Czech Mate

Misha, Overlooking Prague

It must be said the Prague is one of the most fantastic cities in the whole of Europe. Certainly not the easiest to ride into with all the tram tracks, cars and people everywhere but friendly, beautiful and old as can be. From the hill top where I was staying we can look out over the towers and spires of this thriving city while throwing a disk around among this somewhat eclectic but brilliant group of fashion stylists, musicians and students to whom I have been befriended.

John Lennon Memorial wall

As I rode into Prague I was attending to my map when a lad of 20 some years rode over and asked if I needed some help finding my way. I had the address for Misha but no clue at all how to get there, and as it happens Michael did not either. What he did though was take me to his student residence where he produced a map and showed me where I needed to go.  It was not as straight forward as one would like so he insisted on biking with me to her house. Not only this but as we biked he gave me a quick overview of the areas I was in, stopping to point out things of interest and giving me a low down on some of the more interesting historical happenings in the past couple of hundred years.

Locks of Love! Lovers pad lock the iron grate and throw the key into the river for the key keeper to look after. Gross!! 

Prague

I know Misha from my days in England's south west and very soon upon arriving we were in the car and racing off to her home town of Chomutov, close to the Czech/Germany border. As seems to be the trend with meeting old friends, their friends are keen to meet me and find out what makes me tick, or at least what kind of a person bikes through Europe. And of course this is done over some great Czech renditions of well known American pop music. Take for example Grease Lightening in Czech.

A beautiful fall day full of daisys

Biking into the Cz Rep from Poland I was instantly greeted with quiet smooth roads that simply meandered through the most picturesque of vividly green rolling hills adorned with the vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of the fall that would rival the beauty found in Canada's east as the seasons change. Leaves floated to the ground as a breeze rusted through the trees and acorns fell in alarming numbers with strong gusts, making the going somewhat hazardous for young Doris and her fortunately helmeted rider. None the less, through such trying riding we made the destination in good time.

Andy's kid in Poland

As the seasons change and the snow begins to fall in the mountains it is now an unfortunate reality that I will no longer be able to acquire vast amounts of fresh fruits from the trees lining the sides of the road. A staple diet for most of the past 5 months I will now indulge in the hearty soups and stews that are designed to keep one warm and cozy. People are certainly surprised to find out my journey is continuing north and while I shrug away the suggestions that it may be too cold to bike I am looking forward to the challenge of such a eventuality. 

Found you Gina!! Trying to hide in Poland couldn't fool me

Currently I am sheltering from the drizzly rain here in the south west of Germany at my good friend Annette's flat. Annette also put me up for the night in Wellingtion on night one of the trip before moving back to her native Germany to follow an offer of work so we have come half a circle if you will. Off to Berlin in a couple of days before I head back into the east and into Poland tending north towards Estonia over the next month.

Love, sunshine and happiness.

Old friends

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Castle in Slovakia





I haven't seen my once good buddy Andy Gillian for the best part of a decade and a half but thats nothing a good night out untill 6.30 in the morning did not fix. High five for Polish pop music. I pulled into the Polish border as the light from the day was quickly receeding and the fog so indicitive of winter started rolling off the mountain tops and into the valleys. I went to the first people that I saw who were standing in their driveway and asked in my best charade if I could pitch my tent on their lawn. No worries was generally the reply I got and this was no exception. Within moments of my tent hiting the dewy lawn before the poles were even snapped into position I was asked if I wanted to come into the house to sleep. Of course I accepted and after a lengthy introduction period consisting of dinner and beers with them we sat in front of google translater and had an almost normal conversation. I think. The following day to Andy's place in Katowice was much longer than I expected and it wasn't until the lovely attendant at a petrol station made a call for me, gave me a coffee and let me chill out in the store with Doris that I was collected by Andy's lovely wife and we headed for the city.

Not a good road to be heading down

Its fair to say the roads in Poland, certainly in the south are very difficult to negotiate. Perhaps when I get further north I will have a better time staying off the large roads and on the rural roads where the trucks and cars aren't allowed to scream by at 140kph. Needless to say we made it without too many dramas and I have been here for a couple of days. A very welcome relief for my poor ass which seems to be getting worse, not tougher and more resistant to soreness.

Slovakia was generally speaking a beautiful place and filled with lots and lots of contrasting communist concrete buildings and very old churches and castles of which I am not too concerned if I never see another one.

William shatner look alike

Leaving a small town the morning I was trying to get to the border, I went into a pub at 9am to fill my water  bottles. Its become apparant that these are really the only places open at that hour, not only that but there are usually plenty of people entertaining themselves there. This one however only had a couple of patrons who were very curious why someone was in a helmet and a bright yellow high vis vest ordering a water in their local. As happens I left the bar at 1pm and was just a little wobbly on my bike. It seems that I am similar to a circus in that people enjoy the company of the exotic animals as much as wanting to see them perform. In my case they want maps and photos and then when they need to leave they call their friends who buy more rounds and take the place of the original patron. Its like a relay where I always play catch up but cat pull out of the race.

Hello to you too Poland

It feels like the winter is on the doorstep. I have twice now had to fill a water bottle in the middle of the night with hot water to keep my self from a restless cold shivering night. There are plans to get some better gear in the next few weeks but it will not be too much longer until there are frosts and the first snow falls of the winter months. Heres hoping that doris loves the cold as much as she like throwing me off onto the pavement. I was riding along quite happily on a very busy road that had just been sealed. The problem being the new seal was an inch higher and an inch narrower than the old seal so once I slipped off the new sometimes the tires wouldn't grip the surface as I tried to come back to the new road. This time my weight went over but the wheels stayed and I skidded out sprawling over the lane of traffic fortunately between cars. Dodged a bullet there but Doris suffered an interesting injury. Instead of breaking her chain completely which by all accounts although messy is easy enough to fix she bent a link in half. Much tricker to fix and twice as greasy.

In a great little tid bit, the German ladies I mentioned last story time wrote to me and said the bike was no better and no worse for the time I put into fixing it. However they came up with the name bobby for the bike as I kept calling it bobby when I was tinkering and they confessed they couldn't understand why. I racked my brain and it dawned on me that I was calling parts of the bike I didn't know the name of 'thing-a-me-bobbys' so one of the gals is now travelling on her bobby.

Some dude showing off in Krakow

Heading to the Cz Rep next then north to where the real expedition will kick off. Here to warm fingers and toes.

Very Hungary

What countries is doris stradling

So I was just chillin out as one does when they dont need to be doing anything else riding my trusty bike along the stop bank of the river Duna when I came across a shepard with his faithful flock. Im not really sre that you would ever put sheep in a 'faithful' catageory but there you go. Leading the group was a Donkey, yup, a Donkey. For some reason I am not really sure of the Donkey took great offence to me even though I had gone well out of my way to avoid any confrontation. The Donkey turned my direction, walked, trotted then started running after me. What is one supposed to do what a god damn donkey starts to chase you? This was beyond all my high level response training for the military so I just rode like stink until the amused shepard called off the raging beast. I mean honestly, a Donkey.

Pumkins in Austria

Tracing my way through to Vienna I continued through the extreamly old city a couple of days thereafter to find myself in another city of just as intriguing history. That would be Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Here I was stopped by a few curious folk who all commented on the state of me and the bike. The general concensus was that me and the bike looked in remarkably good condition for the 11000km we had just completed. I thought they were being nice but it was a good feeling not to be like the stinky kid for a moment at least.

Vienna

I have been following the Euro Velo signs for the last few days before I got sick of them and headed out onto the roads again. The Euro Velo is a network of cycle paths strewn all over the continent to make life easier for the drivers on the roads and the bikers. The problem is that everybody on the paths is on a mission so noone stops and talks unless you really impress yourself upon them. I did this too two such gals from Germany and we spent the day biking through what was left of Austria before we got to Slovakia. It was pissing with rain for a short time at camp so we used their roomy lodgings to drink wine and play cards and I was very grateful for the quality cheese they offered. A lovely break from the cheap plastic stuff I have been buying. I had a crack at fixing the gears on their bikes but it was a little beyind me without new cables so I think I made the situation worse. Still It was nice to be able to try and help someone even if I just ended up creating more work for them in the long run.

Good Boy

Hungry has been a little bit disappointing in that I have hardly met anyone and I have not really taken in much of the culture. I was speculating as to why this could be the case the other evening as I sat under a full moon and I think it is because I am so far off the tourist trail I had found the farmers and peasants of the inland counties. There are acres and acres of golden corn crops swaying and rustling in the afternoon breeze across this remarkably flat countryside, or where the crops have been reaped there are endless dusty fields streatching far into the distance. There are no curches, or museums or interactive displays telling of the occupations that have taken place here over the centuries, just the crops and the sun hardened paople that are serving the land. And me of course, trying my best to fit in with my white skin and stickered touring bike.

Waiting for the train in Hungary

So thats where I am at the moment. I have moved from Slovenia to Austria, Slovakia and into Hungary. Now as I write this I am a stones throw from the confluence of Hungary, Slovakia and the Ukraine boarders. The days are getting shorter but as yet the temps are staying perfectable rideable and the days are plenty long enough to exhaust ones self in a bike saddle. I was treated to my first medical issue the other day when I had to remove a splinter from my foot. Almost 5 months and that is the damage, not to bad me thinks. I did eat a face full when Doris dug her front tire in some very soft sand at the edge of the grassy road I was on and stopped dead. Of course I didnt stop until I hit the ground, rolled with the agility of a cat, resumed my feet with the grace of a tiger and pondered with the resilience of a dragon what the hell just happened.

Tom Foolary in Austria

A monument for the lives lost in Vienna in World wars

It would seem that my job prospects in the Uk are looking slim to none at the moment based on some of the emails I am getting back. With that in mind I will be looking to come back to Nz for February. What I was hoping from you lovely people is if you could give me some advise as to where I might look at some sponsorship for another couple of months on my bike. Go on ask around, who knows your boss may want their name on my sweaty top. I am flirting with the idea of heading south once I get to the Uk and head to Africa for a month. We'll see.

Corn field in Hungary. Likely not a sunrise

     Take care world and go have an adventure.

Three small bears

A giant Rex

I was merrily making my way through the rolling hills of southern Slovenia feeling somewhat exhausted and depleated from a couple of long days riding when I thought, 'that looks remarkably like a small bear grazing in that field. Continuing on my way I came closer and thought, boy, that really does look like three small bears and low and behold when mamma bear stood up behind the three cubs, I thought, thats not a small bear, nay, thats a big bugger, looking my direction in much the same stance that my parents took on through a town in central BC this time last earth cycle. Think, mum and dad, middle of a busy street with hands held up beneth a giant wood carving of a Grizzly bear and you start to get the idea. I begged them not to, alas they insisted.

St Marks in Zagreb, Croatia

Moving on from the bears in the field I had another sighting as I was setting up my tent some kms down the road. Like the bear itself I took off and found a better place to rest ones head for the night. I guess the people were wrong that suggested it is unlikely I will see a bear at camp where I was. Maybe it is a Sloven game to watch the tourist run away from a big hairy animal late in the evening. This certainly would give a reason why girls run away from me when i try to talk with them. I dirgress.

Man eating Catfish

Doris and Me getting Buff(er)

I apologise if this update seems somewhat disjointed as I have been distracted twice now. Let me start at the beginning. I was lying on a bench in the shade watching the practice starts at the 2011 world rowing champs in Bled as any normal nomad would do when I was approached by Maja and her mother. Her brother in Nz was enough to warrant trying to chat with the chap with the silver fern on his bike and so we chatted then as luck would have it I bumped into these chalming folk again as they had stopped for lunch. Long story not so long, I got directions to their house in the rural hills outside the capital and have been here for three days. Apart from the normal things, a shave, a shower, paragliding with her brother, drinking with her brothers father in law and being nursed all day from the rediculous hangover from the horrid Rajkia, it has been a pleasnt and quiet stop on the journey.

Self Explanatory, I hope

So as you can see I have had things to do. Add to this the incessant need to mother me with food, BBqs, Pivo (beer) and trinkets for which I have learnt to make and drink Turkish coffee out of I am set for another adventure tomorrow.

Whoa Bear

I spent a couple of nights in Zagrab where I met with Vladimir and his possy and swapped a couple of travelling hats for a nights accomodation and a couple of tshirts as I was running bare on both. We played 5 a side footy at the school before getting some pivo and sitting beneath a million stars in a field chatting about life. As the temperatures have remained in the high 30s for the last week we went to the lake for a swim. What the lads failed to tell this trusting biker is that the lake, man made as it was, is home to a man eating cat fish. Being that I am writing this and therefore not catfish poo leads us to a couple of conclusions. One, the guys are full of shit and there is infact not large man eating cat fish or I am not in fact not a man and thus do not float in the menu line of the Fishy. The jurry is out on this one. I was called the youngest 28 year old he had ever met so perhaps there is some truth to my boyish innocence remaining in tact.

Gettin er done

The pass

As you can see Doris and I did a bit of a work out in the sun and the cheeky Vlad snapped a piccy just as I was finishing my 82nd rep so my form was in the early stages of failure. Not unlike I might add the 9km 14% (I hope you can appreciate that Steff) that took me over the Vrsic pass (1600m). What a push, I was absolutely done by the time I made the trip up the beautiful smooth new road to the pass. Even better was the potholed and terrible road in the other side. Not only this, but the other side only desended to 800m before I was in the valley. Should have seen that coming.

Maja and I

I have had the pleasure of driving around Slovenia as the two ladies dont drive but they have access to a car so I was driving with their driections and completely at their beck and call. But it was good to see how close I could getto the cyclists then honk my horn and scare them. What a luxary.

floating through life

I have been asked a few questions so I thought the next blog I would have a go at answering some of them. If you have any send em to me and I will see what I can do. A big shout out to my good friend Jack Bauer who is doing it tough on the professional racing circuit in Europe. He should be so lucky to have shuch pleasurable riding days as I do. Go hard Jack.

I was given the club tshirt after I glided and it has on it some words to live by.
 "it is better to live one day as a Raven, than your whole life as a lizard"

Birthday bash

Sarajevo

Croatia

Take that MINE

It must be said that little ol Benjamin McDowall is not for want of peoples good will and giving nature.I was sitting there on the edge of a wide open and well grommed field when an elderly lady wandered over to me and asked in Bosnian "young man, why are you taking naked photos of yourself out here in the open while I am collecting the fallen apples beneath the laden trees above me, and while my daughter in law is merrily hanging clothes out her bedroom window facing this direction no less" It must be said that this is what I think she was saying and should not be taken as word for word as all I understood was the initial greeting. Its true however that I had asked the owner if I could camp in the field and as it was indeed my birthday I stripped doris and I bare and got some traveling naked photos with the 2L bottle of beer, a watermelon and a block of chocolate. The photos can be seen at www.nakedben.com. That evening I pondered over a million stars what the next year would be like and to be fair it made a pretty good start the following morning when I was woken up and asked to come to the house for breakfast. Later on in the day I was flagged down my a marathon runner who had passed in his Jeep and we had lunch at a cafe on the road side. Riding into the early evening I was beeped and tooted at a couple of times in another field. Odd I thought, people usually just let me be. These people however planted a seed of doubt in my mind and after an hour or so I packed everything up and headed out. AsI peddled another 500m or so I came by an entire field with derelict buildings roped off with MINE signs so perhaps I dodged a bullet wandering aimlessly into the field. Stupid. So there I was peddling into the fading light when I spied a football field at the edge of town. I asked the man outside the nextdoor church if it would be ok for me to camp there and before you know it I am sitting with this Priest and his young family drinking hair on your chest coffee, eating cold meat, hot pasta and freshly warmed bread. There is now an Orthodox priest wandering around northern Bosnia with a Traveling Hat warming his holy head.

Montenegro

After breaky in the morning I road off and was again invited into dinner with people I met when I was looking for a camp. As I left they went through and pillaged their garden and gave me a shopping bag of fresh fruit and veges which was lovely but they obviously dont cycle around much.

Old man on the road, Montengro

Flat tire on my birthaday. First since NZ

It was interesting biking into Sarajevo. As children growing up 15 years ago I remember it in the news as a place full of war and death. Now days it is a feast of different cultures, colors, sights and smells. The Orthodox churches stand proudly next to the Mosques and the old town has been rebuilt and is flocked with activity both during the day and into the night. Cafes are the go here and many an hour will be spent watching the flocks march past doing whatever it is they are doing with their evenings.

So I have been doing well, Doris went and got her makeup done so I went and got my head shaved and then we were on our way again. She seems to be running ok but every time I say that she breaks something. Oh well. Such is life. Biking towards Zagreb now and then into Slovenia in the next couple of days. Just over 3 months left and still loving being on the road. Its a simple life and easy to fall in love with.

Priest with a traveling Hat

Thanks to every one who writes notes and well wishes, I always look forward to reading them, thanks for the birthday wishes and I am sorry that most of them will go unreturned. Dream it live it love it.

Diary Entries

View of the Adratic

3/8/11 Poljanak - Kapliuh 112km



Bosnia



Its an interesting feeling looking over miles of land and wondering if there are any mines lurking just under the surface. Bosnia has over four million land mines still in the ground, in old buildings and generally enough around the place that it makes me quite concerned whenever I leave the road. Having said that I am snuggled into a field quite close to a farm house trying to stay far enough from the road so the police wont see me as I have not registered and there may be fines and all that jazz.......

Some good looking bridge - Croatia

4/8/11 Kapliuh - Jajce 93km

As luck would have it, the torrential down pour happened while I was in a cafe all cozy and warm and as even better luck would have it the really really heavy rain fell as I was being fed in the upstairs loft of a house on the edge of town. After riding most of my ks before lunch I stopped in Jajce to look at the relatively impressive waterfalls beneath the citadel. It was here I found refuge from the thunder storm and when it let up I made a dash to find a camp. I past a spot which had some big trees and would have offered some better shelter for my weary tent and upon asking the land owner he invited me to use the unused upstairs. Just a big concrete room with childrens toys they left me to my own devices but for dinner on a tray followed by cheesecake and coffee..............

Sunset over the Adratiac

30/7/11 Pivoac - Prizina 126km

I must have a default look that says 'I am in need'. I dont look poor or impervished, Doris takes care of that, nor do I look unloved. Unshaven and unwashed certainly but not unloved. Yet people in this far away land (Croatia) seem to pass on a courisity reserved for people who need help.

Like Milford, but North

Having covered 70km in the morning I stopped next to a popular swimming beach right off the highway. After a swim and some lunch I leant right up against the bags on the back of Doris and had a nap. Nothing particularly unusual about this situation. I was in a half dosey state when I noticed an aging woman walking towards me with some purpose. In an area rife with tourists I assumed she had something to sell or I was being told off. Remaning still as if asleep I met her gaze through my sunnies when she said something in Croatian and handed me some grapes. I took the grapes thinking I was still going to pay when she took my free hand and placed in it a foil package and wandering off. The grapes were plump and juicy and the homemade cake in the foil was still warm from the oven. A delightful piece of fruity cake. I looked around but this apparation of a woman had whistfully come and gone as if she had never existed in the first instance.....

Mostar - Bosnia

2/8/11 Velika Kapela - Poljanak 104km

So it yurns out I wasnt on the mapped road at all. I deciphered some vague signs and found my way on to the road I intended to be on yesterday. After trying to fall asleep last night, the noises of the forest bacame too much for me and I could have sworn that a bear was outside my tent waiting to eat me. I got up and using the aid of my headlamp I once again tried to pick the lock on the wood shed (I found a cabbin in the woods) but only succeeded in opening the door after I pryed one far enough open to flick a secondary latch. I was not able to relock the door so I rode away this morning as fast as I could.

Front line in War. Bullet holes. Bosnia

Whilist I was asleep on the wooden bench I could hear a scratching and I thought for sure a bear was going through my stuff. After barricading myself in I have the nerves to shine my torch and saw a plump black eyed fluffy tailed squirrel staring back at me. My relief was short lived as I was shocked awake some time after when the little bastard jumped on my chest. I immeditely thought it was a bear but we retreted having both been given a hell of a fright.....

Turtles and a half naked kid

A cheeky swimming spot I found

Add caption

So the trip is still going well. Just on half way at the moment and already the nights are getting longer and although the day time temperatures are still around the high 30's it is dropping away in the evenings and well into the nights. Bring on the snows of winter. I hope I dont come to regreat that comment.

TOURISTS

Now that Steff and I have made our way to the Adriatic Coast we have been completely immersed in the throngs of people that flock to theses tourist hubs each summer. Its certainly a far fetch from the small tractor roads northern turkey and even removed from the impolite drivers of Bulgaria, here in Croatia there are very few pull outs, even fewer roads with a shoulder and a whole heap of tunnels. I must admit I do like the tunnels and I cant help shouting out to hear my voice echo as I am in the dark and musty depths of the hill.

Racing through Albania we stopped in the North at a friends house before making a push to the boarder of Montenegro where we continued without too much fuss or exploration all the way to the coast. Now we are here I can certainly appreciate why there are so many people about. Take the Bay of Kotor for instance. On a whim we decided to take the road and not the ferry adding an extra 40km to our day. We were treated with an easy ride through very old villages and stone buildings swaying and teetering towards the road after years of strain. The bay climaxed with the Fiord like mountains casting long shadows over the beautiful blue waters. The mountains were very similar in relief to those of the famed southwest corner of New Zealand and the memorable Milford Sound. I would have loved to take a sea kayak out and have a mozie around. I think Doris would get sea sick.

All the people walking up the hill

As I wandered up to the old fortress up the hillside I could not help but notice the signs warning people of extreme fatigue and the need for good personal fitness and the need for a walker to be in good health. Holy smoke, I thought what am I going to find here. What I found was a well worn path intermittent stairs and more sweaty, overweight and sloppy people that I think I have ever witnessed. It was disturbing how unfit and lazy the general public really is and it makes me appreciate the love for the outdoors that has been bestowed upon me by my many acquaintances over the years. Needless to say the views over the Bay were worth the walk (for most of the people).

View from the fortress

Steff will leave tomorrow back to Canada and I will be left to my own devices once again. I have a month or so before I want to head into Solevenia so I am heading back to Montenegro to have an explore of the mountains and have a look over to the eastern edge. Everything comes easier with two people, the conversation, food and of course you have ready made company. Steff presence offered a nice reprieve from the loneliness of my trip thus far but her visit also served as an acknowledgment that I do enjoy the 'every option is right' philosophy of being on ones own. I am certainly looking forward to making time out on the road again and riding for the sake of riding. It feels good to be out on the road and making people smile when they hear about the journey. Plus I love getting the country stamps. Im up to 10