The Leather Saddle a bicycle diary

The Last day

2010-12-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

The day has finally arrived after 5 months of traveling we are coming home.
We are sad to say goodbye to my cousin Nik who made us feel at home in Madrid. The bikes are packed and we are hoping for a smooth trip as there have been lots of delays due to the snow. Next post will be from home soil.

Snowing in Madrid

2010-11-30T03:47:00.000-08:00

Bbbrrrr it's getting cold! Yesterday it snowed.

Barcelona

2010-11-30T03:33:00.000-08:00

Leaving the bikes and camping gear with my cousin Nik, we fill two backpacks and jump on a plane to Barcelona.
Wow what a beautiful city from the winding streets of the gothic neighbourhood to the shimmering Mediterranean sea.
Our first day and we go on a Gaudi bender. First a trip to the Güell park for a picnic and to see the famous mosaic lizard and a panoramic view over the city. Then to his famous church la Sagrada Familia after which my neck was sore from looking up at the intricate towering spires surrounded by cranes. Then to Casa Milà and finally Casa Batlló what a day.
The next day we visit the sea. I rolled up my pants an plunged my feet into the icy water. Walking in the sand bare foot on the deserted beach i feel like I'm back at home walking along Bondi on a crisp winters day.

So much art so little time

2010-11-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

There are many fantastic art works in Madrid from the Prado museum to the street murals, there is always something to see. Reina Sofia was a must with Picasso's, Miro's and Dali's almost filling an entire floor!
The Goya works in the the Prado were another highlight especially the black paintings, unfortunately I got into trouble for photographing them so no pictures I'm afraid.
I did manage to get a picture of Picasso's Guernica though which was quite a sight.

Hamburgers with the lot

2010-11-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Staying with Marcus' cousin Nik in Madrid has been fantastic. So what do you cook if you want to share a true Aussie meal? Hamburgers with the lot just like the local fish and chip shop.
Complete with egg, bacon, tinned pineapple, beetroot, cheese, tomato and lettuce.

Lunch in Madrid

2010-11-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Madrid must be full of insomniacs because the place never sleeps!!!!
It is without a doubt also the busiest city by far. Everyone seems to out and about or packed into one of the thousands of smokey bars.
On our first day exploring this crazy city Miriam was craving seafood for lunch if you still call it that at 4.30pm? We found a bar serving plates piled high with assorted crustations. The inhabitants were munching noisily on crab heads and scampi. When they had extracted meat they just tossed the empty shells on the floor. We decided this was a bit to interactive for us and settled for empanadas and some toasts with a selection of anchovies, baby eel and jamón.

San Sebastien

2010-11-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

San Sebastien has been a feast for the senses. Not only is it a gastronomic wonderland but the location is also picture perfect with the wild atlantic ocean crashing against its shores.
The streets of the old town are packed with bars laden with legs of ham hanging from the roof and plates of pintxo.
Visiting the Mercado de la Bretxa underground market was an eye opener. There was a huge array of alien fish and strange crustaceans. These were displayed in crushed ice with shells and autumn leaves as decoration. One butcher had a cabinet full of hanging rabbits still in their furs next to dusty pigeons that looked like they came straight from the town square. The selection of hams and meats was mind boggling.
But not as impressive as vast array of nana shopping carts they even have a lock up area.

Bordeaux to San Sebastian

2010-11-11T11:20:00.000-08:00

Taking the train from Bordeaux to Bilbao should have been easy until our train was separated in two. Not being able to understand the announcements in French our end went to Pau 130km east of Hendaye oops!
When we finally arrive in Hendaye it started hailing!
Fortunately it passed quickly and we rode across the Spanish boarder to Irun. We took a local train to San Sebastian and decided to stay there instead of Bilbao as it was already 8pm.
Having no map, no Spanish skills, no accommodation and no Internet we wandered around in the rain pushing intercom buttons of the pensions apartments until after many unsuccessful attempts we found a room.

After a longer than expected day we head out for pintxo (the basque version of tapas) at the local bar. Washing each delicious morsel down with a glass of red wine or Txakoli, a fresh young white wine that the barman poured skillfully from a great height to aerate the wine.
Numerous pintxo later we asked for something more substantial and ended up with a huge slab of steak carved straight from the carcass.
The steak was then presented to us raw on a plate for a nod of approval before being seared and sliced. It was sensational!
What a way to start our Spanish adventure!

La rochelle to Bordeaux

2010-11-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

So we arrive in La Rochelle and have a look around the town before our 3 day ride to Bordeaux. Unfortunately it decided to rain. Then each day more rain than the previous until it was a monsoon. We did get the chance to stay in a beautiful old farm house in the middle of the wine country though. It was in a town outside Pauillac. The host was fantastic and suggested a local crêperie were we could eat and taste the local Médoc wines in all their splendour. Miriam ordered a delicious smoked salmon and cream crêpe and my caramel dessert crêpe with salted butter was pure wonderment. We drank a château la Clare 2002 Médoc and now we know what all the fuss is about.
On to Bordeaux and we had to catch a bus some of the way as the rain was flooding the small roads and the wind was close to gale-force.
Hugues who we stayed with in Nantes had organised for us to stay with his friend Pierre in Bordeaux. We had such a relaxing time at his house sitting on the couch sipping tea as it rained all the next day. We went out for dinner at a restaurant called cassolette cafe. The menu had lots of small dishes and you could choose 5 you wanted. One of my choices turned out the be a wedge of Camembert coated breadcrumbs then grilled so the inside was melted and the white rind was crispy. Cheese dreams here we come!

Nantes

2010-11-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Meeting with Hugues in Nantes was fantastic. He understood what it was like to travel by bike as he had toured south America solo for a whole year!
I think that's also why he fed us so well.

The first night we all sat down to a meal of Raclette which was basically big globs of delicious melted cheese smothered over potatoes, tomatoes, various sliced meats and olives yum!
Then the second night Hugues served us another french speciality galette (a savoury version of crêpe made with buckwheat flour). They were "compète" with eggs, tomato, ham and cream.
What a host! he even contacted a friend in Bordeaux for us to stay with.

After having a look around Nantes in the evening we discovered there was plenty to do with a swag of different bars along the foreshore. Unfortunately we couldn't get in to the cultural centre, a converted shipping warehouse that now contained some giant mechanical animals. One of which we could see over the fence, it was a 4 meter high elephant that had a hose in its trunk to shoot water and a place to ride on its back.
Saying goodbye to Hugues the next day we took the train to a quaint coastal town called La Rochelle.

Following the Loire

2010-11-04T06:25:00.000-07:00

Following the Loire river for 4 days has been one of the highlights of our trip. Not to mention the welcoming hosts along the way.
We have been using the Warmshowers website to meet and stay with fellow cyclists now that winter is approaching and weather is unpredictable.
Our initial plan was to only follow the river for 2 days then head directly south to Bordeaux. But after staying with Sebastian and lille in Tours and discovering his job was to organise rides along the Loire we changed our plans to follow the river all the way to Nantes, an old harbour town. The best day was riding from Tours to Saumur. There was one amazing sight after another including 2 historic chateaux's, rolling vineyards, tiny winding old towns built into cliff faces, amazing troglodyte caves and to top it off the beautiful river with autumn colours everywhere we looked.

Good friends and good food

2010-11-02T01:47:00.000-07:00

We have had an amazing 9 days in Paris that actually felt like a little holiday and real 'break' after four long months on the road. The timing was perfect on the last day to meet up with our good friend Nico, who is on a year long break travelling the world. He invited us to stay with his aunt and uncle in a little town called Marines for a little more recuperation. We were treated like family by Roxana and Valentin who cooked up delicacies of confit duck with beans from the garden, spinach pie with handmade pastry crust and a most delicious moussaka all meals accompanied with wine and followed with cheese.

Paris

2010-10-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

We have just arrived in Paris.

The first puncture

2010-10-19T06:50:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-17T09:33:00.001-07:00

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

In Bruges

2010-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Berlin

2010-10-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Settling in to an apartment was relieving, especially considering the rain continued to fall. We decided to extend our stay because of the sheer number of things to see!
When we arrived home to the apartment on our forth night we were totally exhausted after visiting two art galleries, two museums, two exhibition openings and countless shops all in one day!
Just as we were relaxing at the kitchen table enjoying a glass of wine there was the sound of keys opening the front door. It was Helmut, the landlord and he looked stressed. It turns out he had double booked the apartment and a couple were arriving any minute to stay for a few days. So we quickly packed our things as Helmut frantically changed the bedding and vacuumed. He was really apologetic for the mix up and let us stay at his studio for free.
So we slept that night nestled between architectural models, photographic equipment and artists canvasses.

Willkommen In Berlin

2010-09-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

The train trip from Munich was far from comfortable, 10 hours with 3 changes. Getting touring bikes on and off trains, down stairs, up lifts, through carriage doors into a crowd of school kids with suitcases all within 3 minutes, is enough to turn my beard grey!
Arriving in Berlin a little exhausted we had a 10km ride from the station to our campsite which was directly opposite to Berlin international airport, lucky we had ear plugs!
We headed in to check out a second hand market the next day, it was amazing until it started raining and didn't stop for the next couple of days.
Totally soaked and freezing cold we road back to the campsite. As the tent started to get soggy along with our spirits, we decided it was time find alternate accommodation.
Now we are living it up in a toasty apartment in the former east suburb of Prenzlauer Berg!

The hills are alive with sound of music

2010-09-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

"The hills are alive with sound of music", we sang as we peddled along to a melody of the clanging cow bells.
On suggestion of our good friend Bill, we took a little time out to better explore the Tyrol mountains.
We headed out of Munich to the end of the train line. It's not far from there to the Austrian boarder.
The Zimmer (bed and breakfast), we'd booked for two nights was in a tiny village nestled in the shadows of two looming mountains. What we didn't know was the zimmer was separated from the town by a gaping cravas of a valley! After huffing and puffing our way out of the valley we decided to stay only the one night.
The next morning we had the most beautiful ride down to lake Achensee.
Carved out between the alps was this incredibly vivid emerald green lake.

We cycled around it then up into one of the valleys. It was a surprisingly gentle gradient considering the sheer walls on either side. That night we found a much more convenient zimmer at the end of the lake with an impressive frontage of window boxes and collection of taxidermied woodland creatures.

The three day break to the Tyrol's has us recharged and ready for our next stop - Berlin!

Munich

2010-09-20T13:00:00.001-07:00

If you love beer you must visit Munich.
As explained to me by the locals beer is not just a drink but an integral part of the diet, as important as bread.
There is no time like the beginning of "Weisen season" to experience Munich at its best.
Oktoberfest or "Weisen" definitely lives up to its reputation as the worlds biggest piss up. Even thought the Muechner say the festival is no longer truly Bavarian. There are still plenty of traditions that keep it authentic enough for blow in's like us.
As much as I don't like to admit I got a little caught up in the moment and drank more than my share. But what's Oktoberfest without a bit of excess and There's nothing like a traditional Bavarian breakfast of pretzels and weissworst to bring you round.

Riding the Danube video

2010-09-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

this is a video I made while riding from Linz to Passau.

Get high on the mountains

2010-09-13T06:55:00.001-07:00

These are photos from the top of Untersberg 1972m. We took the cable car up and the view was amazing as the alps peaked through the clouds and then totally disappeared. The temprature was a chilly 6 degrees.
After that experience I had a hankering for some mountain climbing of my own. So all prepared for alpine conditions in a tee shirt and shorts. I set off with an unloaded bike to tackle Gainsberg 1265m the mountain looming over our campground. It was a very long climb as the road twisted and turned, but when I finally made it to the top the sun was setting and alps in the distant were like nothing I have ever seen. Unfortunatly I couldn't stay long as the discent in a sweat soaked tee shirt was unbelievably cold. Lucky the adrenalin from speeding down the mountain at a cracking pace kept me warm.

Salzburg

2010-09-13T06:42:00.001-07:00

Österreich

2010-09-10T07:53:00.003-07:00

We have had so much fun in Austria and would absolutely recommend it as a cycling destination.
There have been some backbreaking climbs but with one decent being 18km it more than evens out.
We have now ridden more than 2500km and been on the road for 71 days! Spending more time in supermarkets buying food than both our life times combined.

It was while waiting out the front of a super market in the small town of Mattsee 25km from Salzburg we met Stefan. He was really friendly and after chatting about bikes he invited us to stay at his place. With the weather closing in and the night drawing near the invitation was much appreciated.
When we arrived after a very steep climb we were rewarded with cold local beers and a breath taking view of the lakes with mountains peaking thought the clouds in the distance. Stefan and his lovely partner Andrea made us a delicious dinner and let us sample some of the local wines yum!
Thanks guys :-)

Riding the Danube river

2010-09-10T06:57:00.001-07:00

Austria is crisscrossed with cycling paths but the most popular one follows the banks of the river Danube.
We rode this for 100 km from Linz to Passau. The scenery was very picturesque and the ride very easy, as the route is almost completely flat and mostly on dedicated cycle paths.

We camped at the half way point were the river bends around on its self. Rising above the banks on both sides steep mountains of trees dotted with the occasional castle.

The next day we took a ferry across and continued all the way to Passau. a beautiful town on the river.
On arrival in Passau we found a bike shop not surprising consider the amount of cycle tourist taking the river route.
I purchased a new front bag to replace the one I had that had already fallen to pieces. The bike shop owner was really friendly and invited us to have beers at the pub opposite. This is where he sits until someone walks into the store and he goes over to serve them. It wasn't long before another cycle tourist came along to the shop then straight over for a beer.
Stephen turned out to be from NewZealand and came back to the campsite and we shared a bottle of wine and bicycle stories.

Lost in the Forest

2010-09-05T03:51:00.000-07:00

On our last day of riding in Czech republic we got hopelessly lost in the forest. After riding through countless muddy overgrown tracks for 30 km a local with a Forest map saved us. He let us follow him out of the forest as he drove through the middle of grassy fields in his beat up hatch back.
When we got back on track after a 3 hour adventure we crossed the boarder at Dolni Dvoriste in to Austria. There was a cycling route that we followed that took us on the most round about way through more fields and windy forest paths. We came across small stream that had a plank of mossy wood as a bridge. Miriam slipped while pushing her bike across and fell in bike and all.
Muddy cold and wet we made it to our first Austrian town Leopoldschlag Markt. We stayed in a converted farm house soaking up the luxury of a hot shower.

Riding Czech list

2010-09-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

Riding in the Czech republic has been alot of fun. So much so we made a handy 5 step guide to keep newbys like us out of trouble.

1. Beware of chickens crossing the road.
2. If following a sign posted "cycle route" be prepared to carry your bike on some sections and make sure you get a decent map.
3. Hills of 12 percent and greater are inevitable and frequent.
4. When it rains it pours and rains some more.
5. Cars and tractors will not slow down under any circumstance so it best to get out of the way!

The Road out of Prague

2010-09-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

The ride out of Prague was a bit of an ordeal. We followed a bike route 11 and ended up on some out of the way muddy tracks and back alleys.
We did find our way eventually with an amazing decent to a little town on the river. We camped there and made a fire as the temperature had dropped off to single figures at night bbbrrr.

Pork and Pilzner in Prague

2010-08-30T01:10:00.000-07:00

Prague has been an amazing experience and it's not hard to see why everyone says it is a beautiful city. There is so much to look at in such a small space no wonder the pick pockets love it too! The tourist factor was a bit overwhelming especially after the Baltic countries where it was not nearly as predominant.
We found a place to eat called restaurace u parlamentu on valentinska street that was so good and cheap we ended up there 3 nights in a row. Mouth watering roast pork, goulash, marinated beef and crispy roast duck just kept us coming back.
There is an absinthe shop that sells some strong stuff. We brought a bottle of a supposedly illegal one but didn't manage to see the "green fairy".
All in all alot of fun especially the tasty cheap Czech beer too bad about all the drinking tours full of yanks and poms.
Tomorrow we are off to Salzburg some 400km away following one of the euro velo routes it should be a very scenic ride.

Prague

2010-08-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Prague to terrible weather but between downpours ventured into the city. The bad weather continued so we took shelter in one of the many pub restaurants.
We knew we had made the right choice when our roast leg of pork with sauerkraut and dumplings arrived it looked amazing! We accompanied this with half litres of Pilsner Urquell (less than $2 each).
After the pork and second beers were finished we rounded the meal out with apple strudel and pancakes.
With full stomachs and a clearing sky we set off to explore the old town.

Czechowice Dziedzice

2010-08-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

We tried to by tickets to Prague from Warsaw but no trains with bicycle carriages go that way.
So we have ended up going to Czechowice Dziedzice waiting 2 hours and getting a train to Cieszyn on the Polish Czech boarder. From there we will catch another train to Prague.

What we saw

2010-08-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Warsaw

2010-08-24T06:43:00.001-07:00

On the way to Poland

2010-08-24T06:22:00.001-07:00

We farewelled Lithuania yesterday with the decision to catch a train from
Vilnius to Warsaw.
By saving time in Poland we are hoping to visit the Czech republic and ride from Prague to Salzburg Austria. From there we can ride across to Munich Germany for Octoberfest. Then we will catch a train backwards to Berlin.

Vilnius Tv tower

2010-08-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Our campsite has been in the shadow of this 1970's monolith the Tv tower.
It looks like it belongs in a starwars movie so we just had to take a look and this is what we found.

Vilnius

2010-08-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

Staying at the Vilnius city camping has been great. We are close to the centre which is the most bike friendly of the Baltic capitals.
There is plenty to look at but it's small enough to get around easily.
From the looks of it there are plenty of events as well, like a bike marathon that was on this morning and a graffiti street art festival.
The old town is well preserved with countless winding lanes and churches.
Yesterday was the day to get married in Vilnius it seems. There was bridal party after bridal party. With taffeta clad princesses getting there awkward lean on in front of over the top photographers. It was quite a sight. A tradition for the newly weds is to put a lock often with names engraved on a bridge. It is suppose to represent wedlock. The bridges in Vilnius are covered in them.

On the road to Vilnius

2010-08-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

Wet and Wooly

2010-08-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

After a long cold and wet day we were lucky there was space to stay in a cosy cabin and dry out our things.

Cold Change in Lithuania

2010-08-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

Woke up to a soggy tent this morning on our first really wet day. Not bad for six weeks camping.We will be in Vilnius tomorrow.

So Long Latvia

2010-08-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

We finished riding across Latvia a couple of days ago. Our last night was spent camping on the boarder with Petra, a German cyclist also traveling to Vilnius.
As soon as we crossed the boarder we were greeted by some friendly Lithuanians followed by a honk and plenty of waves. They seem to be a very friendly bunch. So friendly in fact that while stopped in an out of the way village a couple of young boys came and sat with us. One boy in particular proceeded to speak to us in English. He regularly apologised for his poor English skills telling us that he fell on his head and found it hard to remember things. He took a liking to Miriam and made sure he gave her a big kiss before he left. By this stage the word was out and an elderly lady with a walking frame came over to us and began to kiss us both. We were amazed to find that we were the first people that they had ever spoken to in English. As thanks they asked us if we wanted some alcohol, we declined but they came back with some mineral water instead.

RIGA

2010-08-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

We spent the day walking around Riga and found some interesting things.
There was a flea market that sold all sorts of old stuff like these Russian cameras and lots of bike parts.
With the mix of restored and decaying buildings each street is full of new surprisers.

Road To Riga

2010-08-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

Riga

Day 3 in Latvia and we decided that instead of taking the backroad that was mostly dirt we would brave the main 'A' road to catch up some time.
For the first 40 kms it was really hard going as there is only loose gravel and sand beside the crumbling roadside to ride in. Huge trucks roared pass as we wobbled along the shoulder.
The Latvian cyclist's we met in Estonia told us that the road changes to dual carriage way about 40km from Riga. There is a breakdown lane that you can ride in. They also told us about a city camping site that was really cheap and right in the centre.
After lunch we were well sick of the crap road conditions and when we finally hit the dual carriage way it was like a dream going from 14km average to 25km!
It wasn't long till we arrived on the outskirts of Riga excited by the prospects of exploring the city. We had directions from our Cycling friends "just follow the main road till you get to a bridge" sounds easy but without a detailed map it was only a matter of time till we got lost.
We eventually got a map and found the campsite. Relieved and exhausted
we arrived after a 96km day our longest so far!

Goodbye Estonia

2010-08-10T05:20:00.001-07:00

We passed over to Latvia today on our way to the capital Riga.
It's sad leaving after an amazing 3 weeks in Estonia.
Thank you to all the lovely Estonians we met that looked after us and made us feel at home. We will miss you all.

Life In The Block

2010-08-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Staying in a soviet block apartment in Valga has given us real insight in to what Estonian life was like under Russian occupation.
Apartments were built in the 1970's and 1980's from concrete slabs, they were very basic. Anything more than that and you were considered a capitalist fit for deportation to Siberia.
It was common for an entire family to share the same
room. In 2 and 3 bedroom apartments the government
allocated each room to a couple, so people were made to live with complete strangers.
Wallpaper was used for the walls and Masonite boards nailed down as flooring. The hot water was heated in a boiler in the basement. It is then pumped throughout the
block in radiators as heating and for washing water.
Furnishings were often limited to a single choice.Everywhere we have been we have seen the
same lamp. A small bedside lamp made from plastic and metal with a small brass man on the side and 'Tallinn' written underneath.
These Soviet era products were mainly produced in Russia and are built to last that why so many are still around!

The bone shaker rides again

2010-08-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to ride a penny farthing and today I got my chance at the Estonian Road Museum. No shoes or helmet required. I fell of shortly after this was taken.

Across Estonia

2010-08-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

We have successfully ridden across Estonia and passed 1000km. After the incredibly flat Northern Estonia the south provided small rolling hills to keep things interesting.
After leaving Maria's house near Tartu
We road to Otepää national park. The camping site was fantastic with a picturesque clear lake, chopped wood and fireplace provided we settled in for a rest day.
Setting off again the follow day was a rush as dark clouds engulfed the campsite and heavy drops of rain began to fall. The destination was Valga on the Estonian/Latvian boarder.
We stop half way to visit a impressive castle in Sangaste. Unfortunately the castle was looted after the counts death and the inside was only partly restored.
We took an alternate route into Valga along a dirt road surrounded by huge pines and it wasn't long before we arrived at my dads cousin Riho and wife Sophias' apartment.

Estonian food

2010-08-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

Mashed potatoes with meat sauce rye bread and gerkins.
Washed down with Estonian beer.

Baked potatoes roast pork pickled vegetables rye bread and gerkins.

Tallinn to Tartu

2010-07-31T03:42:00.000-07:00

We finished our first leg of the journey across Estonia yesterday. Arriving at my second cousin Maria's house just outside Tartu.
We had a wet night of camping on the way. The camping site we had aimed for was closed and had to keep riding an extra 15km. Stopping to admire a rainbow above the beautiful landscape the rain caught us and followed us to our campsite on a large lake.
Unfortunately we had no water but managed to get a fire going despite the wet ground and branches. Boiling water from the lake to drink was tedious and time consuming. Our tiny kettle holds about 600ml and half was gone after boiling for 10 minutes to insure it was safe to drink.
The next morning looking at the map we were so close to Maria's house.
I didn't have an address so I needed to check my email as she had sent us directions. We found a shop hoping there would be Internet before we could check a voice
was calling out our names. It was Laurie, Maria's husband, he had recognized us from the blog and gave us directions to their house.

Latvian Cycle Tourists

2010-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

We met these guys on the road. They were carrying a plastic sheet to make an outdoor Latvian bath. I think it's a sauna using hot rocks from the fire.

The rains are here

2010-07-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

The sight of these clouds approaching and we scurried for shelter. there has been lots of thunder storms but luckily they pass quickly.

GPS???

2010-07-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

Furry woodland friends

2010-07-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

Estonia is full of suprises like this little hedgehog snuffling round our campsite.
In the town we stopped for groceries there was free Wifi Internet but you had to pump water from the local well?!

Diving tower

2010-07-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

This was the dodgey diving tower but I still gave it a go. It was about 6 meters high.

Camping in Estonia

2010-07-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

Train Station

2010-07-27T03:51:00.000-07:00

Train station in a tiny town to make up some time we lost due to late start.
There was a man on the tracks that had fallen and blood was coming out of his head.

Goodbye Tallinn

2010-07-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Tallinn!
We had a fantastic time in Tallinn enjoying the warm hospitality from family, it was hard to leave.
The ride out was a little bit more difficult than expected. Riding through the city and along the bike paths to avoid the main roads made it a lot easier. There was still one big road we needed to cross and it was a doozy! This was the main road linking Russia to Estonia and it was clogged with huge trucks, one after the other.
It was near impossible to turn left across two lanes with trucks and cars speeding past at 100km.
So we went right and had to walk our bike in the grass on the side of the road till we got to a traffic island and could crossover. When we reached the other side there was a mass of roadworks and no shoulder so we ended up pushing our bikes through the sandy unfinished road. I can easily say it was the worst bit of road I have every been on!

Soviet Car

2010-07-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

This was the only type of car you could get in Estonia when it was a soviet state. The Estonians hate them so now they drive Germany and Japanese cars.

Miriam Nora Katrin

2010-07-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Retro Shopping Tallinn

2010-07-24T06:12:00.000-07:00

Food Markets

2010-07-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

The fruit and veg at this market was great especially
the pickled gerkins yum!

Old town

2010-07-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

Factory chimney

2010-07-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

This chimney is for a giant boiler used to heat apartments in the cold winter months.

Block style apartments

2010-07-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

These soviet style apartments are all around Tallinn.
They where built in the 1970-1980s.

Estonia

2010-07-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

Tallinn

We are woken in our dark windowless cabin by the sound of an Estonian voice over the p.a. Feeling a little worse for wear after drinking mixed drinks of Swedish cider and Finnish vodka and that our cabin was directly above the disco-tech that went till 4am.
When we ride out of the boat with our passports on the ready we are surprised to find no custom or passport inspection. We are on the lookout for Marcus' second cousin Katrin and we see her waving and introduce each other.
Katrin takes us for a ride through the cobblestoned lanes of Old Town on the way back to her place, a lovely wooden apartment block very close to the centre of Tallinn.
We unload our bikes and head upstairs to meet the rest of the family. Katrin's husband Üllar, kids Aron and little Nora. Katrin prepares us a lunch of soup using Estonian cantarella mushrooms from the local market and a hearty homemade dark rye bread.
We chat and eat in the backyard under the shade of beautiful maple and apple trees.
After lunch we all set off to explore Tallinn on bikes and head to an open air museum that is set up like old Estonian farms. One of the farms that belonged to my great great grandparents and has been transplanted to the museum. Katrin was excited to show me. Unfortunately the farm house was shut when we arrived but after a couple of phone calls an older Estonian woman appeared she seemed a bit annoyed but still unlocked the doors. When she found out we were relatives of the family that lived in the house she became very cheerful telling us about a relative that was a famous Estonian sculptor. There was even a family tree with Marcus' dad and grandparents listed.

Sunset over archipelago

2010-07-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Tax free booze

2010-07-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

There is a flurry of excitment as we board the ferry and
search for our cabin in the endless maze of bright lights, mirrors and themed bars.
After dumping our things we set of to explore the boat.
What do we find? A giant tax free supermarket! selling 2 litre goon bags of Estonian vodka for 20 euros. We settle for one litre and retire to our cabin to mix some drinks with Swedish pear and berry cider yum!

Goodbye Sweden

2010-07-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

On the ferry to Estonia watching Stockholm disappear behind us. I feel a little sad to leave had a fantastic 3 weeks of sunshine and scandianvia.

Last days in Stockholm

2010-07-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

With an extra two days in Stockholm we have done alot of riding around sight seeing.
Met some friendly finns at the hostel and they shouted us drinks they brought on the ferry thanks Sami and juha.

Cheez doodles

2010-07-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Nothing like munching on some cheese doodles to keep your energy levels up.

Bike traffic lights

2010-07-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Riding in Stockholm is a plesure. Not only do you get our own lane they even give you traffic lights.

Back in Stockholm

2010-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

We are back in Stockholm waiting for ferry to Tallinn.
Unfortunatly it was all booked till Tuesday night.
But it has given us an extra 2 days to explore.

Camping in Nynäshamn

2010-07-17T02:24:00.000-07:00

Back on the mainland we stumbled across this beautiful beach in the dark.
Woke up to a lovely vista and a refreshing swim.
Riding back to Stockholm today.

Goodbye Gotland

2010-07-17T02:13:00.001-07:00

Gotland from north to south

2010-07-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Pine lined road

2010-07-15T10:09:00.001-07:00

Old Citroën

2010-07-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

Rockabilly Cafe

2010-07-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Forest road

2010-07-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

Haircut at Miriam's Salon

2010-07-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Swimming

2010-07-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

Another red barn

2010-07-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Freshly picked

2010-07-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

Coolest Bike shop

2010-07-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Windmill

2010-07-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Campsite Cooking

2010-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Visby

2010-07-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Today we completed our circumnavigation of Gotland it was a full week of cycling and around 400kms.
It has been really hot 30-33 degrees with over 18 hours of sunlight we are looking more than a little sun touched.
Gotland is a fantastic place for riding around because it is almost totally flat and the scenery is amazing.
Gotland is littered with countless beaches, dense pine Forests, ancient stone farm houses, bright red barns,
towering church steeples, golden wheat fields and millions of mosquito's!!!
There are lots of Swedes taking their summer holidays here. Riding hire bikes, shirtless with trailers full of camping gear squinting into the sun. No one here wears sunglasses or hats ever! and they lie in positions ensuring every nook and cranny gets some colour.
We have been taking full advantage of the law in Sweden that states you can camp anywhere for one night for free. The exception is campgrounds that can cost up to $60 for a site!
We have been lucky to find some fantastic spots to cook our dinner, watch amazing sunsets at 11 pm and sleep the night. At one spot we had set up our tent and after a full day of riding in the sun we were quite sticky and disgusting.
Marcus went to see if was possible to find somewhere to have a swim and could hardly believe his eyes when he stumbled across a 5kr (less than $1) shower at the boat wharf opposite to the field where we were camping.

We have been a little surprised by the beaches in Gotland. It's not the lack of waves but the smell! There is this thick layer of brown sludge on the edge of the water that stinks and most of the beaches have a small jetty so you can get past it to the clear water. Everybody seems not to notice the smell but we have to hold our breath to go near it. Once past the stagnate stink the water is nice and clear so we didn't worry to much about it. That was until a friendly farmer told us it was algae and it caused from all the untreated sewerage that get dumped in the Baltic Yuck!! He was from Holland and lived on the island for 10 years and never swam in any of the beaches here.
Tomorrow we will get the ferry back to the mainland and ride back to Stockholm. We are starting to get excited about arriving in Estonia, apparently it is quite similar looking to here in Visby.

When we look at the map of Sweden we have really only seen a tiny part but it feels like a lot when you pedal over every bump and past each flower on the side of the road.

Cobblestones

2010-07-09T04:28:00.001-07:00

Sunset in Gotland

2010-07-09T04:28:00.000-07:00

Tumba bike shop

2010-07-09T04:27:00.001-07:00

The Ferry

2010-07-09T04:27:00.000-07:00

Shelter from the rain

2010-07-09T04:26:00.002-07:00

Wild strawberries

2010-07-09T04:26:00.001-07:00

Just another lake

2010-07-09T04:26:00.000-07:00