September 2010 Archives
September 25th
It rained all day today. Again.
This is getting to be like one of those distasteful jokes, whereafter you find out you're on TV or something.
All last week while it rained I would often duck into cafe's, under peoples' carports, or into bus stops in order to wait until it let up at least a bit. Today started no differently... until the second half where I was so drench that it no longer mattered. I just kept going. Soaking. While it rained. I figured that riding in the rain saoking wet is better than standing out of the rain soaking wet.
I rode almost 100km today...in the rain. With all my gear that takes about 6-9 hours. And there isn't mush else to do during that time than think. Today I mostly thought about the usual people in my life who make it so great - and more so how I am tired of not being around them. After spending a great 3 days with Alex, and getting to see Bastian's face and hear his voice over skype, today has been a harsh reminder of what being alone is like. Again. Furthermore, it will be at least 2 weeks before I am back in the presence of someone I love.
Today's ride was lonely and wet, and also quite dull. It is over 160km between Berlin and Dresden, and apparently most of it is nothing. The odd small town, a few farms spattered, some road kill splattered, but mainly just a lot of nothing.
I lucked out and found something after 6pm, as it began to get dark. And I am sitting here now, at the Calau Centre, in the super market. Drying off and watching the rain outside. My tent is already set up out back . I figure that is a safe bet since they aren't open tomorrow.....ugh, I know it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow too. And I am cold and lonely just thinking about it.
September 26th
8am
Soggy. A very wet and chilly morning followed my very wet and chilly night. I just finished cooking some red river cereal on my stove in the covered entrance of the Calau Centre. Had to put on freezing and wet shoes and found out he bag which I thought was water proof is in fact, not. The tent definitely is not. There is something kinda fun in all this though. I'm not sure what it is, but it must be, since I have caught myself smiling a few times this morning, and looking forward to the challenges ahead.
4pm
ON a train to Dresden. The cold, wind, and rain won. I think Germany is trying to make me hate her.
September 27th
2pm
Really? Is it the 27th? Well, I guess I'll make it to Prague on time after all.
Today is yet another grey, soggy day. But even the worst weather in the world couldn't take away from Dresden's beauty. This is by far my favorite city in Germany - even, so far this trip. I took more pics this morning that I had all last week.
I was told Dresden is a modern city, in large part because it had been flattened during the 2nd world war.But as it turns out, much of the ruins were rebuilt; such that today's old town is, in fact, newer than it's new tow. And it is gorgeous. It is everything I expected in a European city, but have yet seen since Helsinki.Definitely worth a visit.
Now that I am in the train station, waiting for my train out of Germany and I don't know if/when I'll be back, I want to just mention two things I've been thinking about.
1) language
2) accuracy
I've had a few funny ruin ins with language here. The day I blew my tire, I walked to a gas station and wanted to ask where to get my tire fixed so I pointed to my bike and kinda mumbled something and the lady pipes up, "Kaputz!?" and I was like, "yeah, how do you know that word!" That's what I say when things are broken.
I just today I was browsing a random German magazine while eating dinner and the title of the article was 'Gesundheit" , which I read outloud and realized what I had read, then a few moments later realized that when someone sneezes and we say Gezuntite, we actually are saying 'good health' to them in German! Who knew?
Secondly, I have to make mention of how unbelievably inaccurate everything seems to be here./ While riding my bike to Berlin, for instance, one sign said 107km to Berlin, the next said 124km to Berlin, and another, only across the road to the second, said 112km to Berlin. Sometimes, the km signs differ by 2-3km and they are on the same side of the road! Furthermore, I have yet to see a clock in a train station that is working. Yesterday, the one cock said 11:15 and right beside it the other said 5:45 and it was 3. For a country that gives the impression of organization and structure, they sure aren't good with numbers.
Oh, an done last thing...the Donairs here. The one and only reason I am sad to leave Germany. Huge, warm, veggie filled donairs. For 2 Euros! There is something heavenly about a place where you can eat a warm meal and drink 2 cold beers, all for less than 5bucks.
4pm
Oh wow, this is one of those moments where I am reminded at how fruitless plans are; and how useless worrying is. Waited at the train station for 2 hours. My train arrived. I went to get on. I wasn't allowed on. Well, I was, but my bike wasn't. Apparently some new rule has just taken effect whereby bikes only go on the morning trains. So I am annoyed. And disappointed. But mildly curious. Why did the universe want me to stay here again one more night?
September 28th
And So it got worse there before it got better. But my afternoon wandering through Prague's gorgeous old town almost had me forgetting having only 0.70cents in my pocket when the Nazi (yep, I can make Nazi jokes now that I am finally out of that godforsaken country)started screaming at me and pointing at my bike. A man, named Sebastian, saved the day and paid her 10euros to shut up, after which he apologized for 'the old school' people of his country. I will be buying him a beer downtown tomorrow.
Oh, Prague, sigh. I feel like a 14 year old with her first crush. This place makes me giddy, giggly, blush, and want to constantly bat my eyelashes. It may very well be the most beautiful city I have ever been in.
I probably walked over 10km. All over. I was getting embarrassed at how many pics I kept taking. What a tourist!
Also, as if this place could get any better (but it does) the beer is, hands down, the best beer in the world. And I am drinking one right now......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
It's good to be here with Alex.
September 18th
Wow it´s only the 18th and I´m in Germany!!! Just relaxing at an outside cafe in a tiny town called Schleswig. I stopped at this specific cafe becasue it is also a music store. SO I figured if they know music, they know English. I was wrong, but got my point across anyways. Capuccino is ubiquitous.
45km to the day so far and another 45-50 to go. My neck is quite sore today so I am hoping to make it to Kiel but don´t want to force it...still have a loooong way to go.
It was 9Celcius this morning but has since gone up to 14 or so.
So..... what do I know/think about Germany? Well, since my grandparents are from here I actually know a lot of foods (and saurkraut is #1 on my shopping list!) and a bit about their mannerisms, or as I like to describe it, their ´hardness´. Germans that I have met outside of Gernmany are, in my prejidous opinion, the epitome of "EuroTrash". They dress badly, listen to bad music, have bad accents, and are generally a bit harsh. I´ve only been here one morning so I can´t say much about these initial assumptions.
This place definitely has more chacter than Denmark. For instance, the slew of 24 hour sexshops and the Àmerican table dance´bar that was not only openbut absolutely pumpin´when I rode through Flensburg - at 9am this morning.
PS, if you can base expensiveness ona capuccino and gas prices, Germany seems actually quite cheap.
(3:15)
Surprise, surprise, surprise I´ve stopped again due to the rain. But I am not bitter! Why? It just so happens that I have had the most glorious tail wind all afternoon AND I am only 24km from Kiel now so I can see the light...it helps thatI have, in my hind, the fisrt German beer I have ever drank in Germany.
(9:30pm)
Made it to Kiel and staying in a hotel with a warm, dry bed (hallelujia) and Internet. Did you know that a key board in germany has the y and z keys switched?
Oh, and I just hear the Canadian geese flying South. Damn, I need to follow them!
September 19th
(9am)
Oh the simple things in life; like a dry warm bed. But don't get me wrong, I'm still roughing it.Using my camping stove right now to make breakfast in my room. My window is open, mum, don't worry. Speaking of which, looking outside, it is raining again...
(10am)
What am I doing?!?! This isn't fun. I just got off the phone with Bastian - I was crying the entire time because I want to be there, in France, with him, but I am not. But why am I not? Well, we don't have a house yet. And he is starting a new school in a new country and I wanted to give him some space for that. But all I want now is to be with him. It isn't fun being alone anymore. Now that I know how much better life can be when you are with someone who makes it just so. Still waiting for the rain to stop....
(12pm)
So what does a girl do when she's been riding in the rain - in circles, in a huge city, just trying to find a bike route South - when she finally finds the route she's been looking for? Well, she stops at eh first warm cafe she can find, orders a Mocha (which they've never heard of here) and sips it, slowly, reveling in the warmth. The rain is, definitely getting to me. That and this constant worry about time. I'm not allowing myself to enjoy the journey because I've set all these time goals for myself. I must be in Berlin by the 21st; must arrive into Prague by the 24th; must start leaving Milan on the 1st... I don't want to feel these 'musts' nagging at my every thought but how do I just get rid of it? Don't I need to have these goals, too? Aside from the obvious of wanting to get to Bordeaux and Bastian ASAP, why else do I need to have placed all these rules on myself? Not having them, for instance, would allow me the time to enjoy the moment - right now, in a beautiful harbour city, in Northern Germany. I'm inside, sipping coffee, watching the rain come down. I have everything to be thankful for. So I guess this is my challenge for myself. Today I am going to live as if I don't need to be anywhere at any time. As if? But it's true!
(7pm)
I tried beating the sunset to Lubeck; but today I lost. Having said that, I really won, because I stumbledupon a great little campsite for only 11 Euros, and the guy at the front just went on and on about what to see and do in the area. And taught me a lot about Germany - in particular the issues and differences between the North, South, East and West.
The highlight of my day today was a little town called Plon. Just like all towns up North, you can see the spire of the city church from over 7kms away. As you come up to it, there is inevitably a coble-stoned walking street lined with cafes and people chatting in all sorts of languages. Plon was particularly special because it is practically and island; surrounded by lakes on all sides.
As an aside, I've eaten 7 bugs since my trip began. And I must confess, at least 1 so far has been on purpose. How does one eat a bug on purpose? well, it went into my mouth, as many bugs, innocently enough do, while you ride at 20km/hr. I immediately tried spitting it out, as is the natural tendency; however, this particular bug in question didn't taste like anything, really. And rather than spit as i held it to my lips, I actually changed the course of my and it's life forever, and swallowed.
I also must confess I've noticed myself talking to myself recently. I guess one begins talking to oneself as innocently as one might begin to eat bugs. It's started by simply singing to myself. Or I often find myself reading new words from signs or maps out loud. Then, much like the flavorless bug, a word or so out loud migh progess into a simple silly sentence like, "un chin, fahrt?" stop bike, "Oh I've got to get a picture of that." And this might comically extend to, "oh yeah, dad's going to think that's funny." Now, a question to you. Is that bad? Should I worry?
I definitely like Northern Germany. The trouble is, it's fall here. And it's big and open. Both of these facts have been making me quite lonely and a bit overwhelmed these past few days.
September 20th, 10amBeen riding for almost 2 hours now. In the pouring rain. I stink.
I'd like to get to Schwerin today, which would be my last coastal city, well, until Italy! I've been feeling a bit down as Bastian and I are both torn between this and being together. Switching topics quickly, I am so sick of bread. It's practically all I've eaten (aside from the occasional piece of cheese or cucumber that might come in it) but I don't have much of a choice. Everything else is meat here and I haven't figured out how to go into a grocery store without leaving my bike and all of my earthly goods out for someone to steal. I just want some fruit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(3pm)
Stopped at Subway for a salad. My first salad in a week! I'm technically in East Germany now; which, at first didn't feel all that different, but now that I am in a town (Grevesmuhlen) I can see the people, their homes, and even the roads are quite different. The German here sounds really nice. Almost French. The wind constantly on my face and into my eyes is really starting to take a toll on my skin. And my eyes are so itchy! Holy, I just realized this salad cost 5.50 Euros. Why is it that eating healthy costs more? Wouldn't governments in particular want to promote healthy eating and thus create incentives such that people want to eat healthy? That 5.50 means I've already spent 10 today. Which, more importantly, means I guess I'm sleeping in a tent again tonight. My budget is 20 a day.
(8pm)
Eastern Germany reminds me of China in some ways. There is a sort of erie calm within this chaos that I'm not sure whether to feel excited or frightened by. The people seems to be a bit more inward and ignorant and there is just an air of communism/dictatorship on the streets, with everyone walking around willy-nilly passed huge soviet-style buildings.
I ate 2 dinners tonight. Then I had bought bananas for breakfast and just ate them. All 3. The cyclist tummy is on.
Funnily enough, after all that, the sun finally came out. And in the wise words of Mamma "The sun means that from now on, everything will be better."September 14th 2010
I just bought a European map and am looking at it. I´m feeling pretty darned excited about this. I´ve basically got the route nailed down and my biggest worry is being on time. The average daily distance will be 85km or so; taking into account off days. Aside from not feeling fit enough to be doing this, I´m definitely prepared. I guess I should probably get some info on the place I am going to go to. Do I need it though? And if I don´t need it - if I don´t want facts and figures on each place I will go, then why am I going? What is my purpose? I guess I´ll find out soon.
The cargo ship I am taking to Denmark has about 10 very shy middle aged Finnish sailors on it. We all blushed for about the 15 minutes of uncomfortable silence during dinner. Tomorrow I plan to begin to éntertain´. But for now I´ll take it easy on them. 40 hours here on the boat and then it begins. I have an mp3 player (with 89 songs), a novel, my aforementioned map, and this pen and paper....and still, 40 more hours to kill.
September 15th (9am)
I am obsessively looking at my new map. After a tough night (loud and wavey) from the 3-4 meter swells on the Baltic, I woke up to land on the left of us. Immediately I got out my map but it is not helping since if we are more than 1/3 complete, as the time dictates, then we should be seeing nothing at all on the left, and intead coming up to Sweden on the right. I just checked my compass and it tells me we are headed South East. I guess I need a new compass.
I dreamed last night that there were suddenly tropical fish and seaweed out my window. I was scared at first, thinking we had sunk. But later on the captain told me he had taken a special ´sewer´route to avoid the waves. It wasn´t until just now that I realized that was a dream.
(12pm)
Rain, rain, rain, and more rain is in the forecast. It turns out the land to the left of us when I woke up was Gotland, a Swedish island, which I had a ssumed we would sail on the SOuth of but instead we sailed to the North of it. Now I am annoyed at myself becasue I´ve already written the boat route onto my map - and now I´ve found I´ve done it wrong.
(2pm)
I just took the binocs out to the left (port?) side of the outer deck and counted 11 huge wind turbines. We´re now about half way time-wise so, that must be South of Stockholm. We are now in the same time zone as Paris. That fact and Bastian´s mp3 player (ALexi Murdoch) are the main things helping the day go by. My entertainment has been Augusten Burrows´"Running With Scissors", which I highly recommend.
(3pm)
I just peeled the `Far West` label off of my rain coat and thought to myself that it would save me some weight. Then I realized how silly that was. The peel wouldn´t get recognized by any weigh scale outside of a chemistry lab. The act obviously won´t save weight but it made me realize how concious I´ve become about how heavy my stuff is. I need to start strategizing on how to lose 5kg or so of stuff from these bags before Berlin. Cause after Berlin, it´s allllll uphill. The biggest weight contributors are my soaps and the Red River Cereal I brought with me from Canada. I guess I will have to eat and wash extra hard this week, if for no other reason that to make it an easier ride.
(4pm)
I go outside to the mid deck every once in a while for some fresh air. It´s cold, wet, and extremely windy. The wind whips as if it is trying to smack me off the boat. The cold bites. I realize I am on a cargo ship in the middle of the Baltic, headed for Denmark. And I feel alive!
September 16th 10am
I´ve only made 12km of progress so far. And I´ve been riding for 2 hours! What I mean by that is I started off North for 1km (trusty old compass) but needed to have gone South. And since then have gone down dead ends. twice. My paniers are driving me crazy. They hit my tire every little bump! Other than that, so far so good. it´s 14Celcius and a bit windy but no rain in sight.
Wishing I had a more detailed map.
Said good bye to the crew at breakfast this moring. As I ate my last Karelianpirra (my favorite Finnish breakfast), I said to the captain, half jokingly, "Well I guess this is the last good food I´ll be having for a while". And with his Finnish demeanor (furrowed brown, frowned mouth) he replied "Yeah, until you get to France, anyways." My face dropped. I knew I should have stolen the tobasco sauce last night while everyone was sleeping!
I thought as I got off the boat : what do I know about Denmarkk?
Well, I hear it´s a flat country with a lot of wind (right so far). I hear the people are ranked both as the happiest and unhealthiest people in the world (have yet to see soemone without a cigarette). And all I know about the food is the pastry known to me as the Danish.
(1130am)
Pourring. Torrential rain. Found a bus stop in the nic of time and am currently parkd in it with my bike. Waiting. Looks like it could be a while. Might even get my stove out and make some tea.
PS, I´m riding my bike through Denmark!!!!!!!!
(530pm)
Why is it that when you think to yourself that things can´t get much worse, they do? Rain. 30km/hr head wind, lost four times, crazy hills, no campground in sight. Just when I thought I was back on track (found a sign that had a word on it that matched a word on my map at about 87km on the day), WHAM! another huge rainstorm.
On the bright side I am safely tucked in someone´s barn.
I want to sleep here. I just want to sleep. I´ve been riding almost non stop (minus two bus stops to get out of the rain) since 8am. That just shows you how insane the head winds have been! What hurts? My hands, my wrists, back, crotch, butt, head, neck..what doesn´t hurt? I would sleep here. But I only have a cup or so left of water.
(630pm)
It´s official, I am staying here for the night. I just looked outside and it is not only pouring, but the sun is going down. Ahh! I just heard a voice! What if I get caught? How embarassing! I´m 29 for godssakes. I printed out 3 maps and none of the words on any of the signs match any of them!
Side note: Vejle and Horsens were great little towns to ride through and I would go back to them again.
In a car. On a sunny day.
September 17th
Up and out of there before 7am. Considering the circumastances I slept pretty well. Even had a crazy dream with the entire Wakutz family at a casino. Saw my first whole rainbow within the first few km. Must be a sign, right? Yeah, a sign of rain! Surprise, surprise I am sitting on the back stairs of a truck stop, now, hiding. I found the main highway now though so I´m not feeling as lost. Still, all 4 maps are not helping. Just go South I guess.
(930am)
Oh my god I just bit into my first REAL Danish. I can´t even begin...to...describe.... Take the best possible pastry you´ve ever had and multiply it by 1000. Jeeze. While I eat this delightful danish I will tell you, you will never beleive what just happened.
About 1.6km after I just wrote "I found the main highway now..." and mentioned I was feeling better, I followed a sign to Kolding, the next major city on my map, where I was planning on getting my bearings and a real plan, like, where to sleep tonight. Then I got onto this on ramp thing and onto the major highway. As soon as I started turning I though "oh, this isn´t good" and all the cars and trucks agreed with their non-stop honking. But I couldn´t turn around and I couldn´t get off! So I just kept going and figured it wouldn´t be so bad as it was only 15km.
Well, the highways police officer who pulled me off the road didn´t think the same way. Angrily, he chucked my bike into his car, sat me in the front seat, and began to quiz me. But it wasn´t long before we hit it off. He´d cycle toured New Zealand; his wife just ran the Beijing marathon. So by the time we arrived at my destination, he offered to drive another 20km south to get me 60km from th German border.
(1130)
Anywas, this brings me back to my Danish pastry. Which, did I mention was heaven? And I am still sitting at the truck stop diner he droped me off at. Trying to warm up and dry off and waiting for the rain to stop before I head out again.
(8pm)
So this is how karma works. Good karma- from kicking rocks off busy roads and picking up random garbage off highways- leaves you in a barn at night. Bad karma comes from getting to the point where so much crap has happened that you just say "eff-karma", steal a cob of corn from a farmer´s feild on the side of the road, and when you go to get your pot to cook it, you return to find someone has stolen your tuna.
Aside from the perpetual state of wind/rain and people stealing my tuna, Denmark sure hasn´t topped any of my lists (if only i had a ´best place to eat pastry´list). I am happy to be entering Germany asap tomorrow morning. I hope there is more stuff in English. Nothing is in English here. Nor in any other language for that matter. Even at the border. NO German!? Also, side note, Danish people speak English worse than the Chinese. And that is really saying something.
1. My brother and Miya's wedding, and 2. The South Okanagan wine-cycle tour with Team Cock and Bulls.
Let me just start by saying that no woman in the world at any point in their life wants a younger and more beautiful sister. I already have one, for god-sakes. But I got another one on August 14th, and when she was pronounced to us as Miya McGrew, I couldn't have been happier.
In fact, and for good reason, I don't think any of us could have been. She is beautiful both inside and out - and aside from the obvious of making my brother ridiculously happy - she also is remarkably talented and creative, and has a great laugh.
The wedding was more beautiful than any one you could imagine. The reception, however, actually managed to Trump it. Imagine a stunning valley, an organic apple and peach orchard, tea lights everywhere, and a small little canopy in the middle of it all. This was where we toasted to the new couple, and all danced the night away. You can just make it out at the very bottom, left hand side of this pic below.
After the wedding, Bastian and I drove with my mum and dad to paradise. (see Heart rock Cabino post, July 2008). Paradise has changed a bit since I was there over 2 years ago. Read: a new 2500 square foot home on the bank. But it is still everything it is to me. Sleep ins, swims across the lake, campfires, boat trips, hikes, going going gones, runs, big dinners, poker, cards on the dock. It's all the same. In large part, this is due to my mum and dad. They make the place. In particular, when they do things like lose at the Finnish game we brought and then have to eat a Finnish candy we brought - which is not very tasty, as you can see from their reaction. (this is where Bastian looks at Phil and says, 'hey, just don't lose.")
Aside from some treats I brought from Bali and China, Sebastian brough the-game-of-the-summer (mölkky) and some "real' beer, which he shared with my dad.
Needless to say, Bastian fit right in. He got the nickname 'kokanee whisperer' and inherited a dolphins jacket. He's practically one of the family.
We went for three hikes with Bastian - to show him bears and in the process, learned the Finnish term, Paska Housu.We saw a bear and it's cub only a 40 or so meters from us at silver star. Here we are, celebrating!
Then went to Revelstoke National Park to try to find a real bear - a Grizzly! Instead we found some giant slugs, an ice box, a snow forest, a no forest, and a rain forest.
The last highlight, as was mentioned briefly at the beginning, was our bike trip. We rode 272km in 4 days, and in the process drank ourselves silly with free wine. So silly, in fact, that by the end all we wanted in life was beer.
Not as in where-my-computer-is. Not as in where-the-heart-is. Rather, where my computer, my heart, my family and my roots all came together at one time.
August in B.C. And what a fantastic place for Home to be.
Being home with a visitor was especially fun as I got to play tour-guide and tourist-in-my-own-towns. Both things I love to do. We arrived into Vancouver from Helsinki after a minor hiccup through the States. Vancouver has only three great things about it: Ryan, Miya and Bonnie. After hightailing it to see them, there wasn't much else to do there. But we managed to get in a walk (rainy, of course) along the see wall; and a concert, before heading to The Island.
One's first day or week in Canada for anyone would likely involve
some firsts. For Sebastian, Day 1 included his
first Bagel, first Tim Horton's, first Poutine, and his first Granville Island beer. He was practically on his way to being Canadian.
By day three, it was official, we would have honored him with a Canadian citizenship if given the chance. Bastian had tried Ginger ale, Red licorice, a Nanaimo bar, Pacific Crab and Molson Canadian. Amnd as if that wasn't enough, within the first week he also tried Root beer, pumpernickle bread,
babaganush, sourdough bread and Alexander Keith's and Canoe Club beers. Of course, he loved it all.
Aside from the plethora of new food and drink, we managed to stay active and in fact had somewhat of a sports marathon during our four days in Victoria. It all started when Sebastian played his first game of American football.
Ian and Deb treated us to many things, one of which was a Victoria Shamrock's Lacross game (both our firsts). Canada's national sport. And the following night we went to see the Victoria Seal's play some baseball with Steve.
It wasn't too exciting so we showed Sebastian a few tricks of the baseball fan culture. Steve had missed me.
On our last Van-Ilse-Sports-Day, we rode 70km with spaghetti legs along the galloping goose to Sidney spit for beers. Upon our return into the city we quickly rented 'the divorce boat' and went kayaking through the Gorge for an hour or so. Bastian saw his first sea otter, and his first humming bird on the way.
In the midst of it all we also managed to cram in some time on the ocean, time with friends, and a good few hours of learning at the BC Royal Museum.
