Road to Istanbul

Unplanned and Unprepared 2008

2008-10-21T20:20:00.001-07:00

If you wish to follow kris on his solo bicycle crossing of the states please visit www.sf2florida.blogspot.com

Day 74: Gravesend, UK!!!

2008-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

After breakfast Kris returned to bed to nurse his hangover while Bas and I explored the Grand Bazaar for a couple of hours. The whole bazaar was under cover and made up from thousands of little alley ways with every one being made up of the same stalls. We wandered around getting more and more lost and hassled by every store owner to looky looky! We left with a couple of souvenirs which were unfortunately breakable perhaps not the most sensible idea seeing as we had to somehow get 2 bikes, 8 paniers and 2 bar bags to the airport. We returned to the hotel to find that Kris had made it out of bed and was attempting to pack the bike boxes with as much of our gear as possible. We managed to squeeze the majority inside leaving just hand luggage for the flight that should save time and effort later on. We showered and met our private taxi at 1pm which meant finally saying our goodbyes to Bas. Well it was more of a see you later as we are sure to visit him in Athens or New York in the future. On arrival at the airport we were made to put all luggage including the bike boxes on a conveyor belt and through an xray machine. Thankfully no problems so we continued to tape the boxes up until the tape ran out! We had lunch and waited to check in. Again we had no problems at check in as we were under the weight allowance however, we were asked to leave the boxes at the desks which was quite scary abandoning all our possessions. We cleared passport control and waited in the lounge to board the plane. We were both gasping for water and after counting out the remaining pennies we had 1 euro and 1 ytl which after pleading with a man in cafe we had a small cold beverage. The flight was 4hrs but was filled with movies, drinks, free daily mail newspaper and dinner which tasted surprisingly good. We landed at Heathrow Terminal 5 and had serious doubts over the collection of the boxes but were very excited to see them there in one piece and ahead of everyone elses luggage! We manouvered the oversized trolley through customs with nothing to declare and were met by my mum and aunty Jill along with several helium balloons, hugs and smiles. After a short struggle we managed to squeeze the bikes in the cars and drove home sharing hundreds of stories. We followed yellow ribbons tied to lamposts all the way to our front door where we unloaded and enjoyed a nice cuppa english tea! Glad to be home.

Day 73: Istanbul, Turkey

2008-07-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

We again made full use of the buffet breakfast in the hope that it would see us through til dinner. After updating the blog we walked up to the blue mosque this time to venture inside. We covered up in sarongs and removed our shoes. The atmosphere inside was really quite special so we sat and absorbed it for some time. We then ventured to the Basili Cistern which is a massive underground chamber with hundreds of columns and was used to supply the city with water. It was amazing down there so again we took our time especially as it was cool! We then went to the Topkapi Palace which is where the Sultan used to live with his Harem! This was especially interesting and very grand. Exploring this with Bas is like having your own personal tour guide as he is so knowledgable. We booked a private airport transfer for tomorrow which is necessary due to the large amount of luggage we have! We watched Hamilton win and the golf, attempted to pack but gave up then took a taxi to the Galata Bridge again for sunset via a kebab stand. We chilled and chatted til late in the bean bag chairs with a few beers then strolled back to the hotel for more on our personal roof top terrace. We sat and reflected on the various highlights of the trip and discussed future plans...

Day 72: Istanbul, Turkey

2008-07-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

We made it to breakfast at 8.30 and took full advantage of the lovely buffet. We walked to the other side of town in search of a bike shop and stumbled across 10 all on the same corner! We cunningly managed to get 2 boxes for free together with some tape after being quoted ludicrous prices for boxes they would otherwise have simply thrown away. We returned to the hotel and dismantled the bikes attempting to fit them in the slightly too small boxes. Once they were in and we were covered in greese and dripping with sweat we chilled out in the hotels air con and updated the blog.
We had a quick drink on the roof terrace of our hotel soaking up the sea view to the front and the blue mosque view to the rear.

We headed to the restaurant for kebab lunch and on to the Hagia Sophia which is quite a grand simple structure from the outside but is impressively decorative inside.

We walked to the Galata Bridge for sunset and chilled on the comfy bean bag chairs with a few beers. Hours passed as we watched the fisherman cast and recast and life go by.

Day 71: Istanbul, Turkey!!!

2008-07-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

Stats... 60km in 3hrs. We woke up to yet another bright blue sky and made our coffee on the gas cooker for the last time. We dismantled the tent and loaded up the bikes feeling very emotional. For the first time in 71 days I experienced cycling with the trots! I pumped myself full of immodium and just thought of the nice hotel waiting for us at the end. We were on the road by 9am and after a couple of loo stops we started to get somewhere. I must just mention that we discovered a loo that has a plastic bag wrapped around the seat and after you have finished, it rewraps itself... ingenious. We followed the D100 highway up and down severall huge hills into the city heading for the airport. For most of the way we could use the hard shoulder which was not too bad however it kept disappearing which is when it became a bit hair raising. The most dangerous part is the millions of junctions and slip roads to join and leave the highway. Generally we have a quick look over the shoulder, hope not to wobble too much then heads down, hold your breath and peddle as fast as poss... seems to work! We witnessed a car crash which really is not suprising given the way in which the cars cut and weave their way along. To top it off the road has huge drain covers with slits just wide enough for your tyre to slip through, cats eyes that are solid glass and stand approx 5cm out of the floor and very uneven tarmac surface with a few very large potholes to top it off. As we stopped at the top of a hill for a breather, we saw a small quiet road turning to the right towards the coast which looked very desirable. We decided to head that way which was a great decision. We were of the opinion that as long as we kept between the coast and the train line we would be going in the right direction. We had another short stop when we had the finishing line in our sights... the blue mosque. We cruised on round the coast with only one minor mishap where a car nearly took Kris off his bike which meant he nearly used his dog protection throwing stones as not very happy with the man in the car throwing stones!

We arrived at the blue mosque shortly after feeling triumphant, sad and relieved. We sat and absorbed the atmosphere almost in silence. It wasnt an anti climax as such but we just kind of felt numb. So much so, we forgot to take any photos! We sat and reflected on the 900,000 revalutions, 250 hours saddle time and 4,400 km (2,800 miles). Somewhere along the line we did an extra 600 miles more than expected! Once we had regained our strength we cycled the city to find a hotel. This was not a pleasurable experience as there are millions with each one trying to bleed you dry! After searching far and wide from hostel dorm to 5 stars, we settled on the Amiral Palace where the receptionist was friendly and helpful. It was a little more than we intended but we also felt as though we deserved it bearing in mind we have not showered for 3 days and we have cycled 12 days without a day off. After unloading for the last time we enjoyed some R&R before heading into the town for a celebratory dinner and to watch the sun set over the blue mosque. We had a few beers at the cheers bar and a couple of games of backgammon. We made it!

Day 70: Kamiloba, Turkey

2008-07-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Stats... 73.38km in 3hrs 51mins. We woke up about 8am only to find that Kris had a puncture in his front tyre! Now was this vandalism or a slow puncture? We shall never know. Once repaired we cycled 14km to a shell station for a short break then another 21km to another gas station for another short break. The wind was more favourable today and the terrain was less hilly. Our aim was to get to Silivri and update the internet. We arrived there about lunch time and found an internet cafe with a very nice owner who gave us discount and free tea. Bas needed the loo and was shown into a pretruding cupboard in the middle of the room! We had a 2ft long turkish durum kebab each and dined at the port on the waters edge. We continued for 17km to Kamiloba and found a cheap campsite. We were shown to a patch of gravel inhabited by several chickens, cats and dogs! The campsite appeared to be more like a travellers site. As we set up the tent a local introduced himself and his friends and promised to treat us to live music later on. We were then roped into a game of volleyball and dodgeball with approx 20 locals which was great fun and suddenly the atmosphere of the site improved ten fold. As the sunset we were given food from various families and taken to the beach where the 2 erols and memet sang and played the guitar for us til late. This evening was definately one of the highlights of the whole trip so far. Thanks!

We have very mixed feelings about tomorrow as we only have 50 km left to Istanbul. We anticipate the traffic to be a nightmare and we hope not to experience our first accident in 71 days on the last leg!

Day 69: Tekırdag, Turkey

2008-07-17T03:41:00.000-07:00

Stats... 98.76km ın 5hrs 24mıns. We set the alarm for 7.15am but were wıde awake at 6.30am due to a massıve thunder and lıghtenıng storm. We made ıt to breakfast by 8am and thankfully the raın had stopped but the wınd was stıll very strong and of course ıt was a headwınd! We left at 9am after a quıck play wıth lında. We made ıt 26km to Malkara and had a brıef stop at a gas statıon then a further 12km to a gas statıon for another break where we sprawled out on some grass. Another 23km and yet another quıck gas statıon stop. Shortly after whıch we met 2 Turks cyclıng to Tekırdeg. We followed them to theır cafe and were treated wıth free drınks and some presents. It turns out the owner was also an artıst and wrote our names on some tıles as a gıft whıch we now need to get home ın one pıece! They also gave us a turkısh flag whıch we have attached to our bıkes. Thanks so much! We dıd not get far up the road when we stopped for a supermarket sweep and then as the heavens opened we had our eyes peeled for a campsıte. We were close to the coast so the fırst sıte was not too far thankfully. We set up camp and cooked dınner but unfortunately the campsıte was not the most clean or hygıenıc. Today was a struggle and took a real effort. Not only have we been cyclıng 10 days on the trot we have had a very tough headwınd the whole day and about a mıllıon uphıll then downhılls all about 200m hıgh. We are unable to check exactly here but we are sure we have clımbed over 1000m today... hard work.

Day 68: Kesen, Turkey

2008-07-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

Stats... 78.06km in 3hrs 53mins. We were up early havıng lıstened to wıld owls perched ın the trees above our tent tweet twooıng all nıght! We showered and once feeling human again Kris and Bas went off in search of a bike shop. They managed to get Kris rear spoke fixed wıthout too much hassle. We all met and used the ınternet and had breakfast and were on the road at approx midday. After 40km we stopped to confirm directions to the border wıth a man wıth one tooth. We were invited to join them for a beer. Thıs turned ınto 3 beers, fresh crab, sausage, ıce cream and watermelon! We were fınally allowed back on the road a couple of hours later thanks to theır extreme generousıty and made ıt to customs. Thıs border crossıng was an ordeal as there were approx 5 gates where we had to queue and show our passports, cross a brıdge ın no mans land and were told to buy vısas. We arrıved ın Turkey beıng our fınal country number 17 and cycled on for a further 30km to Kesen. The road was slıghtly undulatıng hılls all the way untıl we found hotel lında as the sunset. We bartered wıth the prıce and rıghtly so as the hotel was extremely average. However, ıt was named after theır dog lında who was gorgeous and made up for the hotel! We had a trıp to the hypermarket next door for anythıng that contaıned sugar then a luxury second shower of the day and went to sleep ın the smallest bed ever.

Day 67: Alexandroupoli, Greece

2008-07-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

Stats... 88.02km in 6hrs 1min. Wow... what a day. We left around 8.30am and managed to find small country roads which we headed on for about 10km until we reached Messi. During this ride we clocked over 4,000km so far on the trip! This is only approx 1,000km more than we had expected! We stopped and asked for directions from a family sitting in their front garden. They invited us to join them for a glass of cold water which ended up being a plate of salad fresh from their garden and a bowl of watermelon... mmm! We continued to the coastal road which had amazing scenery and a lovely cool breeze. We could not withstand the sea for long and crashed on the beach under a wicker umbrella for a couple of hours. We had lunch at a cafe which consisted of a bowl of chips and salad for us and 3 ice creams for Bas! We finally got on the road having only done 40km at 3pm. We got a further 10km then we were faced with the decision to take the shorter 15km of unfinished dirt road along the coast or the longer over two mountains finished road. We deliberated and decided to go with the dirt... which in retrospect may have been a poor decision! We made it 5km in when Bas with his mountain bike tyres got a puncture! We repaired the puncture then just round the corner it was flat again so we were forced to replace the inner tube. A car passed and gave us a bottle of water and looked concerned for us but on the other hand he had a look on his face of its your own fault for cycling this road! We were held up again as a rear spoke had snapped on Kris bike! As his wheel buckled more and more the rear brake seemed to be on all the time and any bump at the wrong angle would collapse the wheel. We offloaded as much weight from his bike onto ours and continued. As the sunset we came reached the other side and kissed the tarmac as it was a sight for sore eyes, bums and all muscles for that matter! We were amazed that our thin touring tyres survived. We were losing light but decided there was too many benefits by making it to the campsite at Alexandroupoli so we soldiered on in the dark with head torches illuminating a few inches of road infront of us. With Baz wearing the high vis we cruised on into the town, found the campsite at 10pm, set up the tent and cycled along into the town in search of food! We sat and had dinner on the seafront then returned to camp at 12.30am. I finally decided on a name for my bike today... Betty.

Day 66: Lagos, Greece

2008-07-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

Stats... 107.28km in 6hrs. We up and left at 8am only to stop 1.6km up the road for breakfast on a comfy sofa outside a closed restaurant. We carried on for 20km to Kavala where had an internet and ATM break. We biked on to Krini where we were all feeling hot, hungry and exhausted so we had meatballs and veal with chips and as much fizzy drinks as we could consume! We made it to 6km outside of Xanthi before we found a closed garage and slept in the shade on the forecourt. We turned off the busy highway onto small country roads that weaved across to Lagos. Although sign posting was not so great we found our way with the help of Bas who flagged down cars and asked several locals for directions. A very nice man gave us a bottle of water as we witnessed his friend boast about the size of his humungous fish he had just caught! We endured a few hills that were not so bad and joined the highway again into the Port of Lagos. We saw plenty of stalks along the way which we believe may have been delivering babies across the country. We did a supermarket sweep and found the Lagos beach which was nicely concealed by a tree area. Socks and shoes off, beer in one hand and a lump of feta cheese in the other we paddled in the sea and chatted until the sunset. We cooked pasta on the beach as the water retreated then found a nice spot in the trees to camp.

Day 65: Nea Peramos, Greece

2008-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Stats...71.72km in 3hrs 41mins. Today was our day off... well it was supposed to be! We thought rather than having the whole day to relax on the beach we would get a few clicks up the road and then have the rest of the day off. However, as the road was right on the coast and very flat we kept going and going and going! We stopped for a while at a great spot on the beach under a grass roof shelter for lunch. We also attempted an internet stop but the very nice old lady who ran the place had no idea about computers and they did not want to work properly for us... frustrating. We made it to a campsite just before Nea Peramos and after paying we were shown to our spot which was the carpark so we got our money back and rode on. We got 5mins round the corner into the town and there was a slightly better campsite with a much nicer owner. We went to the beach and jumped straight in the sea then munched on a whole water melon between the three of us. We relaxed on a bench on the beach until the sunset then we retreated to the campsite for showers. We walked into the town for dinner in an extremely busy restaurant with the staff literally sprinting around the place all stressed with sweat pouring off them... it was madness. We gave up on ever being served and went to the counter and got a takeaway then sat at their tables to eat! After a pleasant stroll along the bustling seafront we crashed.

Day 64: Asprovalta, Greece

2008-07-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

Stats... 87km in 4hrs 24mins. Today we did everything in reverse order as we had paid 50 euros for the hotel we wanted to make full use of it. We had a slight lay in and then went for a buffet breakfast. We walked into the city in search of a map shop, internet, an ATM and a postcard which was all very successful. We had a quick nose of the highlights of Thessaloniki then check ed out of the hotel at 1pm. We had made it two minutes up the road already having difficulty trying to escape the hectic roads when we met Basil. Basil is cycling from Athens to Istanbul and he is Greek but currently living in NewYork teaching economics. We immediately latched onto eachother as it was extremely helpful having a local speaking companion together with saftey in numbers on the highways! We had no choice but to follow the M1 equivalent again for a few kilometers which it turns out Basil is used to as he has followed this road all the way from Athens... madness not to mention illegal! We finally got on to a nicer road and chatted while cycling. We past two massive lakes as we crossed inland at the Halkidiki peninsula one of which had almost entriely dried up. We had various stops for food, drink and ice cream as the weather was hot again today. We finally made it to the coast haviing won our battle with the strong headwind and stopped at the first campsite we came across at approx 8pm. We camped on the edge of the beach and made pasta and sauce for dinner.

Day 63: Thessaloniki, Greece

2008-07-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

Stats... 145km (90 miles) in 6hrs 57mins longest distance so far! We woke up and we thought it was still early until we realised that Greece was an hour ahead. We saw the sun rise over the lake which was beautiful. We followed the perimeter of the lake until it met the highway and we followed that to Edessa which was 40km away. This town is famous for waterfalls cascading around the city so we took a look and had a bite to eat. We continued along the highway past Pella like we were possessed! I was on a high for about 1 and a half hours at a speed of 27kmh and that was with no music! We crashed out for 10mins in the shade to recover but only to realise that we had sat on an ants nest as they were enjoying feeding off our stinking sweaty skin that has now been unshowered for several days! This was probably a good thing as it made us get back on the bikes even though we did not feel like it having already done 100km. We continued along the highway until it said no bikes and we took a diversion along some country roads that according to our map would cross a river. Half hour down this road it joined the National road which is equivalent to the M1! With no choice we dressed in high vis and put our heads down for 500m in order to cross the river. Still shaking we made it and after taking the first exit it turned into a gravel road with stray dogs barking at us left, right and centre! Kris was ready and waiting with his newly acquired dog battering stick. We made it through to the centre of Thessaloniki being the second largest city in Greece after Athens. We walked the main street until we found a niceish looking hotel that would take us in with our bikes. Thankfully it had air con which we wacked up full blast and showered until the water was leaking under the bathroom door! We dined up the road on Greek salad and meat and a couple of beers which was well deserved after the last couple of days.

Day 62: Pandeleimonas, Greece

2008-07-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

Stats... 119.33km in 6hrs 14mins bringing us to a total so far of 3,580km! Not the most successful morning as we set the alarm for 5am, snoozed til 6.30am then on the road by 7am. We climbed and climbed uphill to over 1,000m then enjoyed the decent to Resen which we reached after 20km. We passed straight through and continued along the flat for a while until another climb over a pass which we hoped to be our last uphill of the trip! The road then gently rolled down into Bitola where we stopped for lunch and a nap. Our lunch included 2 pints, salad, burger, omlette and spag bol! We had lots of Macedonian money left so we ate like kings however it made subsequent riding uncomfortable! On the road again we rode along the flat for 15km to the border into our 16th country... Greece! We continued for 35km until a 2min break to decide the best route forward as we had no money and no water. We headed for the closest large town Amindeo which was a further 15km downhill where I reached my maximum speed so far of 58.2kmh! We found an ATM and water which we downed! We found a sign for camping on a lake which was in the right direction and only 7km away so we set off into a headwind which was a great way to finish a long day! It turns out the campsite had closed so we technically wild camped for a second night on the deserted site.

Day 61: Zavoj, Macedonia

2008-07-09T02:05:00.000-07:00

Stats... 88.06km in 5hrs 46mins. We sneaked past Amanda at 6.30am as quiet as a mouse. We climbed the road for 40km to the border for Macedonia... country number 15! There were some steep climbs taking us to approx 1,100m. We saw our lives flash before our eyes as a humungous black very fierce looking and barking dog that was thankfully chained up went for us! Straight after which we found the best dog stick we could, mostly to make ourselves feel safer! At the border we were situated on the west of lake ohrid and we needed to get on the east side and could not decide whether to take the North our South route. After a flip of the coin we headed north. This turned out for the best as we began descending on a lovely sweeping road for 15km and then the terrain was flat into Ohrid town centre. We found a market and a perfect shade stop under a tree on the grass and relaxed for 3hrs! Half debating whether to stay in Ohrid we managed to get up again and continue for another 15km assisted by a great tail wind. The scenary was mountainous, covered in trees and the road snaked the side of a river. As we were losing light we set up camp on the river edge and experienced our first wild camp of the trip. We played with the bikes, had dinner with chilled beer from the river and studied the maps to ensure we were on track. As darkness fell and Al overcome the fear of bears, snakes and wild dogs, we had a great nights sleep with the clear sky, sparkling stars and fire flys dancing round the tent like christmas tree fairy lights... wow.

Day 60: Librazhd, Albania

2008-07-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

Stats... 79.60km in 5hrs 10mins. We set our alarm for 5.30 am and were quick to turn it off as we were sharing in a dorm of 8 beds. After showering to wake ourselves up and a couple of croissants we made it on the road by 6.30am. The road out of the city was fairly narrow but there was far less traffic than our route in. Unfortunately the road started to climb immediately after setting off and stopped climbing after about 25km! The scenary was beautiful and as it was still early the temperature was pleasant. We passed several bunkers that are made from concrete and iron rods to shelter families in the war and are indestructable as tried and tested with a tank. These apparantly are now referred to as love bunkers as the majority of locals like to visit these bunkers for romantic sessions! After a few photo stops at the summit we descended the 1,000m altitude down to Elbasani. This was quite an industrial town on the outskirts but the centre was typically bustling in the heat of the midday. We stopped for pizza lunch and cool beverages. Kris opted for a large beer in the 37 degrees heat where we were already exhausted and dehydrated... not too sensible! After nearly 2 hrs rest we filled up with ice cold water and set off expecting to climb all the way to our destination for the day. However once we set off, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the road actually followed a river through a valley surrounded by extremely high mountains. We sailed through the rest of the journey into Librazhd where we met Amanda, another peace core volunteer that we were in touch with via our 4th July party friends. We chatted in her appartment for a bit then chilled out while she went to her two hour teaching class. We all went to dinner and dined on traditional Albanian dishes and had an early night ready for another early start. We found out today that when Albanians nod they mean no and when they shake their heads they mean yes! This now makes lots of attempted communication over the past few days make much more sense!

Day 59: Tirana, Albania

2008-07-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tirana is a very vibrant, hectic, metropolitan city and probably nothing like you might imagine. We had a lovely lay in and did our third clothes wash in two days! We wandered the streets of the old communist region that was only opened to the public in 1991 and is now full of cafes and small shops. The buildings are painted brightly to cheer it up and shake off the grey era. We found a statue of Mother Tereasa with arms wide open offering us a hug and a bell of peace which is made from old bullets collected by children in 1997. We walked the main square with its 8 lane roads which gives you the ultimate adrenaline rush whilst attempting to cross let alone cycle! We went to the Sheriton hotel to make full use of their air con and watched Indiana Jones at the cinema to treat ourselves. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hostel mentally preparing ourselves for the hills to come which we have been avoiding for approx 1 month but are now inevitable!

Day 58: Tirana, Albania

2008-07-05T07:23:00.001-07:00

Stats... 59.73km in 3hrs 6mins. We woke up feeling a little worse for ware but very appreciative of their clean floor to sleep on. We said our fairwells and headed along the very flat straight road to the capital Tirana. Kris raced a young lad on his bike and we saw a sign for Istanbul saying 1109km when we had guestimated 900km... nightmare! The roads into Tirana were hectic, busy, dirty and dusty. We made it to the central square and continued onto the backpackers hostel with ease surprisingly. The hostel is very clean and friendly and a sight for sore eyes in amongst the mayhem. We showered and put every item of clothing we have into the laundry! We waited for the weather to cool and made our way into the city for a quick nose leaving our main sightseeing for tomorrow as we have decided to have a day off here to enjoy the vibe of the capital. We ended up going to see the bucket list at the cinema and sitting in the main park where all the locals come with family to be sociable and enjoy the cooler part of the day.

Day 57: Lezhe, Albania

2008-07-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

Stats... 121.87km in 7hrs. On the road at 7.30am and gradually made our way along the hilly coastal road. It was busy and we saw a lorry that had overturned over the side of the crash barrier resting on trees above the steep drop to the Adriatic. We finally left the coast and headed inland to the border which after a stonking hill then gently rolled downhill all the way through lovely quiet very pretty roads. We crossed into our 14th country and paid the 20 euro tax required of us. Just on the other side we met Desire from The Netherlands and her Albian husband who invited us for a drink. They had not seen each other for a year and we gate crashed their reunion! They gave us some local money for a drink as we had nothing and we made our way to Skodra which was our intended destination for the day. However, on arrival we were still feeling strongish and decided to continue South to Lezhe. We ran out of water and when we arrived we were discussing at an ATM how much money to get out when we heard English! We asked Jenny and Denise for help who were a couple of nice young Americans who were from the peace core and working in Albania. They kindly invited us to their Independence Day party at Winifreds appartment being 4th July! We jumped at the offer and a few beers later the Anti English celebration was going well. We met approx 20 Americans and ended up staying at Leslie and Beccas appartment. We chatted and shared stories with Peter for ages as he had cycled across USA. The night was bizarre but brilliant... thanks to our new American allies!

Day 56 Budva, Montenegro

2008-07-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

We met our bus today at 8am for our trip to the Ostrog monestary. Kris believes this may be the monestary in the cliff where jackie chan performed a stunt in Armour of God rather than the monestary in Slovenia that we cycled to. Many miracles are meant to have happened here and many people visit to pray over the Arch Bishops bones in the belief that it will cure serious illnesses. We arrived back at our hostel with the intention of getting on our bikes but the air conditioned room was to inviting so we chilled watching tv literally!

Day 55 Budva, Montenegro

2008-07-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

We met our tour bus at 6am and left on our way for a whistlestop tour of 80% of Montenegro in a day. We started with a view of Skadar Lake and continued to the capital Podgorica. From here we headed North to Tara Canyon via a national park with an impressive lake. Unfortunately we did not know the name of half these places as the tour guide only spoke russian! We made our way over a famous 125m bridge that straddled the 1.3km Tara canyon. The road snaked through massive mountain ranges to Durmitor National Park with a quick stop on the road side for some home made honey. We also stopped at a monestary where we cleansed our sins by drinking holy water. We had lunch by the black lake and finished the rest of the tour on the bus being scared of the very high windy roads, thunder, lightening and hale stones.

Day 54: Budva, Montenegro

2008-07-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

Stats... 36km in 2hrs 20mins. We know its short but there is a reason for it! We began the day leaving at 7.30am and continuing along the coastal road heading for Albania. However, on arriving at Budva we found a travel agency that offered both tours to Durmitor National Park and the Ostrog Monestary which are two major highlights of Montenegro that we definately wanted to see but due to shortness in time we were unable to cycle there. We found a Hostel and were given free drinks including a sample of their local 53% proof brew. We wandered into the old town in amongst the soaring temperature and booked onto the tours for the next two days. We spent the rest of the day chilling in our air con rooms and the sea.

Day 53: Stoliv, Montenegro

2008-07-01T04:24:00.000-07:00

Stats... 94km in 5hrs 30mins. We left at 6.30am after coffee and croissant breakfast and had about 25km mainly uphill to the border crossing into our 13th country... Montenegro. We passed by the first town and there was a temperature reading 34 degrees and it was only 9am. We stopped not long after for ice creams then 5mins up the road for an hours rest in the shade. We then took the coastal road around a basin leading to Kotor. This was very picturesque and lasted approx 20km. It felt as though we were going round in a massive circle... if only they had built a bridge! We arrived in Kotor dripping from sweat and feeling tortured having just cycled in the heat past millions of people cooling in the sea. We had 2 ice lollies each and were informed that the nearest campsite was 2km up the road. We set off with the intention of walking back in to Kotor to sightsee later in the evening however 2km turned into 10km when we finally came across a small family run campsite. The owners nephew chatted to us and we jumped straight in the sea to cool off. The nephew was a lovely man who offered to drive us into Kotor in the evening and show us around the town and drive us back. We jumped at the offer and had a brilliant night finding out about the history of the town and enjoying the atmosphere of a town by night.

Day 52: South Dubrovnik, Croatia

2008-06-29T08:13:00.001-07:00

Stats... 74km in 4hrs 20mins. We set the alarm early and managed to ignore it for an hour! Had coffee on the terrace and were on the road about 8am. We rode uphill to the border crossing back into Croatia. After 20km we found a market that was air conditioned! A combination of no dinner and no breakfast, immense heat and tiredness meant that I was feeling pretty dizzy. We had to keep stopping to get ourselves back on track. We rested under a tree on the waters edge for an hour then cracked on to Dubrovnik. The city is described as the pearl of the adriatic... what they failed to mention is that it is built on the side of a mountain and is not touring bike friendly! We grabbed a pizza but no drink as they were extortionately priced, and then found an air conditioned internet. I had a quick nose around the old town which was surrounded by high city walls with the streets again being made from white marble. We managed to book our flights home so now we have a deadline to work to. We sweated up 1km of extremely steep hill to get out of the city and made our way 10km up the road to a small family run campsite. It was code red on the mossie alert as we lit 5 mossie coils to keep the blighters away! It worked.

Day 51: Neum, Bosnia & Hercegovina

2008-06-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Stats... 133.12km in 7hrs 18mins... a new furthest day! Due to our long rest we decided we needed to get back on track so we were up at 5am and left at 6am not before having words with the very rude reception man which was not a nice way to start the day. Also, we woke to find a German mobile hotel that had appeared behind our tent overnight which was a blessing as it protected us from the high winds and thunder and lightening storm that lasted most of the night. Our first brief stop was at Makarska after 36km where very annoyingly we found a bikeshop! We continued for a further 50km to Ploce but it was busy so we went just past and found a nice restaurant on the side of the road that was in need of a visit from Gordon Ramsay! We enjoyed air con, chips, omlette and beer whilst the hottest part of the day passed us by. We didnt make it far when the beer caught up with us and we found shade by a river and slept for an hour. Unfortunately, the road was all uphill to the border to Bosnia & Hercegovina where we crossed into our 12th country! According to our map there were 2 campsites here but they failed to exist so we bartered with a miserable family for their spare room. Too tired to cook, we had a cold shower and collapsed.

Day 50: Omis, Croatia

2008-06-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Up and feeling restless as we have stayed in the same place too long. We both had a shocking nights sleep due to the heat and fear of mossie bites. We needed a pick me up so we decided to hire a moped for the morning. After a short test run we had the hang of it and sped off up the river. We made it to the restaurant where Kris finished his rafting and found a lovely spot on the rivers edge for a quick freezing dip to cool off. We then hopped back on and made our way up a windy steep road for a good viewpoint over the gorge. After roaming the streets for a few hours we returned to the restaurant for lunch and another cooling dip in the river which was wonderfully fresh. Kris had a siesta while I declared myself queen of the art of skimming stones on the water. We dropped off the moped in one piece and went to charge batteries and visit the beach until we had the call to say that Kris wheel was repaired! Yeah! Although this does mean a 5am alarm call to make up the distance lost. On our way back to the tent a stormy looking black cloud appeared over the mountains. We rushed to erect the outer sheet of our tent and put Kris bike back together. A massive thank you to Martin, his wife and their numerous contacts! Also, thanks for our souvenier t shirts... this has doubled Kris clothing and we are very grateful to you. Please note that we have just managed to alter the settings of this blog so that anyone should now be able to leave a comment if you so wish.

Day 49: Omis, Croatia

2008-06-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

We woke up and had a leisurely breakfast whilst studying the maps. We are now a little clearer on how we are going to get to Istanbul and are concerned that we may not make our 70 day deadline. Where Kris finished his rafting was on a beautiful river which was worth a second visit so I cycled and Kris ran in the boiling temperature. We were informed that it was only 5km away however after running 6km we decided to just dive in the river to cool off and make our way back. Upon our return we were informed that the bike would not be ready today as the spokes required were not in stock and needed to be ordered in from Zagreb. Nightmare. Apparantly the wheels were unique and needed specific spokes. Both cheesed off and are now even more concerned about reaching our target... we decided to lay on the beach. Fingers crossed its repaired for tomorrow.

Day 48: Omis, Croatia

2008-06-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

Stats... 16.34km in 56mins. We had every intention of making today a long day however not too far up the road and disaster struck. There was a loud 'ping' we pulled over and our worst fears came true as one of Kris rear spokes had snapped! We were just on the entrance to Omis where we decided not to stress and ask someone where the nearest bike shop was. Unfortunately, the answer was not what we wanted to hear as it was in Split... where we have just come from and it was not open today as it is a bank holiday in Croatia! Typical. We set up tent in the only campsite in Omis which is very expensive and as there was nothing we could do about it today Al sunbathed and Kris went Rafting for the afternoon with Martin the skipper. He had an amazing time on the 5hr excursion which included jumping off cliffs into a canyon, swimming through caves and going down part of the rapids without the boat... intentionally! On his return we walked the injured bike to Martin and his wife who knew a keen cycling friend who worked in Split who may be able to help. He removed the wheel and said he would take care of it tomorrow and it would be ready for collection about 5pm which meant we have another day off in Omis. We cooked dinner and had a few beers and tried not to think about it.

Day 47: Podstrana, Croatia

2008-06-25T00:35:00.000-07:00

Stats... 80.02km in 4hrs 44mins. We left 6.56am and it is not often we see this side of 7am! We rode 35km to Trogir a UNESCO world heritage village placed on the coast. It was like a tiny Venice but with cars not boats. The streets were narrow and filled with tourists which parted to allow us to push our very heavy bikes through. It was very busy, hot, sunny, crowded and bright which was magnified due to the white marble streets. We had a quick ice cream stop whilst being lectured by a passerby who told us not to wear black as it absorbs the sun and quized us on our UV protection! Another 20km up the road to Split which is the biggest town we have ventured into for ages and it was slightly overwhelming. It was extremely industrial on the outskirts but the old town was just as pretty as the other smaller towns with the highlight being the UNESCO palace. We ducked into an internet and second hand book shop where we escaped the soaring temperature. Back on the road we were overcome by the weather and decided to crash at the nearest campsite especially as Kris gears were playing up. Luckily we found a lovely small family run site just up the road that was very cheap and right on the beach. We cooled off in the sea and cooked dinner on the beach under a huge palm tree.

Day 46: Bilo, Croatia

2008-06-24T04:21:00.001-07:00

Stats... 106.94km in 5hrs 7mins. We were up and on the road by 7am today as we decided that the weather is so crazily hot we need to make the most of the early part of the day. As a result we had an amazingly fast days riding. We had our first ice cream stop after 40km and got to Sibenik having done 80km by lunchtime. We visited the UNESCO cathedral and napped in the shade for an hour or so to escape the worst of the heat. We were lucky as the sprinklers were on and we got a short shower. We carried on South along the coastal road for a further 20km enjoying the cool breeze coming off the sea. We found a hypermarket and we treated ourselves to purchased cold water! Kris also treated himself to a haircut after his attempt at cutting it himself last night with scissors went horribly wrong! We could resist the sea no longer and camped up on a beautiful viewpoint and of course dived straight in. Kris snorkeled for ages then we cooked pasta and listened to our neighbour in her tent singing and playing the guitar while the sunset.

Day 45: Zadar, Croatia

2008-06-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Today we had off to explore Zadar, sunbathe and rest our legs. We cycled into the town center where the white marble streets were surrounded by a city wall. We used the internet and took in the sights which included an unusual sea organ which was very soothing. Unfortunately, it is Sunday so the book shop is shut and we are close to having no maps. We returned to the campsite to cool off in the sea and sunbathe for the rest of the day. Again the temperature was in the thirties and we almost missed cycling as at least then you get a breeze. We spent the evening sitting in the ironing area charging batteries.

Day 44: Zadar, Croatia

2008-06-22T01:55:00.001-07:00

Stats... 82.93km in 4hrs 20mins making a total to date of 2,565km. As we were forced to open the window at 6.30am because it was so hot in our room, already we knew it was gonna be another scorching day. We made it on the road by 9am and went to the market for more bread, ham and cheese! We have started to feel that this meal is getting rather repetitive. The road took us uphill straight away with an 8% climb to 680m in the immense heat where we were then blessed with a 12km descent where the wind was nice but still warm and the views were great of the vast valley. At approx 200m altitude we took a turning for a slightly longer but quieter road into Zadar. This road was undulating but had one extremely long straight road that gradually climbed and took us both back to vivid memories of being in Oz. We stopped in the shade for a well deserved ice cream and power nap. We were woken by the bells attached to a flock of sheep crossing the road. We only had 20km left but the heat was becoming unbearable, the water in our bottles were beginning to boil! We found the campsite just North of Zadar, set up the tent and ran straight in the sea which was pleasantly refreshing and warm for a change. We treated ourselves to a pizza dinner and watched more football with chocolate crepes for pudding with a beautiful sunset backdrop.

Day 43: Gracec, Croatia

2008-06-22T01:46:00.000-07:00

Stats... 103.98km in 5hrs 12mins. We were up early as it was already extremely hot in the tent and waved off Sophie and Steve on their way to the lakes. We had to backtrack 20km to Borje mostly uphill but we did this in good time feeling strong for having a day off. We managed to leave the busy roads for some lovely quiet roads however our map did not completely cover our route and we had to use the compass to guide us. We got where we wanted to be but we dont know how! We both reached our top speeds of the trip to date on one steep downhill. The temperature was in the thirties and we felt it! It was thankfully slightly downhill into Gracec where we reached the 100km mark and needed a break. We found an ATM and a supermarket for a fuel stop and as I shopped, Kris inquired with all the shoppers whether we could stay at their house as the one and only hotel was skanky and expensive. We were in luck as one guy had his own B&B offered us a room at a discount. We followed him up the road in his car to a huge house which was often used by hunters as it was on the edge of massive hunting grounds. As we were shown to our room we passed a bear and a wolf pinned to the wall! We joined the hosts and other guests to watch Croatia v Turkey and were offered a lovely meat and chips dinner for free which we indulged on.

Day 42: Plitvicka, Croatia

2008-06-20T02:45:00.000-07:00

We had a day off to explore the Plitvicka National Park which is one of the main highlights of Croatia. We took the bus at 9am to the park and began our 4hr hike. We were blown away by the amazingly clear waters, lakes, waterfalls and forestry. Each pool was like an aquarium with fish bathing by the wooden path that snaked the edge of the water. We had to take a small ferry ride across the largest lake and a small train from the top back down to the bottom which gives an idea of just how immense the park is. The weather was perfectly hot and sunny and we were dying to jump in the lakes but understandably no swimming was allowed. We left the park at 1.30pm and made our way to the bus stop to wait for the next bus at 2.10pm. Our wait was made less painful as we chatted with a lovely couple from Catford, London... Sophie and Steve, who had been waiting there for two hours! We were all stopping at the campsite and they were able to benefit from using our tickets to the park the following day. We went straight to the lake on the campsite and found a rope swing which Kris loved and I attempted to gingerly enter the water as I slipped and let out a cackle that echoed around the valley as Kris laughed! We had been in the water 5 mins when a french lady approached us to show us video footage of a 2ft long snake she had just filmed in the same lake so out we got! We had eggs for dinner which were incidently not as good as our chicken and nuggets, and we joined Sophie and Steve for a few beers in the bar. A quick thanks to you both however, the hangover the following morning was not welcomed on the bike in the boiling temperatures!

Day 41: Plitvicka, Croatia

2008-06-20T02:37:00.000-07:00

Stats... 76.10km in 4hrs 16 mins. Our lady host knocked to wake us up at 8am and we got the impression they wanted us out a bit sharpish. So we packed and left asap. We cycled to the supermarket for breakfast and followed the slightly undulating hills over horrendous road works for several clicks. There was one rather long unwelcome hill that was a struggle. We stopped in a bus shelter for lunch and to hide from the heat and strong sun. We had to dodge several angry looking and sounding dogs that so far luckily have been on chains. We also saw a sign for beware of the bears for the next 8km and suddenly the dogs did not seem so bad! We made it to the National Park however the campsite on our map closed before the war apparantly so we continued 7km to the next one which was slightly infuriating at the end of a long day especially as it was in the wrong direction. At the campsite we pitched our tent on top of the brow of a hill with amazing views over a valley with a lovely clear lake which we headed straight for. After a quick dip it began to rain so we went to our tent for a siesta and wait for it to clear. We made dinner and had a few beers on our own bench and consulted the maps for our best route back to the coast.

Day 40: Otocac, Croatia

2008-06-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

Stats... 69,29km in 4hrs 25mins. What does not kill us, only makes us stronger is our moto for today. We cycled the most amazing coastal road for ages with the weather being incredibly hot and sunny. It seems we chose the wrong day to have off. We made it Senj and had a lunch stop on the pier but we ended up throwing most of our bread into the sea for millions of fish that were perfectly visible in the extremely clear waters. We then had a huge climb from sea level to 700m high in approx 10km. This was steep and hard work to say the least. We believe it was harder than the Alps even as the heat and luggage took its toll. We were blessed with a downhill for a while into a pretty valley with plenty of poppies. We saw a sign which showed that we were only half way to our intended distance for the day and we were struggling. There were several free rooms in houses so we chatted to a women and before we knew it we had our feet up for the day. We cleaned the bikes some more as they were squeeking at us and had a beer with the owners of the house.

Day 39: Selce, Croatia

2008-06-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

As the weather forecast for today was 25 degrees and sunny we decided to take a well earned day off to reduce the very poor tan lines we have created over the past weeks. However, as we woke in a thunder storm we were not impressed but decided to chill for the day literally. We cleaned the bikes and cycled into the village to use a hotels internet and find a supermarket for brunch. We did a laundry and relaxed on the seafront in the hope that the sun would put its hat on! We read, watched tv on the ipod and walked into the village again for dinner. Kris braved the water by doing a belly flop... intended of course. We checked the maps again for the route for the next few days and attempted to calculate how long we have got left.

Day 38: Selce, Croatia

2008-06-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Stats... 101.31km in 5hrs 39mins. The weather was lovely and hot and sunny and we intended to make the most of it. We left by 8am and as it is Sunday the road was less busy which made for perfect riding. The road was slightly undulating hills all the way to the border as we crossed into our 10th country Croatia. This was the first border where we had to hand in the passports and got a stamp. We were a bit worried of being stopped and searched as the bag of washing powder we are carrying looks slightly dodgey! After the border it was downhill all the way to the coast which was brilliant. We followed the coast as it snaked round the lie of the land... it almost felt as though we were going round in circles. It was very pretty riding and only slightly up and mostly down! As the legs began to fail and the sun was winning we stopped at Selce campsite to jump in the sea and cool off. We walked into the village and enjoyed dinner on the seafront and chilled in the bar with too many beers til late.

Day 37: Kozina, Slovenia

2008-06-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

Stats... 41.19km in 2hrs 22mins. We had a leisurely morning where we had a lay in, we made sarnies for lunch and Kris nicked the last of the hot water! It was still chucking it down with rain and we got the full length waterproofs out for the first time. We had to backtrack slightly on the road and make our way south to the Stockjan Caves. We were feeling a little caved out but they were a unesco site and could not be missed according to the lonely planet... and they were right! These caves were less beautiful but definately more amazing as it had an immense, huge, very deep chasm which we had to cross by a tiny bridge. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the caves so you shall just have to trust us! When Kris legs stopped shaking we cycled to our campsite for the night passing a 2ft long dead snake on the ground! We also passed several restaurants with spit roasting pigs on the side of the road.

Day 36: Postojna, Slovenia

2008-06-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Stats... 34,21km in 2hrs 50 mins resulting in a total to date of 2,086km! We joined Petra and Fran for breakfast and listened to Petra play the piano beautifully for us. We had got just 2mins up the road and hit the most stonking hill so far. Al VO2 maxed and ended up pushing for the first time while Kris made it to the top but for the first time he did not make it look easy! It began to rain hard as we took some quiet hilly roads to Predjamski Castle. Kris was very excited as this castle growing out of a cave in a cliff is where Jackie Chan did a scene in Armour of God. We then cycled on to Postojna Village and found a small dated apartment where we could escape the rain. We walked back to the Postojna Caves which were very beautiful and massive in size compared to those in Belgium. The cave tour involved 4km of train ride and 1km of walking. We were treated as there was a special booking down in the caves where the judges of Slovenia were having a meeting and had a saxophone player accompanying them which sounded amazing with the accoustics of the cave.

Day 35: Lozice, Slovenia

2008-06-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

Stats... 62,45km in 4hrs 33mins. We packed all our wet and muddy gear amongst the mossies and got on the road both in a bad mood. The road started busy but then we found a quiet road leading to the border of Slovenia and our moods brightened as we made it to our 10th country! The lovely quiet roads were quite hilly and slow as there was also a slight headwind. As we turned a corner there were several people clapping and cheering us on which we thought was odd until 5mins later lots of police cars told us to pull over and the tour d slovenia bicycle race flew passed us! Kris reckoned he could of had them but we were not allowed on the road! As the road cleared we continued down a 9% gradient hill and up a 10% gradient hill. The descent of which lead to a valley where we were greeted by a 70kmh head/cross wind. This was particularly dangerous as we also came across the motorway not being open so all the major traffic was on our intended road including huge trucks. We therefore had to walk with the bikes in strong wind until we found a small restricted road that snaked through some tiny villages which was safer but still very windy. Having had enough we sat on a wall by a church in Lozice where Kris chatted to a nice lady who spoke to another nice lady who called her son in law (Sandi) who called his friend (Marco) who had a spare room for us to stay in! We met Marco, Petra, son Fran and Grandad Stane and we were taken straight to their basement for their home made wine and lots of it! A few glasses later we went for a walk with the family to pick their home grown cherries. One tree of which had a branch recently snapped off by a bear!!! We walked back via Sandi house and met his wife and son and had more wine in their basement distillary! We later joined Petra for dinner who had made us a traditional slovenian dish of corn and fresh cows milk from the neighbours cow. They are a lovely family and we very much enjoyed their company, hospitality and kindness...thanks!

Day 34: Monfalcone, Italy

2008-06-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

Stats... 132.72km in 6hrs 48mins... highest mileage so far! We left at 8am and found a quieter road which ran by a nice canal. We stopped after 40km at a supermarket for lunch and mossie candles! We then stopped 40km later at a deserted petrol station for a fuel stop and to charge batteries in the loo. After 20km we had a quick leg ache stop then 30km later we found a campsite just in time before a humungous storm arrived! We set up the tent in record time and jumped in to let it pass. It never did! There was so much water our tent started to float so Kris jumped to our rescue and hand dug a trench around the tent whilst I showered! We spent the rest of the night not wanting to leave the tent and reading up on Slovenia and our next leg of the journey.

Day 33: Venice, Italy

2008-06-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

We had a very productive morning doing the internet, laundry, supermarket, foreign exchange etc. Our plan for today was to explore Venice so we tried to catch a bus to the port but they ran every 4hrs and funnily enough we missed the last one. So we walked 3km in the boiling hot and caught our ferry to San Marco Square. We were swarmed by millions of tourists doing the same thing! We strolled the very tiny windy streets for several hours and soaked up the Venecian spirit which was very impressive. We made our way back by ferry and walked the final 3km back to the campsite. We headed straight for the beach and to cool off in the sea. However, as we were about to dive in we spoted hundreds of dreaded jelly fish! It appears they may have not been stingers, as children and Kris were picking them up and playing with them! We went for dinner and got attacked by mossies again which made us leave there pronto and we came across a games room where Kris smashed the record on the basketball game!

Day 32: Venice, Italy

2008-06-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Stats... 89.78km in 5hrs 8mins. We had an early start as it was very hot in the tent. We were on the road by 8am and had a quick breakfast stop. We made it Padova fairly quickly as the road was straight and fast but in our heads it took forever. There was a headwind and not a cloud in the sky. We had a mare leaving the city as all roads were busy being Monday and everywhere we wanted to go, no bikes were allowed. We finally got on the right road and had an hours lunch stop and siesta in the shade. We then followed a pretty road alongside a river all the way to Fusina ferry port with the intention of getting the ferry to Lido then onto Sabbioni however when we arrived we were told that it was a person only ferry, again no bikes. This was extremely frustrating and meant a 20km extra journey over a 5km long bridge into Venice city to catch a different ferry. We finally boarded the ferry with help and advice from a nice man in a green t shirt who was interested in our trip and took a photo of us. We changed ferries at Lido and took a small locals ferry to our camping destination. There were 27 campsites along the stretch and we took the first one as we were desperate to run in to the sea! Had a good time chilling on the beach then made our way to dinner for huge pizza and watched Italy get beat by Holland! The campsite is 4 star and very Hi de Hi!

Day 31: Vicenza, Italy

2008-06-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

Stats... 90.78km in 4hrs 54mins. We woke up bright and early to a swarm of mossies munching on our legs! We got on the road and out of there as quickly as possible. We followed a fast road East to Verona which is one of Italys prettiest cities that has an ampitheatre and is associated with Romeo and Juliet. We stopped for an ice cream and continued into a head wind for a while then had another quick stop in a petrol station for a power nap. Again we headed into wind and at a set of traffic lights we chatted to a lovely couple who did not speak English but gestured us to follow them, so we did. We let them be the wind breakers and followed them into Vicenza city centre where they bought us an ice cream each in a cafe. We continued to follow them as they delivered us to our campsite which would have been a nightmare to find without them... thanks! We set up camp and visited the hotel next door to use their internet and have a beer. We got to use the internet for free in reception and chatted with some nice staff who helped us with various questions about Italy and they were very interested in our trip. The weather has been amazingly hot today so we have definately topped up our tans!

Day 30: Lake Garda, Italy

2008-06-07T08:13:00.001-07:00

Stats... 79,50km in 4hrs 42mins. We had tinned fruit cocktail, half a roll with jam and hot chocolate for breakfast. We were on the road by 9am and we took a more tranquil route East again just kissing the edge of some hills. Our route has been flat since leaving the Alps and we like it that way for the moment! We have struggled today with slow roads, and the weather again turning for the worse. It rained so hard on several occassions we had to shoot under the nearest tree for some cover. We had to dress up in high vis outfits at one point after a couple of hairy roundabout moments where cars were not being the most observant. We had originally planned 2 days to get from Milan to Venice but by the way things are going it is more likely to be 4! We found our campsite again on the lake edge where the water is looking rather choppy and we already have several mossie bites...evil things! Why do they exist?

Day 29: Lake Iseo, Italy

2008-06-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Stats... 80,19km in 4hrs 36mins. We packed up the bikes and car, had breakfast said fairwell to parents and wished eachother a bon voyage. We headed East out of Milan and took a breath of fresh air as we left the smog of the city. Although the roads leaving Milan were still extremely busy and still no bike paths it was a fast road and enabled us to get our heads down and clicks under our belt. It was tiring concentrating so hard due to the traffic and having our bags back on the bike was a shock to the system. Stopped at 3pm after the supermarket reopened for some lunch. The weather started quite nice and sunny but ended raining. We arrived at our campsite on the edge of the lake and had a paddle. We camped on solid ground as the grass area was swamped. We showered and went to bed at 8pm as we were shattered. We missed dinner and slept right through til 8am! As an aside, we would like to thank everyone for their comments and we would love to reply to them but we are having trouble doing so. Also, thanks to Jackie and Freddie for my birthday present!

Day 28: Milan, Italy

2008-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

We had a day off today to explore Milano in the terrential rain! We managed to find an internet shop, a map shop and the all important postcard for our collection. We walked most of the way to the city centre until the heavens opened and we dived into the nearest cafe for a drink break hoping that it would be a passing shower. Unfortunately, it just rained harder so we ran to the metro and took the underground to the church which housed the famous last supper painting by leonardo d vinci however there was a two week waiting list... very disappointing! We had a good look around a huge decathlon store and bought some vests and a bell with a compass which is very handy. We went to the main tourist square to view an amazing church and again take a break from the rain. We were forced to take the metro back to the hotel for a siesta and spent the afternoon cleaning the car and bikes to avoid rusty chains and went through all our gear and gave various unused items to parents to return home. We went to dinner which was not the best service as the pizzas arrived approx half hour after the pastas! Another delicious jack frost ice cream for afters and back to the hotel for beers and cribbage.

Day 27: Milan, Italy

2008-06-05T01:53:00.000-07:00

Stats: 86km in 4hrs 41 mins. We packed up the tent as dad washed his car at the campsite. We cycled on to Bellano to parents hotel for breakfast. Weather was in low twenties and it was spitting/raining. The roads got even more busy and worse condition. We passed through several tunnels that were very dark so much so we could not see the road for holes and the cars could not see us... a bit scary! One tunnel in particular joined a motorway half way through and we were forced to walk the bikes tight against the side, we cannot emphasise just how dangerous this was. Kris legs were brown in fear by the end and mum was the other side with brandys lined up to calm the nerves! We headed towards castagonova to meet mum for lunch out the back of the car. It had just stopped raining and we were cold so had hot chocolate in a cafe which was literally melted down chocolate. The road had been gradually climbing whereas Kris had informed us that it was all downhill to Milan! The last 20 miles into Milan were extremely chaotic as the traffic was mad and the maps were non existant but we made it to our hotel Charly to join mum quite successfully. We cleaned up and went to dinner for more pizza and had a fantastic ice cream for pudding as we walked the streets back to the hotel.

Day 26: Dervio, Lake Lecco, Italy

2008-06-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

Stats: 84km, 3hrs 50 mins. We woke up to a beautiful blue sky and followed the lake to Maloja Pass. We took tonnes of photos along the way as the views were so impressive especially the reflections in the lake. Kris climbed to a viewpoint on the road side only to upset a red ants nest. We arrived at the pass and saw the massive steep downhill that snaked its way to the bottom and beyond. We stopped half way to let our break pads cool down and have a hot chocolate. Kris was going so fast his eyes were blurred from the wind and he clocked his highest speed of the trip so far of 66kmh! We had an emergency stop as dad experienced a blow out in his font tyre. We also noticed that his rear wheel was buckled due to a snapped spoke! We repaired the puncture temporarily but the inner tube was poking out the side of the tyre and we knew that it was time to look out for a bike shop asap! We crossed the border into Italy and headed for lake Lecco. The roads could not have been any different from before as the traffic was terrible, the road was full of holes and there were no bike paths. We came across a car garage with a few bikes in the window hoping to getr some help and they turned out to be extrememly efficient and helpful and dads bike was serviced in minutes. Shortly after, we found a campsite and hotel down the road. We had a quick swim/shower in the freezing lake and joined parents for pizza. In total we descended over 2,300m in elevation today.

Day 25: Silvaplana, Switzerland

2008-06-05T01:20:00.000-07:00

Stats: 18.38km, 1hr 32 mins. Kris was in his element at breakfast in the hotel as we were the only guests and we had the buffet to ourselves. We also took a huge doggy bag including 3 eggs which we believed to be hard boiled but later found out that they were raw! We began our cycling day climbing to 2,293m in Julier Pass. There were 2 sets of fingers in the road which were very steep and had snow either side. The air was thin and the views were incredible. We made it to the top and treated ourselves to a hot chocolate by a frozen lake. Kris did a head stand in the snow with a coach load of German tourists onlooking. We descended for 10km to Silvaplana which was freezing cold. Mum skillfully managed to video us while driving the windy roads. Silvaplana is a small village surrounded by a huge lake encapsulated by Alps all around. We set up camp in the rain and took a long stroll around the lake.

Day 24: Bivio, The Alps, Switzerland

2008-06-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

Stats... 45.91km in 3hrs 50mins. After joining parents at their hotel for a tasty breakfast we got on the road for an immediate 3km climb up 300m. The road was steep and tough. We met mum at Parpan for a 16km decent over a drop of 500m to Tiefancastle. This downhill was considered a break by the majority of riders so we continued up an elevation of 400m to Savognin for lunch via a tunnel named Crap! After lunch we decided to push on to our destination for the night of Bivio but this meant another climb in elevation of 500m. This part of the route took us past a huge lake that looked rather inviting as the temperature was soaring! We arrived at Bivio absolutely shattered only to find that there was no campsite resulting in our first real bed for 24 days! In summary, we have climbed the equivalent of two scarfel pikes today being a total ascent of 1,853m! However, we also descended a total 1,310m reaching a maximum speed of 51kmh for Al and 59kmh for Kris. Our ascent of the Alps is nearly complete although we are apprehensive over the final climb to the summit at Julier Pass tomorrow which will rise to 2,300m. From then on it is all down hill to Milan... according to Kris! We enjoyed a huge pizza each being our first hot meal in 4 days, a few well deserved beers and an early night!

Day 23: Churwalden, Switzerland

2008-05-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

Stats: 49.64km in 3hrs 10 mins. Up, showered, packed in the rain and enjoyed another full breakfast at the hotel with delicious eggs from our chicken and nuggets! Set off along the Rhine route again for approx 40km on the flat to Chur... the foot of the Alps. We met mum for lunch and then began our 10km climb up to 1084m... we believe higher than snowdon! The ride was tough but not as bad as it could have been with our bags having been offloaded into the car. We got soaked on the way up with an intense short downpour. We met mum sipping a latte at her hotel which was perfectly situated opposite the campsite. She had already set up our tent to dry out from the morning. We did a quick food shop in the very expensive co-op and had a picnic at the campsite with an amazing backdrop. We again retreated to enjoy the luxuries of the hotel and take full advantage of all that was on offer!

Day 22: Vaduz, Liechtenstein

2008-05-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

We all showered and met up for breakfast at the hotel at 9am. It was a gorgeous breakfast and we all made the most of it! We drove to a small village near Appenzel and took an extremely expensive cable car to the summit of an Alp that was approx 1,600m. It was quite overcast and windy and the very high cable car was very nerve racking, well for Kris anyway! The views from the top were awesome as the bad weather started to clear. We had a hot chocolate and decided it would be a good idea to hike down again. We managed to sell our return tickets and set off on our downward hike for 1hr 30min. On the way down we came across a huge patch of ice that we had to cross. This was very narrow and slippery. Kris in his infinite wisdom decided it would be fun to slide down... as you do. Mum more sensibly returned in the cable car and hiked around on ground level. We returned to Vaduz for food shop for dinner and more border stamps for parents passports then off to the campsite for salad and wine. We then made our way back to the hotel to chill out and get an early night to tackle the Alps in the morning!

Day 21: Vaduz, Liechtenstein

2008-05-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

Today was time for a day off! Although we did cycle back along the road to the city centre. We got an official stamp in our passports for crossing the border and enjoyed brunch at the co-op. Al returned to camp to have a relaxing day and recover while Kris had the urge to cycle further up to a castle on a hill and then hike up a mountain with a bounce in his step! I dont know where he gets the energy from! We found accomodation for Als parents as we were expecting them late in the day however they arrived ahead of schedule and we got to spend the majority of the day together. We chatted and caught up on all the gossip until Kris returned from his hike. We took a ride in the car up to the highest town in the area at an elevation of 1,600m and our heads were all over the place especially as we intend on cycling up to 2,300m! Another co-op stop to buy fresh salad and returned to the campsite to dine in style. We got to experience a few hours of cleanliness bliss in my parents lovely hotel room and a cuppa PG! Kris offloaded our 550 photos onto his laptop to make room for more! It was a lovely hot and clear sunny day and we got to see more of the amazing scenery that surrounds us.

Day 20: Vaduz, Liechtenstein via Austria

2008-05-28T10:58:00.001-07:00

Stats... 76km in 4hrs 40mins. We continued the bike paths along the lake edge for a further 25km until our path met the River Rhine again. We followed the Rhine south briefly through Austria and into Liechtenstein. We are therefore on country number 7! The weather was muggy, and hot all day and without seeing the sun we feel like we have had too much of it today! We arrived at the one and only campsite in the country and set up camp. The headwind as we made our way South was quite strong and according to local opinion this is very unusual for this time of year. They have had more than normal snowfall and fear of avalanches closing some passes through the Alps. Apparantly the roads in the Alps have been cleared but the snow is so deep it is higher than the cars! Hmm. The Alps have been a breathtaking backdrop every way we look for the past two days, scary, exciting and amazing.

Day 19: Lake Constance, Switzerland

2008-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Stats... 19.83km, 1hr 13 mins. We had a terrible nights sleep in the hall, it was very hot and muggy. We are both now feeling ill. We left early as we were desperate for a breeze from cycling. We joined the bike path alongside the lake until after approx 10km we found a coop to buy breakfast. We thought we would wait until we found a nice spot on the lake to eat and a further 10km on we found a campsite with a great view from the tenting area. Thus we decided to not only stop for breakfast, but to stop for the day! We sunbathed, paddled, read books and had a left handed throwing competition... Al won! Kris filled in with 9 other older ladies to play volleyball to make 5 a side. During the night we had strong gales and woke up to find half a tree laying on the floor surrounding the tent!

Lake Constance, Switzerland

2008-05-26T09:36:00.001-07:00

Day 18

Stats... 57km in 3hrs 30mins. Unfortunately Kris has woken up with man flu so we had to take it easy today! We did a good shop at the coop then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast consisting of fresh strawberries, fresh orange juice and chocolate spread on croissants. Left at 11am ish and made our way along a very beautiful road that followed the edge of Lake Constance. We stopped in a small village that was quaint with all the buildings being decorated with fine art. We passed through Constance itself fairly swiftly as it was extremely hectic. We decided to stop at the next campsite which was right on the water edge. We were informed that they do accomodate tents but it was not wise as they have foxes that seem to attack people and tents in the hunt for food! As a result they allowed us their sports hall to sleep in so now we are afraid of bats and rats! Looking forward to a good nights sleep!

Schaffhausen, Switzerland

2008-05-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Day 17

Stats... 50km and 3hrs 5mins cycling... the days are getting shorter! However, this is our 7th day on the trot. It was slightly overcast during the day but opened up to beautiful sunshine in the afternoon. We reeped the benefits of the recent climbs as today was mostly downhill. We crossed another border from Germany to Switzerland... our 5th country! Our highlight of the day was going to the Rhine Falls which is a 23 metre waterfall and is the largest in Europe. You were able to stand on a platform hanging right over the fast running waters that turned your stomach! Leaving the falls behind us and starting to follow the Rhine again along to Lake Constance we caught our first glimpse of the snow capped Alps! Kris excited, Alison not so excited. Kris was feeling slightly under the weather so we stopped at the first campsite we came across. We played more ping pong whilst we did a clothes wash. The campsite is lovely being so close to the River edge.

Pfohren, Germany

2008-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Day 16

Stats... 62 km in 4hrs 10 mins. It rained and spitted on us all day! To top that our morning started with a 2hr climb of 12km out of the campsite up to a Cuckoo Clock Museum in the heart of the Black Forest. We did a tour of the museum and witnessed 100 old timers arriving (not old people as we thought, but old cars!) This was an interesting break in cycling until we came to get our heavy bikes out of the car park without scratching the them or the cars! As it continued to rain we again decided to cut our day short and stop at the nearest campsite which happened to be at the start of the Danube River. As a result we were joined by loads of other cycle tourers who were very interesting to share stories with. We had dinner in the restaurant which was lovely and went with our fellow tourers to a local village music festival. This was an experience and we stood out like a sore thumb with our friends dressed from head to toe in high visibility rainwear. We played yahtzee and between us got 5 yahtzees in one game... we thought this was worth recording!

Simonswald, Germany

2008-05-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Day 15

Stats... 64km in 4hrs. Had a great days cycling as it was flat cycle paths all the way into the Black Forest. The scenery was amazing and the fact that we were going between all the hills rather than over them was rather appealing. We intended to cycle further but we came across a campsite and the tourist info said it was the last one in our direction together with the weather being boiling we decided to call it a day and sleep in the sun. We played the animal noise game today, which as you may imagine involved making as many animal noises as we could think of. Sounds crazy but passes the miles. We played table tennis in the campsite... you can guess who won.

Schuttern, Germany

2008-05-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

Day 14

Stats... 73km, 4hrs. Had an extremely long lay in and left at 12 noon! We had breakfast with our German neighbours and borrowed their milk for a cuppa tea!. We had a crazy conversation with their 4 year old son in English with him replying in German... neither of us had a clue! We followed a bike path along the Rhine all the way to our campsite for the night. It was a perfectly flat route and we had slight wind behind us so we made our highest average speed so far.

We stopped and asked a nice couple for directions and later met them outside a closed supermarket as it was another bank holiday in Southern Germany! We were starving as we had no food supplies and they offered us to go back to theirs for lunch. We accepted and Michael helped us out with routes and maps while his wife made us lunch and a doggy bag! Thanks!

We had a random pick of dinner from the menu in the restaurant campsite which turned out to be a good choice then returned to the tent to study maps and watch tv on the ipod. We have decided to slightly adjust our route which takes us through the black forest and around Lake Constance which will be beautiful.

Stollhofen, Germany

2008-05-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Day 13

Stats... 105km, 6hrs. The day started off having to correct our 6km diversion from yesterday, frustratingly if we had continued for another 15km last night we would of had our pick of campsites. The ride took us on a long straight road through amazing scenery in a forrest via undulating hills. This together with our ipods lead to a high average speed and the clicks were flying past. We crossed again from France to Germany over the river Rhine and found a campsite on the outskirts of Baden Baden. Kris is happy as we have managed to find somewhere to watch the champions league final. The campsite is massive so much so the staff get about on a golf cart. We are feeling pretty tired from the last couple of long days on the saddle. Various body parts hurt more than others and Al is suprised that our bums do not hurt the most. I think the specialised saddle I bought is a God send and is working wonders. It was slightly overcast again today and there was a chill in the air. On one stop Kris decided to use one of our hand warmers however, he found that it was most beneficial when placed down his shorts!

Bitche, France

2008-05-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Day 12

Stats... 121km, 7hrs 25mins... ouch! Longest day so far. Left campsite at 9.15am, it was meant to be an early start but it seems the early night wasnt enough! Stopped in a local town for hot chocolate and pastry breakfast. We found the start of a bike path to Saarbruken alongside the river Saar. We left this path approx 5hrs later with the exception of a 10km diversion due to path closure. The riverside path was beautiful and enabled us to get loadsa clicks under our belt in a short time. There was a strong headwind as we broke away from the path and travelled East to Bitche. We were advised by several locals that there was definately a campsite there, however after reaching Bitche it appeared there was not a campsite here but there was one a further 6km in the wrong direction. As it was late we had no choice but to head for it. We passed through military land with gunshots firing left, right and centre... nothing to worry about im sure. Ariving at the campsite we set up and had dinner joined by millions of mossies and midges. Check out our photo for our defence against the biting beasts.

Siersburg, Germany

2008-05-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Day 11

Stats... 66.37km, 4hrs 21 mins and Alisons birthday! Had another leisurely morning and lovely fresh breakfast with Flip. Our hosts sang happy birthday and lit a candle at the stroke of midnight for Al. We would like to say thanks so much to Gina and Flip for everything. Left at 10.30am and weather was bitterly cold and overcast but not raining. We followed a beautiul route out of Luxembourg into Germany and joined a cycle path along side the river mosel. We got slightly lost and ended up crossing from Luxembourg to Germany to Luxembourg to Germany to France to Germany! We came across a campsite and despite being a short day we decided to stop for the night as it was Als birthday. Kris treated me to dinner and ended up eating most of it himself as I ordered steak and it was still mooing! This was not on purpose, we simply could not understand the menu! We went to bed and lights out at 7.30pm... no funny business, just tired!

Exploring Luxembourg

2008-05-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Day 10

Today we had another day of rest to explore Luxembourg and surroundings. We had a leisurely morning with our hosts Gina and Flip. Our breakfast was fresh pastries, bread and cakes from the local patisserie together with a variety of jams, honey and grapes... lovely. We all took a short ride in the car to take Flip to work and see the sights on the way back. We both then walked into the city centre to do our touristy bit and visit the boch casemates. These are underground tunnels used in the world war to shelter the army etc. We had lunch in the Grund and walked back for a siesta! We were up late last night sharing thoughts and stories with our kind hosts.

We are off to the cinema soon and then to pick Flip up from work. Kris is attempting to service our bikes quickly as they are now making a few strange noises having been broken in with a few hundred kms. Its my 28th birthday tomorrow and I shall be spending it cycling as far as I can for as long as I can as fast as I can. I never imagined this would be the way I would be spending my late twenties!

Mersch to Luxembourg City Centre

2008-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Kris, Alison and our host Gina

Day 9

Stats
Distance 21.11 km
Ride time 1hr 22min
Average Speed 15.60 kmph

Today was a nice and easy cruise into LUX city centre. We had a late wake up call and then followed a river into the city. However, the heavens opened up for about an hour and we got wet. We managed to locate our host who showed us around the centre. We had a lovely pizza and beer in the main square and watched the world go by whilst listening to a live brass band playing the Rocky theme tune.

The rest of the day we chilled as the previous week has finally caught up with us.

This Video is from yesterday and is an example of the hills;

Mammouth cycle to Mersch, Luxembourg

2008-05-16T11:01:00.000-07:00

Day 8

Stats... 112km, 7hrs 29min, average speed 15.15kmh and top speed of 48kmh cycle to Mersch, Luxembourg. OH MY GOD...HILLS, HILLS, HILLS and some more HILLS and did I mention HILLS?! We were just praying that they were very tall trees in the distance, but no, they were hills. However, the scenery was spectacular. We glided through tall pine trees and sweated up 3km climbs. I think we are lost and are acually mid Alps?! We crossed the border from belgium to luxembourg mid afternoon. The weather started as drissle and eventually brightened up. We were heading for a campsite marked on the map and after reaching the small village, we found that it had closed 10years previous! After Kris usual well practiced plea of trying to score a free bed in some random persons house failed, we got back on the saddle and cycled another 10 clicks of hilly surroundings and the campsite was a sight for sore eyes! Tomorrow we are in Luxembourg city and will be losing our hospitallity club virginity to a lady named Gina.

Grottes de Hans - caves

2008-05-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Day 7

Stats... 45km, 2hrs 30min cycle to Grottes de Hans in the Hans sur lesse valley. Sounds like a short easy day but dont be fooled it was extremely hilly. Our sole goal was to make to the Grotte de Hans which are the most impressive caves in Belgium. They are horizontal caves that drop to 105km and they were really quite impressive! The ticket included a train ride to the entrance of the caves, a guided tour through and a boat ride out. We had hundreds of annoying school kids on our tour as it is school holidays. We camped just outside the caves and found that Kris back panier had broke in exactly the same way as mine. With borrowing spare parts from our supplies, tools from Gavin our GB neighbour and the ingenious idea from Al of using beer lids as washers we fixed it. You can call us Jim from now on! Kris was very impressed with this idea as we had to go buy some beers! The showers were lovely but there were thousands of flies!!! Al got in the tent as it started to rain and moved her sleeping bag only to be swarmed with at least a million flies! We spent the next two hours fly herding and it appears that flies do not want to go outside into the rain as much as we dont.

Camping De Bocq - Day off!

2008-05-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Day 6

Today we took an unplanned day off. The campsite was too good to pass through. We had a lay in and spent lots of time chatting with our kind neighbours Barry and Yoco from The Netherlands. We were spoilt with tea and cake! If there were more peolpe in the world like them it would be a much nicer and better place... our thanks go to them, however please keep your shirt on next time Barry! We attempted a 8km walk through the local forrest which apparantly was easy to follow and a 6 year old could do it... needless to say we set off on completely the wrong track and came out by a quarry on private land! I blame Kris however I was using the map as a fan due to the heat! Kris continued to make his own track up to a cliff edge overlooking the campsite while I found the correct track back to the tent. Guess whos idea it was to go hiking on our day off from cycling!

Camping De Bocq - South Belgium

2008-05-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

Day 5

Stats... 105km and 6hrs 41 mins. Total distance so far is 357km! We had an eventful day as Als panier bag broke, Kris back break stopped working and we had to climb a hill of 11 percent gradient to our campsite for the night. It was well worth the climb in the end as our tent is pitched right on the river edge in amongst a beautiful forrest. Kris had the urge to jump straight into the river which saved us buying a 1 euro shower token... tight arse! We have lovely neighbours who have helped us to fix Als bag and supply us with shower gel etc as ours was pinched from the shower block! The owner of the campsite also had the tools to fix kris break so we are back on track. The weather is still outstanding but expected to turn in the next couple of days. We did not quite reach our destination of the caves due to everything breaking but we hope to be there tomorrow.

Made it to Brussels

2008-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Day 3

Stats... 85km, 6hrs to Brussels! Again temp approx 30 degrees. First experience of hills, trying to remember what goes up must come down so we are now expecting a huge down hill very soon! We were accompanied by a couple of elderly gentlemen on the last stretch, to be specific they were 71 and 84 yrs old and we had trouble keeping up them! No joke... they were incredible. We managed to reboot the ipod and found awesome campsite and relaxed with a couple of cold beers. Treated ourselves to dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 4

Stats... First day off! And it was very welcome! Woke up leisurely to cockerals crowing again and made our way by bus/tram into Brussels city centre. Another soaringly hot day but still bank holiday so all major sites closed. Nevertheless, we visited the famous little boy pissing fountain, the grand place and the european parliment buildings. Tonight we shall treat ourselves with camp cooked pasta and tomato sauce and fruit salad out of a tin for afters. Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support and donations. We have now topped the 1,000 pounds mark which is not bad going.

Tomorrow is a big day, we are aiming to reach our first UNESCO World Heritage caves in Rochfort so fingers crossed for us. It is predicted to continue at 30 degrees for another week so we are doing a rain dance. Hope you are having fun at work!

Esquelbecq, France

2008-05-11T03:01:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Stats... 56km, 3hrs 30min to Esquelbecq. Slight head wind and soaring temp of 28 degrees!
Found perfect campsite, they even gave us milk for tea! Ipod broke, Speedo strap broke and kris scolded his hand, but overall a successful day!

Day 2

Stats... 114km, 6hrs 50min to Ghent. Temp 30 plus. Crossed our first border into Belgium without realising! Followed lovely canal for part of the way. Campsite not so nice! We were allowed to pitch our tent in a kind of caravan graveyard! Loads of chickens running about sqwaking and cockerals letting us know it was time to get up and get cycling! Ghent is beautiful but closed and deserted as it is a bank holiday.

2008-05-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

2008-04-30T02:40:00.000-07:00

Us raising money at Milbrook Garden Centre

One day to go and its full steam ahead. We have got the bike back from the shop and finally sorted out our insurance. Some may so we are leaving things to the last minute but i like to live life on the edge!!

Bags are semi packed and all equipment is on charge. Most importantly, the saddle cream is in abundance!

Pre Departure Video

2008-04-21T03:36:00.000-07:00

Not long now!!!

2008-04-18T04:40:00.000-07:00

22 DAYS left and counting!!!!