Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt

Home Sweet Home - Atlanta, GA

2007-09-23T16:29:00.000+02:00

Hi honey, I'm home! Wow, it's great to be back. Not that I couldn't have stayed for another month, or year, but because there is no place like home. It may sound odd, but I missed my couch! Just the fact that I can sit down, watch Tivo or a movie, listen to music, type on my computer while watching Cycling on Versus like I am now, or take a nap. It's simple, but that may be the creature comfort I missed the most after living out of a "suitcase" for 2 months.

It was nice to get back and immediately be surrounded by my friends. Starting with the Brunners, then seeing Rick, and Bry and I going to watch Doug play at the Front Page News. Then yesterday riding with quite a few teammates at the Beautiful Backroads Century and then at a birthday party for Sid at his house. So many people welcomed me home and had a lot of questions about the trip and what it was like. I think the most common question was, "What was the best part?". I have to say that is an easy answer, Switzerland. I love the mountains and the lakes, and it has plenty of both. It is also a sentimental favorite, but it is the country I will always keep as the #1 foreign country in my heart. I only wish I had stayed longer and cycled another week to see more of this great country. Hmmm, another trip????

But I do want to thank those that really helped make this trip what it was and possible. My family for their support to tell me to "just do it". For their continued support while I was abroad with comments on the blog, email or phone calls. My cousin Jeff for all of his help, you still need to send me a bill! Jody for taking care of my house and "kids", Piton and Nemo. Bryan for helping out with lawn maintenance and support for Jody. Jeff and Becky Grant for their fine southern hospitality in two "strange" nations! Adi and Susan Sommer for being the best parents abroad I could have. To Petra for being a great host and friend. And to ALL OF YOU that followed me along here and helping to keep me motivated. I said from the beginning that the two reasons for the blog were to update my folks that I was doing ok, and for myself when I am an old geezer wanting to relive some of my early years. What I didn't expect was the "life" it took when all of you sent me well wishes, gave me a hard time :), or just said hello. There were definitely some lonely days but knowing my faithful zealots were there to support me really helped out.

Recap: 7 countries (Denmark, Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic), 20 point to point Stages, 2596 total kilometers (1613 miles), 65 days abroad.

Thanks again to everyone, it's been a memorable experience and I thank you all for following along. I will "archive" this blog and not post to it anymore, but in the future you can check out http://lifeofbell.blogspot.com for my future travels and adventures. Happy and safe travels to all of you, keep in touch.

-Brian

My last Euro days in Copenhagen

2007-09-23T16:05:00.000+02:00

The last few days in Copenhagen were very nice. I relaxed, Jeff and I talked about family and life, did a little sight seeing and just had a really good time to cap off this adventure.

The story is that as long as there is a baby's pacifier in the lion's mouth, then Denmark will not be at war with any other nations.

A bit of a tight fit under the bridge!

This IS the city of the Little Mermaid, I think this is a nice tribute.
But OH MY GOSH, this is a tribute.

1 ball, corner pocket.

Let me help you with that stick there, little lady! I think Team Mette and Jeff won more games than I, but had I not scratched on the 8 ball SO many times I don't think that would have been the case! But it was a great time, I won't forget it!

The hell with being a tourist!

2007-09-16T17:39:00.000+02:00

I.m an addict, a cycling addict. I have been doing the "real" tourist thing the last two weeks, which means I haven.t been riding. So this addict got his fix, and a little sore. I found an Indian Village on TT about 50k away, so I headed there. I don.t know what the hell it was, but it looked like an old wild west town. Did they import the Indians when we kicked them off the reservation in the 1700.s? There wasn.t a casino here, so I guess they didn.t! Since it was Sunday they weren.t open, not like I would have paid to go anyway... So I just used their WC and headed back to Hamburg, into a headwind. There aren.t any hills in northern Germany, but the breeze from the North Sea can be felt this far inland. So I got a good workout and finished up with 110k. There is one lake almost in the center of Hamburg, and it.s really cool, but EVERYONE was out this morning, and even more this afternoon when I returned. They even had one lane of the road around the lake closed for roller bladers. I doubt they do that every sunny Sunday, but they must have had some reason today. It.s great seeing so many people out and about, but I.m glad Atlanta has more than one place for everyone to go. Tomorrow I head back to my Euro home in Copenhagen, then Thursday back to the good ole USA! I can.t wait to see my cats, I miss´em! I will upload photos that got dumped in the next day or so, then probably do a final blog when I get back to the States. Until then, tschuss!

I think we're in Kansas again Toto......

Quick tour of Hamburg

2007-09-15T14:45:00.000+02:00

So, what do I think of Hamburg? Well, it.s very liberal, that.s for sure.... It.s an ok town, not bad, but not enough character for me. Or maybe that.s just the vibe I get. I don.t need to come back, but I wouldn.t pass it up if I had not been here before and was convenient to get to. I wouldn.t want someone to take my advice and not come, and really miss something that they would like. So do some homework before coming here and then do it! Ok, that.s the politically correct post. Make your own decision, basically! I am FINALLY at an internet cafe that allowed me to download some pictures. I didn.t go overboard, but have posted pictures from the last week or so. Check them out, hope you all enjoy. (3 hours later: for some FUSDIAFUIOING reason my pictures are deleted from 3-4 days below. I.m pissed, so I will just wait until I get to Copenhagen when I have time, and it won.t cost money. I am SO pissed....)

The old Parliament building.

St. Michel cathedral. The most distinguished building in Hamburg, and very large in stature. Much larger than it appears here. A view inside the cathedral. There was a children.s choir practicing when I got here. They were very good and the audience applauded!
A view from the top of St. Michel. The Parliament is on the left, and St. Peter.s cathedral in the middle.

"We.re in the red light district!"-Outkast

I DID NOT find this last night, but girls were here working, motioning me to just come and talk, I.m sure!

"Girls, girls, girls."-Mötley Crüe More establishments of ill repute! Bring your Euros, they.ll gladly swap you for their tickets!

Two for one? No thanks!

2007-09-15T00:19:00.000+02:00

I HAD to post this, it was too much, and I needed to see if my reservation was confirmed. It was not. But as soon as I got off the train at "the strip", I was propositioned. By TWO prostitutes! Since it was early, I was offered a buy one get one free for €60. It was so funny, I had to listen to their proposal. That, and they were draped on both arms, with my hands in my pockets. At first I thought they were gypsies, or somebody to take my wallet, but they had a "better" offer. Needless to say, they mentioned me being very nervous and said they would help me "relax". I finally said I wasn.t interested, but they kept persisting. "Oh, it.s only 20 meters to the "club" where we can relax and have a beer, then go upstairs....". Yada, yada, yada. Or in this case, bada bing, bada bing, bada bing! I might have needs, but not with them..... But, they were at least cute. But no thanks! The whole strip was either a bar or a strip club with about everything else in between! I had a few beers at the bar and took the train home, now I have to find a new home for tomorrow. Maybe the Ibis I.m at now, but I doubt they have a room available.... Your friendly reporter signing off for the night. Bartender?

Hamburg-er in paradise!

2007-09-14T18:42:00.000+02:00

Hello all from Hamburg! I couldn.t decide where to go last night when Joanna and I were discussing my options, so I just decided to come here. It was nice having some margaritas, burritos, chips and salsa and swap stories for another few too many hours, and drinks! But I did get up early enough this morning to make it to breakfast and head out the door and on the train. I went to the Information Booth here at the train station and they said there weren.t any rooms for the 30-40 Euros that I try and stick to, she said 190 was the cheapest..... Whatever! I was able to do it in Berlin, so I figured I could here as well. Low and behold there was an inexpensive Pension right next to the Ibis. But, I only have it for one night so will be surfing to find one for the next night or two. I.m in a great location and hate to move, but such is life! It looks like this will be my last stop before going to Copenhagen. I have made my way so far north, I am pretty close now and don.t really have an idea what else I could/want to see. I actually want to get back on the bike, but I think I.ll wait until I get back to Denmark and go without my bags, baby!

Sorry nothing interesting to report, although my guidebook does say something about peep shows and other interesting places to visit in the red light district. Are these places everywhere and is this shit legal??? I know it.s the old profession, but never knew it was so readily available, not that I have checked them out. And Becky can vouch! Ciao guys and gals!

Last day in Berlin

2007-09-13T16:21:00.000+02:00

I think I have walked at least 10k today, but my hip flexors have finally gotten used to walking! The bad thing is that my cycling legs are going to shit, and I have a big ride waiting on me in Colorado when I get back! OUCH! Oh well, hopefully years of biking will get me through 50 miles on the mountain bike each day. That, and I will have my Assos chamois cream!! Bry, you guys need to take it easy on me.....

I wish I could post pictures, this is getting frustrating. But all of the internet cafes won.t let me.... Oh well, I know next week when I get back to Copenhagen I will be able to then, so stay tuned. Instead of talking about where I walked and what I saw today, I will just wait until I can post pics. But tonight I will be having dinner with Joanna again, and she says she can point me in the right direction to head next! I have 3 days to use on my Eurorail pass, and since they aren.t refundable if I don.t use them, I better do it. So that means I won.t be riding the rest of the way, and I really did want to roll over 3000 km before I left. I only came up with that idea recently, oh well, guess I.ll have to come back and accomplish that goal!

I have got to sign off, my vision is getting blurry for some reason. I think it.s just from staring at the screen for a while now. But to reveal the facts behind the myth........... You exchange Euros for tickets at the "adult entertainment" clubs. I will leave it at that, and your imagination. Also, what Chris Rock says about the Champagne Room is NOT true in Berlin. You figure it out..... ;) Or so I heard..... Signing off as your faithful, investigative reporter, Clark Kent.

P.S.- I added a Guestbook (on the right side of the screen) that everyone can sign, just so I know who is following along with me. Thanks!

Schloss Charlottenburg

It's the German version of Versailles, but on a much smaller scale.

The Memorial Church, with the roof still blown off from WWII.

Reichstag, the current Parliament building.

This was a two block long infomercial on past to current history about the Wall. Very interesting.

Nazi Concentration Camp

2007-09-12T19:57:00.000+02:00

Today I went with the Sandemans New Europe Tour to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour. This is the Free Tour company I have mentioned from Munich and yesterday here in Berlin. They actually started out here 3 years ago and have made a STRONG presence since then and are in other cities like Amsterdam, London and Paris. Check them out if you are coming to Europe at http://www.neweuropetours.eu/ . It REALLY is worth checking out. They work on tips, but I recommend 8-12 Euros per person, depending on your budget and gratitude. Today.s tour was 14 Euro up front, along with paying for the 1 hour train ride to get there and back. I think the actual touring of the concentration camp was ok, nothing special, but the guide and her information was what made it worth it. You can go out there and do an audio tour, but it takes longer and would probably just bore me. Again, I won.t go into the history lesson, but I will say that there is a difference between the concentration camps and execution/holocaust camps. Although MANY people were killed or died in the concentration camps, they were supposed to be work detail prisons. But along the way people were killed for fun, demonstration, suicide, attempt to escape, stopping a work detail, looking at someone wrong, you name it. And beyond what I thought before coming to Germany, it wasn.t just Jews that were killed but many other groups. Basically anyone that posed a threat to the Nazi party whether they be political, social or homosexual. It didn.t matter, only that you were not part of their "party" and beliefs.

Tonight I plan on painting the town, and getting up really late. I haven.t made it to breakfast this week.....! Today I just was sleeping really well, and lovin it! Tonight I plan on finding the answer to my "research" question from a few weeks ago. I.ll let you all know what the answer is soon enough! Ciao.

This was the entrance to the courtyard where the prisoners were brought to begin being beat down by the guards. This is also where the large heavy machine gun was positioned so that it could look down the rows of barracks to watch for prisoners escaping. The gun was never fired.Originally designed for 150 prisoners, these buildings would house up to 400 during the heyday of the early 1940.s
The wall constructed shows where the barracks began. You can see the outline depicting the shape of each, fanned out so the guards could look down from above. This is where roll call was performed each morning and evening. If there was a miscount, they would start over again. The longest time it took for this was 15 hours, with many people dieing because of falling over from exhaustion, then shot.

Der Keiser in Berlin

2007-09-11T18:49:00.000+02:00

Uggghhh, I.m tired. Sorry I don.t have much energy today to report, so I.ll keep it brief. Yesterday.s train ride from Prague was uneventful and only about 5.5 hours. So I was able to take advantage of my 1st class ticket this time and sit in the comfy seats! After arriving, I checked into my hotel and called Joanna. She.s a friend of Becky Grant and lives here in Berlin. We met for sushi (first time I.ve had any on the trip and was CRAVING it!) and sat, talked, gorged, drank, and talked some more until the wee hours. I had a great time getting to know her and it was fun cutting up with someone who has a similar personality! Thanks Joanna, hopefully I can repay you soon!

This morning I didn.t get up too early, 11:00 to be specific.... But I was still able to down a Tylenol and make it to the plaza to meet the walking Free Tour guide that departed at 1:00. It was informative, but maybe not as much as the one in Munich. Of course like all tours, it depends on the tour guide. But we did get to see the highlights and some history as well. I won.t bore you with those details this time! But the tour is designed to just give you an overview in 4 hours, not show you everything and try to cram hundreds of years of history into the same time frame. Tomorrow I will either go to the concentration camp north of here, or a castle near by. My cousin Jeff gave me some other pointers, and I did not see all of them today, so I may try and take some of those off the list. I am already leaning towards staying until Friday, I like this town!

Brandenburg Gate, the most famous landmark in Berlin and where the Wall once stood.

Does this look familiar? Jacko (aka Michael Jackson) dangled his child off of this balcony...

A Jewish memorial. These are concrete "tombs", but there are many interpretations of the meaning.

Although the tombs appear to rise only slightly, the ground actually drops dramatically and the concrete tombs rise, giving them a lot of depth.

What is left of the Wall from 1989.

The American checkpoint Charlie. This is a mock-up of the original, which was 10 lanes wide.

The Dom and TV antenna tower to it's right. Why they built these antenna's and thought of them as "art", I will never know.

Inside of the Dom.

Touring Prague

2007-09-09T16:17:00.000+02:00

Now I get to report on touring Prague for the past two days. The Prague tourist information website says you should see Prague in 3 days, and I think that is more than suffice, or even just two. But if you take it easy and don't power walk the whole thing like we did, then you can drag it out over 3 days no problem. It is a big city, but not too big. We literally only took two subway trains, one to get into the city, and one to get out. But you can easily get around under or above ground. So we went to the Old Town square to view the astronomical clock and tower then toured virtually all of the church's in the surrounding area. Petra and I both love going into these old churches, and neither are big on museums and artsy fartsy stuff. So we were perfect together as a sight seeing "couple". From the Old Town we crossed the Charles Bridge towards the Royal Palace and Cathedral. I wasn't overly impressed with the bridge and wasn't really sure why it was so famous.... It wasn't ugly by any means, just appeared to be a bridge with some statues on it. Petra looked amazed and said, "Because it has been there so LONG". It was finished being built in the early 1500's and is said that the mortar is mixed with egg yolk, which is why the bridge is so strong. Ok, I'll go for that, but there were many tourists and street "vendors" and "musicians" (beggars) along the bridge. Ok, I guess I change my mind a little about it! But on to a few more churches, an authentic Czech lunch (goulash and dumplings), then the Royal Palace. You can get a pretty good view of the city from the Palace, but there is an even better one if you go to Petrin view tower. It looks like the Eiffel, but smaller. We did not go on the funicular because of too many people, but could be worth a visit another time. From the Palace we strolled to the New Town and really just walked and took in the sights and sounds. It was really nice discussing culture, our thoughts on history, and what the mean of love and life are all about! I had such a great tour guide and an even better conversation companion, thanks Petra!!! But after dinner we strolled back across the Charles Bridge to view everything at night and it was worth the trip. I know I didn't get to bed until 12:30 and am sure it was late for her too. But a great day none the less!

Today we met and went to tour the Jewish Synagogue and "compound". There were about 6 different buildings in the old Jewish community to tour. We saw a VERY long list of city, family name, then given name, then date of birth and death written in an entire building. It was very sad to see so many Jewish names and how each had died in either 1941, '42, or '43. Why are so many wars fought for religion? And why does it still go on today? I think I agree that religion and politics should stay separate, but not to forget the principals of the other. At least from a Christian's perspective that is.... Any why was Hitler so against the Jews? Because they are smarter? Have more money? Mad because they killed Jesus? If so, then Hitler would have to be a Christian himself, or so it would seem. But his actions speak out against that fact.

Ok, enough of that too. But you can see that it was informational, thought provoking and I'm glad we got to see it. I look forward to going to Berlin tomorrow and learning more about the Holocaust there too. I will try not to get so deep in thought next time! And I hope to be able to post pics soon, this cafe won't let me download, they must be Internet Nazi's!

The graves were stacked one on top of the other, and the grave stones are the only evidence of what is buried beneath.

Prague, Czech Republic

2007-09-08T23:50:00.000+02:00

Howdy all! I could not login to the blog at the cafe last night for some reason, but at least managed an email home! No major adventure getting to Prague from Munich, but because I am traveling with a bike it took 7.5 hrs to get there, instead of 6. That is my only complaint about riding the rails with the bike, it's not always the most direct. And I could go on and on about how all of the "bike cars" (the one car of the whole train that is "designated" for bikes) are not the same. One will have practically a WHOLE car for bikes, and another will have standing room only with your bike. I also have a 1st class Eurorail pass that I don't get to use all of the time because my bike is at the tail end of the train, and 1st class is at the front. So my advice, if cycle touring, is to not get a Eurorail pass. I may have made a mistake there, but it wouldn't be my first one, or last in life! I was glad to have 1st class going through Prague. I hate to say it, but it is a rather poor country. Not third world, but I guess second, if that is the proper term. Just getting on the trains and seeing the stations along the way you know that these people have been repressed for many years. I saw quite a bit of ore mining. Not sure what type of ore, maybe coal, or kryptonite for all I know! Also lots of lumber as felled trees were lined up ready to be loaded on the trains. That was once music to my ears, as long as they came in 2x4 or 2x something, but that was another time...... Once I arrived in Prague, or Praha as it is known here, it become an almost different world. It is much more thriving and beautiful. Although the sky's are grey and overcast right now, it is still a historic city with much of it's original structures dating back before 1300. Officially I believe it became a city in 900. My other history tid bit is that it was under Austrian and Hungarian rule for the majority of it's "life". With the capital being Vienna. Many moons ago it became a country and in the 1940's it was given as a present to Hitler from France. Sissy's. The good news is that meant he didn't demolish it like all of the other cities in his wake. After WWII, Russia came in to "save the day" and help pick the country back up and on it's feet again. This went well until the people realized the Communism wasn't the way to run a country. They were nice and free people once before, and things started changing around 1968. But 1989 they were again a free, liberal country, but not without their share of bloodshed.

Ok, enough about the history books, although I find it more fascinating now. My lovely friend, and Rick Masta's girlfriend, Petra Sehnalikova showed up after my arrival and we met for drinks last night. It is so great to see her, and it's hard to believe that it has only been 3 months since she came back to Czech. I know she misses you Rick, so you better hurry up and get over here. By the way, she looks great, and I've given her a big hug from me and the Brunner's! But Rick will be over here in just a couple of weeks, so I'm not too worried about someone snatching her up before he gets here! (But you might want to hurry bro!) I would blog about the actual city of Prague, but I am really tired and it's late. We walked most of the city today and my legs are so tired. I will meet Princess (Rick's nickname for Petra, not mine!) at the station tomorrow morning to walk the city a little more, then she will return to her home east of here by noon. I am going to stick around the city one more night and see if I can find some trouble! Then head to Berlin to find even more :) I hope to post some pictures tomorrow, so check back then. Otherwise I'll just blog from Germany. Ok, g'night!

The astronomical clock.

One of the characters in the clock!

If you notice, there are "newer" buildings in front of the old church. This was what they did everywhere, including the Royal Palace. Land was valuable, so they just built in front of these landmarks without thinking of the future and the people that would come back to view them for decades later.

Inside of one of the churches.

A view of the Royal Palace and Cathedral.

The Charles Bridge.

Petra and I on the Charles Bridge.

Inside the Royal Cathedral.

The King of Czech beer, and a hell of a lot better than the American brand!

The Princess and the Pauper.

Munich, um......

2007-09-06T18:09:00.000+02:00

So, what can I blog about today? Not much I guess, sorry. It.s raining here, imagine that, and the forecast is going to follow me to Prague tomorrow as well.... Hopefully next week in Berlin will be good. Umm, I guess I should have planned to be here for more than 1.5 days because there really is a lot to see. I walked the "Red Shirt" free tour that starts at Marienplatz at 11. I highly recommend taking this tour, as it was also recommened to me. They are in numerous cities, with Berlin being my next visit with them. They of course only ask for tips. But one of the things I learned (although maybe I learned in my UCHS edumacation...) was that Munich was the starting point for the Nazi regeme. Hitler gave one of his first speeches above what is now the Hofbrau Haus, trying to rally troops and government of Bavaria. He said it was time to over throw the government in Berlin (which moved to Bonn, now back to Berlin...) Since Munich was all but totally destroyed in WWII, pretty much everything here is less than 70 years old, although rebuilt to look as it was. Nymphenburg sounds like an interesting place, wonder what I might find there.... :) I have an all day subway pass, so I think I will go back into town. I am my father.s son, I like figuring the train/bus/subway/bike paths, etc. out! The hardest things is getting your bearings once you come out of the ground. Having even a small map of the city should help if you can figure out the cross streets. Well like I said, not much to report. Just come over here and see it for yourself and tell me what I missed! Will report back when I can from Prague. C-ya!

The clock tower in Marianplatz.
I can.t remember the name of this church....
The infamous Hofbräuhaus! Mmmmm, bier!
What can I say? I like their S.O.B. (hamburger)! I had a great time talking with some EMC type guys that were in town on business. Gotta keep the electric on somehow!

Rain, trains, and automobiles - Scuol to Munich

2007-09-05T20:40:00.000+02:00

I thought I was here during summer, not winter. I was talking to my buddy Matt on the phone last night and I looked out the window to watch it dumping the fluffy stuff. It didn.t stick, but it was purty! I guess I should have gone further yesterday to get away from the rain and snow, but the spa was nice and Scuol isn.t a bad town. Note to anyone planning to take the train out of Scuol to Innsbruck, Austria (east of town), it CAN.T be done without getting on a bus. Herding livestock comes to mind when riding a bus. And putting your life into the herders´hands is another. Don.t take the bus unless you have to because the dumb fÖ§ßer will drop your bike off at a point along the way. Yes that.s right, somewhere between Oompaloompaville and Landeck he took my bike off the back of the bus (which I did not see of course) and handed the bike to the closest tree to take for a spin. I don.t know what he was thinking. But I was calm and didn.t get pissed and my psychiatrist would be proud! So I got to wait an extra hour, and miss the train, so that I could wait for my bike to arrive. Fortunately it did and I made my way without any other incidents to Munich, or Munchen, depending on what you read or how you say it. I think a full day of sight seeing will be enough for me, but if anyone reads this and has a recommendation of places to go or sights to see please email me. I will be going to Prague on Friday and Berlin next week, so any of you travel guides can tell me what to do and more importantly, what NOT to do. Ok, I need food, time to go.

SKOAL, er, Scuol

2007-09-04T17:22:00.000+02:00

I had heard the other day that the weather forecast was for snow above 1300 meters, which meant St. Moritz. I thought the guy was full of shit, until this morning. SNOW! It was above probably 2000 meters, and St. Moritz is at 1700, but there was a little bit of the fluffy stuff falling when I left. This made it easy for me to decide to take the ole' train today to Scuol. Even if it was only 70 km, I really didn.t feel like riding in below freezing temps with only arm/knee warmers and a rain jacket. Oh, I guess the assless chaps could help, but you get the picture, it was cold enough. I got here and noticed many runners coming into town, like there was an event going on. Such is the case, the Trans Alp Challenge, or something like that. 8 days, 240 km, starting in Germany and ending in Italy. No thanks, I like the bike too much. But I did go to the spa, and it was worth it! 25 CHF for 2.5 hours, but I was only there for about 1.5 hours. Too much water causes prunage, and I no likeage. So now I.m at the internet cafe for 16 CHF per hour, OUCH, and about to upload pics for my loyal zealots that are following me on this epic journey. I think tomorrow is about a 50k ride to Landeck, Austria. Although it may get cold again and I.ll wuss out and take the train. Like I care at this point! I will be in Munich on Thursday, or maybe tomorrow.... Hell, I don.t know. But I will be in Prague on Friday to meet up with Petra. Ok, time to upload pics. Hope you all enjoy, now get the hell off my page.

Stage 20 - Menaggio to St. Moritz, Switzerland - 106 km

2007-09-03T18:23:00.000+02:00

I think I will have to call this the Queen Stage. Although it was "only" one pass, it was a mother! Kilometers 0-28 were along Lake Como and quite intoxicating. I will pass on a hint though, if there is a tunnel, DON.T go through it. The old road is next to it and will get you by without a problem, although not always 100% paved. KM 29-55 were mostly flat to Chiavanne (spelling?), but busy. I was hoping that today wouldn.t be as bad as the weekend traffic, but it wasn.t great. Along the lake was more 1.5 lane roads, and afterwards the roads weren.t wide enough to have a shoulder either..... I don.t think this is cycling country, but that.s just me (sorry Foti). KM 56-90 was climb, climb, climb. Kind of like Neal.s Gap because it wasn.t too hard and their are "flat" spots, but basically it was the longest climb I.ve ever been on! The last 3k were the best, or worst, depending on how you look at it. I hope the pics will do the climb justice, but there were 13 switchbacks over this short distance and at least 1000' of elevation gain, but my guesstimate. The top is called Malojapass and the sign says it is 1815 meters above sea level (5955 feet). I started the day at 200 meters, so there was over 5000 feet gained today! KM 91-106 were along a couple of Alpine lakes with a flat to downhill grade, thank goodness, and the tailwind didn.t hurt either! I booked it to the hostel here in St. Moritz and as I type this it has started raining. Dad gave me the weather forecast via email this morning, and it doesn.t look good for the next few days... I still have 2 days of train to use, so tomorrow may be one of them. Fine by me, this was the last hard day in the mountains, as far as I can see that is! The gang from last night told me about a bath/spa in Scuol that is inexpensive and worth checking out, so I think I will go soak my bones there! Happy Labor Day to all of you back in the States. Keep laboring, and send money!

One of my last views of Lake Como.

Not Lake Como, but the lake just before Chiavenna.

In America we would put a red line / through it saying, NO BIKES ALLOWED. Beware, they don.t do that over here.... And this one says don.t go through the tunnel. Or so I was told....

What.s up Doc?

A view of the 13 switchbacks and final 3k climb up to Malojapass.

Sorry, have to edit later.... But this is at switchback number 5.

It.s an ok town, I don.t have to come back, unless the skiing is really good. But I doubt it.s better than West coast baby!

This was the following moring and the small amount of snow that had accumulated above St. Moritz.

Stage 18 & 19 - Gersau to Menaggio, Italy - 226 km total

2007-09-03T07:05:00.001+02:00

Stage 18 - Gersau to Biasca - 131 km

I will try and make this quick, I don.t have much time now to recap.... Today was a busy day, and by that, I mean traffic. The first 30k were mostly flat and decent roads, not too much traffic. But after that it got busier and started to climb. The first "section" was about 40k and it was the first time that I had backtracked on any roads I had been on before. Rolf and I were on the downhill section from Andermatt to Mussen two weeks ago, but now I was going up the mother. It.s funny how you remember a decent to be pretty quick when you fly down it without any effort. But going back up it is another story. I will upload pics as soon as I can, but it was a tight, curvy road with a lot of cars. Oh yeah, I recall it to be somewhat steep, but a few days and a couple of hundred kilometers later, you forget these things! From Andermatt there is about a 4k section that is flat, then it goes back up 9k to the top of Gotthardpass. Not a bad climb, but still quite a few cars. I guess that.s what happens on the weekends around here.... The decent on the other side was crazy. The first 12k were cobblestones, not the big chunky ones, but they still aren.t smooth. So I had to brake the entire decent. It finally turned to another 35+ km of downhill on smooth roads. So the finish was nice into Biasca, I wish I could say the same for the town. No need to stay there for scenic reasons... My advice is to NOT cycle up the side I just decended, if anyone is reading this and taking notes. I think the last 12k of cobbles would be a killer. Just my 2 Swiss Francs....

I got my days messed up when uploading, this is Biasca to Mennagio, will fix later...

Bellaggio is the peninsula off in the distance, aka High Rent District!

A hostel with a great view of Lake Como!

View part deux.

Mark, Al, mule eating briars, Ed and Bob. A fine crowd, great wine and a really good lamb steak. Gimmie some protein!

Stage 19 - Biasca to Menaggio, Italy - 95 km

Today was truly Italian with Ferrari, Porsche & motorcycles wizzing by & passing in the corners. Glad this is the only day in Italy! The ride was mostly uneventful, except for the one climb of about 10k close to Lugano. I didn.t go into Lugano, but heard it.s a nice town. I traveled the north side of the lake towards Menaggio, and it was a bit hairy riding on roads 1.5 lanes wide! And then you add crazy Italians to it, and you have a bad combination. The scenery was nice though, so there was something good to come from it all! I made it to the hostel and met up with 9 American cycle tourists from Ohio and Wisconsin. A very nice group which reminded me of the Tufts, Andre, Kaye, Jerry and Donna crowd. I think most of them had been to Europe cycle touring before, but they were on a 2 & 3 week journey around Switzerland and Italy. We talked about my trip and experiences, and also theirs. They were very kind and invited me to dinner where we got to talk more about everything, including that thing I used to do, work. Thanks to the gang for being so kind and welcoming, like most Americans are I have determined. Regardless of what the French may say (about everyone), I think we have the kindest nation of folks! The Swiss are really..... different. Most of them, but once you learn it.s their nature, it doesn.t bother you as much. Read the book, Ticking with the Swiss, you.ll understand and it.s a pretty good read. Becky and Jeff get to learn a lot from it, I did!

Stage 17 - Zurich to Gersau - 95 km

2007-08-31T15:54:00.000+02:00

Todaz.s mission accomplished+ (I.m back on a Euro kezboard...). Today I wanted to get about 100k back in the legs and test my rear wheel. I did both! Becky rode with me to Zug and got to experience a little of on road, on path, back on road, back on path, type of touring I have been doing. It started off with gravel on the path, so we got on the road. We happened to cross the path later on and got back on it. This goes on and on almost each day for me on this trip, but that.s why I say I.m never lost, I don.t really know where I.m going! So I headed south to Luzern and saw the old wooden bridge that makes it famous, or at least to me. I can also remember this bridge from '01. Then I had an awesome ride along the north part of the See (since they are a landlocked country, I think they call lakes the 'See', just to make them feel like they have SOME water). The road hugs the shore most of the way and it is a spectacular view of it closer to where I am staying now in Gersau! I would come back here for sure! The hostel is right on the water, but I came to the adjoining hotel (VERY nice) to have lunch and use the puter. I.m going back to take a swim and hang out by the water! Should be nice! Tomorrow will be a climbing day to Biastica (spelling?) as I head further south towards Lake Como. Until my next internet stop, ciao!

I got my days messed up when uploading, this is Gersau to Biasca, will fix later...

Somewhere in between Gersau and Schwyz

The first section of switchback climbs between Wassen and Andermatt, with lots of traffic.

The second section of climbs beyone Andermatt, Gotthardpass is out of the picture, but somewhere THAT way!

The last 3k of the climb to Gotthard, side road.

The rubber side down!

The many switchbacks on the 12k cobblestone decent after the top of the pass.

MOOOO!!!!!

More rain....

2007-08-30T20:32:00.000+02:00

What else can I say? More rain, and it sucks! We got a few things done around here, they are still unpacking from their move, but the rain didn't let Becky and I go cycle touring. The weather forecast calls for SUN for the next week, so I am heading out tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it too, not because I want to leave my great company, but because I'm ready for some more adventures! So stay tuned, it could be a wild ride! I do have one thing to find out..... What do girls at strip clubs do for tips? I now know why the USA has one dollar bills, so they stay in the garter. But over here, they have 1, 2 and 5 CHF (Swiss Francs) in COINS. I know they won't fit in a garter, so your trusty reporter is dead set to find out what they do with them thar (!) coins! Stay tuned!

Rain, rain, rain - Zurich

2007-08-29T16:12:00.000+02:00

Becky and I were going to take off for Gersau today, but rain has socked us in. The forecast was for 90% chance, and it has lived up to that 100%! So I woke up late, had brunch, then went back for a ciesta. Now we are going to the Post to drop off my backpack and postcards, then meet Martina (Jeff's running partner in the Inferno race) for dinner. Hopefully we won't melt between now and then......

Yesterday we went to the bike shop and had them true my wheel. He didn't even ask when I wanted it back, he did it right then. I was very pleased with that! So then we rode into Zurich along the bike path and even went by Jeff's office at ING by chance. We had a nice sight seeing tour around the new city and old. I think the old has a lot of character, especially when you have a Starbucks on one corner and a Sex Shop on the other! Are we still in Amsterdam?? Then we rode back in a light rain shower and just chilled out here at the apartment, listening to some good Country music!

So my plan is to make it to Gersau tomorrow where we will stay at the youth hostel, then I will ride further south heading toward Italy. Becky will either ride back here or take the train, but this will probably be the last time I see them on this trip. Although I do think they should move to Berlin, or some place like that where I am heading! I will probably just dip into Italy at Lake Como then stay in St. Moritz on my way to Austria. So like I said from the beginning of this trip, the last few weeks are foot loose and fancy free. Thanks for riding along with me, it's great to have you all along.

Truin' and screwin'

2007-08-27T20:49:00.000+02:00

Off and away from Schwyz.

I'm not sure what was so funny, but Jeff spent a lot of time doing a damn good job truing my NEW wheel.

I don't think that a spoke should look like spaghetti, and most of the non-drive side looked like these....

And here is the video of how bad it was. With Kenny Rogers version of "You Picked A Fine Time To Leave Me LOOSE Wheel" playing in the background, sort of....

Off and away again, I hope my wheel lasts to the next train station....
On the way to Pragelpass.
Pragelpass off in the distant cradle.

This is what Becky and Jeff look like at the end of the day, climbing to their home. NO THANKS, get a car!

But the reward is well worth it! I'm up for adoption if you guys are taking!
Not a bad view at all!!

This is the way you go to dinner in Europe!

Jeff can true, I can screw, furniture that is! I hope it's a fair trade off, I was able to finish the ride yesterday and he gets a table, two chairs and a dresser put together while he's working to pay for them!!!

First month recap

2007-08-25T17:17:00.000+02:00

16 "official" Stages, 90 km average Stage, 1933 km total since arriving in Copenhagen, 24-25 kph average speed, one replaced chain, 2 sets of brake pads, one new rear wheel (replaced yesterday after shop owner pointed out the CRACKS in my rim at a number of spokes), new bar tape, one asshole driver that got the bird, 5 countries ridden in (Denmark, Holland, Germany, Austria, Swiss), 5 sets of friends/family visited, 3 Stages in the rain or at least partially, 3 "cheater" days on the train, mainly because of rain (Heidelberg to Ulm, Garmisch to Rette, and Lindau to Disentis), 2 epic passes, many meters elevation gained, a lot of good bier, many Euros and Francs spent, and a partridge in a pear tree.

My week in Thun, Switzerland

2007-08-25T11:42:00.000+02:00

This has been a fabulous week with the Sommer's. I can not thank them enough for their hospitality and kindness. I am already sad to leave but looking forward to seeing the Grant's tomorrow. They have an 80 km route planned for us and we will meet at the train station near their home then continue by train to our starting town. To recap the week, on Monday I was a vegetable; Tuesday I toured Thun; Wednesday I got a massage and toured Thun some more; Thursday I rode to Bern to tour the city with Christian, then rode back in the RAIN; Friday I took the ferry to Interlaken, then had an AWESOME dinner at the SusAdi Restaurant, Saturday I went WAKEBOARDING on Thuner See. Pics are below:

The view of Thuner See from the Sommer's veranda.

The castle in Thun on the river Aare.

Two or three times a day, Adi takes his hunting dogs Falno and Talla on a walk. The Swiss are also big on hunting for mushrooms and I was fed handsomely this week with their fresh catch!

This is Adi and hunting partners' lodge that they use. Hunting season starts next weekend and Adi and colleagues are busy preparing for the first hunt.

The Munster Cathedral along the river Aare.

A view from the top of the Munster. The three clock towers show where the outer walls were after expanding the city to these borders. Bern is only 800 years old.

The infamous, and well fed, Bern bears!

A view of Thuner See from the ferry.

"Delightfully tacky, yet always UNREFINED". Interlaken, Switzerland

The USFDA asked that I make sure the food was up to par. The wings were perfectly American, although the waitresses are not.....

My dinner "date", Catherine! We had a very delicious dinner and the company was exceptional!

The very tired but appreciated, Adi and Susan Sommer. Thank you again for a wonderful time!

I HAD to say I.ve been on the lake in Europe, at least once! The water was too choppy for me to slalom. And considering the lake will be gone and it.ll be October when I get back, I had to do it!

This picture might have to be framed, what a backdrop!

Marc from Michigan, but living and working in Switzerland, shows Matt, Josh and I how to wakesurf. I hope you guys have figured it out since I.ve been gone. We need a better WAKE, look at the size of this Malibu!

What to bring.....

2007-08-23T21:13:00.000+02:00

So I figured Part Deux should be about WHAT to bring, so here it is:
-Basically, two of about everything. 2 socks, 2 boxer shorts, splurge for 3 shirts that are easy to dry (two of my shirts are DryFit type and have 'picked' very easily, so they look pretty worn now), shorts with liner (good for swimming, but not good for tourist riding, chaffing....), zip off pants that convert to shorts (these are the BEST), 2 sets of cycling apparel; nothing cotton.
-Rain jacket with hood, rain chaps (didn.t know they existed before), long sleeve shirt (will be used often, but doesn.t have to be washed often, SmartWool), towel that compresses easily and dries quickly like a shammy (not used often, only for going to the beach or at Youth Hostels).
-2 tubes, a few Clif Bars (but you can buy more at bike shops), CamelBak electrolyte tablets (instead of powder mix, these are packable and 1 per bottle, new product that I found) Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte pills - 120/bottle.
-iPod with external speakers (I thought Bryan was crazy for packing these speakers for his trip, but they will be your new best friend when you get to your hotel. Have a Playlist called 'Chill' with Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Natalie Merchant, Kenny Chesney 'Old Blue Chair', reggae/island music, blues, downtempo/trip hop genre, etc. on it. Very good for when you get to your daily destination and needing some soothing music!!!)
-Vitamin I (Ibuprofren), 1 A Day Vitamins, basic toilietries with soap & shampoo (although you can pick things up along the way), GPS, mine is a TomTom One (TT).
I.m sure there are other things that I have forgotten already, but here are some of the basics.

My typical day

2007-08-22T09:38:00.000+02:00

Not that anyone has asked, but here has been a typical day cykel touring. I hope that this and the blog itself will inspire others to make this same type of journey, it.s really not that hard.
- Get up between 7-8:00. I always wear ear plugs at night, strange places, strange noises. So wake up time varies. But don.t bother trying to get an early start because all of the places I have been have breakfast included, or optional, and don.t start serving until 7:30 at the earliest, but typically 8:00.
-Eat a piece of bread with cheese, ham (or something that resembles a meat product!) and a little honey. Eat a piece of bread with strawberry jelly. Eat a bowl of muesli, corn flakes, etc. or yogurt with muesli. Possibly eat another piece of bread and jelly, but drink a whole lot of good strong coffee. They will ask you when you get to your table if you would like coffee or tea.
-PACK. This is the part of the day I hate the most. Since my casual shoes (KEEN sandals) go at the bottom of my panniers, I have to take EVERYTHING out to get to them in the evening. Based on weight, size, etc., they should go at the bottom. But, this requires repacking everything each morning, which is a pain and takes about 20 minutes.
-9-11:00 get on the road. Depending on your destination, kilometers, how the head and legs feel, etc. you may or may not get an early start. So depending on such, eat lunch when you.re hungry. I have found the Imbiss/kabap places to be like our Moe's, but not exactly. You get a decent meal that will fill you up for cheap, and it.s basically a Gyro by the way.
-Sight seeing can be done along the way at AOB.s, but my problem is worrying about my bike and bag being stolen. So I typically just take a picture and keep rolling. To me, this trip is about seeing and experiencing a lot of the countryside, not going into all of the tourist places. If I am in a town for the evening that has cool places to go, then do it then. But if/when you do stop, have all of your REAL valuables in your handlebar bag. My bag is probably worth more than the bike and most of my stuff anyway.
-About 4:00 or earlier you should have a destination town in mind and hope to be getting there soon. Small towns can fill up quick if you.re not careful. Most of the places I have stayed are single beds and you pay a singles price. Unlike the U.S. where you pay the double price regardless. Most places have been between €30-40 including breakfast. Look for a Gasthaus or Pension or something that says Zimmer 'Frei'. Which means Room 'Open' or 'Available'. If you see Zimmer 'Belegt', you.re S.O.L., move on to the next place.
-Wash your clothes and wring the hell out of them, 1st thing before you even wash yourself. You will wash your cycling clothes every day and your tourist clothes as needed. I don.t recommend taking your best cycling clothes, but if they are the most comfortable then do it. I went for comfort because my older stuff isn.t. I thought I bought the appropriate socks for walking around town in my sandals and also for cycling, but these SmartWool socks don.t dry very easy. I have two of everything to wear, so if it.s still wet just strap it on the outside of the bag to dry while you ride.
-Find the local grocery market for water and other things. They tpically close by 7:00 and are never open on Sunday. I have played water roulette about every time I have gone into the market. I don.t always find the same brand and unless it says 'Still', 'Natural' or 'Sport', don.t get it, it will be carbonated water. But even then I have bought one of these and it still has a hint of gas. But buy some trail mix type stuff because you never know when you won.t find lunch and a Cliff Bar just isn.t doing it for you anymore! Or, it.s great to have as an appetizer in your room with a small bottle of wine, which I do regularly. Unless you go to a gas station, you won.t find single cold beers in the market. If you can find prepared meals at the market, have that for dinner, but I did not find this as easy as in the U.S.. They don.t have already prepared sushi or salad bars like Kroger, which is one of my staple dinners back home!
-If you didn.t find anything at the market, cruise town either by bike or walk. I feel better riding around town with my lock and without my bag, so taking the bike is a great option for touring a city really quick in the afternoon/evening. If you are bad with your sense of direction, take the GPS with you, always! Dinner is roulette as well, although I have figured out some of the menu.
-After dinner, do some more walking/biking around town. This is one of the best parts of touring solo, just soaking in the sights and sounds and it.s quiet. Not that having someone with you isn.t great, but the experience is different. But don.t forget to get a two scoop gelatto for your stroll!

I.m sure there is more that I.ll think of later, but maybe this will inspire someone to take the plunge and come across the pond! If you want to come over for my last 4 weeks of the trip then COME ON, it.s pretty easy!

Greetings from Thun

2007-08-21T20:11:00.000+02:00

Ahhhhh, it is so nice to see familiar faces and to RELAX! My legs are in need of attention, so I have a massage appointment for tomorrow and I.m looking forward to it! Yesterday was rain, rain, and more rain. A great day to stay inside. The only time I got out was to go with Adi to walk the dogs, Talla and Falno. Talla is a sweet black (but actually tan) lab, and Falno is a vivacious Collie. He.s a hard one to tame, but Adi gets that task! Today I went into town and bought two books (James Patterson, thanks TNV!), got my hairs cut, walked around a bit, stopped at the bike shop (service set up for Friday), had a big lunch with Adi and Susan, walked the property that Adi hunts for deer and wild mountain goats, drove around looking for signs of wildlife (reminded me of many times driving around Union County with Jason, looking for deer, or the next great 'Blue Hole'), saw a deer and a fox, got back and read my book some more (already half way through the first one), and now having a drink and enjoying the view from the upstairs window overlooking Thuner See! Tomorrow we will go into town for dinner, then Thursday I will go to Bern to see Christian and Rolf. Friday I am fortunate enough to be in town for dinner at SusAdi Restaurant! Susan and Adi put on dinner for any of 16 people that sign up in time, three times a month! Susan has 'pimped' me out, so I have a date! I am in for a real treat, because so far it has been like eating at a restaurant with them. They are both experts at searching for 'shrooms, good 'shrooms, the kind you eat! We had mushroom crepes for dinner last night and they were fantastic! Sunday I will leave for Zurich to visit with the Grant.s.

For those wondering, the Sommer and Bell family go back 15 years. Adrian.s son, Sven Martin Sommer, was our guest as an exchange student in 1993. And yes, he is a proud gradiet of Onion County High! We visited his family in the winter of '94, and it was my first trip to Europe. Now my 5th time back, and 3rd to Switzerland, it only gets better with age! Unfortunately Sven is no longer with us on this Earth, but in a place that God intended him to be. I feel fortunate to have known him, and to be a part of his family as well. Here.s to you all that are reading and the ones you love. Cheers, Sven!

Stages 15 & 16 - Meiringen to Thun - 95 km total

2007-08-19T22:59:00.000+02:00

It.s getting late here, so I should retire for the evening. But here are some photos from the past few days, and also all other recent blogs have been updated with photos and editorials as needed. The Sommer family says hello!

Stage 14 - Meiringen to Murren - 45 km

My first view of Brienzer See. One of the two lakes on either side of Interlaken.

The Eiger, or Monch, or Jungfrau, not sure which.

I believe it is the Eiger and Monch.

Becky on our hike up the mountain!

Jeff and his new "running" partner, Martina from Zurich. I.m not exactly sure how you run straight uphill, but he was still happy doing it by this point in Murren. I was very impressed with his 14 hour overall time.

The Schiltorn finish line of the Inferno race, as it is called. I am glad the tram ride up was free today, otherwise 70 Franc is pretty steep. Pun intended!

The last few meters before the top and finish line! :( That looks STEEP, and if you fall, it.s into the abyss below the clouds!
The two competitors, and me, enjoying a post race 'carbo load'!

Stage 15 - Murren to Thun - 50 km

Susan, Sarah, Christian, Adrian, Miriam

I can remember this fall vividly from my first visit to Lauterbrunnen in '01. But with the amount of rain they have had this year, the fall was exceptionally grand!

I thought my trek to Thun would be pretty flat, but I took the northern route across Thuner See instead. I was at 'See' level about 8 km ago, today was more challenging than I thought it would be for only 50k!

Stages 13 & 14 - Stein am Rein to Meiringen - 182 km total

2007-08-17T18:26:00.000+02:00

Sorry, didn.t have cell or internet yesterday. All is well in Meiringen, Switzerland. I.m going to watch, or try to, Jeff Grant.s quadathlon from Thun to the Schiltorn. But had a great ride today with Rolf, and it rained yesterday. I will have to report when I get to Thun where I will be staying with the Sommers, may not get internet tomorrow either..... Will try and stay in Murren near the Grants. Ok, this internet cafe is closing, I will try and find another after dinner. Life is good!

Stage 12 - Stein am Rein to Disentis - 85 km by bike, 150 km by train
I rode the southern half of the Bodensee and fortunately got an early start. It started raining around noon, and didn.t let up. So I took the train to Chur, got off, then decided I needed to keep going because it was over 275 km to Murren where I would meet the Grant.s. I took the train as far as I could to Disentis and bedded down for the night. Judging by the scenery, I didn.t miss too much and missed all of the rain.

It reads, ATTENTION FART EXIT. Uh, huh, huh!
Along the southern Bodensee, near Lindau.

Stage 13 - Disentis to Meiringen - 97 km
I knew today would be a true climbing day, which was the other reason I wanted to get further along on the train. If I hadn.t gone as far as I did by train, I wouldn.t have made it to Murren for sure. It was overcast and rather chilly and I had thoughts of a warm train ride instead. But then my new friend Rolf cruised by pulling his B.O.B. trailer. This was about 8k into the ride and I was just getting warmed up so I was then keeping tempo with him. I rolled up beside him and we started talking. He was heading to Meiringen and said it was about 100k. So we talked and had a great time getting to know each other. There is comfort in misery with a compatriot, so we climbed, and climbed.... The first pass was the Oberalp, but I.m not sure of the distance or elevation gain. At the top we sipped cappuccino and tea, put on more clothing, then bombed down the other side. It was about 7 degrees Celsius at the top, or mid 40.s Fahrenheit. We rolled through Andermatt and on towards the Sustenpass, the mother of all climbs so far on this trip. It was about 18k with about 3600` elevation gain. It kept going and going for a long ways. I thought I could see the top, but once we got to that point, there was still another section just as long with switchbacks at the top! Near the top Rolf picked up the pace to 10 kph to try and stay warm, and get to the next coffee and pastry stop ahead. Then we froze down the other side, me without enough clothing, especially hand and feet protection. It wasn.t raining, but when you.re in the clouds, there is still plenty of mist. At the end of the ride we were both thanking each other for the company and I confessed that I had thought of riding the train earlier in the day, but now glad that I hadn.t. Thanks Rolf, see you in Bern this week!

Rolf!

Sustenpass - The road continues up through the clouds on the lower left, with two sections afterwards. We were only about 5k into the climb at this point.

A little culture in Meiringen. The good thing about band music is that it.s multi-lingual, especially with a bier! This town is very quaint and lies in the valley between two mountain ranges. There were waterfalls everywhere and it was an overall breath taking sight.

Stage 12 - Friedrichshafen - Stein am Rein - 97 km

2007-08-15T17:09:00.000+02:00

Man, yesterday was a pain trying to find a place to stay. I knew I didn.t want to stay in Lindau, too many tourists, but it wasn.t until about 6:00 before I found a place. I didn.t go to the Zeppelin museum, I guess leaving off all of these tourist things to do gives me a reason to come back! That has been one of the good things about this trip, I get to see the towns in a more "raw" sense and it helps me know where I will come back to and where I won.t! I got out of the main touristy area on the north (German) side of the lake, and now I am on the NW Swiss side. Very cute little town here, I think it.s worth a stop so far. I usually tour the town a little before and after dinner. I saw one of many "public" beaches along the path before I got into town so I went back there for a few hours. It.s a public beach, as long as you pay the 2.50 Euro! Fortunately it wasn.t a nude beach, I don.t believe I saw anything that I would have wanted to see without a bikini, banana hammock, one-piece, SOMETHING! But the water was very cool and it was good to get a dip in the Bodensee then catch some rays, read my book, listen to some tunes and just chill. I wish the Nautique were here, I really miss skiing and wakeboarding! Hopefully Dave and Toby are getting enough sets in for me. I haven.t seen too many ski boats on the lake, mostly sail boats and a few cabin cruisers. Tomorrow I plan to head back towards Lindau then toward Chur, we.ll see how far I get. Til next time, ciao, adios, tschuss!

All of the buildings are true timber construction, with age to show for it.

Many buildings had these murals painted on the sides, similar to Garmisch.

I wonder if the original Builder would warranty the sagging roof and timbers, only a couple of hundred years later!

Tour of Germany Stage 5 start Sonthofen - Friedrichshafen

2007-08-14T22:17:00.001+02:00

Went to Tour start but will report later! Now I'm in the land of Zeppelin, w/o the Led. May try & make it all the way around Bodensee tomorrow, too many tourists & harder to find a place to stay now. Time to finish my bier & read my book, or order another! PROST!

Tom Danielson. He was a SUPER nice guy. I asked if he was feeling better since his long time bug and illness, and he said, `Yes, much better, thanks for asking`.

The previous day.s Stage winner in Sonthofen, Damiano Cunego.

Paolo `Il Grillo` Bettini, current World Champion, stud.

Captain America himself, George Hincapie. I asked him how Pla d`Adet, his development in Greenville was going. I might just have to submit my resume!

Is that Paul `P. Gibby`Gibbons? Nope, our own American Bobby Julich!

Current yellow jersey wearer, and eventual overall winner, Mr. Jens Voigt! Molly, Jens said to look him up when you.re in town! :)

Tour of Germany Stage 4 - Reidsbergpass

2007-08-13T21:10:00.000+02:00

I saw many of kilometers of this sight. Thanks "age is relative" German dude!

Wow, what a day. I need my 'liquid stretch', AKA Endurox. To try and make a quick recap: Km 25, got passed by an old guy in his late 60.s, maybe early 70.s. Doesn.t speak much English, but at about km 35 decided I would ride with him to the Reidbergpass, the extended route. He pulled, and pulled, and I didn.t complain. MANY undulating hills and I was the passenger. I pulled through once, but he didn.t pull off until about km 60. I guess since I was still there, he figured I was ok. Km 75, finally stopped at a town fountain to get water. Km 90, I told him to keep going, I was cooked and needed food. Didn.t find food, only the Hammer Strength Endurolythes, my last Honey Stinger, and a package of Euro Trail Mix. I climbed the final 5k at 16% avg. grade and found my new friend near the top, clapping for me. Thank God for a triple, I used it! We watched Levi come through with Davide Rebellin and eventual winner Cuneog. Then saw Tommy D., then BIG George, then Jason McCartney, all scattered across the mountain. Cyclingnews reported on the crash of the Unibet rider crashing on the decent, and I got to see the paramedics working on him. Or I did as I braked heavily going into the same corner. This was probably the toughest decent I have ever encountered. The turns were atrocious, and the pavement horrible. I can see why Levi lost 5 seconds in the finale and am surprised that George made it back to finish 10th. I may ride a lot, as do a lot of my friends, but I still can.t understand how these guys can do the job they do. It.s hard NOT to think of doping, because I could use some testosterone today, if it will help me recover for tomorrow. I want to believe in these guys, but it.s really hard to. Tomorrow I will go to the start, then probably take the train to Lindau. I need a rest day. Oh, 112 km in the books, with a whole lot of climbing attached to a man that has my respect, although I don.t know his name. A speedy recovery to all who raced in Dahlonega this past weekend. Cheers!

The lead group, with Levi tucked in close to the back.

The third or fourth group, with BIG George!

The grouppetto some minutes back.

Stage 11 - Nesselwang to Bolsterland - 50 km

2007-08-12T16:28:00.000+02:00

Bernd says thumbs up for HOOTERS. I couldn.t disagree. He really liked our fine dining establishment in the States!

Today was only 50k, but still a little tough fully loaded. Today was a true 'Gap' day, as there were more cyclists on the curvey roads in this area. I haven.t seen this many people riding since Amsterdam. And I may have pissed off a local after he passed me on a very steep decent. I do have to worry about pot holes, more than usual. But when I got on his wheel he didn.t look pleased. So, I passed him back and just put the hammer down! Now I am in a very quaint town overlooking the valley with large Alpine mountains surrounding me. This town is on a small plateau, but it was a grind to get up here! My very quick tour through the village awarded me lunch and being able to watch many dozens of paragliders. I may have to take dad.s advice and try it, tandem. The finish/start town of Sonthofen is about 8k north and I will go by there tomorrow and see if Phil and Paul are hanging around the finish. I spoke with Phil Liggett at the '03 Tour on Alpe d'Huez and he.s a really nice guy in person. I have a route mapped out on TT that says will be a 78 km loop and the Tour goes over the Reidbergpass around 16:00. I.m sure Versus isn.t carrying any live coverage, but look for me on Sunday! Time for dinner, ciao!

My view in Bolsterland. Not bad!

My first of MANY days watching paragliders. If anyone wants to send $150 so I can do this tandem, my address is.......

If anyone knows the significance of these totem poles, please let me know. With the dead X-mas tree on top, I can possibly guess, but these things are everywhere in Bavaria.

Stage 10 - Garmisch to Nesselwang - 25 km!

2007-08-11T17:51:00.000+02:00

Is cycling 25km a Stage? So it.s cold and raining, all day. I tried waiting the storm out, but by noon, it was still on me. So I took the train west as far as I could, then cycled the rest in the rain. I don.t know why, but once I get a place to go in mind, I.m hard pressed not to find a way to get there. Call it determination, or stupidity, I.m not sure which. But the owner.s a cyclist and even cleaned and lubed my chain after we put it in the garage. He used to race as an amateur, but quit about 2 years ago. He is going to watch the German Tour on Monday as well, but by motorcycle. He.s put on a few pounds and doesn.t ride much. Thanks to my pop for booking a place near the finish and start stage in Sonthofen for me! Tomorrow will be a short 40 km ride to my abode for the next two nights, so I think the ex-racers will have a few beers tonight! Monday I plan on doing a long loop and coming back around to the Cat 2 Riedbergpass to watch the boys come through. Then the following day I will go to the start and see if I can talk to anyone "I know". Gotta run.

Stage 9 - Landsberg to Garmisch - 115 km

2007-08-10T18:34:00.000+02:00

"RIIIIIIIIIIICOLA" OK, so maybe I.m not in Swiss country, yet, but that.s what I felt like yelling today. OK, I actually did, but no one was around, I think, damn, maybe I.m wrong, oops, run on sentence... I am out of the flat country and into the friggin' ALPS baby! Man, I think I.m closer to heaven, physically and spiritually in a sense. Today was one of my best so far, but I think the mountains have the most to do with that. The other areas have been great, even the boring past two days. But they were exciting in different ways and I got to see some places not many Americans will see, or probably should. Just kidding! The first 40k were flat, but there were some really steep parts for the last 75k that I am glad to have granny gear for. I do not recommend a double compact crank for touring. I thought about doing that with my Cannondale, but I am glad that I bought the Trek touring bike for this trip. Oh, today felt like a "no chain" day, literally. I was track standing at a light and then mashed the pedals when it turned green and I about yelled more than Ricola. Fortunately there was a shop less than 100 yards away and it was worth €35 for a new chain and piece of mind. I wish I could show some pics from today, although they still don.t do justice without the panorama effect and the clarity isn.t as good either, and you don.t get the smells of fresh cow pies, and, and, and wish you were here! Tomorrow I head toward Fussen on the way to Lindau. I will try and see Birdseye, or Birchenshit, or some place Hitler was my dad told me to go to. Hopefully I can find it on the map, or TT. And, I may get to see a Pro Tour event, the Tour of Germany! I think I have it planned to watch Stage 4 on Monday, but we.ll see how that goes depending on where I am. There is a Cat 2 climb that is 20k from the finish that ought to be good to watch, as long as I.m not going up there fully loaded. Ok, time to go get loaded. PROST! B2

Although the picture doesn.t do justice, it was my first view of the Alps!

I.m THIS happy to be in the Alps!

One of the many murals painted on the buildings in the town of Garmisch.

A view of the church steeple at night.

Stages 7 & 8 - Ulm to Landsberg am Lech - 140 km total

2007-08-09T18:44:00.000+02:00

Rain, mud and ass-less chaps!

It was forecasting to rain yesterday through next Tuesday, so I went to the bike shop and bought a set of waterproof ass-less chaps. Basically, that.s what they are, but they work! I checked out at noon and fortunately it quit raining about 12:30. Unfortunately the bike path map I have did not show that the path along the Iller river is dirt and gravel. I looked like hell, and so did my bike, after about 15k. So I got off the path ASAP and whipped out TT and made it to Erkheim for the night, only about 65k in the record books. This area is like S. Georgia, minus the trailers and clay. There are plenty of corn fields and cow pies, as far as the eye can see! That is basically what the last two days have looked like, as the pictures will attest. It is surprising that even in these rural towns, all of the homes look respectable. People actually take care of their shit here. Today was more of the same, cow pies and corn, but this time I got on plenty of the wrong paths. But between TT and my map, I was able to make it to Landsberg. Unfortunately it wasn.t as far as I wanted to go, but after so many "off course" adventures, I was ready to bed down. My goal is to make it to Garmisch tomorrow, but judging by today, that won.t happen. The paths in this part of the country are marked, sort of...... Either I missed a few, or they just aren.t where they are supposed to be. So patience is a virtue when it comes to cycle touring down here, but that.s ok I don.t have to be in Thun until the 19th! I could go on and on, but as my family would say, just get to the point. The point is, I.m having a good time, regardless of everything that comes my way! Til next time, keep the rubber side down.

Folks, on your left, corn. Down the middle, bike path. On your right, shed. Over and over and over......

Hmmm, imagine that, more fields.....

City Zentrum (Center) Landsberg

Landsberg "falls"

Props to my boy, and gal! I wonder if they haul Porche ass?

Travel day - Ulm, Germany

2007-08-07T19:11:00.000+02:00

First of all, I would like to thank Tim, Tammy and Zachary Greene for welcoming a stranger to their home and cooking me a fantastic steak dinner! Tammy asked if I.d like baked or mashed potatos, I of course said MASHED! Man, I miss southern cookin'. Tim has got to know more about German history then most of the Germans themselves. Thanks for the history lessons Tim!
So yesterday I toured the Schloss Castle and pretty much just the places in downtown Heidelberg. I got a pass to see a few places and rode the bike to get to them. It.s so much easier being able to go where you want to, and not have to figure out the local "strasse" (trains). I drank a beer with 33% alcohol in it, and it was pretty good. It.s called Vetters 33 and it looks like a stout, but tastes really sweet. Odd, but I liked it! So after playing tourist I got on the net to try and decide where I was going next. My original plan was to go to Italy, but I just don.t feel that compelled to go, at least not right now. I went back over to the Greene.s and we went and had a really good Italian dinner, then walked around the neighborhoods. I wish we had city planners in Atlanta like they did\do in Germany. There were little parks on about every other block. And not just tiny ones, really cool ones with awesome swing sets and jungle gyms. Then we got on the net & Tim talked me into sticking around southern Germany, which didn.t take much convincing either! I.ve had a great experience in this country, so I might as well stay. That, and there are bike paths everywhere and not as many in Italy.
So I took the train to Ulm and went to the church in the center of town, which is the main attraction. It has the tallest spire of all churches, or that.s the claim to fame. I toured the city and found a bookstore with bike path maps. It also includes recommended B&B.s to stay at, so I have a reservation about 60 km from here for tomorrow. It will probably be hit or miss for a while on internet connections, I think I.m going to be in some small towns for a while. But the plan is to make my way down to Garmisch then back over to Lindau (Bodensee), then on my way to Interlaken by the 18th or 19th. So all is well from Euro, I.m just taking it easy! Peace.
P.S. - I added some pics from the last week that you can check out now on my older posts, if you didn.t notice already.

Schloss CastleChurch in Ulm. Don.t ask names, I don.t pay attention most of the time....

The inside of the unnamed church in Ulm. Very nice!

Stage 6 - Worms to Heidelberg - 65 km

2007-08-05T15:45:00.000+02:00

"The weather is here, wish you were beautiful." - TNV

From Worms to Mannheim is more off the beaten path as the last 50 km were yesterday..... Mannheim seemed to have a festival going on as well, but I decided to roll on. I got off of the Rhein river route and onto the Neckar river route from Mannheim to Heidelberg, it looks really nice but no boats and there were a LOT of cyclists on the path today. I.m sure it being Sunday has the most to do with it, but it was nice to see people out and about. Not many "young" people out though. So I rolled into town and think I will stay for two days. Looks like a neat place so I should stop and smell the roses! I received an email from Tim and will meet up with him later I suppose. Ciao for now.

Ride that way, boy!

Damn, it was SO good!

Stage 5 - Boppard to Worms - 156 km

2007-08-04T18:38:00.000+02:00

I.ve got Worms, and I.m proud of it! Today was a little longer than I had planned, but what have I actually planned so far anyway? I departed my new friends in Boppard and promised that my parents would be back there before I would! But then again, you never know! My goal was to get to Mainz and see what it looked like from there. It was a very nice portion of the Rhine to cycle, or up to about 10 km from Mainz. When I got there, it was definitely not what I had in mind, so I grabbed a quick bite at a convenience store and took off further south with Grensheim in mind. The last 15 km before Grensheim were dirt, and at times I wish I were on my mountain bike. But fortunately with 36 spokes and a wide enough tire, I was able to manage. What I was really hoping was to spot a nude sun bather, female of course, along the way. Since leaving Mainz the river seems less travelled and the path is more secluded. I.m not sure what the difference is, must not be enough AOB.s for people to see. So I got to Grensheim and they were having a festival with ferris wheel rides, throw your money at junk and get a shitty prize, that kind of thing. I thought SWEET, this will be the place to be! Unfortunately in a really small town, this means there isn.t many places to stay, and I only found one, and was not interested. So I whipped out TT and pointed myself towards Worms. I figured 130 kms down, what.s another 20? I got the last room at this decent hotel for €46 including breakfast. I.m just glad I found a place as the other 3 were filled. I.m not sure what my plan is for tomorrow but my original plan has been to end in Mannheim which is maybe 50 km away. I may try and hook up with Tim Green in Heidelberg and I don.t even know him! He.s the army brother of Jeff Green that I know in Atlanta. There.s a surprise email for both of you if you.re checking the blog first! I think that.s it.... Later

Tourist day on the Rhein

2007-08-03T17:41:00.000+02:00

"Look kids, Parliament, Big Ben." So I was talked into playing tourist today. The hotel owner conned me into coming back here for the night after seeing Brigden and Bacharach. I was going to cycle down and back, but WHY when you can ride the train! So I figured out how to buy a ticket on the platform and get on the right train on the right platform. A little more confusing than it sounds, but not too difficult, even though I can.t read a lick on the machine. Both towns were nice, not much to go into without pictures, just more AOB.s. It was nice, but I learned also that cycle touring is cheaper than regular touristy touring. It cost €15 for a RT ticket, then another €12-€15 to get into the tourist attractions. Cycling cost to ride on the paths, €0! Although I may not get much "cultural" information along the way, I still see some of the same sights and it doesn.t cost a dime, er, Euro. Now I am back for dinner at the hotel, which they only do a couple times per week, they insisted I come so why not! Tomorrow I don.t know how far I will travel, probably to Mainz or near there. If the town looks too big, I.ll just keep going. I found this place by following the 'I' for Information to the town centre and asking them where to stay. I had not tried that before but I recommend doing so for all of you reading and I will probably do the same tomorrow. Time to go drink and be merry, or find Mary! Prost!

Was this staged, or did Klaus make me drink this much? Prost, mom and dad!

Stage 4 - Cochem to Boppard - 83 km

2007-08-02T18:50:00.000+02:00

Wow, thanks for everyone blowing up my Yahoo! Inbox with birthday wishes! I appreciate it, even though I.m not much for birthdays. But it.s very nice all the same! Yes, I am taking the time to change the z to y, when appropriate! I.m tired of it, but oh well!

"DIIIIIING" I.m finally a Euro cyclist, I bought a bell to go on my handlebar. You don.t say "On your left" over here, you just ring your bell and they get the picture pretty quickly, or ring it twice and they really do! Cochem is an awesome little town on the Mosel, I highly recommend it! I went to the Richesburg (spelling?) Castle, but it closed when I got there after 17:00. Oh well, it.s just A.O.B. (Another Old Building), there are a lot of them on my camera that you will get to see when I get back. Last night I had a relaxing dinner and sat out on the veranda reading my book having a drink. Today I made my way toward Koblenz. On the Rhein, the bike path is on both sides of the river, for the most part. On the Mosel, it flip\flops! The guy at the bike shop told me which side to be on, and when to flop, but I assumed it went all the way! The last 15 km was on a some what busy road into Koblenz and I booked it all the way! After the first 60 kms, I averaged 29.26 kph, which is pretty fast with that much load! I will have to admit, I can.t go slow, I don.t think I know how. Maybe group counseling will help, but I doubt it! Cyclist aren.t known for patience or NOT watching their odometer..... It.s a drug, what can I say? So I got to Koblenz and took the ritual picture of where the Mosel and Rhein meet, then I headed south again. By the way, it.s REALLY confusing because the river flows NORTH. Almost every river in the USA flows south. So it.s hard to think of going south when the river is going north, or maybe it.s just me..... With looming storm clouds ahead, I stopped for lunch, for TWO hours. After the rain passed I figured I might as well head south because two cappuccinos later, I was in no position to sit still. So I rode for another 23 kms to this little town of Boppard. Very quaint, and I finally talked with some Americans that are staying here as well. Live in Charlotte, God help them, but nice people. I went to the local grocery store and got dinner for €6.70, including a bottle of Australian Cabernet!!! They must be making a LOT of money off of us in the States if they can sell a bottle for €1.70! Maybe it.s my small town upbringing (Blairstucky), but I love these little towns! Koln and Koblenz were "too big" for my taste, but this town is just right, and the price is right too! I.m staying at a 'Bitte and bike' for €33, including breakfast! The beds are small, but the price is right. And, it has a very homely feel to it. The owners are very nice and even gave me a sample of the local red wine. Very good, surprisingly!

Notes from Europe: No one else wears shorts, except tourists. The women in Denmark are much prettier than in Germany. Too much bratwurst, not enough exercise. I never liked German women anyway! HA! There must be a lot of sex in Koln, with the rabbit population that is.... There were rabbits EVERYWHERE, very weird. No one really acknowledges you on the paths. Hardly a wave or anything when you pass someone, coming or going. I must look like a real tourist when I actually acknowledge someone... Whatever, I won.t see them again, and they couldn.t keep up anyway!

So that.s it for today. I think I may take it easy tomorrow and sleep in, then head to Bacharach. Amy (my lil sis) told me it.s very worth spending a few days there, so I may do so. I did notice the hills from yesterday.s ride, but took some vitamin 'I' which remedied it! So we shall see, I.m on no time frame and I think ahead of schedule. Prost! Ciao! Tschuss!

This is what I thought after 55 k, traveling 29.26 kph!

A view of the Rhein from Boppard. Dinner, gelato and a walk on the boardwalk!

My hostess in Boppard.

Stage 3 - Altenahr to Cochem - 72 km

2007-08-01T16:59:00.000+02:00

This is what I thought of the gravel path to Neuburg at about 8% grade. Yes, I had to use the granny gear.....

Greetings y'all! I have 26 minutes to tzpe this so disregard the z's.... Wow, what a trip. What can I saz? Zesterdaz's post came via text message to mz friend Brzan, which he relazed. Thanks Brz! It has been rather chillz everz morning and evening so far, and doesn.t warm up until after noon. But I.m not complaining because the sun has been out the last two dazs! Unfortunatelz I can.t download pictures on this internet cafe computer, otherwise I.d show zou all a few pics.

I did decide to take the mountain route todaz instead of back tracking. It was worth it! TomTom (just TT in the future) gave me the perfect route, which the ladz at the Inn last night confirmed. Oh, bz the waz, the place was close to a dump, but she spoke English prettz well and I can.t complaing at €30, including breakfast! Anzwaz, I ended up going on mostlz roads todaz, instead of all bike paths!! Whoo, hooo!!! Even though it was hillz, I still went faster than zesterdaz! I am not complaining about the paths, but thez are just slower than the roads. For mz czcling friends, think of the back side of Woodz.s, over and over again. It was just a bunch of continuous small climbs and a few good decents. The last one into Cochem was AWESOME, just like the front side of Woodz.s!!!! I was riding the cars bumpers all the waz down, twisting and turning! What a rush with a lot heavier bike and gear! Anzwaz, I went bz Nurburgring about 25 k.s into the ride, which is a Formula 1 race course, or so I heard. I wish I knew how long it was, but considering how long it took for me to get from one side to the other, I.d saz prettz long. Mark and Rick would have been in heaven as I saw both Porche and Beemers out practicing or just driving the hell out of their own personal cars. And this area must be like the Gaps, because there are crotch rockets everzwhere..... But harmless so far! Tomorrow I plan on going back to the Rhein along the Mosel river which I am stazing on tonight. I splurged a little and got a €66 hotel for the night, but it includes dinner and breakfast. Let.s see, a room and breakfast for €63 or all for €66? Go figure. Ok, I have 4 minutes.... Thanks to everzone for the birthdaz wishes. Fortunatelz it.s just another daz 6' 4" above ground! But I.m in a beautiful place seeing at bz bike. AWESOME. Oh, bz the waz, I have not seen anz Mexicans and hardlz anz Americans. Someone asked, what can I saz? :) Time to go. Til next time, PROST!

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

I think I know where Waylon, Willy and the boys would be, if they were in Germany!

A view of the Mosel river from Reichsburg Castle in Cochem.

A view of the castle from the Mosel.

Stage 2 - Koln to Altenahr - 102 km

2007-07-31T20:21:00.001+02:00

Stage 2 - Koln to Altenahr, 102 km. Great daz, great weather, good but short companz with Harold from Hamburg! Maz take mtn. route to Mosel River tomorrow instead of back tracking to the Rhein about 25 km. Czclists HATE to back track! Later!

Bry

Not a bad trade. He needed an extra tube, I'll always drink a cappuccino!
Here is a view down on the cute town of Altenahr. Pic below is from the ruin overlooking the town.

Don't adjust your screen, I like B & W!

Stage 1 - Dusseldorf to Köln - 82 km

2007-07-30T19:40:00.000+02:00

Rain, not really the way I wanted to start this trip!

I had this idea to write my own WBL version of my ride today, but this keyboard is metal & fixed to the table....... So unfortunately this will probably be a boring €2 (2 Euro, like dollars, but cost more!) post. There is one good thing about not knowing where you are going, you're never lost!!! TomTom can't help too much because I'm not using any roads, but I did reference it a few times just to mke sure I'm heading in the right direction. Basically I went south & kept the Rhine on my right. I waited until 10:00 to leave, after the rain stopped, then took lunch @ 12:30 because it started raining REALLY hard. I call it perfect timing! Not sure of ride time or avg., but it was slow. You really have tp pay attention to the route signs, as it's only a small picture of a bike, and no route numbers on them either. I may have made a slight wrong turn, but like I said, you're not lost if you don't know where you're going!!!!! Tonight I'm in a one bedroom @ a hostel for €39. I paid €42 last night & got to watch CNN. Note to all, ask what the price of breakfast is BEFORE you eat it! I paid €15 for breakfast, at least it was good, although I probably would have eaten more! Breakfast tomorrow is €5!! I'm heading to 'Liz an something' tomorrow or take a side trip to Altenthar (some place like that) if I get there early & don't have anything else to do. Hopefully I can check in there on a better keyboard. Until then I'm going to ausfahrt!!!! BRB

Oh, what a healthy lunch!

Blues traveler

2007-07-29T19:56:00.000+02:00

I made it to Dusseldorf, Germanz todaz! Stupid Euro kezboard..... Anzwaz, no problems with the train and made it to mz hotel without a problem too! The nice German woman pointed me in the right direction for a good German dinner, and it was verz good! A verz cool, relaxed, bar\restaurant. The waiter was patient and a local kid helped me decided on, but what else? Weiner schnitzel! I'm in the land of laderhosen, I might as well get used to it!

Mz title of the "blues" isn't because I am, but because of the music we were listening to this morning and I kept up on the train ride! The Grant's and I had a relaxing morning, me doing laundrz, Beckz fixing breakfast, and Jeff beginning to pack for their move. Zesterdaz we went to the 'mebike' exhibit and got to see some interesting bikes. There were a lot of "chopper" stzle bikes and some other odd things. But we had dinner and drinks, then stazed around until late listening to the band plaz. For me, tomorrow is Stage 1 of Le Tour de Rhein going from Dusseldorf to Cologne (Koln). I guess I don't have much else to report. Until later, Brian!

Holland Windmills

2007-07-28T14:48:00.000+02:00

I found shakers! The 'XXX' doesn't stand for what you might think, especially in Amsterdam. It stands for: X - Heroic, X - Determined, X - Merciful. And they use the three St. Andrew's crosses because he is the patron saint of fisherman.
Here is the triple decker bike parking deck next to the Central Station. Can you say there are a lot of bikes here? They also pull hundreds of bikes out of the canals because people who don't lock their bikes properly could get the bikes thrown over by a passerby.
You can see a few of the modern windmills while on the way out to see the older ones.
Yesterday Becky and I rode out to Zaanse Schans where 11 out of thousands of windmills still stand. Back in the day on the Zaan River, you would see these windmills practically stacked on top of each other harnessing the wind. There were many uses of the windmills, but unfortunately they didn't have a guided tour to tell us all about it. I was able to figure out how some of the internal parts worked together, which was very cool considering that these are ALL wooden structures. Even the "nails" were quarter diameter size pegs made of wood. But this was one of the main reasons I wanted to come to Holland, so I can check that off the list!

Mrs. Becky Grant! And, some old windmill.

Old Brian, and a windmill!

Becky was told that this statue originally held a shovel in his hand, but I'm not sure how you hold a shovel when you're hands are going in different directions! I, on the other hand, found the heavy lifting fairly easy!
Here you can see our buddy TomTom lodged in between the handlebars and the bag. This picture was taken on the ferry coming back from the windmills. Unfortunately, ole' Tommy Boy doesn't know that there are not bike paths on all of the roads it directs us on. So we had to improvise a little, but in the end he redeems himself! I think I will send in a recommendation to TomTom to add these Regional & National bike routes to their maps. I know that all of the countries I am going to have these routes on paper maps, so it would seem they could add them as well.
After a late dinner we past this sign for directions to the bike locker at the Leidse Plein. Jeff and Becky doing their best Wheel of Fortune impression!

So far today we have done some shopping and walking around, now we're just watching Le Tour. Jeff is out on a 6 hour ride through the country with maps and a train ticket to get back! We are going to 'mebike', an artsy cycling exhibit. They will show inovations in art with bicycles and also live music, videos and other attractions for 3 days. So we'll head down there later and check it out. Tomorrow I head for Dusseldorf, Germany to begin my ride along the Rhine. Check out some of the older posts, I have added pictures that I downloaded from the past week. Thanks for the comments from everyone! Cheers!

Amsterdamaged

2007-07-27T12:23:00.000+02:00

"Livin' on Space Cake, watchin' my friend get baked, all of those tourists covered in hash!" Ok, so it wasn't sponge cake, but it was good! As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do! Pretty harmless fun, but these "coffee shops"are everywhere. As well as the Red Light District. Pretty funny sights there, but no sampling! :)

I found a job! Here I am working the counter at Jeff and Becky's local shop. It wasn't CycleWorks, but it was pretty cool place and we got to watch the final 3k's of today's Tour Stage with Bennati taking the sprint, of course. But you have to root for Jens any time he's in a breakaway. Actually I'm sending Sid an email. Thanks for the info man, Jeff appreciates it!

Looks like Venice, "smells" like Amsterdam.

We took the tour of this tower to get a bird's eye view of the city. All 187 steps to the top. It was used as an observation post for incoming ships, watch post for fires and anything else that they needed to do looking down from above. They had a system of bells that would sound the appropriate alarm depending on what they observed.

Howdy from Amsterdam

2007-07-26T12:16:00.000+02:00

Well yesterday's train rides went ok, only a couple glitches. The tickets are NOT clear at all about what train car and compartment you are supposed to be on. And, there is a separate car for your bike. I learned from the conductor on the platform in Copenhagen which car was which and I was able to get a seat after getting my bike onboard. So I'm cruising along enjoying my single cabin compartment when we get to the next stop about an hour into the ride. A very nice couple, and child, were supposed to be in the cabin I was in! They had not come around to check my ticket yet, so they conductor had not told me to move to my ASSIGNED cabin. I'm telling you, there is NOTHING that says what car much less what cabin you are in on these tickets. So I end up sharing a room with an older, nice, Danish gentlemen. I awoke at 4:30 to get off in Hamm at 5:00. I met a guy that had lost his bike because at some point in the night the bike train separated from the train car! He didn't have any Euros, so I bought him a crossiant and myself one and coffee. Thanks for the Euros from Sven and Catherine before I took off, otherwise I wouldn't have had a bite to eat! So I waited on the train to go to my next stop, but it didn't come. Another cycle touring couple, who spoke German, informed me the train was 70 minutes late. When the train showed up, I was then informed by the conductor that the NEXT train was the one I needed. I got on it and ended up in Bad Bentheim where EVERYONE got off the train. The train driver came down and told me I was the only person on the train, and this was the end of the line, he was "turning" around! The next train to Amsterdam came through 2.5 hours later!! So I saw a beautiful castle and had a cheap bite to eat in town. I made it to Amsterdam and let TomTom take me to Stuey's apartment to help get my bearings. I rode around sight seeing until I called him later and he said to me at the HRC, as mentioned previously. TomTom came to the rescue again! Now I'm off to meet Becky Grant for lunch and sight seeing, this time without my panniers, so it will be easier to get around or we'll just walk and ride the tram! C-ya!

"Stuck" in Hamm. Where's my train????

Not a bad "lay over" after all! This is Besichtigung Burg castle.

Stuart and I, good times!

Made it to Amsterdam!!

2007-07-25T23:49:00.000+02:00

Made it to Amsterdam, finally! Not toooo long of a story, but I will post tomorrow. I'm at Stuart Parson's for two days. We met at the Hard Rock Cafe, where he used to work, then wen to The Watering Hole to play pool. Matt, you'll be proud, I beat a local!!! Proost! Ciao.

Rest/Travel day. Copenhagen to Amsterdam

2007-07-24T17:25:00.000+02:00

Here is a picture from the 1st day riding by the Marble Church with the Amalienborg Royal Palaces (4 of them) surrounding the plaza.
The distant spire is the Church of Our Saviour and you can walk ALL the way to the top along the outside of the spire itself! Very cool!
Here is a picture from the next day when we actually climbed the spire (mentioned above). The modern looking flat roof building in the upper right is the Opera House. And the upper left is the Marble Church.
Here I am in front of Frederiksborg Castle in the town of Hillerød. This was along bike route 32 which we took from here to Vejby. Not a very shabby "hunting lodge", as it was referred to back then for King Christian the 4th. If it was built in Denmark, Christian the 4th probably had something to do with it. He put the country into debt, never won a war, but built some magnificent structures.
To give you all a glimpse at the summer cottage backyard which was recently completed. We ate dinner on this portion of the patio. Here I am playing with TomTom!
Jeff and I walked to the beach the following day. This is in the town of Vejby and the boulders you see out in the water were placed there recently so that the little bit of beach you see would exist. Otherwise the shoreline is falling into the ocean, kind of like California. My folks were here years ago while they were placing some of the boulders you see here. My dad's comment was that the piece of machinery wasn't going to last long driving INTO the ocean like it was. I can say today that I'm glad they did what they did, it's beautiful and a great setting. There were MANY sailboats traveling up and down the coast, wish I were on one of them! I'm sure I could have found a salt shaker on one of those and probably some Buffett tunes!

I finally got my reservation for the night train going to Hamm, Germany direct. I leave at 7:00 pm and get there around 5:00 am. I hope I can sleep on a train! I'll make one more connection and then arrive in Amsterdam around 11:00 tomorrow. I'm heading to the train station now!

Copenhagen - Vejby - Copenhagen (C-V-C)

2007-07-24T00:02:00.000+02:00

Today we went to the train station to TRY and reserve my overnight train to Amsterdam. Dad uses www.sbb.ch for checking train station routes, times, etc. I printed out what I thought was the correct connecting trains, but they informed me otherwise. Because I am traveling with a bike I have to take a totally different route and one that will take even longer..... We were about to reserve it when their computers went down! ARRRGGHHH! So I will book it tomorrow morning and hope I get my reservation. Then we drove back to the cottage, had lunch, then I took off for Copenhagen via the coastal route. I stopped by the train station in Helsingør, but to make a long story short, they said they couldn't reserve me because of the bike...... Damn bike! It was a fairly scenic route with the coast and slight tail wind, I made good time. 87 km, 3 hour ride time, 29.5 kmh. I know it's slower than the Pro Tour guys do K-B-K, but I had a good time and didn't run into any problems. TomTom (GPS for those who didn't know (Mom!)) helped me out a little, but it was easy as long as you kept the coast on your left. I did need it once I got into Copenhagen to find Jeff's apartment, so I'm glad I had it and it was a good test. I found a little better way to rig it on my handlebar. Thanks again to Rich for the handlebar bag, if I didn't have this specific bag I would probably have a hard time using TomTom! We went to Mette's again for dinner, but this time we all took it easy on the booze! Skål!!!! Which means cheers in Danish! Soon I'll be saying proost to my friends in Amsterdam! Ciao

Hungover in Copenhagen

2007-07-22T17:18:00.000+02:00

Jeff and I are hungover after a great dinner with Mette and a friend of hers. I think Bjarne was taking it easy, as I probably should have..... Oh well, I got it out of my system and we had a great time. Today it's very rainy so we didn't go to the museum as planned and it's 4:30 and we are just now going out for lunch. But that's what happens when you don't wake up until after 2:00! Today is a perfect day for watching Le Tour and recooperating. Hope everyone is enjoying themselves on a nice Sunday in the States. Ciao!

Back in Copenhagen

2007-07-21T17:38:00.000+02:00

Howdy y'all! We're back in Copenhagen for the night, or two. We are going to Mette's house for dinner so we drove back this afternoon. I think my body is adjusting to the time change fairly well and I'm getting used to Danish time. Both days I have gotten up at 9:45 and stayed up pretty late. Jeff and I walked around Vejby during the day while Bjarne went to a wedding for another school teacher. We walked down to the beach and made a stroll through town, making a stop at the supermarket for orange juice and trail mix. All of the cottages are supposed to be for summer use only, and are taxed accordingly. But, some people stay longer than they are "supposed" to, Jeff and Bjarne included. Jeff showed me a quaint cottage on the beach going for a cool $1.2 million. Both of their homes have tripled in the last 5-8 years, so real estate is pretty good here too! Tomorrow we'll go sight seeing around town then possibly head back to the cottage. Either way, Monday I will take the long way back from the cottage on a solo coastal road, about 50 miles. Until later, B.

The front of the summer cottage

Day 2 - Vejby, Denmark

2007-07-20T23:06:00.000+02:00

Miles and miles and miles of cycling routes!!

Hello from the summer cottage! Jeff and I did a little more cykel touring around Copenhagen and then took the train north to Hillerød where I bought a TomTom. We figured out how to rig it up on my handlebar, but couldn't put it to test at the store. We went to King Christen the 4th's "hunting lodge" and did some sight-seeing there, but didn't go inside. Then rode the Regional Route number 32 to Vejby. It was a very nice 40 km ride, but you really have to watch for the signs that point you in the right direction. I know I'm going to have problems with that on future rides solo, but that will be part of the adventure. Hopefully TomTom will help! When we got to the cottage Bjarne fixed us up with water and our daily dose of gin and tonic, with green tea! I'm sure the tea makes it better for me! I was able to put our idea of rigging TomTom up and it worked. I don't expect to need this very often, but down the road I'm sure I will appreciate having it. Maybe it will help me find a Starbucks, or the closest watering hole!! We had a fine dinner on the rear patio and made a tour of the grounds. They have a really quaint place here and are doing a lot of work to fix it up. I recommended tearing the roof off and putting up some glu-lam beams for their ceiling joists and beams. The roof is sagging pretty bad, and they are already tearing off the ceiling boards to re-insulate, so they might as well do it now. Unfortunately, no salt shakers were found today.... :) Ciao

Nice "lodge"

Dinner is served! Bjarne and Jeff.

Day 1 - Copenhagen, Denmark

2007-07-19T19:46:00.000+02:00

I made it to Denmark! Jeff met me at the airport and we "trolleyed" the bike box on the train back to his apartment (condo). He rolled the suitcase while the front edge of the box rested on top of it. I said, "This is what it must look like when people move in Denmark, cause cars are rare!" After putting the bike together and Jeff fixed breakfast, we rode about 35 km total around town. I got to see quite a bit of the town in about 5 hours and it helped keep me awake! I've been up for almost 36 hours and almost "hit the wall" when we got back home. After a gin and tonic, I think I felt a little better! So we picked up dinner and then met Jeff's friend Mette for after dinner drinks at Tivoli. It's an amusement park that is very popular here, but much different than anything in the States. His pass gets you in to walk around and listen to concerts (when playing) and also to the restaurants and little diners/cafés, and the pass is good for every day. Tomorrow we will ride out to the summer cottage where we will meet Bjarne who is working on remodeling. It's a MAJOR renovation and sleeping arrangements will be ineresting as everything in the kitchen is in the bedrooms! Until later, Brian.

Cousin Jeff. Looks like he's on a News Boy, eh DT?

Marble Church

These "townie" bikes are free! Just put in 20 Crown and then return it to get your money back.

Not to sound like a pig, but beautiful women are on bikes EVERYWHERE!! And there are more women on bikes, then men. I think I found a few salt shakers! I love it!

Paris Hilton sighting for DD!

Tivoli Park

Bon voyage, au revoir, adios, arrivederci, c-ya!!

2007-07-17T16:32:00.000+02:00

To all of my friends and family-
It's time for my epic trip across the pond. Two months of traveling and cykeling (Danish word for cycling!) Europe is about to begin. Some of you will ask, "Why did you quit your job and what the hell do you think you're doing?". And I'd say, I'm just doing what my dad told me to do! Actually, it started because he knew I wasn't completely happy and satisfied in my job and felt that I needed a change. I pondered the idea for a while and decided he was right. Besides, when will I get this chance again? So I put in my notice at Builders FirstSource and now I'm heading out for a wild adventure and an eye opening experience. I hope to come back with some perspectives on my life and the direction it's headed. If not, I'll at least come back with a relaxed state of mind and I'll figure out my direction later! Here is my tentative itinerary:
July 18 - Fly to Copenhagen - spend 5+ days with my cousin Jeff and Bjarne.
July 24 - Train to Amsterdam - spend 2-3 days with Stuart Parson and/or Jeff & Becky Grant
July 27 (+/-) - Train to Dusseldorf, Germany - cykel 300+ miles (5-8 days) of the Rhine & Mosel rivers to Mannheim, Germany
August 5 (+/-) - Train to Lake Como, Italy - find a "base camp" in the Dolomite mountains and day trip thru northern Italy for a week.
August 12 (+/-) - Train to Lindau, Germany (Lake Bodensee) - sight see a few days then cykel towards Thun, Switzerland (near Interlaken)
August 19-25 - "base camp" with Adrian and Susanna Sommer. Cykel/train around Swiss Alps and visit Jeff & Becky Grant in Zurich. (Yes, they are moving from Amsterdam!)
August 26-? - Wild and free vagabond! I know I would like to visit Munich & Berlin and will spend a weekend touring Prague with Petra. Other than that, I have no idea!
September 16-20 - back to Copenhagen to spend a little more time with my cousins again before departing back to the U.S.

I hope you enjoy following my journey and I look forward to sharing even more of my experiences when I return. Feel free to check back as often or as little as you like, hell, I won't know the difference! But this will be my journal that I am able to relive for many years to come. Thanks for going on this journey with me, and feel free to leave any comments as you'd like!

Happy trails,
Brian

PS- If this soul searching isn't enough, when I get back I'm going on a mountain biking trip on the Kokopelli Trail from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT. A 3 day, 142 mile trip with a few buddies. Then maybe go surfing in Costa Rica and then definitely skiing in Colorado. But come February, look out world because I'll be back and more ready than ever!