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		08-08-2011 Day 49 Barcelona - Copenhagen Song of the day: Sheryl Grey - I'm coming home Left the hostel at 9h. Our flight didn’t leave til 12h, but ’i suspected that my travel companion would cause some problems when ’i reached the checkin counter at the airport. Turned out that we would already have problems when we got to the airport train. It was being maintained so the only transportation is a bus, which a ticketlady informed us didn’t allow bicycles. I left a bit stressed to get some money for a taxi and to have cash to pay for my bicycle in the airport. When ‘I got back, Kim had somehow managed to get my bicycle, my bags and me on the bus… guess that blue eyed charm works after all. In the airport I realized why my ticket was so damn expensive. A lot of people was there and going the same way as us. Good thing we left early… after 15 minutes in line, an airport staff came up to me and started what I had feared. The conversation went something like this: Staff: “Bicicleta problem… need box… maybe no fly!” Me “Hell yeah fly!” I rushed around the airport to find somewhere to get a box for my bike, but found nothing, and nobody could tell me anything. I returned to the line, and hoped that the girl at the desk could tell me what to do. When I finally reached the counter, a girl who clearly wanted to be everywhere else than here asked me how many bags I had. I said 2 bags and a bicicleta. She answered “3 items?” I replied “one is a bicycle” she now looked at me at said in the same tone that you would use at a child or a mentally challenged person “So...3 items” and showed me 3 fingers… “Yes…” She typed something in her computer and told me to take the air out of the wheels. So far,so good! I stood and waited for the huge bill I had to pay. 2 bags considerably above 20kgs and a bicycle is an expensive luggage. She looked at me again, this time a little puzzled and said “uhh..Goodbye!” and waved me of. I ran before she changed her mind, and wanted money. I cursed at the staff member who had scared the living shit out of me! The flight to CPH took 2,5 hours to cover… same distance that had taken me 1176 hours to do. I felt a little sorry for all the people in the plane that they didn’t know about all the things we flew by so fast. They probably didn’t even consider what was there, what lives were being lived and all the other things I have experienced the last 49 days. It must mean that I had done it the right way… Back in CPH I rolled slowly home through the mid-city letting the fact that I am home sink in. What an amazing journey it has been. People have asked me a lot of the same questions. I will try to answer some of them here aswell. Why on a bicycle? The bike gives me the opportunity to not just pass by, but be a part of my surroundings. I drive fast enough to cover a distance, but slow enough to be, or at least feel, like an active part of this specific spot at a specific time. I am more in tune with people, nature and even myself… Isn’t it hard? Yes it is, but it becomes every day thing, and the fact that you are sycling for 7-8 hours a day slips into the back of your mind. Isn’t it lonely to be alone all the time? Yes it can be lonely. To leave all your friends and your everyday life behind is lonely. When I am tired and hungry that solitude scares me , but when I am fresh and satisfied, it’s liberating and freedom in its purest form! And I am never alone. I always carry a lot of friends and family in my mind. It’s dangerous to travel alone! NO IT’S NOT! The world is a wonderful place and people are goodhearted and helpful. I am a realist and I know that the world can be dangerous and that bad things do happen. But we must look at the picture, and I am a strong believer that the world is my home, and every man is my brother! We need to start focusing on the wonders of this world, and stop filling our minds with the bullshit the media fills us with. We need to stop hating, and start loving! I know it’s cliché, but there is a reason that it is cliché! My reason for doing this trip, is to see how the world welcomes me in, if the world is that bad, and it’s not. It’s beautiful and full of small wonders and big smiles. You just need to open your eyes and see it! I might sound like an old hippie, but I would rather be a hippie than a grumpy old man. This journey has opened my eyes to a new addiction. I no longer feel like I am running away from something when I drift off, but know now that a bigger horizon is a due, and that is what I long for. Not to leave my home, but to go out in to my other home. This world that just waits for me to grab it and live it! I want to thank you all for supporting me through these last 49 days. It’s amazing to read all your greetings and to know that you there by my side. You have carried me a lot of the time when the world has given me trouble. Thank you for that – I really couldn’t have done it without you! I hope that you all will help when the wheels rolls again towards new adventures. Wherever it may be Africa, Australia, America… The world is at our feet A toast to chasing you dreams!


		04-08-2011 - 07-08-2011 Day 45 - 48 Barcelona Km i total 2360 The last few days has passed by really fast. We have done some touring of the sights in Barcelona. We agreed that since we were here, we had to go see at least the Sagrada Familia. To those who don't know what that is, it's a huge church designed by famous architect Gaudí. It's an impressive building that has been under construction for a very long time, and now they are only missing two massive towers in the middle. After Sagrada familia, we went to mount Tibidabo, from where you can see all of Barcelona and the surrounding sea and mountains. It is an amazing view and it really makes you think about how small and indifferent we are. It's a big old world, and we are just passengers on a very very small part of it's journey. No matter what I have every intention on exploring as much of it as possible! I have spend the last few days contemplating about my further travel from here. My first plan was to go to Barcelona, and if I have time, Madrid. I could make it to madrid if I wanted to, but I feel that the journey has ended in Barcelona. I don't think that continueing will bring me anything, so I think it's time to go home... 03-08-2011 Day 44 Barcelona 0 km Alvaro had invited us to lunch at his and his flatmates new appartment in the Fontana district. A hip area with a lot of shops and bars. We both felt a bit sick from last nights trouble, but the outlook for good spanish food made us get out of bed and to the metro. Their new appartment is super cool. 2 levels with 3 balconies and a very nice view. An appartment like this would easily be 20.000 danish kr. They pay half of that. We had some very nice tapas, gazpacho and sangria. It deffinitely helped the hung-over situation. at 20h we went to the beach to do some evening bathing, and it was great!!! The water felt just slightly warmer and there wasn't so many people, so it was a good time to go. The waves were huge due to the tide, so Kim and I were like small children in a swimmingpool. It was pretty fun to be swept away by huge waves. A surfboard would have done the trick. At night we met 2 dutch guys and a french girl that we had met the other night. They knew of a cool place to listen to jazz, so we went there. The place was just a backyard where some people had put up some chairs and music gear and they were playing for fun, improvising along the way. Maybe 30 people were there, and it was so warm! We had to leave after 30 minutes because of the heat. It was unbearable! We went to the hostel to cool down in our room and drinking cold sodas (for a change) We agreed that tomorrow we would stay at the beach all day long! We have said that every night, but something always seems to come up. usually cold beer and spanish food, so we don't really mind. 02-08-2011 Day 43 Barcelona 0 km Another day of relaxing (and burning) under the spanish sun. It's a real treat to have this time of the bicycle. The hours pass by in a much more comfortable way. My mind and body has settled down, and I no longer feel the rush or the need to keep moving. Since I left Denmark, I have had the urge to go new places, see new things all the time. wanted to move as far as possible. Like I have told you earlier in this diary, I sometimes forget to enjoy were I am and what I am doing, so when I finally have this time of to just do a little vacationing, I really try to stop thinking about where to go, what to see and just play it by ear. It has worked out wonderfully, because we have managed to meet a lot of new people and seen a lot of cool places without really searching for anything special. I think that it gives us a better understanding of life in Barcelona, since we are not just tourists, but more the observing role. This night we went to a bar in another district of Barcelona called Gracia. We went to Chilen bar called Cat Negre. Cheap beers and Friendly people. We hooked up with 3-4 locals to go out for more cocktails near our hostel. One of them worked at the place, which ment lots of sangria, for a very little amount of money. We ended up pretty drunk and walking home. Bad combination... It took us 1,5 hours to walk a distance that should have taken us 10 minutes. Barcelona can be quite difficult to walk if you had to much sangria... 01-08-2011 Day 42 Barcelona 0 km I found out a few days ago that David - another friend from DK- was going to Spain aswell, and he and a friend of his was landing in BCN airport to rent a car and go around Spain for 3 weeks. We arranged that they would drive into city center to get some breakfast with us, and at 11h they arrived. suddenly I was surrounded by 3 friends from DK, instead of just being by myself. Really nice indeed. We talked for an hour or two before they had to go. They had a rendez vous in Zaragosa, and they were already a bit late, so we said goodbye, and they left. Maybe i'll see them somewhere in Spain. Kim and I went on a hunt for a camera that Kim had set his mind on back in DK. We found it after a lot of walking back and forth to shops around BCN. He bought a very nice Canon 1100d. I must admit that I am very jealous. Rest of the day went with taking pictures, watching people and having some more beers. Vacation is very nice, and very needed! My body is almost back to it's normal functions. But in 6 days I must decide what to do and where to go. It's nice in BCN, but I probably can't stay here forever. It's really difficult to decide where to go. I miss Copenhagen and my life back there, but I really want to explore some more of the world... well I have a few more days to decide. 31-07-2011 Day 41 Barcelona 0 km lot's of km walked!!! We were up hours to early. We needed to leave our room before 11h. I was really tired of moving around, so I went to the front desk in hope that a room was available for a few more nights. Luckily the hostel have had a cancellation, so our room was available till the 3rd. Really good news, since this was the cheapest place I could find, and has a perfect location to beach and main streets. Kim and I went for a walk in the city center. Great to have company here in BCN. I was starting to feel the urge to move on, but now I think I can manage a few more days here. We walked to the pier to have some lunch, some beers and a chat about life and time. I got the update on his life the last 40 days, and he on mine. A lot to tell and to be told. Ee spend several hours just at the pier and the beach. He enjoyed the summer sun, I enjoyed the company. Nice to speak danish again. We went to bed at midnight. We hadn't slept much and decided to catch up on sleeping. 30-07-2011 Day 40 Barcelona 0 km Left the appartment at 9h. I knew that the landlord would come by, and check the appartment today, but not what time he would come, so I was a bit afraid to stay to long. I went to check some of the hostels that I had found the day before, to see if they had any rooms for me and Kim. He would arrive at 19h, and he probably would appreciate that the room was ready when he did. I found a not to expensive hostel for one night only. No vacancy after that. At least we would have a room for the night, and then we can worry about that tomorrow. I called Alvaro to find out what to do with the his keys. I dropped them of and went towards the airport. I was really looking forward to have some company! THe minute I left the appartment, a crazy rainstorm began. It rained so heavily that the locals went out to film and photograf it. I have never seen so much water in that amount of time! I ran for the metrostation that would take me to the airporttrain, but it's not only DK that has problems with trains and rain, so the train was really late, and a lot of people were going, so it was a wet and close ensemble on the train. It took almost an hour to get there and I almost reached the airport when Kim texted me that his flight was back in DK!! The plane had a problem with the GPS, so they had to return to DK to get it fixed... It would be at least 3 hours before he would be in BCN, so I decided to go back to city center and wait for his call. luckily they were back in the air 30 minutes later, so I waited a bit and then went back to the train. I had just sat down when Kim texted me that he was back in DK once again. France wouldn't allow them to pass through their airspace, even though the flight was visible on another radar. I thought that he would have to go back home and wait for tomorrow to fly here, so I met up with a bunch of couchsurfers to have some beers and good conversations. nearly 30 people showed up. Some locals some travelling. It was really fun to meet some many different people from all over the world. a guy from Los Angeles, one from Sydney, a lot from Germany, Russia and Poland. very cosmoplitic. At 23.30h Kim told me thast they had found another plane and crew to take them to BCN, so he would be here in 3 hours after all. At the time he arrived, all busses and trains was not going to the airport anymore, and there was no taxis at the airport even though 2 planes had landed at the same time, so I had to grap a taxi, and go to the airport to pick Kim up. It was 4.30 before got into bed, and we had to leave the room at 11h tomorrow, so we wouldn't get much sleep, but it was great to see my friend again! 29-07-2011 Day 39 Barcelona 0 km I couldn't really sleep this night. The weather is really hot so there is no way I can close the windows. That means that I have to listen to cars passing by all night long. A lot of cars pass by! I have intentionally avoided all the touristsights in BCN. I am saving them for when Kim is here. He probably want to see it all aswell, and i know that I don't want to go twice. Instead I am doing the whole relax at the beach thing, that I normally am way to energitic to do for a longer period of time. I can't really sit - or lay - still for more than 10-15 minutes. However 2300 km has done the trick, and I spend all day at the beach. Not doing anything but watching life go by. I have a new addiction called Long Way Round. A tv documentary about two english actors who are travelling from London to New York on motorcycles. they are travelling the long way around through russia, mongolia etc. It's great, and with free WIFI on the beach, I turn on Youtube on my Iphone, and watch that for a few hours. Before I know of it, it's 21h, and I head back for some food, and a good night sleep. Kim is arriving tomorrow, and he probably wants to go out and see the town, so I don't want to be to tired. I make some plans for tomorrow. Have to pick up Kim, give the key back to Alvaro, find a hostel and make some arrangements for a couchsurfing gathering at a bar in town. 28-07-2011 Day 38 Barcelona 0 km Alvaro and his flatmates have to leave the appartment today. They are moving to another appartment in town, and the one they are leaving, is already being sublet to someone else. This means that I have to find a palce to stay for 2 nights. When Kim arrives from Denmark, we are booked at a hostal in town, but it's really expensive to stay at hostels in BCN, so I'd rather find a couch or a patch of grass for the the tent. I help out with the moving as much as possible, but mainly I keep an eye out for roma's. They are wallking around the area, waiting for a moment, and then they try to steal something away when nobody is looking. The security-position suits me well, because I am tired and I don't want to carry stuff around. I am still not sure what to do for the night, and try to find a host through couchsurfing, but it's impossible in this town... Luckily Alvaro's flatmate saves my butt when he suggest that I just get the key to the appartment, and stay there for the last to nights. They don't have to give the key back untill August 1st. I had thought of that myself, but I didn't want to intrude or anything. So thats another free accommodation! I walk down to a nearby bar where I have arranged with a couple of other couchsurfers to have a few beers and kill time. I am really looking forward to Kim's arrival, and to get out some more. 27-07-2011 Day 37 Barcelona 0 Km Song of the day: Kashmir - Splittet til Atomer Got up early. The appartment is on display, and a lot of people is coming in and out to see it.


		26-07-2011 Day 36 Barcelona 0 km - a little strolling down La Rambla Left the hostel at 11h. other than the mail, I still hadn't heard from Alvaro. He had told me that he would call me in the morning, so I waited patiently for his call, so I could get all my bags and bicycle stored away, and start vacationing some more. I have heard all lot of scary stories about Barcelona's crime rate, so I didn't want to leave my bags and bicycle unattended anywhere. I located La Rambla, the famous main(tourist)street of BCN. I went by it watching the sight of the thousands of tourists walking, talking, tourist-stopping in the middle of the street (why is it so hard to go to the side and let people pass by, if you need to stop!!!) A super weird feeling to be among tourists again. I wished myself back to the tranquility of the Pyrenese where everything was so much more... in tune. It was easier to just sit down and relax with your own thoughts up there. I went down by the beach to get away. There is just as many tourists there, but at least it's a bit more calm. I can't believe that I actually was hit like that arriving in BCN. I am, and have always been, a big city boy, so the fact that the pace and amount of people put me out of balance, must mean that this trip has actually had some sort of affect on me. Normally I welcome the people and the noise of the city, but after being out of the city for so long, I must have been acclimated to the slower pace and pulse. However, I do still enjoy sitting on a corner watching the world pass by, it's people and it's pulse, so it can't be that bad. In the middle of my contemplating, I was interrupted by another bicycle-traveller. He had seen my fully packed bicycle, and was wondering where I was going to. I told him my story. He himself was from London, but had been living in Valencia for the last two years. He was travelling Spain and wanted to do a full circle, returning to Valencia. He had only been travelling for some days, so I was the "old player i the game" and that was really fun. I have been trying to suck information out of every traveller I have met on my way, so I can learn more about "the way of the road", but this time I was the one giving advice and sharing my infinite wisdom. It was a fun part to play, and we talked for an hour while eating tapas. Good experience and another tale to tell. At 18h Alvaro called me up, and told me the directions to his home. It was great to see my friend again! His 3 other flatmates was just as welcoming as Alvaro. Even though they are moving to a new appartment Thursday and everything was a mess, they still welcomed me in and took their time to sit and talk to me about BCN, my trip and nurseing for a bit (all 4 of them works as nurses). But they needed to pack the entire apaprtment down into boxes, so I had to entertain myself. Suited me fine. Gave me time to check mails, maps, update on the world and keep the Roaming Mind project going. 25-07-2011 Day 35 Andorra la Vella - Barcelona 208 km Song of the day - The floor is made of Lava - All outta love I already feel the restless legs. I need to move on Andorra is a beautifull country. Alot of the small villages are skiresorts in winter, so it is a strange feeling to pass them by in sunshine and green grass, but it's an amazing feeling of freedom to roll down the mountain roads. It's really enjoyable to watch the mountains go by, see lakes and rivers pass by as the bicycle takes me down the Pyrenese into Spain, and my 6th country. I have a friend in Barcelona, whom I am going to visit. I hope he is home when I arrive, because we haven't really agreed on my arrival, or if I can even stay at his place. I think my trip has screwed up my planning-sense. Since I don't really make any plans anymore, I forget that other people might have a life to tend to, and probably wants to know what my plans are some days ahead. The nature changes greatly as I go further down into the low-lands of Spain. The earth is starting to get that characteristic red colour you often see south of the pyrensese and all the way down to Marocco, and the vegetation is more draft because of the hard sun. It's really warm and humid as i go further into Spain, but the nature is so different from France, that I don't even notice the kilometers roll by. I am just really occupied with taking in all of these new impressions. My route to day goes straight south from Andorra along the C-14 for 80 km, and then cross east towards Barcelona. The entire route is about 198 km, according to google maps. I push down the mountains. The wind is really bad, so I actually have to make an effort to get going. not really what I had in mind. I basically thought that I could ride downhill all day long, but I had a good wind in my favor when I went up, and i would rather have tailwind up hill than downhill so I guess I shouldn't complain. Whn I get further down into Spain the wind luckily settles a little, and I am back to just regular roadcycling which is great, especially since the weather is no close to 30C. Makes the watersupply run out faster, but I have brought a lot. When I hit the road where I am suppossed to go east, I notice that all the signs to Barcelona points south. But I have done my homework and knows that this way is 15 km shorter than the other one, so I turn of the C-14 on to C-55, and heads towards Manresa about 80 km from here, but I will probably only go for 40-50 km more today. Within 30 minutes I find out why the road to Barcelona goes the other way. What my trip is shorter in km, it makes up for in climbs. In my research I have forgotten to consider the fact that I am still in the mountain area, and crossing east means going from valley to valley. which means going over the mountain tops. Fortunately it's not mountains like those to Andorra, but it takes me from 300 m to 1300 m, and it is exhausting when I had set my mind on downhill all day. After passing a few off these tops, the spanish people are getting lazy, and they have made tunnels through the mountains instead off going around - Problem solved. Next problem - I am not really supposed to be on this road and I am not allowed to pass through the tunnels on my two-wheeler, and some of them are being watched by police-cars. I think of the lyrics to song of the day, and sing loundly to myself I don't care for cops, or the highway patrol, I know where I am going, and it sure ain't wrong. I make a right and a wrong, whatever keeps me going And I really don't care, so I put the bicycle in a higher gear, smile at the policeofficers and push through the pitchblack tunnels, only lit by the cars passing through. I think to myself that if they want me to stop, they have to go get me. hopefully the heat slows their mind enough so that they look the other way. I pass through 10 tunnels, 4 of which guarded by the police, and I get stopped only once! I am a long way through the tunnel, the copcar rolls up on my side and tells my to stop. When they find out that I don't speak spanish they give up explaining me and just let me go on. I know exactly what they are saying. I am supposed to go by the secondary roads, and a helmet is mandatory in Spain, but this "no comprendo" strategy has worked before and does again. It's an amazing day on the bicycle and I can't get myself to stop, so I continue and I roll in to Barcelona after 9 hours on bicycle, and it has been a great day! My friend Alvaro works night at a hospital, so I can't get a hold of him. I am thinking of just sleeping on the beach, but a young couple tells me that it's really dangerous, and advices to find a hostel. They point me to a nearby one. When I get there they only have private rooms which is 25euro, but after a little white lie, telling him that a girl on the phone promised me a bed in a dorm (15euros) he gives me the private for 20. I am satisfied and hit the bed after a quick shower. 24-07-2011 Day 34 Andorra 20 km Song of the day: Stereophonics - long way round I wanted to see the mountains. I wanted to hike up in this remote corner of the pyrenese, and see what the solitude is like up there. What it is like to follow the paths made by other people walking, searching, roaming their mind for clarity. I packed a sandwich, a coca cola, 2L of water, my ipod and found a hiking trail goning up the northwest side of the Pyrenese. I walked a slow, steady pace. Thinking about the last couple of days going up these impressive rock formations. thinking about how fast things can change. Mood, body, nature, weather... before I new of it, I had walked for an hour up and around the montain trails, not noticeing anything. I have been walking around in a bubble all day long! I found a nice spot with a view of the oppposite mountainside to eat my lunch, and there it finally struck me, up on a remote spot in the andorrian pyrenese, totally abandoned by all human life I finally realized that I have now done more than 2000 km on a bicycle. I am actually here... Untill now I haven't thought about it like that. It has all the time been a bit surreal to me, like it is somebody else doing all this. Like everything is moving to fast for me to rap my mind around it. I have enjoyed every part of it, but it has just never been really clear before now. I sit up there for an hour and thinks things through. Hopes, dreams, future, past - everything. I walk back to the city with the same tune going over and over again in my head. find it on youtube. It's amazing! Song of the day stereophonics - long way round Remember me my love, I'm the one you're dreaming of. Going for a ride, I'll keep you warm inside. I'm Gonna roll up the sidewalk, I'm gonna tear up the ground. Comin' round to meet you, The long way round. Bah, Bah - rah - rah - rah! Sooner or later, I'll get me off this track. Gotta do what it is that I do and then I'm - coming back. Got sun in my face, sleeping rough on the road. I'll tell you all about it, when I get home. Gonna roll up the sidewalk, I'm gonna tear up the ground. Comin' round to meet you, The long way round. Bah, Bah - rah - rah - rah! 23-07-2011 Day 33 Pas de la Casa - Andorra la Vella. 32 km Top speed 71 km/h Another cold and foggy morning. I could see absolutely nothing when i looked out of my window! A feeling of demotivation and pessimism just filled my body. I was not in the mood for another day like the one ysterday. I really didn't want to get wet and cold again! From Marions father had I been told that from Pas de la Casa, and to the village of Andorra was 35 km and it was the steapest one on my entire trip. He had actually suggested that I would not go to Andorra city, because of just that climb. It is narrow and really tough, so I put my mindset according to this, and prepared for a day of hard work and I had told myself "The harder the fight, the sweeter the victory"! I started the climb at 10h, and I counted on being in Andorra in 4-5 hours. As i went up, I was a bit surprised that it was only slightly worse than yesterday. It went slow, my heart was beating insanely fast, and I could only go 1-2 km before I needed to rest again. It was going to be a long long day... After 3 km, I saw this sign It turned out, that the climb was only 6 km, and I was only 3 km from the top!!! I thought that I needed to go at least 30 more. I don't think that I have ever been so happy, or felt that kind of succes, as I did when I reached the top of the mountain. I screamed out a roar of victory! both hands flew into the air, so the bicycle almost ended up in some bushes. It was simply divine! all my struggles, all my anger, all my bad thoughts and feelings just vaporized when I stood up there looking out on the mountains. I was filled with a pure sensation of happiness. It was truly a sweet victory, and it had been worth all the hardship. There was a cafeteria on the top, and I sat down and ordered a cup of coffee and a waffle, to celebrate. From here it was about 25 km downhill to Andorra la Vella. I finished coffee and waffle, but I couldn't get myself to leave... I couldn't just leave this haven of accomplishment. It had taken me so long to get up here. I needed to stay and bask in it's glory! The fog on the side I had went up, still layed thick, but on this other side, the fog was gone. Like some higher power had removed it to show me the view of paradise! as to tell me "Look my child, This is your award for your hardship. This is your Haven" I am not religious, but this came very close to a divine moment for me! It took me 1,5 hours to get back in the saddle and start the descent. I put in my earphones, put on Eddie Vedder, turned up the volume and rolled down the mountain side. It was a crazy feeling and I must admit that tears sprung to my eyes. I reached Andorra only 30 minutes later. I was expecting a middle size village, but this was a giant mountain city! Loads of people, cars, screaming children and parents. I just wanted to go back into my solitude on the mountain side. I checked in to a hotel. My plan is to stay here for 2-3 days and enjoy the nature and the fact that I just bicycled up the mountains! I am positive that Andorra is a great place to stay for trekking and relaxing. There is a huge Spa here, and I wanted to go there. There is a lot of different leisures there, so I will go there tomorrow and clean my body as well as my mind, before heading downhill to Spain. 22-07-2011 Day 32 Foix - Pas de la Casa (Andorra) 71 km Average speed 9,6!! When I woke up, I rushed to the window to see the beautifull mountains in the morning. I was deeply disappointed! the lay a thick fog above the entire mountain top, so I could only see a few 100 meters up. I have been thinking a lot about these days, when I will be climbing the Pyrenese, and i had told myself (and so have everybody else) that it would be some really tough days, short mileage and with the tongue by the chain. But I was certain that the view of the mountains would make up for all these struggles, so I just deeply hoped that the fog would disappear when the day grew older. I left Foix after a good high-calorie breakfast, so I was sure that I wouldn't need energy for the next couple of hours. The trip from here should be rather easy until I reached the small town of Ax-les-Thermes. And it was. It was up hill all the way, but nothing bad. My plan when I left Toulouse was to reach Foix the first day, Ax the next, and then go all the way to Andorra on the third. When I reached Ax, I stopped the bicycle by a square in the center of town. on the square, there is a spring, that pours out from the underground of the mountains. It contains some natural chemicals of some sort, which makes the water 40-45 degrees warm, and just a bliss for a sore pair of cycling feets! As I sat with my feets in the water, I heard a familiar sound. Danish children... For the first time on this entire trip I meet danish people in a small mountain village. That was a bit odd, but nice to talk a little danish again. They were travelling france aswell, but in car. We had a good talk before they went on. I wasn't quite ready to leave this heaven for my feets, so I stayed. There is a load of trekking routes in the Pyrenese, so a lot of people come through here. An older American from Iowa stroke up a conversation with me. He thought I was american, since he didn't detect any accent. Don't no if that is good or bad. He was a really nice guy, and like me, he travels alone, so he probably wanted the company and so did I. We talked for a good hour about travelling, about USA, tour de France and scandinavian people in the states. It's always nice to meet new people and cultures, and this was to. Bill (offcourse) is an inspiration to me. He was in an accident (nasty scar) and doctors told him that he had to walk with a cain for the rest of his life, but I saw no cain, and he told me that he did a lot of trekking after this. He kind of felt obligated to embrace the gift he had been given. So he have promised himself, that he will walk more, laugh more, enjoy his sore feet more, and the smelly socks when hiking. I suddenly felt a bit stupid from complaining about sore butt and muscles. Imagine if you couldn't feel your legs anymore, let alone use them... We are blessed with good health. It might be a cliché to say that, but there is a reason that it is cliché. I left Ax with a newfound strength and optimism. I just crossed the 2000 km mark, and what a better place than at the foot of the mountains. The fog layed heavy when I left. I could see only 40-50m ahead, and it was so wet. It didn't rain, but because I rode in the fog, I got really wet, I sweated and the wind blow me cold. It was not exactly the best conditions to climb a mountain on bicycle, but I had to go up, so I went on. The pace of the bike was so low, that I almost drove backwards. I was wet, cold, tired, but somehow the feeling of a new pace and a new rythm gave my a satisfaction. I might be slow, but it was a completely different way of cycling than what I am used to from the last 2000 km. It wasn't really that bad, and I knew that I only had to go 55 km from Ax to the top of the mountain. but I didn't know how fast I would be able to go or how far. I had been told that from Pas de la Casa and up, it would be inhuman and close to impossible on bicycle. Sounds like a challenge. So I pushed on through the heavy fog, only seeing the headlights of the cars passing me by. I couldn't see what was on the outside of the rail of the road. I knew that there was a long way down and possibly a very nice view, but I just saw fog... After 3 hours of struggling I saw a building saying Policia, and knew that I was close to the border of Andorra now. The police randomly check french cars going down from Andorra, where they buy cheap alcohol and cigarettes. I asked an officer as I stopped for a banana and some water, if they caught a lot of smuglers, but he said no, and they only checked cars if the backend looked to heavy to let slip by. Apparently the paperwork is heavy when they report someone, so they choose not to. 5 km later I reached the border and Pas de la Casa. A big city compared to the others I had passed through on my way. It is a skiresort in winter time, so I felt like being on a skitrip, but without the snow! Again I chose to check in to a hotel since I was beaten, cold and wet. The first hotel I saw was 35 € pr room, and I was ready to accept it, but the clerk said before I could even say anything that I could have it for 25 € incl. breakfast. Deal! The room was really bad and not worth more than 25, but the bed was soft, and the water was warm, so I jumped into the tub, and toook a long warm shower. The kind where the water is just a little to warm and you stay in there for just a little longer than your skin likes. And I could see EuroSport in english. It was golden 21-07-2011 Day 31 Toulouse - Foix 106 km Average speed 12 km/h Departing I have been here for a few days now, and I am starting to feel like I have received all the hospitality that I can with a clean conscience. Marion and her family has been really good to me. I have never met a family that welcoming and helpfull. They provided everything that i needed and more. If i needed anything they would go get it for me, and if I had tslked about something, even just mentioned it to Marion, they would try to find it. I am very gratefull for everything that they do for me, but I really don't like when people do so much for me. I don't mind just taking the bike into town and get things for myself, and pay for my self. I think that it is because I don't want to be a burden to anybody. I feel like i am taking advantage of their goodness if I just keep on taking, and I can't give anything back. I try to help with the dishes, cleaning the table and helping with food, but it's hard nd people usually say that it's okay and I don't have to. And I don't want to insult anybody by refusing what they offer me... I guess it's okay as long as they offer it. Marion is expecting some swedish friends tomorrow, and here cousine with children is also arriving tomorrow for holidays, so the house will be full. I then decided that it would be best to get on my way, and leave the nice cosy bed I have stayed in the last couple of days. No metter what, it has been great to be pampered for a while before attacking the mountains. The route from here to Andorra, is about 180 km. and out of these about 90 is mountain. My plan was to go to Foix where the mountains begins. It's only 85 km, if you go the correct way. I didn't... I missed a turn and followed the wrong river, so I ended up doing 106 km, and some of these was along a mountainbike trail, that difinately wasn't suited for a bicycle like mine, or the amount of luggage I carry. It was super hard to go these km even though it was only 9-10 km, and i was really in a bad mood when I got of the trail, and found a road. Most of the route to day has been a up hill all day. Not much, but enough to feel this annoying feeling that the power you push into the pedals, doesn't really find it's way to the wheels. It was along a major road for 20 km and nothing really to see. but the further I went, the closer came the majestic pyrenese, and they are amazing. I arrived in Foix 106 km later. It has been one of the toughest days on my entire journey, but Foix It is a magnificent city. Old buildings surrounded by the mountains. I wish I had energy and the spirit to enjoy them a little more. But I was tired, wet and the cold mountain wind blew like to tell me, or warn me, about the next few days cycling. I rode around the city for a bit, got some food, and decided to check in to a hotel. I founded the cheapest hotel in town - or lets say the least expensive one, at a price of 48 €. Normally I would hav eturned around and left, but after this day, and in my condition, I had no problem justifying the outragous price. And i managed to get the room for 40 €. I watch tv for 10 minutes before i fell in to a deep sleep. 20-07-2011 Day 30 Sightseeing Marion was at work today, so I went with the rest of the family to have a look at the countryside. We went of to a lot of small very authentic villages, small mountainroads, lakes and rivers, By car offcourse. It is a weird thought that I am struggling so hard on my bicycle to go forward, uphill, downhill and in car you just push it into a lower gear and go up. No real connection with the nature and the road. It's like a piece of the relationship is gone. I know it sounds stupid, but I feel more in tune with my surroundings when Í'm on my bicycle. I feel every hill that I am passing and every wind that blows. Well I guess I will have plenty of nature to feel when I reach the pyreneese.


		06-07-2011 Day 16 Angers - Nantes 105 km Injuries: Sore knee, sore right thigh I woke up by the sound of Boris fixing breakfast. Pain, cheese, coffee and müesli. not bad at all. He had decided to go with me for part of my trip to Nantes today, and we left pretty early... I could have slept atleast another hour, but you have to follow the hosts. We went through the city for a little impulse sightseeing where Boris told me a little about the various monuments. When we crossed the river Maine he arranged for us to go by a little boat up the river for about an hour. That was really great, and really cheap! The route to Nantes follows the Euro Velo, which is a net of bicycle routes through Europe, and this is the first time that I have been able to go by it, and fortunately it follows the Loire vally, so I got everything i wanted! Boris went with me for about 30 km, and it was really nice to travel with another person. It gets a little monotone to talk to myself all the time. I kind of know the answers to all my questions... When we reached a small town, he left to buy a car so he could get back home... I'm serious... but i think that he had already been outthere looking at it before, so it was just random that we where going the same way... It is always sad to leave newfound friends, and this was too. I hope I meet him and his girlfriend again sometime. I invited them to Copenhagen if they ever got the chance to go, but with a newborn baby it's probably going to be some years... The last 60 km where just along the river Loire and very beautiful, but very bumpy, so once again my luggage hold broke... I was ready to take the train to the nearest big city and take the plane home! This time however I had a bit of spare parts, but this guy who gave it to me was probably laughing a lot, because none of it fitted together! So I had to use my tools to widen holes in the parts, make new holes for screws and make a ridiculous fix with what ever parts I had. it took 3 f......g hours!! It was very creative, and not very solid, but it got me to Nantes where I can go and look for shops tomorrow. And hopefully find a luggagehold for the front wheel! I checked in to a small 1 star hotel and i managed to push the price 1 € pr night from 41 to 40... Stupid, and expensive, but I was exhausted, and had no power to go around looking for better offers. I asked 3 places and this was the cheapest, so what the hell, I just wanted to lay down!!! Upside! awesome big city!! really miss the sounds and smells and the feeling of blending in! It is going to be a really good day tomorrow just walking the streets and taking pictures! at 21h I was fast asleep... 05-07-2011 Day 15 Montreuil - Angers 15 km Injuries: Sore knees, dirty fingernails For the first time on this entire trip, I managed to put my tent in a spot where the morning sun would hit it. It was wonderfull to feel the warmth spread in the tent. I made kind of a compromise in Denmark when i chose my tent. It's not a really good tent. It has no outer canopy and the "door" doesn't close at the bottom, and therefor it can't keep warmth, and any wind and rain will get in pretty easy. So I am dependent on my sleepingbag and the sun! All of my camping gear is actually a little bad. My inflatable matress is way to soft (it feels like sleeping right on the ground), my sleeping bag is a little to small, and my tent... well you know. But i will not let negative thoughts ruin a beautifull day like this! The original plan was to head down towards La rochelle today, and what will be a little vacation of the bicycle, but I felt like doing a little detour, since I am ahead of schedule. I am not expected in La rochelle before the 13th, so I have time to travel a little more. I decided to go to Nantes which is a 100 km drive more or less, and it is supposed to be a nice big city. I rode my bicycle into Angers to do a quick sightseeing before leaving for Nantes. Angers has a lot of historical monuments, and I wanted to see them. After 10-15 minutes I decided that I needed a full day to see it all, so I located the nearest McDonald's because they offer free internet. I posted a message on couchsurfing.org to see if anybody could host me for the night. it didn't take long before I got contacted by a guy named Boris. He offered me to stay at his, and his girldfriends house just 2 km away from McD's. Like most french people he didn't no much english, but he came to McD's to pick me up and go to his place. I really needed a shower and to get out of my bicycle clothes. He said that he would fix a lunch for us and he did! for starters: a salad for main dish: haché steak with beans and greens for dessert: fromage frais with fruits and crépes with cheese. WOW! normally I don't eat cheese, but a wise man told me that "when in rome, live like a roman" so i ate cheese, pain and drank coffee with delicious chocolate!! In spite of this small language barrier, we had some good tlks about cyckling and things. He to is an enthusiatic cyclist, but he does mountainbiking and downhill runs. Apparently he is pretty good. He takes off to test bikes for fabricats and he had a few magazines with his picture in it. His girlfriend is about 4 months pregnant so she doesn't ride, but normally she do! they had some awesome pictures from some of their trips! I went to bed around 22h because we had decided to go off to Nantes at 8h and he would go with me for a bit of the way. I slept like a baby. 04-07-2011 Day 14 Alencon -montreuil juignes 120 kmm Injuries: One REALLY bad right leg and knee!! I got up early to go to the bicycle mechanic before he got to busy. This time the break down wasn't to bad, so he could just remove the old screw and put in a new, and stronger one he promised me. It took him about 20 minutes to fix the bike and he gave me a few extra bolts and stuff, so I would have a chance to fix it myself if it happens again. He charged me 3 € for the work, which I find really cheap. in DK it would easily be 40 or 50 €... The route of the started of really bad, because my knee started complaining only a few km after departure. For the first time on the entire trip I started to think about the option that this might be a reason for me not to be able to continue... I quickly pushed the thought away before it got a hold on me. the knee continued to hurt for the entire 120 km that i managed to go. I planned to go all the way to Angers, but I couldn't, so about 10 km outside of Angers, by the Mayenne river I called it a day. But it was the most scenic wildcamp til now! It was really nice to just lay by the river listening to nature, and the occasional car passing by in the distance. I finished the last book that I have brought from back home, so now i have to find some new ones. With nothing else to do but look at the nature and relax, I quickly fell asleep, only to be waken up when ever i tried to move my leg. We'll see what it says tomorrow 03-07-2011 Day 13 Rouen - Alencon (France) 151 km Injuries: none to speak of I started out by running around the city to find a supermarket which was open, so I could fill my bags with all that i need for the next few days. The plan is that I will be wildcamping for a few days untill I need to recharge all my stuff again. The route from here will be towards Alencon and a big wildlife sanctuary and the Loire valley which should be worth the little detour (not really a detour if you´re not going anywhere). I left the town flynig. My legs where in peak physical condition and I was simply flying! I ran a good 27-33 km/h! the roads where excellent and the wheather as well. I had 80 km of power only interupted by two hills which were inhuman! I had to jump of a few times to push (not just drag) my bicycle up the hill. However I had a lot of good downhills and a mild sidewind, so I had absolutely nothing to complain about! The sound that the bicycle makes beneath you when everything works out is just amazing! You quickly start to read the asphalt and the sounds it makes. Where should I go, where sholdn't I, the cracks, the holes, the pattern and the color. It all speaks to me, anoys me, worries me and excites me. Today it just all worked out... untill 100 km where the screw on the other side of my luggage hold broke, in the middle of nowhere! I just lost it. I was sreaming and yelling, curseing Ride4Fun in CPH for selling me a piece of shit bike like this! from one second to another all positivity just evaporated from my mind. Now it was a crap day and I just wanted to leave it all behind! Only upside was that I was on a pretty big road and cars were passing by frequently. I just sat down and grapped a bottle of water and a muesli bar and looked at the view, which was actually pretty nice... After 15 minutes I started to think straght again, and I began to figure out what to do and how to fix the bike. The solution was to plastic strips from my GPS mount and an old Unbraco key which made it for a bolt. SLowly and carefully I could start moving again, but slowly and carefully listening to what the bike was "telling me". Sounds and stuff. THe fix was actually pretty strong and I made it all the way to Alencon. The only actual problem this made for my trip, is that I had to slow down and that gave me some time to just relax and watch the beautyfull nature I was passing by...hmm..The lord works in mysterious ways. I checked in to a small hotel. The rate here is 33 € for a room with shower and toilet, but after a little talking with the owners wife I got it for 20 € but without shower in the room. I think she as a mother could see a tired little boy behind my eyes, and felt sorry for me. And i take anything i can get, even if pity is the reason. tomorrow i have to go out and search for a bicycle mechanic who can lift the heritage from my friend in Belgium. Time will tell 02-07-2011 Dag 12 Rouen 0 km injuries. A little DOMs but nothing special Jeg vågnede tidligt, da jeg allerede var i seng kl. 21 igår. Efter en 12 timers marathon søvn vågnede jeg frisk og genopladet. Klar til en dag med udforskning af denne hyggelige (og store fandt jeg ud af!) landsby. Jeg startede hos en lille bager hvor jeg fik en croissant (man er vel i France) og en grovbolle med skinke og smuttede ned til Seinen og spiste det. udsigten er suveræn her i byen! Udstyret med kamera og højt humør hoppede jeg glad ud i byen og startede min sightseeing dag. Det er virkelig skønt med fridag fra cyklen, hvor der er tid til bare at tusse rundt, drikke en lille espresso på torvet, spise lidt crépes og ellers bare nyde frankrigs gode vejr. Jeg smuttede ind i en af byens store katedraler. De har altid forundret mig meget. Både byggeteknisk og arkitektonisk, men i høj grad også spirituelt. Jeg har aldrig befundet mig i en kirke hvor jeg ikke nærmest momentalt når jeg træde ind, får en hel exeptionel ro i kroppen. Jeg føler mig altid godt tilpas trods en ellers ikke særlig udpræget religiøsitet, men spirituel har jeg altid været. Måske er det derfor det ikke ligger mig så fjernt. Derfor ynder jeg at starte en sightseeing tur på denne måde, da det giver mig et anden og mere intens tilgang til resten af min dag, og måden jeg opfatter mine omgivelser og medmennekser på. Alt andet lige, så var også dette besøg en succes. katedralen var utrolig smuk, og en perfekt måde at starte turen på. Resten af dagen gik med billeder, mad, kaffe og afslapning af min trætte krop. jeg var desuden på jagt efter en cykelsmed som kunne spænde min cykel efter, men fandt ingen. Om aftenen blev jeg inviteret ind på naborestauranten til en øl, da de havde set mig komme massende dagen før og var nysgerrige efter at vide hvem jeg var og hvor jeg skulle hen. Maden var desuden gratis, lige foruden at jeg måtte sidde at øve engelsk med restaurantejeren i et par timer omkring hverdag, rejser og fortid. Men det gør nu heller ikke så meget. Det er en billig pris for et glimt ind i et andet menneskes liv og verden. de sene timer går med at nusse lidt om cyklen for imorgen går turen videre mod syd. Min cykels tilstand er på en eller anden måde kædet sammen med min sindstilstand, så det er dejligt når jeg lige kan få skruet lidt her og der, spændt eger efter og smurt kæden lidt. Jeg går i seng med en lidt ambivalent følelse omkring morgendagen. På den ene side nyde jeg virkelig meget solituden og roen til lidt afslappende selvfordybelse, som cyklen ikke rigtig bringer frem, da jeg ofte er mere fysisk orienteret (mig selv og mine omgivelser) når jeg cykler, men samtidig er der en tilfredsstillelse i den fysiske udfoldelse som også renser sind og tanker. anyways, så ser jeg frem til en længere pause ved vestfrankrigs kyst, som jeg satser på at ramme om 5 cykeldages tid. Give or take... 01-07-2011 day 11 Amiens - Rouen 107 km Injuries: knees; shoulders, hands.. It all hurts now My body is really beaten this morning. All I can hope for is that my body will loosen up during the days cycling. I have decided to go to Rouen today and make a stop there. It's closer to the coast and hopefully not as mountainy as the in land plus the scenary should be better out there. Within the first 10 km I have been going up hill for 7 of them. needless to say I have a very hard day a head of me.upside is that the trip is starting to taste more and more like what I had in mind when I left DK nearly two weeks a go. The scenary is more beautiful, the villages more village like, the roads are small and narrow and everybody is eager to see whos coming through their town, or maybe who's stupid enough to do it on a bicycle. the all pop their heads out and wants to say hello; even a big ass dog, who wanted to eat me. or maybe it thought that I needed a ittle push to go faster... It worked. I actually meet a few og these dogs today. one of them on my way a 2 km 7% climb (I know because a sign told me) And I just thought to myself "ahh well... you had a good run, but now it's time to go meet the lord" but the owner called him back and send me a happy "bon voyage" easy for him to say, he wasn't on his way up a friggin mountain on a bicycle!!! This uphill struggle is the hardset one on my trip so far and i was in lowest gear possible to go up, but it is definitely the most beautiful one aswell. that actually seems to go together for some reason... I just turned of the music, stopped the bicycle and just sat down on the side of the road and just took in the whole experience. Here I am in the middle of rural France, on a bike, pushed all the way from Hanburg,Germany, with a semi cold coke and the most amazing view.. tears nearly came to my eyes. I reached Rouen a few hours later and it took my breath away. i had to climb a hill for 15 minutes but the road down was 2,5 km 8% fall straight into this big-city-village! The view was so great! I have decided to stay here for a day, so I located the cheapest hotel; took a shower and went out to explore and enjoy my newly found refuge... Life treats me well 30-06-2011 Day 10 Lille - Amiens (France) 115 km Injuries: little of this; little of that The scenary has certainly changed in the last two days! It's all up, down, up, down... and since the down ones are over pretty fast, it just feels like going up hill all day long! The water supply disappears faster, I need to eat more and both my knees now hurts. It easy to see that a average danish boy has bitten into more than he can probably chew. However with a little change of rythm and a lower gear it is possible to cheat the body a little. The people I meet on the way is friendly and fills my waterbottles if needed, and with the scenary I am experiencing, it's not that hard to put your mind to something else. After 115 km and -numerous waterbreaks- I call it a day just on the other side of the town Amiens. The time is only 17 o'clock, and it is to early to put up my tent, so I just find a good spot for a wildcamp in the sun and sits down and read for a while, until it's time to go to bed. 29-06-2011 Day 9 Antwerpen - Lille (France) 125 km Injuries: little of this, little of that... After two wonderful days in Antwerpen under the protection of my friend Simon I had to say goodbye and move on into my little adventure. The last 6 days or so has been magnificent! Since I arrived at Jonas house in Amsterdam till now in Antwerpen has been great. Good times and good talks, and I have really been spoiled by my friends! and I owe you both (Jonas and Simon) a lot! thank you so much for taking me in and taking care of me! It is said that you can measure your own person in your friends, and I must be a great person! either that or my friends are even better persons than what I give them credit for, and just bares with me dispite of my being... I choose to believe that the first is the right one :-) Anyways of I went into the rain, but it didn't take long before the sunshine came, but I was prepared, so I added a little sunscreen this time. The roads out of Belgium is really good and well signed, so I had a good 90 km run, but then disaster happened! My bicycle broke down... 15 km outside of nearest town, one of the srews in my luggage hold broke, and forced the luggage into the backwheel. And I had no tools to fix it... instantly my good spirit just disappeard. what to do now. I was in the middle of nowhere on a bikepath with no cars. I tried different ideas and after 20 minutes of struggling, I found a way to tie one back to the handlebar, one to the "good side" of the luggage hold; and the rest one my aiching back! and I had to go 15 km before reaching a city with a bicycle mechanic. I was tired, my back hurt and I had only 40 euros in my pocket. An old man in a VERY small village took a look and tried to fix it. It took him a good hour to fix the hold and then he started fixing all kinds of stuff. the spokes in the wheels; the chain, breaks even the pedals had a quick oil and grease. The baby just purred under me after that treatment! He didn't speak many words in english and i don't speak a single word in belgish, so converstion were pretty much hand gestures and a little words, but I managed to tell him about my trip and how far I had come. He managed to tell me that he had been in this shop for 52 years fixing bikes. We also had a good conversation about an old bicycle from the war that he had in display in his shop. A really good looking bike with petroleum head light and everything. It was his pride and joy! After 1,5 hours he was done with the bicycle and he refused to accept money from me! not even for the spare parts he had used. That just made my day!! such a good soul... humanity can be really nice if we try. He gave some good directions to follow, so I didnt have to follow the big road. Instead I went by the river all the way to Menen where I could cross into France. Somehow I avoided the brickroads in Roubaix (some might know it from the stranious cycle competition Paris - Roubaix) and i arrived in Lille more or less 20 km later. Found a small field just outside of town; put up my tent; enjoyed the decenting sun and went to sleep. A good day after all. 28-06-2011 Day 8 Antwerpen 0 km driven Injuries: lots of mosqito bites! Simon har været på job i dag, så jeg havde dagen for mig selv til lige at ordne nogle småting til turen. Jeg mangler stadig et par cykelhandsker. Troede ikke det var så nødvendigt på grund af styret på min cykel er et ergo - håndtag, men jeg mister desværre lidt blodtilsførelsen i min lille finger, hvilket har resulteret i en konstant summende finger siden jeg forlod Bremen. Jeg fandt desværre kun nogle til 30 €. som ikke virkede specielt gode, så jeg var for nærig til at købe dem! Tilgengæld fandt jeg et rejse håndklæde, da jeg har efterladt mit eget hjemme i København... Så kan alle de klare floder og strande i Frankrig og Spanien bare komme an!! Vejret her i Antwerpen er 25+ igen, og uden vind, så det har været en hård dag at gå rundt og klare ærinder i, så jeg vendte snuden hjemad og brugte nogle timer på at fotografere den zoologiske have som man kan kigge lige ned i fra Simon's lejlighed, og ellers gøre mig klar til afgang imorgen. Turen herfra ligge stadig ikke helt fast. Eneste plan er at jeg skal være i La Rochelle i vestfrankrig omkring d. 13. juli. Så der er frit spil de næste 2 uger. Det betyder nok også at der vil gå nogle dage uden opdateringer fra Roaming Mind lejren. 27-06-2011 Day 7 Antwerpen 5 km driven (sightseeing) Injuries: Sore butt! Først vil jeg lige sige tak for alle hilsenerne i gæstebogen. Det er super dejligt at læse og høre fra jer! Det giver lidt motivation at se at nogle følger med i min færden. Simon had the day off today, so we both went out for a stroll through the city. I now that i have complained about the wheather earlier, but today it was 25+, and crazy hot! not a wind moving. We went to have breakfast at the pier. A really nice spot where you can sit and look at the river. Simon gave me a lecture in shipping and stuff, so I've learned that Antwerpen is one of the richest town in Europe because of this river. Antwerpen has the largest industrial harbour in Europe, and there is a huge amount of ships going back and forth. We went back to the kathedral square and sat in the shade and had a cup of coffee, and a beer or two. I was surprised by the city. I don't know what I had imagined, but the city is really nice, clean and has a lot of interest points. We went across the river and headed for a place 5 minutes out of town, where people come to relax and enjoy the wheather. There are pools, football courts and other stuff to do. It was nice to have this "out of town" felling without beeing out of town...well it was a little out of town. We were talking a bit about my further trip, and from here and down south there is really not much to see or do, so I guess the next week or so will be a bit isolated and in true Roaming Mind spirit. Maybe I should head straight for the west coast and follow it down south, but on the other hand I would like to see Paris again. Ah well, all in time I guess. And I discovered that i had gotten the famous Lance-tan from yesterdays cycling 26-06-2011 Dag 6 Amsterdam - Antwerpen 199 km driven Topspeed 37 km/h Average 27 km/h injuries: Bad knee again! So I decided to leave my friend Jonas' house today.He was off to a company event, and I was getting kean on the idea of going to Rotterdam and spend a day there. I have heard that it should be a nice city. I packed my bags and left around 2 o'clock. Rotterdam is only aprox 75 km away, so it should be an easy task. I reached Rotterdam, and rolled around for half an hour waiting for a response from some couchsurfers, but none had that time or a couch for me. Since i don't want to spend money on a hostel, I decicded to leave Rotterdam, and head for Antwerpen in Belgium where i am visiting Simon, a good friend of mine. I thought to myself that I would do a nice wildcamping, because the wheather was really good for a change and my legs where in peak condition! And as before, I just went for it! I made killer speed with a average of 27 km pr hour, and the sun in my back, so again i ended up doing close to 200 km... Only downside was the fact that I had done something with my Ipod, so I had to listen to the same 5-6 songs, where only 3 was good. So now I no all the lyrics to Selvmord - Råbe under vand, LOC - kun en pige and Nik&Jay - mod solnedgangen. I reached Antwerpen around 00:30 at night where Simon was kind enough to meet me, so I didn't have to search for his place. All in all a fantastic day on the bike! 25-06-2011 Dag 5 Amsterdam 0 km driven Jonas and I planned to walk the city today. Naturally it was raining... However with an umbrella and some sensible shoes we went out for sightseeing, and I had to look for a frontloader for the Sirrus. We ended up sitting at a nice bar drinking a few Palm and a thing called a koopstaut or something like that. translated it means kick in the head, and it did! Later at the evening Jonas remembered that he had concert tickets for a band called Murder. For those who don't know them, it's a danish band playing very soft and melodic tunes on guitars. Actually it's the lead singer of "'I got you on tape", which is more known in DK. However it was a really nice concert. We were only maybe 60-70 people so it was very intimate. Later we went to a really nice restaurant. Probably nicer (read expensive) than I would have chosen, but It was REALLY good. My good friend Jonas insisted that it was his treat, so thank you very much Jonas!! Later we went to a secret cocktailbar, where you had to call a secret answering-machine and give a secret password to get a table. We found the secret bar and had a awesome evening with what I believe was the best bartender i've ever met! afterwards we walked the streets home in pouring rain watching the strange nightlife of the Red light District. It's a weird place, and a weird way of makíng a living, but hopefully it's by choice, and not by need. needless to say, I was bettered when we went to bed later 24-06-2011 Dag 4 Amsterdam 0 km kørt kl. 13.30 vågnede en udhvilet med noget medtaget cykelridder. 12 timers søvn blev det til, men det var tiltrængt! Min krop var stadig meget træt og øm, men knæ og led havde det godt, så det var forhåbentlig ikke noget alvorligt... Jeg tussede lidt rundt i Jonas' lejlighed og nød den luxus det bød på. Lavede en god omgang morgenmad/frokost af æg, youghurt m. muesli, juice og kaffe. Fantastisk. Derefter satte jeg mig og så Pacific resten af dagen til Jonas kom hjem fra job. Vi tog ud for at få noget god mad og se lidt af Amsterdams natteliv. Vi tog på en rockbar som hedder Soundgarden. Den minder meget om Gimle hjemme i Roskilde, og vi mødte da også hurtigt nogle folk at tale med. Primært fordi vi tævede dem i bordfodbold.. Ja jeg vandt faktisk i bordfodbold! Det viste sig af en af gutterne er gift med en dansk pige fra Maribo, så han viste lidt om landet, og vi fik en god lang sludder om snaps, frikadeller, at længes væk og om ægteskab! De ville meget gerne følge min videre færd og fik derfor min webadresse, og et løfte om at jeg ville begynde at skrive engelsk dagbog, så det vil jeg forsøge at ta' mig sammen til fremover.. Dobbelt arbejde! 23-06-2011 Dag 3 Et sted i nordtyskland - Amsterdam 225 km gennemsnitsfart 16,5 Topfart 41 Kl. 5.14 begyndte min nabo, en kæmpe krage at råbe op på en måde som kun kunne betyde "nu har du sovet nok, se at komme væk fra min skov!" Jeg lå lige en halv time for at få varmen, men mest fordi min krop var usandsynligt smadret efter gårsdagens tur! mit knæ kunne dårligt bøjes og mine lår føltes stadig lige tunge.. udenfor var det igen idag overskyet og halvkoldt. Jeg pakkede min lejr sammen, smed en skålfuld havregryn og rosiner i maven og smuttede ud på landevejen igen. Farten bar tydeligt præg af kroppens tilstand. Hvor jeg igår let kørte 25 km/t, kunne jeg næsten ikke presse den over 16 km/t. Dertil kommer det også, at der var strid modvind, en modvind som skulle vise sig at følge mig hele dagen. Heldigvis nåede jeg allerede efter et par timer til Hollands grænse, hvilket gav et energiboost til de næste par timer. Igår var kroppen træt ved 60, men idag kørte jeg 80 før kroppen og hovedet blev enige om at det var tid til en pause. Jeg stoppede i en lille hyggeli by i holland, og fik en omgang kartofler og en frikadelle. Frikadellen var ikke nogen succes, men kartoflerne var en udsøgt fornøjelse og en kærkommen gave til en træt krop. Turen fortsatte nogle timer og jeg kunne godt mærke at det nok ikke blev 150 igen idag, men jeg blev enig med mig selv om at jeg ville køre til kl. 19 og så finde et setd at slå lejr. Nu havde jeg jo kørt 115 idag med en krop som hellere ville ligge ned, så det ændrede sig nok ikke fordi jeg tog et par timer mere. Da jeg kl. 18.30 første gang så et skilt med Amsterdam, da så jeg pludselig målet for mine anstrengelser, og det gav et kick mere. Havde bestemt mig for at jeg ikke ville køre langt den dag jeg kom til Amsterdam, så jeg havde kræfter til at lave noget m,ed min gamle skolekammerat Jonas Bank, fra min handelsskoletid (ahh de minder) Det betød at jeg pga min lange tur igår, skulle køre 110-120 km for at komme ned under 100 km om fredagen. jeg blev ved at presse mig selv, prøve kroppen og sindet af. "bare lige 10 km mere" "bare lige til den næste by". Pludselig indtraf miraklet kl.19.20 Første skilt rettet mod cyklister, og et lille gnist tændtes i mit sind "Det kunne være fedt at nå Amsterdam idag" På det her tidspunkt havde jeg presset mig selv til 170 og der var ca 50 km til Amsterdam, men tanken var for stor, så jeg udøvede et gammelt ninja trick som jeg har set i "Streetfighter" med Van Damme, hvor en sumobryder har lært at rejse ud af sin kroppen under totur. (virkede ikke helt) Men da der så ovenikøbet kom "Muse-Knights of Cydonia" over ipoden, så skal jeg ellers love for at jeg fik cykelverdenens svaqr på runners high, for er du tosset en fart jeg pludselig slog! kørte snildt 21 km/t (stadig ca 4 km/t langsommere end gårsdagens fart) og klokken 21:40 rullede jeg ind i Amsterdam efter 224 km og knap 14 timer i sadlen. Følelsen var ubeskrivelig. Hjemme i danmark havde første tanke været Lørdag morgen, derefter et forsigtigt håb om Fredagaften. Nu stod jeg her altså Torsdag aften efter mit livs vildeste fysiske udfording! Me det er jo også lidt det denne tur handler om. At udfordrere kroppen og sindet, og håbe på at sidstnævnte er stærkest, hvilket jeg fik bevist for mig selv idag. Jeg spurgte om vej til min vens adresse, og mødte op - 1 dag for tidligt vel at mærke- og så var han ikke hjemme! Det er jo faren ved overraskelser, men risikerer selv at blive det. Jeg hentede en velfortjent pizza, satte mig ved hans trappesten, og betragtede holland gå forbi, læste en god bog jeg har fået foræret på dagen for min afrejse (You know who you are) og en time senere var han hjemme, norget overrasket over ham vagabonden foran hans hoveddør... 22-06-2011 Dag 2 Bremen - Et sted i nordtyskland 151 km gennemsnitfart 24 Topfart 35 Jeg vågnede tidligt på mit Hostel i Bremen. Primært fordi manden i køjen under mig snorkede helt ubeskriveligt højt, og på en måde hvor jeg flere gange måtte se om han var okay. Jeg fik min morgenmad og min cykel og var afsted kl. 7.30 Bremen var heldigvis lidt lettere at finde ud af, så efter en halv times tid fandt jeg B213, som jeg vidste førte den retning jeg skulle. Havde hørt at det skulle være en god cykelrute med lidt natur og sådan. Det var bestemt ikke fordi der manglede natur, og en del af ruten gik gennem en stor bøgeskov med masser af fugleliv og en enkelt ræv blev det også til men... Det her var vejen jeg kørte på. Lige ud så langt øjet rakte, men skulle jo heldigvis dreje om 137 km. Jeg satte hovedet i det traveller mode og valgte at se det fra den lyse side. Asfalten var super god og vinden lå stille. Jeg ramte første gang en mur ved 60 km, men ikke noget videre. Mit knæ var begyndt at brokke sig lidt. Da jeg havde kørt godt 140 km, og havde fået taget dagens ene sving, begyndte kroppen for alvor at sige fra! Min ben var bare to stenhårde usamarbejdsvillige stænger på min krop. Jeg nægtede at give op, men da jeg ved 150 km måtte af cyklen for hente en tabt vanddunk, og jeg derefter nærmest ikke kunne få cyklen til at rulle besluttede jeg mig for at slå lejr det næste passende sted. Det blev et lille stykke skov mellem en skole og en stro parkeringsplads. Der var godt og 60km² skov, og jeg fandt et sted hvor jeg kunne ligge i fred og ro. jeg havde max ligget i mit telt i mere end 2 minutter da himlen åbnede for sluserne. Skal love for at min fæste dag som wildcamper fik sin ilddåb. Jeg sov 10 minutter efter... 21-06-2011 Dday minus 0! Hamburg-Bremen 112 km gennemsnitfart 23,5 topfart 41 Så blev det endelig dagen hvor jeg langt om længe kunne lægge skole-, arbejde- og flyttebekymringerne fra mig! Dagen hvor jeg for alvor skal starte den ultimative prøvelse af mig selv til dato. Dagen startede tidligt. kl. 6.25 forlod mit tog KBH hovedbanegård, for at fragte mig til Hamburg. Jeg havde lige præcis fået 3,5 timers søvn. Ikke optimale betingelse for den uprøvede cykkelridders jomfrufærd. Turen til Hamburg gik glidende, men det skulle hurtigt få en ende. Da jeg efter en times sightseeing i Hamburg besluttede mig for at vende forhjulet i retning af Amsterdam blev jeg lidt overrasket. Den by er jo et virvar af industrikvarterer og små mærkelige snoede veje, og dermed umulig at finde ud af! bare det at skulle krydse Elben viste sig svære end forventet. Even crossing the river Elb turned out to be a task in itself!!! I rode around for an hour looking for a place to cross. Apparently they have this thing called elb tunnel, but I couldn't find it! it turns out that it is closed, so I found another crossing called Alter Elb tunnel, and it was just a little house with an elevator, and not very easy to spot, so it took a while to find. Once I got to the other side, I thought that now I could get moving but no.... a construction work put a quick stop to that and there was no obcious way to get on, and after 3 hours alltogether in Hamburg, I was done, and I just went out on the highway to get pass this construction work. The cars was really nice to me, honked their horns and greeted me on their way passing by! I rode 500 m and got of again, but at this point I was done, so I took a train 30 km out of hamburg, got off and rode the last 90 km to Bremen arriving there at 21h. I found a internet café and looked up Couchsurfing.org, to see if anybody could help me with a bed this late. Nobody had a bed, but a nice girl told that she worked at a hostel in town, and she offered me to stay there for 10 €. It included a bed, shower and breakfast in the morning. Normal price was aprox. 25 € so it was a good deal! And I slept like a baby!!