Paris

Our first day and we get stuck riding in the madness that is peak hour. Stampedes of maxi scooters racing off at the lights, pedestrians in stilettos oh so chic stepping carelessly from the curb and cars everywhere! Add to this protestors, police in full riot gear and sirens blasting wow we are in Paris.

Walking through the 6th arrondissement on a Thursday evening. We peeked in to art galleries packed with Parisians. Then all of a sudden a impeccably dressed man with a entourage of 4 came walking round the corner. We step to the side just in time to realise "oh my god thats Karl Lagerfeld" were else but Paris.

Bonjour

We have just arrived in Paris.

The first puncture

Good and proper
No not us, our first puncture! After almost 4000km Miriam got this 2 inch nail in her rear tyre so we kept it as a souvenir.

France

We made it to France today. In Lille at the moment heading straight to Paris.

In Bruges

Ok so we knew nothing about Bruges which was our first mistake.
After nearly being run off the road by
the crazy drivers we found a hostel
to stay at as the weather had turned. In the hostel they had a city guide for young people that had things to see and do.There was a quote from the movie 'In Bruges' (which neither of us had seen) "if I grew up on a farm, and I was retarded Bruges might Impress me. But I didn't, so it doesn't." I thought this was quite strange especially in a book for tourists, but after two nights in the city I tend to agree. Bruges didn't do it for us because it didn't seem real. I kept expecting to see something cool or quirky but all we found was one big tourist trap.
We didn't hate Bruges, it was very beautiful, but If you want to visit a city built on tourism I'd go to Prague least the beer is cheep.

North sea route

After leaving Rotterdam we took the north sea cycle route south towards Belgium. The highlight was riding across the man made Dykes, they were kilometres in length with a cycleway across the top.
The last 10kms into Bruges followed an avenue of tall trees planted alongside a canal. This made for a very scenic ride and a lovely entry into Belgium.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam

There is nothing like staying with friends. This is especially true after
Over 100 days on the road!
The ride from Amsterdam to Rotterdam was the thing dreams
are made of, sunshine, bike paths and
flat flat flat countryside.
After more windmills than you can point a stick at we arrived in Rotterdam.
We stayed with friends Michael and Sheetal in their loverly apartment in downtown Rotterdam.
The apartment had the most amazing view of port and surrounds. It was quite a contrast to Amsterdam's old time charm. It seems like if you want to build something different in the Netherlands, Rotterdam is the place to do it.
We got our first taste of a croquette straight from the vending machine (not as bad as it sounds). I was intrigued to discover the best bar in the world De Witte Aap (as voted by lonely planet) was just around the corner. It had Belgium beer on tap and a good music selection. There was even some decent local art on the walls, but best of all was the White ape with red laser eyes.

Amsterdam

Our first night camping in Amsterdam and we hear cat sounds coming from the tent next to us. Then a guy pops his head out to check if we are Harry Potter.
Riding through Amsterdam is an experience and first stop was the bike shop for a bell. I gave that thing a good ringing as people gawking at the prostitutes or who had smoked too much, stumbled in my way. Bikes have the right of way and basically rule the city.
An amazing city that is so unique that our two and a half days hardly scratched the surface but definitely left a lasting impression.

Netherlands

Riding in the Netherlands is paradisio!
We bought our first cycling book and it has made navigating to Amsterdam a dream. Up till now we've been using a combination of free tourist maps and regular country maps, the latter never seeming to have adequate detail or be able to be folded up again.
On our second day in the Netherlands we woke to a dense fog, it made riding along the canals that were cloaked in mist a surreal experience.

There were little towns dotting our route one in particular had a whole fleet of rickety wooden fishing boats moored next to the town square.

Münster

We met Terence while camping in Riga. After a couple of beers together he invited us to come and stay with him in Münster.
Making up for the extended stay in Berlin we decided to take up his offer and catch a train to his place and from there we are only 200 km to Amsterdam, our next stop.
Not knowing anything about the Münster I was surprised to see young people everywhere. Later I found out there is a huge university and the average age in the city is 24. Münster was voted Germanys most bicycle friendly city

The central station has an innovative bicycle parking station with bike storage, workshop and bike wash.
Just to top things off the Münster Giro (bicycle race) happened to be on

Sitting in a beer garden overlooking sailing boats on the lake stein in one hand bratwurst in the other it was easy to see how Münster is regarded as one of the most "liveable" cities.
A big thanks to Terence for taking in a couple of "strays" and making us feel at home in this beautiful city.

I heart Berlin

Berlin has blown our minds these are places we loved.
•WHITE TRASH FASTFOOD former Chinese restaurant now has burgers, live music, awesome interior and a tattoo studio.
•MADE IN BERLIN if I lived here I would by all my clothes from this place.
•NEUROTITAN so many street art books tucked away in a alleyway blanketed with graffiti.
•CON VIET great Pho Bo and 2 euro beers right in the centre Mitte.
•SUPERSKULL Mexican day of the dead art and figurines.
•KEIRIN CYCLE CULTURE CAFE everything track bike related including some beautiful njs frames.
•MUSEUM DER DINGE (museum of things) design objects and history of German design.
•HATCH sticker museum make sure you take some stickers to donate if you visit.
•CIRCLECULTURE GALLERY street art.
•WEST BERLIN GALLERY street art with a younger crowd.
•KELLER RESTAURANT beautiful traditional Germany cuisine.