We were doing so well. Thanks to our friends at Renfe, we rode the train from Seville to Mérida on Tuesday. While we were waiting for the announcement of the platform where the train would arrive, we got in touch with a German and Spanish cyclist who had also just completed a trip and were … From ‘now we are hére again’ to: ‘now we are here agáin’
After our thunderstorm adventure in A Fonsagrada, we spent a night in Lugo in an AirBnB where we heard a brief heavy shower come over. For today, thunderstorms are in the forecast again. We don’t know what to expect from it. What are the options really? In Sobrado there is a Cistercian monastery that receives … Mini retreat
We spent our (pre)last evening in Sweden in a ski lodge. A full day of rain was predicted for which we preferred to take shelter. Just after we arrived, hours before the predicted rain, a huge downpour erupted. What a good choice! Fortunately, it did dry for an hour this morning and we were able … Hej, hej
What we had never planned, but just worked out that way, is that the longest day and the most northern point of our trip almost coincided. In Poland we already had increasingly shorter nights, but our first night in Sweden, thanks in part to our neighbours at the campsite who had decided to cellebrate Midsomer … The longest day
It took us a while to write the story below. We all know the big picture. Because we had already been to Auschwitz 30 years ago and remembered how it threw us off balance, we decided not to repeat that. And yet, now in Kraków it hit us hard again. There is nothing fancy about … As promised – The story of the Jews of Kraków
At the border between Serbia and Hungary and also Hungary-Slovakia, we observed: slightly more prosperous again. We also noticed it in the shops, prices rose (in Slovakia) to almost Dutch levels. And besides that, Oscar already wrote once before, less contact/reaction on our tandem (often the first topic of conversation). The latter went so far … (overnight) culture
When we started our tour in Greece, we already had to try pretty hard to get by linguistically. True, we both learnt enough ancient Greek at school to be able to read the script, but modern Greek has converted almost all vowels including the H (èta) to e/i and, besides, being able to read something … Language
Is perhaps the most frequently asked question about our bike. It is mounted on top of the front carrier. In the box is the Forums charger; an amplifier that “inflates” the current from the alternator to an amperage sufficient to charge the iPad, provided we cycle fast enough. The Forums charger is equipped with a … What kind of box is that?
Here in North Macedonia, the Orthodox Church is the dominant religion. We also see and hear many mosques. This weekend (a week later than in the Netherlands) the Orthodox church celebrates Easter. Because my grandfather, a teacher in ancient Greek and Latin, introduced Greek Orthodox traditions into our Easter celebration that we still keep, so … A second day of Easter
In Elbasan we saw snowy mountain peaks in the distance. It seemed in the direction we were going. That day, however, the weather was drizzly and the road led through a few narrow gorges so that we had no view. We did see a car wash every few meters for miles on end. Would people … Snowy mountains
Less than 8 km away from Himare, we stop for a cup of coffee. A fluent English-speaking boy runs a small café on a beautiful viewpoint. We feel like a bite of something with our coffee and get in contact with our host. He can make a cooked breakfast for us, but then we want … History lesson 2
Upon arrival at camping Moskato we noticed that we were greeted in Greek. Since then we have been having a conversation with the father of the family about the history of this region for 2 days. Not a simple cost with leaps in time that do not make it clearer. He talks about the gate … History lesson
On Thursday we cycled to Sarandë and then on to Lukovë to get a proper taste of Albania. It is clear that if it goes up 8 to 10% is the norm; fortunately we have already trained a bit 😉 in Greece. Other things that stand out: the tranquility in the areas outside the cities; … Albania 2
At the border a real passport control! No stamp; apparently communism is far gone. Just behind customs an obscure exchange booth. No information regarding the rate; you just have to trust it…. Together with Julie Anne and Vincent we cycle the first kilometers through Albania. The landscape is rugged and empty. At regular intervals on … Albania 1
