Ima gonna Wien

Picture updates!


Wittenberg, where Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation.


Giant pod asking for directions to the Bauhaus Museum in Dessau, Germany - the birthplace of modern architecture.


Our last day on the Elbe river, crossed the Czech-German border just after this photo was taken from a small ferry we took across the river. Can you see the castle on the hilltop?! I never thought that hilltop castles would become a common site...

PRAGUE:

Goulash. Mmm.


The John Lennon Wall.


View of the Castle from the Charles Bridge where we later found a Queen tribute band consisting of a singer and an accordion player. We got them to dedicate "I want to ride my bicycle" to us. Amazing.


Wandering around in Prague centre.

So, we left Vienna (Wien) this morning for Bratislava. I won't lie, I didn't know a single thing about Slovakia before we arrived. Many days of riding have passed since I last wrote... in fact, we have crossed through Austria - and tomorrow morning we will be on to Hungary. 4 countries down, 7 to go.

I don't even know how to start recapping without a guarantee of an unreadably long blog... so maybe just some highlights.

Czech Republic
Tabor - we rode here from Prague, but it took us a million years and not only did we get lost, but we did all sorts of circles around the city. We were up and down countless mountains in every direction before we found the place. At one point, we followed signs to some town that started with a 'B' only to find that we had just climbed a huge hill and ridden 15km off course toward the wrong 'B' town (oops). Then we thankfully stumbled upon a sign informing us we were 34 km away from Prague, with our cycling computers telling us we'd ridden 75 km and the time at 5:30pm. Awesome. But at least we weren't the last group to arrive... After bumbling around in the dark for a couple hours the final pod showed up around 11pm to lentil soup warming on the stove. It was a tough night for all the latecomers, as it always is when you ride really slow, get lost, have bike problems or body problems, or do "special k" as we like to call those extra kms you ride when you're not paying attention to signs or you take down the directions incorrectly.


How many agents does it take to find us on a map?


The lovely city of Tabor.


Gene and I arriving 1st to our second night accommodation in Tabor. It is an exciting thing to arrive 1st :)

Our accommodations in Tabor, however, made up for any and all those extra kms. The first night was spent at an artist's collective called CESTA. They had just thrown Tabor's first gay pride parade, were a super cool group, and our time there was packed with great conversation. Our second night in Tabor we switched accom sites and our hosts had a full blown hog roast (the vegetarians fought over the apple in it's mouth). This couple was really excited to host us - they had made a composting toilet and set up outdoor solar-heated showers for us, as well as a covered eating area and dancefloor in their yard. We are a very lucky bunch! Oh, and it thunderstormed like you wouldn't believe and poured rain the entire next day. Boo.


Ceske Budejovice. Doing the "Where am I and how did I get here"?!


Me winning the prize for the most ridiculous flat. If you can't tell, that is my tire completely off the rim and my tube tangled up in my cassette. Oops.

Cesky Krumlov
This place is spectacular. It's nestled in the valley and surrounded by mountains on all sides. It's pretty much the poster city of the Czech Republic, so it's super touristy and kind of expensive... but still one of the lovliest places I've visited. It helped that our host at the Kindergarten where we stayed was the ultimate in hospitality. She just kept bringing us sweets and treats and cut up some curtains for us to use as bike rags. Also, she didn't speak a word of English and teared up when we were all saying goodbye.


Just hanging out at the Kindergarten in Cesky Krumlov, cleaning bikes, eating candy, and loafing in the sun. Ahhhh.


This whole city is a World Heritage site. The ENTIRE city.

Austria
Vienna
Our third day in Austria and we found ourselves in Vienna with a day off! Austria was quite the adventure... Day 1 into Linz was extremely hilly - with a 14km downhill where I went 60km/hr in a 50 zone (haha!). Day 2 into Melk was our first encounter with the Danube and flat as can be but a 155km long day (our longest yet). Then Day 3 into Vienna was a breeze, clocking in at a tame 65km. We went out the first night in Vienna to celebrate the last night of our documentary crew (and a birthday). We ended up at a club in an area called the "Bermuda Triangle", which is funny because that is what we call the Bulgarian section of our trip along with any section where we get lost. We danced the night away and spent the next morning doing media things - interviews, photoshoots, radio. I did mention we're famous, right?! Next on the agenda was a tour of the UN office (one of the 4) and then a UN lecture. I feel like I know WAY more about the UN now, but that's a chat for later. Reid's mom (Sally) joined us for the UN stuff and then took me out for lunch and ice cream and a little bit of city wandering. Yay! That evening we had the most wonderful buffet dinner party put on for us by the Green Party of the 8th district... all you can eat and drink. We are so spoiled. I ducked out a little early to meet up with Reid's mom and dad for a drink and as the night was winding down we saw a killer storm unfold right before our eyes. Within minutes chairs were being blown down the sidewalk, glasses and other such breakables were smashed everywhere, powerlines and trees were down. The worst of it blew through pretty quickly, but it hit hard and on the radio this morning we heard that 8 people were killed in the storm (Europe-wide). Scary stuff. On a lighter note, Vienna was completely wonderful and our host brought us a delicious breakfast in the morning.

Slovakia
Bratislava
So off we went this morning. I was sweep again and we swept up all kinds of flat tires, but made it into Bratislava in time for a coffee and a quick wander of the city center. I love the feel of this place. It's got such a laid back vibe... kind of like a smaller, quieter version of Vienna (is that a terribly ignorant comment? I haven't spent much time in either city so that may be a bad comparison). The point is I really liked Bratislava and I would like to go back and visit sometime. There was a really cool photo exhibition which I really enjoyed about urban centres and how they have changed in 20 years... and a giant chessboard... and cheap delicious Eastern European ice cream.

Tonight we had another amazing accommodation experience. Our hosts set up their backyard for us and cooked us an amazing dinner. They kept bringing out wine and other treats and even a 2nd round of dinner (a different dinner) a few hours later! Craziness. I haven't ceased to be awestruck by the generosity, hospitality, and kindness of our hosts along the way. These people have taken us into their homes, fed us, showered us (not personally) and taken such good care of us... I can't imagine this trip without all of these wonderful accommodation experiences.

Time for bed though. There is a huge storm again tonight so we are crashing on the floor inside (again, awesome). Hopefully the rain will have stopped by tomorrow when we ride to Gyor, Hungary. Just 3 more days of riding and we will be in Budapest at our halfway mark!!! I can't believe how fast it's gone by.

All my love from the road.