I haven’t even had a beer since I got here. I think I'm going to take a day and explore a city, have some fun, and try to talk to a few more people. Someone asked me to see if Danish girls are good kissers. How could not oblige?

Copenhagen!

A lot has happened since I last posted, so I'll try to catch up.

The flights went ok. The first flight was long, but it's over. I found out pretty airline stewards still exist :) The technology in the built-in monitors was also impressive. My bike was slightly damaged in a small dent in the top tube, but I'm not worried about it. The cardboard box was destroyed, and came off the conveyer wet and ripped open. Amazingly, everything was there and intact! Guess I'll have to pack better next time.

I went straight to the hostel the first day. The city is not simple to navigate like NY or Chicago, so this took me a while. By the time I got there I was very tired from the fights. It was a good time to unload the bike, and get rid of a few unnecessary items. The hostel very nice, and people are from all over, but most are more interested in their computer or books to socialize. Language has been a very minor problem. Most people speak English well, but menu boards and maps are not always subtitled.

After two days in Copenhagen I can tell you that bicycles have a firm grip on the city. See flicker for more pictures. This the the first time I've ridden without a helmet in who know's how long, but it felt good. Managing the bicycle traffic was odd at first, especially left turns. There were other things that were odd too. Because bicycles are real transportation and not a leisure activity, don't expect bicyclists to be in a good mood. Some are coming home from a bad day, smoking, or just going about their business. It's good to see everyone, even old ladies out on their bikes. Pretty girls in casual cloths, few helmets, surprisingly few bike locks in massive bike racks. I've never gone up and done the isles looking for bike parking. It happened today. I'd stop at a red light with 10 people, just to look back and have another 20 show up behind me. Things like this were a regular occurrence, and took some getting used to.

The people seemed friendly, and though the city has some problems, things have been kept up. There are great pedestrian walkways, very scenic waterfront vistas, and historic properties that have been turned into high end cafes and B&B's. For this, things have been expensive; 9 euro (12 dollars) for a toothbrush and paste which was forgotten at home. The city is nice, but it is quickly pricing itself out. I feel I am missing out on some of fun by being a cheapskate, but I gotta make the money last.

Fast food was the cheapest thing I could find, but felt gross afterwards. I found a healthy option the second night with was a great relief. Breakfast was provided at the hostel for minimal charge, which was one of the many nice services they offer.


The second full day started out rainy, but that didn't stop me from going out and exploring. I saw some really cool areas of the city, somewhat followed the tourist map, and somewhat wondered around on my own following the bike paths. My cell phone, and the mapping service, came useful today.

I hit the national art museum as a cheep thing to do on a rainy day. They had some really good modern art exhibits.

Later it got clearer and I rode around quite a bit more before returning home. I want to check the bike over, go through my things, shower, pack, and get ready for tomorrow when I head out of the city.

Last day in the US

The last week of preparations seemed to fly by. They were mostly filled with goodbys and well wishes, with last scrambles to pack and tie up loose ends. Here is what I wrote at the airport a few days ago, unable to post until now:

Well, the day has finally arrived. And with six hours till my plane leaves, I thought I'd jot down some final thoughts.

The rest of the packing went as expected. I managed to pack all the items into a large box that met the size and weight limitations of the airline, without having to check (and pay for) separate bike panniers. One pannier, with shoulder strap, is being used as a carry on. I'll have to reassemble the bike, unpack the box, and load the panniers in the Copenhagen airport, which for Copenhagen, should not be that unusual. I've lost track of some items in the process, which is all part of the adjustment until I get things sorted out, and new patterns emerge.

The last week was filled with a lot of heartfelt goodbyes and well wishes. Thank you to everyone, especially my friends whom over the past week have gone beyond hospitality, providing delicious food, drinks, and even midnight haircuts in the driveway. Having this sort of help made a huge difference in my readiness and mental preparedness. My last drink with them was an 11 year old “world wide stout” which I thought was appropriate. Still, I'm glad I'm not hung over in the airport. Though it is cinko de mayo...

My shuttle van to the airport was all the door panel clutching you'd expect from an experienced NYC driver on a schedule. The beautiful weather and puffy white clouds was a good break from the cold bleak winter which we are emerging. Trees actually have leaved down here. I found a quiet corner of the airport, with chairs, outlet, and wifi. I made myself quite comfortable.

Oddly, and amazingly, one of the five people in the van was from Copenhagen, and after hearing of my plans, exchanged phone numbers and offered me a place to stay. Though I do have reservations at a hostel, this would be a great way get to know Copenhagen, have some guidance, and save money that would have gone towards the hostel. I honestly can't believe my luck! This is a great start such a trip! I feel like the gods are smiling on me?