Czech republic

I am already in Brno, my hometown. A bit of „cheating“ was necessary, however, because I wanted to get here on Friday in order to go to my brother´s graduation ceremony. He surprised me incredibly by graduating in time so I wanted to surprise him by getting home on this big day.

The hills or better call them mountains (over 1000 m) on the German-Czech border were a real difficulty. I tried and did my best to go from Bayreuth to Widenberg on Monday but it was too extreme. And as usual, only an extreme situation could push me to do something that I would normaly be reluctant to do. I went on the road and put my thumb up. In less than five minutes a car stopped and a very nice driver took me closer to my destination despite planning to go somewhere else. When I was in the car, heavy rain started and I felt very lucky to be hidden there. The driver left me under a bridge so I managed to continue to hitch hike bone dry. This time it took about fourty minutes. A Tunisian guy stopped and told me that he had seen me on the road and came back for me. “I am Arab, you see. It is in our culture not to leave a single woman in trouble alone. So I came back. What if it was my sister who needs help?”…

And then he took me nearly to Cheb, again despite not planning to go that far. And when I got out of the car, exactly in that moment the rain stopped. Have I ever felt more lucky than on this day?

In Cheb I started to follow the Ohře river towards Karlovy Vary. The scenery was absolutely stunning. This was trully the most beautiful part of the whole trip. Cyclo path in a forest, rocks on both sides of the river, great signposting. Everything perfect. And at this point I was reached by Vojtěch, my Czech friend who was cycling close by so we had agreed on meeting somewhere on the way.

From this moment the trip got a different shape. I didn´t need to be worried about a place where to sleep or about how to carry my heavy bike up the stairs. It became easier to set up the tent, to cook and start a fire. It was more entertaining to cycle with someone and discuss everything that was on our mind, more beautiful to share the experience. However, it also limited my immagination. I didn´t need to think of solving a problem because before I realised there was a problem, it had already been solved. I didn´t need to think what is the safest place for sleeping because there was a strong boy with me whith whom every place was safe. I didn´t need to talk to strangers on the way because I had a great company with me. All in all, to have a company on the way was pleasant but I am extremely happy that I did most of the way on my own. That was the only way to learn something and to see that I can rely on myself.

Anyway, we followed the river for three more days and got to Litoměřice on Thursday. This is still very far from Brno so we took a train to get closer. It took us to Tišnov a town 25 km far from my homecity. And on Friday morning I started the very last part of the journey. How strange to cycle in the known area. Actually, this was the only cycling trip I used to do when still living in Brno. The cycling path goes from my house to a lake so I used to go regularly there and back. For nothing else I had the courage, only for this straight path that can get me from home to the final destination. To be on it again after this month was just weird. What a contrast between my previous life when I was afraid of everything and my current life when I understand that the world is full of good people and nice things happening. It makes me sad to know how many years I lost by locking myself in the safety of the known, but full of joy for knowing that I can go out and experience and enjoy the unknown.

And what a joy to finally see my parents and show them that despite their believes, their small clumsy daughter can survive alone, can find her way and use all her strenghts to get home across Europe. They didn´t know about this trip. And they didn´t believe me yesterday until I showed them some pictures. And then my mother cried and my father said that this was soooooooo dangerous. He still doesn´t believe in a good world but I think he is closer to it. And he said that I was incredibly awsome to manage this. And if for nothing else, then for this the whole trip had a sense.

Final lesson:

1. I rely on others if they are around. But I can rely on myself if I need to.

2. Things are not as difficult as they seem at the beginning.

3. The Czech republic is the most beautiful country in the world.

Last greetings from Germany

I made it, I made, I made it! In the last three days I got lost only twice and only for a very short bit. I wonder whether the signposts are better in this part of Germany or whether I finally started to understand them. Probably both.

Not only the singposts but also the landscape is better. Today for the first time I saw that Germany has also beautiful forests and cycling in them is a real pleasure. Hm, however… This area is also much more hilly so I´m getting slower and slower and more and more exhausted.

Now I am already in Bayreuth, very, very close to the Czech republic. I´m extremely excited about being this close to my beautiful homeland but the hills are an unexpected problem. I still didn´t manage to figure out how to go around them. I am only 80 km far away from Cheb, the closest Czech city, so normally I should be there tomorrow afternoon. But the hills make it too hard and I just don´t know what to do about it. Hitch hiking?

Well, so far everything worked extremely well even if I didn´t have a proper plan. Solution always found me so I should probably relax and see how it goes. Maybe my legs are fitter than I think or maybe someone will recommend me a path around the hills or who knows what else. This trip is full of surprises so let´s just see.

 

Lesson 6:

1. In Germany, supermarkets are closed on Sunday. No supermarket – no food -no energy :(((.

2. The more hilly it gets, the more young people I meet. Flat areas are probably only for older people and me.

3. It´s really much nicer to ask people if I can sleep in their garden. Not only that it is safer, but their company can be also very energising and refreshing.

 

Loneliness makes you suffer

OK, Germany is not that ugly. After reaching the river Main the scenery changes completely. The route is again set in fields and forests and only occasionally meets cars. So I started to enjoy the cycling again.

On Monday I even had a company of Janice who joined me for the day. It made me realise what the difference between cycling alone and cycling with someone is. With Janice I didn’t mind getting lost, I didn’t mind cycling in an industrial area, I didn’t mind feeling hungry, nor did I mind a discharged MP3 player. With her my mood was up and everything was just perfect. Now I understand why people stare at me in disbelief that I travel alone. It is really different and harder than I thought. Not for the safety, but for the beauty of sharing the experience. However, everything has its pros and coins and the loneliness makes me appreciate the company of other people much more than I normally would. I even enjoy if people talk to me in German about their life and I don’t understand a word. It’s just pleasant to hear someone else talking and try to figure what the message could be.

This happened to me on Monday evening. Desperate for a nice place to sleep, I asked an older couple if I could pitch up the tent in their garden. They spoke no English so I used the only German phrase I know: Kann ich in ihrem Garten zelten (Can I camp in your garden?) ? And from that moment the woman started telling me everything about her life, her family and job. When I was getting a bit tired and confused from too much German, an incredible thing happened. I found out that her husband is Polish. So we switched the language and finally I was able to talk as well and felt an extreme joy.

On Tuesday and Wednesday my mood went down again. One would think that following a river is very easy and you couldn’t get lost. Well, you could. At least if you were me. In some villages the path simply ends and you either need to take a different path for few km or you need to cross a bridge and continue on the other side of the river. I always, always, always missed the signs and it took me ages to get on the right way. If it happens once, twice, it’s OK. But in my case… I can’t express how upsetting it is to travel with my poor sense of direction. VERY upsetting. Many times I was close to crying and generally I got absolutely exhausted.

But then I reached Wuerzburg… An incredible city with incredible people. There are hippies everywhere, everyone plays the guitar or joggles or does slacklining or some other crazy thing. There are about five different concerts each night and you just have to choose if you prefer reggae music, Balkan rhythms or something more rock style.

I’m couchsurfing here with Chami, a Sri Lankan guy who knows everyone in the city. He introduced me to Peire a French guy who was once travelling around Europe after a break up. Once he got to Wuerzburg he absolutely fell in love with the city and its people and decided to stay here… And I absolutely understand him!…

Lesson 5:

1. My body is getting stronger but exhausted. I might not manage to do all this just on bike.
2.  And it makes you much more social and happy about meeting strangers.
3. Meeting one right person opens door to meet all good people of the place.

Ugly Germany and beautiful Germans

The weather conditions forced me to stay for three nights in Cologne but it was actually a really pleasant and useful break on my journey. Through Sam, the couch surfer, I met Susan – a lovely girl who is half German and half Iranian.  In her stories, pictures and cuisine she took me to her second home country and thanks to her lively storytelling I got there. I got to Iran and it was awesome! 

As I realised in Cologne, my cycling from Holland to Germany was awful also because of my breaks. They kept blocking the wheel so I needed twice as much force to cycle as I would need with  properly working breaks. Fortunately, Sam and Susan took me to a wonderful university workshop where volunteers help people to repair their bikes (I think similar workshops are also in other German cities so if you should have a problem with your bicycle in Germany, try to ask at university  if they have such a place). Under a supervision of a more experienced cyclist, I was trying to fix the breaks. We tried lots of different methods but none of them worked. In the end, we changed them completely. It took more than three hours but that was absolutely worth it! Firstly, I learned a lot about my bicycle. And secondly, the bike is smoother than ever and it is incredibly easier to ride.         

 

Maybe thanks to the fact that the cycling became so easy, I managed to do about a hundred kilometres on Friday and following Rhein I got from Cologne to Coblenz. Unsure about the weather, I had contacted a couch surfing couple in Coblenz so I knew that I would be safe in case of heavy rain. Well, safe… Let´s say protected from bad weather. However… The place where I was sleeping was… interesting. There were candles everywhere (why not? just a romantic couple, right?), ropes (of course, they are climbers), leather clothes (yes, they said they were into Goth music) and trapeze (I also love acrobatics so I used it immediately for some exercise). Unusual but everything has an explanation. Hm, but what about the different kinds of whips? Yes, after seeing that I couldn´t deny it anymore. I was sleeping in a proper torture room :D.

 

The following morning they surprised me again by showing me their favourite TV programme – Sesame street. What a funny couple :D. Anyway, I left them watching it and followed Rhein again.

 

The route is extremely boring and sometimes annoying. It goes very often next to the cars, from one city to another. The near towns seem to be beautiful and there are plenty of ancient castles on the way but generally, it is not very inspiring. I miss the Belgian and Dutch fields and their freshly green countryside. 

To get out of the path as soon as possible, I challenged myself for another hundred kilometres and got to Wiesbaden. Here I am staying with Janice, Susana´s friend who is similarly cool as Susana herself. With Busty, her boyfriend, they took me in their mega old school car to some kind of festival where I saw the ´typical´German fun – lots of sausages, beer, noise and raffle where you can win different kinds of plants. Amazed by the fact how many people want to win a plant, we gave that a try as well. And we won!

After not sleeping much at night and again due to the rain, they let me stay over another night. And tomorrow I´m starting to follow a smaller river- Main – with a new hope for more beautiful surrounding. 

 

The more days I have been in Germany, the more unhappy I am about the cycling. But at the same time, the more I have been here, the more I love Germans. They are definitely making up for the miserable cycling and they are keeping my spirit up.

 

Lesson 4:

1. When planning the route, it is good to consider whether it is a rural or industrial area. It makes a huuuge difference.
2. There are people who are very open about their sexuality and they are great.
3. A torture room is as good for sleeping as any other.

The first tears

Fully recharged, I started my journey from Maastricht to Germany on Monday. First part from Maastricht to Aachen wasn’t very good though. I took the N278 route which has also a cycle path. That made me safe from cars but still the traffic was very annoying and the cycling wasn’t very enjoyable. No more fields, cherries nor pears :(.

However, the second part was even worse. In Aachen I visited the tourist information centre in hope for similarly good service that I found in Belgium. I got there some sort of a map and planned my journey to Bonn. The map wasn’t very detailed but I managed to find the indications so I thought I’d be OK. I followed them, hoping that I would get out of the city to the countryside soon. After about an hour of cycling, I realised that I’m actually going in a circle around Aachen. The indications are really really poor and it is definitely not good to rely on them, neither on the given map. After loosing them for the hundred time, I decided to follow the route for cars. In one city I found them again so I followed them again and cycled in a circle again. This was too much for my nerves. Extremely upset about Germans who are said to be organised but have the worst signposting I’ve ever seen, upset about myself for not buying a proper map, upset about all the people driving cars, first tears started to roll down my face. Exactly in that moment I got a text from my friend Tim who just wanted to encourage me. That made me smile again so I managed to continue.

 

Going on the big route from one city to another was also problematic for finding a place where to sleep. There was no hiding place, nor privacy. But a deseparate situation requires a desperate solution. I asked one women if she knew about a place to pitch up my tent. She introduced me to her friends who offered me to stay in their garden. This was an incredible switch in my story.

 

It’s been raining since night so Idecided to try to hitch hike to Cologne. However, my hosts didn’t approve that so after making me breakfast, they drove me to a train station and paid me for a train to get to my destination.

The Cologne train station provided me with a shelter for few hours during which I was trying to find a couchsurfer able to host me. Meanwhile, I ran into one guy who was also travelling but the bad weather prevented him from visiting the city. He offered me help with the bike and made me company for few hours. As he was from Palestine, we had a very interesting chat and he also insisted on inviting me for lunch as this is the Palestinian tradition when you meet someone for the first time.

Another great news came from couchsurfing. I managed to find a host with a real personality. From the first look I knew he was my cup of tea. I’m writing this post from the most beautiful room, decorated with old photocameras, guitars and a didgeridoo, drinking delicious tea, listening to stories about hitch hiking through Europe and learning about different NGOs in Germany.

 

I love the world.

 

Lesson from part 3:

1. BUY A MAP!!

2. Germans are not as organised as it is said but they are hundred percent more hospitable than it is believed.

3. The worse the situation seems to be, to the better it can turn.

There are worse things than watching football

The easy part is done. I spent two more days cycling and  yesterday evening I managed to get to Maastricht to the safety of my friends.

On Friday afternoon I left Louvain-la-Neuve and got to Linter. Unfortunately, for this part I didn’t have a proper map so I was using my GPS on the phone. This might seem as an easier navigation system, but not if you don’t have any handle for it. At every crossroad I had to take it out of my pocket and check which way I should take.  Oh, this was so frustrating.

A solution came with entering  Hoegaarden, a city in the Flemish part of Belgium.  First of all, Flemish speak English on the contrary to Wallons and also they are more into cycling, so it is easier to ask for help. They showed me LF6 cycle path [http://www.groteroutepaden.be/en/route/98/lf-6-flanders-cycle-route.html] which leads to Kanne, a town very close to Maastricht.

This LF6 is really excellent. It is very easy to follow, with good sings at every junction. It takes you around villages, through fields with lots of fruit trees and vegetables so even refreshment is provided.  In the evening, I picked up some carrots for dinner and cherries for dessert and started to search for a nice hidden place where to pitch up the tent.

I found a nice pear orchard where I was invisible for anyone nearby [A good idea is to choose fruit that is not ripe yet. Otherwise you may wake up surrounded by farmers collecting them in the morning. That would probably happen to me if I went to a cherry orchard].  In theory this was much safer than my first sleeping spot which was close to people. If no-one knows I am there, no-one can hurt me, right? However, the feeling of being there absolutely alone brought up all the ghost stories I’ve ever heard and my imagination started to freak me out. Well, somehow I survived another night and after having a lazy morning I got back on the route.

Saturday was quite a rainy day but I was able to enjoy even that. It felt refreshing and water that I collected over night helped me to wash my dishes. Everything seemed to be perfect until the moment when I realized that I actually didn’t have more energy and also not much more to eat nor drink. I stopped in a village to ask for water. A super nice girl invited me in and offered me to watch football with her and two more friends. As it was already quite late and I wanted to reach Maastricht and especially because I really don’t like football, I decided not to accept. Oh, [wo]man! What a mistake. Ten minutes later it was raining cats and dogs and I was soaking wet. I decided to benefit from the situation and cycled to the nearest village to ask if I could set up my tent in their garden, hoping they would let me to also use their hot shower. It was raining and raining and water was just everywhere. Finally, I got to the village and suddenly, exactly at the moment I got there, the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was so incredible. I laughed at that and took it as a sign that this village is not my final destination for the day.

Well, I got to Maastricht, all wet and dirty and totally exhausted. For the first time I had serious doubts about this trip. However, after spending a beautiful Sunday with Jasper and Justyna, my energy is back. I will do my plans for crossing Germany tonight and tomorrow morning the real adventure starts. No more friends [as far as I know] on the way, no more showers or prepared dinners. It will be just me and my bike.

Lesson of part 2

1. There are worse things than watching football.
2. A map can save lots of kms.
3. When you do something you love [cycling], you won’t even realize how much you’re bleeding [I cut my chest with a compass and understood it only in the evening when I saw a big scar].
4. The trip has been amazing!

 

People will always help you if you need help

The first destination Louvin-la-Neuve, the city of my good Belgium friend Cedric, reached yesterday. My departure got delayed a little bit so I adjusted my plans to the current situation and started to cycle only on Tuesday afternoon from Mons in Belgium. This turned up to be a great starting point as the town has a wonderful info centre where they provide you with free cyclo maps and lots of useful information, plus they have a very handsome staff  speaking a very cute French English that will explain you anything you don’t understand about cycling in Belgium.

When I finally got on the road, my first thoughts were dedicated to my mother. I wished she had been there, hugged me and never let go. I really didn’t feel like doing it. But turning back wasn’t an option so I just pedalled. And pedalled and pedalled and pedalled and started to feel good, pedalled and enjoyed it and pedalled and got excited. Wow, the feeling of absolute freedom was incredibly relieving.

I went along a canal so the route was very simple. Despite that I got lost and spent about an hour going there and back before understanding where I was. But I got it! In the end I found my way and felt very proud.

A canal is a great  help for understanding direction but not such a good place for wild camping. There is just water and the path so anywhere you stay, you are too visible. Fortunately, I managed to arrive to a place with small gardens and cottages which seemed a bit safer. However, I don’t remember when I felt more in panic than this night. Before going to sleep, I found out that my phone provider doesn’t allow me to call or send massages so I couldn’t let anyone know where I was. Shit! My hard was beating incredibly fast and I got serious problems with breathing. At about midnight a very dear friend Vojtech saved me by calling me (interestingly enough I can receive calls just cannot make any) and talking to me. Knowing that somebody knows where I am, calmed me down and I finally slept as a baby.

The next day I got saved again. I was heading to Louvin-la-Neuve but I had no means of letting Cedric know that I was coming. But when you need help, it will come. I asked one cyclist for direction to my destination and he offered me to cycle with me for a while and show me the way. During our basic conversation (how frustrating that they really don’t speak any English here) I found out that he was Italian so we had a language in common. Wow, how nice to switch to a language that you can use properly. Thanks to that I managed to explain my phone troubles and use his to call to Cedric.

So here I am. In a company of someone very dear to me, with the comfort of a cold  shower (the only thing that saved me from a very bad headache from the sun), kitchen and a proper bed. And I am excited to give it up again and continue to Maastricht this afternoon.

And what’s the lesson of the first short part?

1. My mobile provider is shit.

2. People will always help you if you need help.

3. Cycling all day under the sun will make you extremely sick.

4.  Despite the stress, pain and sickness, this has been the best idea I have ever had!

Beginning

In less than 24 hours I will begin my cycling tour in Northern Europe. Lots of people have done a similar thing, yet most of my friends consider me crazy. Why? Because they know me. I have no sense of oriantation, I am desperetely dependent on other people, my hands are clumsy and I am still afraid of dark.  Despite that I am planning to spend about a month cycling on my own, sleeping in a tent in wild.

This idea occured to me about three months ago. I felt that we were about to break up with my boyfriend and I needed to have a good plan for summer in order not to get too depressed. My roomate was in a similar situation so after a glass of cider (small people get drunk easily, it isn’t just me), we were coming up with the most unreal plans for adventure like cycling from Aberdeen in Scotland to  Iran  in about 3 months.

Unfortunately, when the break up actually happened, my roomate got more reasonable and cancelled on the trip. I was, on the contrary, more determined to do it although I also realised that the distance was far too challenging. Well, OK, I cannot cycle to Iran but I could go for a shorter trip (much much shorter), I thought and so decided.

My idea is very vague. I know that tomorrow I am meeting a friend who is bringing my bike from Aberdeen to London where I am currently located and then he’s giving me a lift to France to Calais or Dunkerque, not sure yet which one. From France I will head to Belgium where I have a friend in Brussel. Finger crossed he’ll be around and after few days on the road I will meet some familiar friendly face. From Belgium I’m planning to go to Holland where I have another friend to whom I’d love to say hello and give three Dutch kisses. Then I am planning to continue to the Czech republic through Germany and that will be probably enough for this summer.

As I have no previous experience with cycling [my longest trip was about 50 km long], it is very hard to estimate how much I can cycle in a day, where I can manage to get and how much time I need. The advantage of going on my own is that I am very flexible, I can take it very easy and slowly and at any point just take a train and go home.

What I expect from the trip is to find a bit of independence. I am used to relying on people. If I want it or not, others always take care of me and things are just happening around me without me doing much. I think it is because I am too clumsy or too fragile and people feel the urge to protect me or to help me. And I love them for doing that but the problem is that then I have a lack of confidence. I trust that others can take care of everything but I never believe that I could rely on myself as well. And this is something I want to change.

So let’s go. Let’s cycle for independence.