i bike you

Adventure 2 - Commence!

2009-09-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

So Reid is arriving in 4 days to join me in exploring this wonderful city where east meets west. At that point, phase 2 of my summer adventures will effectively begin and I guess I'll keep updating sporadically. Maybe. If my mom hassles me enough. For now, check out these pics from Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey!

Fortress in Belogradchik

They applied for World Wonder status for these rock formations...

Shani, Charles and I on top of the world.

Emanuele and I met these two Italian cyclists at a gas station on the way to Vratsa. We hunkered down there (note laundry drying in background) for many hours waiting for Phil to come get us cause Em's bike was broken.

Some rowdy Czechs on a climbing road trip in Vratsa.

My attempt at this face:

Made it about 3/4 of the way but it was getting dark

My friendly belayer

Our campsite by a little creek, nestled in the mountains in Vratsa

Shawn and Gala riding through the tunnels along the breathtaking Iskar Gorge in Bulgaria

Stopping to explore the caves inside the tunnels

The Iskar Gorge - from the edge of the cave

The view from half way up our Bulgarian mountain.

Gala making her way up the 6km road to the top of a mountain where we spent the night in Zhelen, Bulgaria.

George at the top of the mountain.

Leaving early in the morning for the ride into Sofia... check out the mist in the valley!

Just one of Gala's wonderful thank-you cards - this one depicting the ring road around Sofia that we rode in on.

The ancient amphitheatre in Plovdiv - the main highway runs under it through a tunnel.

Presenting Charles 'Cobra' Perrin and Mark 'Mongoose' Masongsong - winner of the Cutest Couple Award

Just another lunch stop :)

Group shot at the Kindergarten with the mayor of Kostenets

Hanging out with our host, Rado, in his lovely garden in Kardjali

My tent under a canopy of grapes!

Our amazing host and fellow cyclist, Rado.

Me on the front page of the Kardjali paper!

Us riding in Kardjali (I'm on the far left).

Deciding to change the route and add Greece to it...

3 countries in one day! Bulgaria to Greece to Turkey.

Edirne. We finally made it to Turkey!

The Blue Mosque at Edirne just after crossing the border from Greece.

This was one of the mosques that the prophet of the Baha'i (the folks we had our first external engagement with in Amsterdam) pronounced his teachings at.

Admiring the stunning mosque.

I have no pictures of the rest of the ride through Turkey because I got really really sick - like, unable to keep anything down for 2 days sick... so that part of the ride is kind of a blur.

But here are some celebratory Istanbul arrival pics:

Team Brodie Elan

Shani, Jake and Chris

Everyone who rode in the car at one point or another... good thing we had a car!

King Cobra and the Mongoose again - Cutest Couple Award '09

Then we all signed each others jerseys

And walked along the beach - because we were staying feet away from the beach!

And then we wandered into the city for our first rooftop terrace - complete with comfy cushions that we sank into to enjoy some chai and turkish coffee after a delicious dinner.

After leaving the campsite and getting settled in at our couchsurfing place, Jo and I strolled through the downtown district and found this charming traditional Turkish restaurant where the people sitting next to us ordered us all sorts of delicious 'must try' Turkish food. Then once we all finished eating one of them showed us around town all afternoon! What a great introduction to Turkey.

I had to take this picture, because the word 'waffle' (used as a verb) had become so common in our vocabulary by the end of the trip. It was mainly used to describe the overwhelming inability of our group to make any decisions or get anywhere in a timely manner. A 'waffle iron' was a person who forced the 'wafflers' to make a decision or insisted upon carrying on when people started to stray or 'waffle'. Maybe you had to be there.

The other day Shani, Jake, Charles, Jenika, Em, Robbie and I took a ferry up the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul:

Jake and I getting ready for our relaxing Bosphorus cruise

Ortaköy - by day

Some castle or fortress or something

The Black Sea in the background

Asia, with the Black Sea in the background off to the left

Me outside the ferry in Asia!!

The view of the Bosphorus from our lunch spot

A bridge and the Turkish flag on the way back

Big man aka King Charlie contemplating life

Topkapı Palace

Ortaköy - by night

A cool outdoor market on the waterfront

My super awesome traveling companions and hostel buddies (Shani, Charles, and Jake) chilling on a rooftop terrace looking out over the Bosphorus.

Amsterdam to Istanbul

2009-08-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I made it... and I've been here since the 23rd and still haven't written a post or put any cool pictures up (I have lots) but I've been running around too much. Relaxing, stressing about getting my bike shipped out, and exploring at a crawling pace have taken precedent over blog posting... but I'll get around to it I suppose.

Our first 3 nights were spent as a group in a camping area (bungalows) for Muslim families. Somehow the dates got mixed up and we ended up camping outside instead of in the bungalows, but after the summer we had camping was the usual. The only problem were the sprinklers that went off every night at 3am - except the night they went off sometime earlier and sprayed the inside of our tent (we didn't have the fly on). It's funny that we could arrive at the campsite to find a puddle in our tents with all our stuff completely soaked through and the first reaction would be laughter. I never thought I would make it to a point in life where things didn't really phase me. This was likely one of the more valuable things I picked up on the trip.

Debrief was better than I thought it would be. People really came together to make the best of our last 3 days together. I saw sides of some people that I hadn't really seen on the ride and I bonded closer with some whose company I had really enjoyed.

From there, Joanna and I took our bikes and stuff to Murat's house - we found him on couchsurfing - where we were welcomed and cooked for. We stayed there for 3 nights and he let us in on his favourite spots in the city, gave us a Turkish history lesson, fed us Ayran and Turkish coffee, and talked about all his travels. Then he helped me ship my bike to London - hopefully it makes it there! We could only get one pedal off... and it was easily the worst packing job I've ever taken part in, but I was under a time constraint. I'm just glad to have it off my hands. We met up with the majority of the group who was still in town and went to the Turkish baths - quite the experience.

Since leaving Murat's place, we've been staying at the Chill Out Hostel with Jake, Charles, and Shani and it's been really nice to be close to them and hang out as a group again. The other day we explored the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar where we ate Turkish Delight until we were sick and bargained for pashminas. I bought a backpack and some nice cheap clothes for the rest of my trip and now I'm set!

Yesterday we took a ferry up the Bosphorus and had lunch in Asia - WILD! Then last night we found some cheap cafeteria-style dinner and took a tram over to Ortaköy where we spent the night strolling through outdoor markets along the water and relaxing at a rooftop terrace bar with the most beautıful view!

I'll put pictures up at some point and I assure you (mom), they will be amazing :)

Reality Check

2009-08-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

This morning Sabrina skyped her mom from our accommodation in Kardjali, Bulgaria. It turns out that our videos make it look like all we are doing is dancing and having a wildly fun time here on the Rididng to Break the Cycle Tour '09. How are we combatting poverty? asked Sabrina's mom. Good question.

Firstly, I'd like to say that for me this trip has not been all fun and games. I've put up a lot of pictures and written some posts that may make it seem so, but mostly that's because the fun things are what the people want, aren't they? Hmm.

So I guess with this post I will enlighten you a little and delve into the more disorganized, stressful, and frustrating aspects of this tour (keep in mind this is only from one rider's perspective and only paints one part of the picture).

We ride without maps. This was a huge issue for me near the beginning of the tour, but has long since become something that we have all accepted and often make fun of. Sometimes when you are lost, the only thing to do is laugh about the fact that you might be lost because you don't have a map, but still you ride every day without a map. We ride with highway directions and sometimes names of towns we should be passing, and of course, a final address or street name. Among the most notable directions are "take the highway to [enter town name] and the host will meet you at the center in the early afternoon" and "Once you get to town, meet at the most obvious place (or the tallest building)". The best part about those days is that they managed to work out seamlessly. It is not always so easy. Upon arriving in a town we often just have to ask for directions until someone points us in the right direction... but it's generally better to ask 3 sets of people and go with where the majority points you.

We have no time. Really, this is the true bottleneck. Adding 8 hours to each day would quickly solve all our problems, right? Okay, but more seriously... When I get into camp at 6pm after a long and hard ride, I am sweaty, hungry and exhausted. This means I want to shower, eat, and sleep (not always in that order). However, there are always about a million other things to do and they are not always fun.

Some examples and logic of prioritization:

1. Internet. How many days has it been since you last emailed your mom?
2. Laundry. How many days has it been since you last washed your jersey? (The smell test almost always comes into play here)
3. Set up your tent. Is it raining? Is it dark? Do you need to dry out your tent from the thunderstorm last night?
4. Lock up your bike and unpack. Do you have to lug your stuff somewhere?
5. Eat dinner. How tired are you? How long before it's ready?
6. Write in your journal/read. Can you sneak away for a minute? Can you keep your eyes open?
7. Attend a meeting. Is it optional?
8. Shower. Degree of filth? How tired are you? Is there a line-up? Is the water ice cold?
9. Bike maintenance. Can you do it in the morning? If you don't fix it will your life be in danger the next ride day?
10. Host interaction. Are there enough other people talking to them/going with them where they want to take us (ex. the church in Stassfurt or the fire hall in Hoxter)?
12. One on one chats/Internal engagement. Can you gain from this interaction? How tired are you? How much can you contribute?
13. Personal/Quiet time. You never get this. Okay, you get it for a second here and there, but only if you're lucky... and sneaky.
14. CHORES! (this one deserves a bit more space because it helps illuminate the logistics of how this trip is made possible)

-Route and car load/unload
Look at the maps and make sure there is a route for the next day. Do we have an address? Are there route variations (bike path vs. highway) or ferries. Do we have to get somewhere by a certain time? Do we need internet for route info? Also involves loading the car in the morning, which is sometimes hindered by slow breakfasters and lunch makers, and unloading it when you get into camp.
-Dinner
The most time intensive chore group. Prepares and makes dinner for the entire group. Often takes many hours and involves complaints from people who are not full afterward. Sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of complaining which is not limited to dinner-related events. For the first half of the trip this chore included getting groceries (and sometimes still does), but now Phil the driver picks up groceries on the way to the accommodation spot.
-Dinner clean-up
Self explanatory but keep in mind that if dinner is at 9 or 10pm and you are exhausted and have to do 3 of the things listed above and just want to go to bed, then dirty dishes are not your friend. [insert complaint here]
-Wake-up and breakfast
The easiest (I think). Wake everybody up, prepare breakfast, and lay out lunch. Sometimes it means grabbing some bags of muesli and some cartons of milk, sometimes it means cutting up enough fruit for a giant fruit salad for 21. Lunch usually involves cutting veggies and rationing cheese and other such lunch fare.
-Host site clean-up
It wasn't the case for the first half of the trip, but now everybody pitches in with site clean-up. The deal is to get your stuff out as soon as possible and no breakfast until you're fully packed. Sometimes we make a big mess and it takes longer to get out of a place. The farther we spread, the more we have to clean.
-Thank you card
Gala makes lovely handmade cards for each of our hosts and we all sign them.

People get injured/sick. This can throw a HUGE wrench in the (what is the saying?). Hopefully we know about it before the ride starts so that we can put people in the car. However, it is a small car and when it's fully packed you can fit one person with panniers and bike comfortably and 2 small people will be squished and uncomfortable, but will at least still get where they need to go. If you get injured or sick on the road and you are not with sweep (they have the phone) then you will need to wait for sweep and hope they took the same route as you, somehow find a phone, borrow a phone, or find a gas station in the middle of nowhere that has wireless and use Sabrina's iphone to skype Daniel from Vienna and get him to send a text message to both phones and then email everyone who has a computer or checks their internet often (this both happened and worked). We have been very lucky and somehow everything has worked out... but there can be wondering, stressing, and tons of waiting around for the car to get all the way to the accommodation, unload and come back to get you. So yeah, if you're feeling queasy or really hurting, ride with sweep or take the car. Plus - know your limits on the road, ride safely, and take breaks when you need them. Communication is key!

This trip has been a crazy whirlwind and there is not nearly enough time to do all the things I want to do. There have been some really tough times and there have definitely been some tears of frustration, but I have learned much more from the hard times and I've also learned a lot from reflecting on how I've acted and reacted when things have gotten tough (and from how the group has reacted). There's been so little time to write, but I've been doing my best... and I'm nurturing some really awesome connections with some truly great people, so that has been wonderfully rewarding.
Oh, and I got to rock climb with a bunch of czechs in Vratsa on a Bulgarian mountainside, which was everything my heart has ever desired and more.
So yeah, this ridiculous social experiment has yielded much more personal growth than was initially intended for. I think the original view was for external engagement and lots of group discussion, but the style of the trip and the lack of organizational capability (we are biking long hard days through the middle of nowhere, sometimes with no accommodation) has made it really difficult to get big discussions going. It's been a lot more of the smaller groups or one on ones, but I feel like I've been making the best of it and I'm totally hungry to learn as much as I can and to keep the ball rolling once I'm back home, so that's kind of cool. And I'll be in Istanbul in 6 days, which is even cooler. The other night we had a really great group discussion about international development - how we define it, what it means to us, power structures between the developed and developing, progress and growth, environmental aspects, how/if we can affect change, our resposibility as a 'developed' country, etc. It was part of a string of really empowering and honest discussions and it was great to hear everyone's ideas and learn something from each and every single person on this trip. All in all, we are doing the best we can... and if it takes a little goofing off and dancing to make it a tad more manageable, then all I have to say is: Dance on.

Love,

Erin

Video video!

2009-08-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, check out these super cool highlights from week 5 and 6:

http://blip.tv/file/2462714

Cheeeeese

2009-08-11T03:13:00.000-07:00

Mineral water that some guy brought us from his house - en route to Vienna!

Bean salad in Linz, Austria.

Approaching Melk, Austria

Being famous in Vienna.

Declaration of Human Rights at the UN right before the best lecture ever.

Vienna

Ice cream and wandering with Reid's mom in Vienna.

Approaching Bratislava.

Super cool Urban Living photo exhibition.

Playing chess in Bratislava.

At the abandoned border crossing between Bratislava and Hungary.

Getting souvenirs at the Gyor town hall.

A day of waffling and walrusing at the thermal pools en route to Esztergom, Hungary.

Esztergom, Hungary.

Entering Budapest!!

St. Stephens Basilica

360 views from the top of the basilica with Jenika.

Hungarian elephants - kind of like our grizzly bears.

The artist collective we stayed at in Budapest.

The courtyard bar that had parties every night.

The oldest velodrome in Europe.

Just arfter riding on the velodrome... what a rush!

These bird nests are everywhere.

Break time - taking a dip in the Danube on the way to Solt, Hungary.

After missing our ferry and getting the last water taxi into Mohacs, our last Hungarian stop.

The police headquarters in Belgrade... or what's left of it.

Along the waterfront.

Entering Belgrade.

Our fancy night out on the town - just outside the Bohemian district in Belgrade. These are the starters.

Entrees - I had chicken stuffed with cheese and wrapped in proscuitto.

What was left of desert.

Entering Romania!

Sabrina and Jenika getting chased by strays.

Looking out over the Danube on our first night in Romania.

The abandoned house we stayed at our second night in Romania.

Waving to the cruisers on one of the most beautiful Danube rides ever.

A look back at the road behind us, steadily making our way up the Danube with Serbia on the other side of the water.

The narrows!

Break time at the top of a tough hill.

Our camp in Belogradchik.

The view on the walk down to camp.

Yashar and Phil making omelettes for the crew.

Man, it's whirlwindy outside

2009-08-10T03:10:00.001-07:00

Alright, so I haven't written in ages. I'm in an internet cafe in Vidin, Bulgaria where just yesterday afternoon we sat and waited at the ferry from Romania for what seemed like hours only to arrive in Bulgaria to discover we had a police escort from the border to the campsite, that they would be staying with us overnight, and in the morning we would have a free tour of Baba Vida, the oldest and best preserved fortress in the country which we just happened to be sleeping next to (that was a run-on sentence if I've ever seen one). Showers on the Danube and a delicious dinner were just the bonus prize (I hadn't showered in 6 days - don't tell anyone). When I emerged from my tent this morning, our camp had been surrounded by police tape and I couldn't help but laugh and take a picture...

Alas, you've missed a lot of crazy stuff. Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania for starters. I have a treat for you though, the video from weeks 3 and 4!! http://blip.tv/file/2408973

I have to get on my bike and ride to Belogradchik pretty soon, so I'll limit myself to 3 points about each country - which is nowhere near enough, but so it goes. Oh, and we've been told that the red rocks of Belogradchik have applied for 'World Wonder' status, whatever that means. I'm excited to spend a day off there tomorrow, I'm sure it will be wonderous.

Hungary
- I had a language lesson from a sweet little older lady who gave me her email address and said if I skyped with her she would teach me Hungarian
-In Budapest we stayed at a super cool artist collective in the heart of the city. It had a giant courtyard with a bar that had DJs and live music every night. I am convinced the city never sleeps. I also rode my bicycle on the oldest velodrome in Europe - amazing.
-We stayed at an autoshop, a soccer field, and in cute little bungalows

Croatia
-We were only here for one night that we spent in Vukovar, which has quite the history of war and devastation. We stayed at a church on the top of a hill and within a stone's throw of the water tower shown here, preserved as a symbol of the town's suffering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vukovar
-There were signs along the side of all the roads warning not to stray off the roads... because of landmines! (I'm not supposed to blog about this for fear of worried moms, but we are all safe!)
-We stopped and played along the Danube at a gigantic free outdoor pool/sports area with waterslides, 6 outdoor pools, and of course, non-stop techno music ... kind of like a Splashdown Park, but public.

Serbia
-We had no car for this portion of the ride because no rental companies will insure a car to be driven in Serbia.
-Charles, Shani and myself spoiled ourselves rotten and had the most decadent 3 course meal imaginable in Belgrade. Mom, I thought of you :)
-Some of the team members were nervous about Serbia, but the people were super friendly. People would yell and wave when we rode by, and the drivers were courteous.

Romania
-The border guards took our passports and spent a few minutes laughing at them and joking before giving them back.
-This country boasted some of the most beautiful ride days yet along the spectacular Danube.
-We did the UNESCO dance (you might have seen this dance in every one of our videos) in front of a giant face carved into the mountains. Gene remarked about the face, "We have those in America, only more of them... and they're bigger".
-Okay, Romania gets 4 points. We stayed a night in a small town in front of a bar where the whole town (it seemed) came out to party. Jenika and I were greeted with shouts of "YOU ARE CHINA!!!" and I played rummy with a group of Romanians. It's amazing how much you can communicate with gestures and eyebrow raises.

So here we are in Bulagria, our 10th of 11 countries. We arrive in Istanbul in 13 days (11 more ride days) and I must say the time has flown by. That's all for now!!!

Ima gonna Wien

2009-07-24T16:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Camera, baby deer, spud

2009-07-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

... those were the words that Gala asked Sabrina to remember when she fell off her bike and hit her head. Yes, baby deer is TECHNICALLY two words. Nonetheless, she managed to remember them all and is fully recovered from her minor concussion.

Gala in the church in Hecklingen (just outside of Stassfurt)

Wittenburg

Along the Elbe en route to Dresden

Again

Ice cream with dino

Fountain in Dresden city center

Checking out the city

More Dresden

The lovely Gala

Ahhhh. No time, bad connection, so tired.

The video from week 2: http://blip.tv/file/2369147

We're in Cesky Krumlov right now for our last night in the Czech Republic. I can't believe it's already the beginning of week 4... almost halfway there! Tomorrow we ride into Linz, Austria. More to come later.

The smell of change

2009-07-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, so I'm in Prague enjoying a much needed day off. I don't have much time on the tubes, and it's super slow so I can't upload photos, but it's enough to say that both the rides into Dresden and into the Czech Republic (along the Elbe River) were absolutely spectacular! 2 countries down, 9 to go.

I am experiencing so many new things on this trip - I've never been this: hungry, tired, dirty, stinky, bruised, exhausted, or frustrated. That being said, I've also never been so lucky as to experience riding long distances across foreign countries with a large extended family! So far there have been low lows and high highs, and I'm excited for what the next 6 weeks have to offer us.

Tomorrow we are on the road again, and since the internet situation is a constant unknown, if you're feeling like you need more updates, the Global Agents Blog is a great place to check up on us: http://www.globalafc.org/blog/blog/

Also, Chris has cut a video together that you can check out from week 1 (week 2 to follow soon): http://blip.tv/file/2319029

Much love from the Czech Republic!!

Ass Rash 1, Erin 0

2009-07-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

Alright, so there is a lot of catching up to do...

I believe I left off at the army barracks in Ede. Since then we have ridden nearly one million kilometers, so this might be a lengthy post. Also, I don't know when I might get internet next (or as the Dutch at one of the campsites called it "za wee fee")... so here goes!

Some pics from the ride to Utrecht:

Talking to the people at Triodos Bank near Utrecht about microcredit, sustainable banking, and renewable energy.

A clothesline and hammock!

The ride to Utrecht, a sunny tree-lined path. So beautiful!

Thursday July 2nd - Vreden, Spvgg Football Club
No pictures from today... left my camera charger behind in Utrecht!! :(
But we were interviewed for the local newspaper, and we got free beer from the club! I was so tired that evening, I barely made it through the group meeting... let alone our first 100 km day.

Friday July 3rd - Munster, Organic farm hosted by the Young Greens
Here we turned a 60km day into a 106km day. We rode through thunderstorms, on highways, up mountains, forested trails, cobblestone streets... and somehow we made it there in one piece, even if we were a giant blob of demoralized, soaking wetness. I was so exhausted I nearly cried when I realized I had left my toothbrush behind somewhere. Our ridiculous day prompted a meeting about maps - because I may not have mentioned, but we've been riding without maps - just lists of towns or end addresses. Too many people riding way more kms than necessary.

Saturday July 4th - Munster, day off
I found a camera charger in Munster, along with some wonderful Aladdin pants (air flow!!). We had such a great day off, just what I needed. We rode into town and explored the churches and a spectacular outdoor market. Then we stopped for coffee and beer at a cute little cafe and stumbled upon an Afrikani festival with live music and dancing where we spent the rest of the day. We also found some bike maps at a bookstore! Later that night our hosts (the Munster Young Greens - did you know the Green party in Germany gets 9-12% of the national vote?!) had a big bbq and we roasted bread on a stick - a German camping tradition (kind of like s'mores for us?) - followed by the best campfire singalong I've ever been a part of. Guitars, harmonica, violin, 30 enthusiastic voices, and tons of songbooks. Amazing.

Sunday July 5th - Gutersloh, Wapelbad Camping
This place was like a resort, complete with volleyball courts, a pool, ping pong tables, and live music playing as we rolled in. My ride day was super laid back and casual, which was such a nice treat... and for the first time - WE DIDN'T GET LOST!!! However Shani did lose the map book we bought in Munster (I have no idea how this happened). Maybe it's a sign that I need to not be so anal and just trust that I can get there. Maybe it's just bad luck... who knows.

We started the best dance party yet and jumped off a nearby bridge into the river (that meant I didn't have to shower). Oh yeah, and the host of the place was also a Young Greens supporter and gave us free beer, fries, sausages, drinks, everything. This place was heavenly. I could have stayed for days! Another interview put us in another German paper and we met up with the Young Greens from Gutersloh as well. Cool cool.

Just our lunch stop :)

On the way to Hoxter.

Monday July 6th - Hoxter, Church hall
This was a tough day for me. I rode with three fast boys and I was sure my leg muscles were replaced with rubber chickens the night before. The whole riding in a pod thing has been tricky to figure out, too. Everyone has such different riding styles and people are still figuring each other out. It's also really easy to get caught up in your own ride and zone out a little bit. Groups have been separated, people have been mistakenly lost behind. There has been a great deal of frustrationg.... HOWEVER, there have also been so many magical experiences that it's hard to focus on the negatives for long before you realize that exciting new things are happening around you every second of every day. I mean, I am sitting here in a church hall in East Germany in a town of 7000 writing this right now. That's crazy.

Okay back to Hoxter. We arrived 2nd - even though we were positive we were somewhere near the back of the pack. This was my first time getting somewhere sort of early, and that little bit of extra time to get settled, find a place to sleep, lock up my bike, take a sink shower (yep, a sink shower), wash my bike shorts and jersey, get dinner started, write in my journal a bit, and have a lucid conversation with someone... well, it was really energizing. We got in around 6:30pm and the last group (called 'sweep') got in at 9pm, soaking wet and completely exhausted. It was really cool not being in that last group! Since I had all my stuff taken care of, it gave me a chance to help people take care of their business and get some food in their bellies. That was a really special moment for me. Taking care of each other is an integral part of the equation if this group is to function in a healthy manner...

Later that evening our host, Marie, took us to the firestation where she is a volunteer firefighter - for yet another German interview. Seriously folks, we're famous over here! I put on some firefighting gear and we all piled into one of the trucks. Fun stuff.

Tuesday July 7th - Goslar, Church hall
Ooooh. This was an intense day. My first shot at being sweep and making sure no one gets left behind! The morning was tough as it always is (I am a cranky morning rider), but the day totally picked up and even though it was endlessly hilly and rainy, I managed to keep my spirits high. We rounded up some strays (Keely and Gala) about 40km from our destination. They had ridden 20 extra kms already, so we greeted them with tupperwares full of cherries that we had just finished picking off trees that lined the side of the road.

With our new crew we ascended mountains (who knew there were mountains here?!) and navigated with shotty German. One guy we asked spoke to us in German for 15 minutes before he finally asked us if we spoke English - which led to a roar of celebration and cheer.

Once back on track we got stuck in a thundershower, but we were so lucky to have great people giving us directions and even a car escort us to the center of town where we were staying at the most beautiful church! The pastor there was so kind and hospitable (as it seems all of our hosts have been) and the city was medieval and breathtaking. I had a tough time staying awake though, and my legs were aching, so I made myself a little fort in the corner and went to sleep right after our group meeting (about following rules and safety first and respect and stuff like that). I really wish we could have spent our day off in Goslar, but that would have meant 6 days straight of 100+ km... and there were a lot of people who weren't so sure they could handle that, especially when 100+ could mean anywhere from 101-140. In the morning before we left we climbed the stairs of the church tower with the preist and were blessed with the best views of the city you can get. Yay!

Wednesday July 8th - Stassfurt, Church hall
This was another really good day. We had such a cool pod, everyone got along really well and had a ton of fun. We also got hear early-ish... just in time for the town hall meeting our host set up for us in a castle nearby. Crazy! Another reporter, another newspaper (still famous). After the meeting, we had a social at the castle bar (what?!) and got free booze and a chance to mingle with some of the townsfolk. Gala, Gene and I spent some time speaking with a German couple who spoke German, English, and Russian (we crossed the border into East Germany yesterday, so now a lot of people speak Russian). Gene is Russian, so that made for a pretty funny conversation in a mix of the three languages with comments being translated back and forth. It was a real treat to get a chance to interact with some locals... I did mention we're in a town of 7000, right? Neat stuff.

Fixing a flat.

We crossed into East Germany and the difference in scenery was immediately obvious.

A castle on top of a mountain!

The church where we are staying.

Okay everyone is going to town, and my bike is making squeaky sounds so I'm going to see if I can get it tuned up. Tomorrow starts our string of 5 days of 100+ km, so I may be too exhausted to write again until our next day off IN PRAGUE!!! I can't believe I'm going to be in Prague in 6 days. This whole trip is constantly mindblowing.

K peace out!

Let op!

2009-07-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was probably the most chill and most fun night we've had so far. We stayed at an abandoned office building that had been converted to living space. The kids that lived there were couchsurfers and were getting paid to stay there so no one else squatted cause I guess it's getting torn down soon. But the important part is that there were 4 wings, all with rooms and all just for us!! The hosts were super chill, made us all pancakes for breakfast, bought us beer, and played the most epic giant building-wide game of pitch black hide and seek. Ever.

We even got some minimalist Dutch lessons: Ik hou van jou = I love you (only one I remember because Gala and I wrote it on our arms). When our host Sam asked us if we had any other things we wanted to learn, everyone was really curious about the meaning of two signs: "Let op!", which turned out to mean "Watch out!" (not "Let's go!" as we had originally thought)and the other, which meant "Cyclists dismount"... might have been some good ones to know in advance. Oh well, on to Germany tomorrow!

The ride today was pretty manageable, not too long... but so hot here. We rode through beautiful forests with tree-lined paths most of the way, except for when we were lost. And everybody (EVERYBODY) has gotten lost everyday. All the time. It's a wonder some of us even made it today. but nonetheless, we are all here... at the Dutch army barracks in Ede! Pretty much the polar opposite of last night's accomodation.

Some things:

-Bike tans are ridiculously funny
-You cannot ride on the highway in Holland (because they have made you your own two-lane bike highway right nextdoor, or maybe even a bridge just for bikes next to the car bridge that also has bike lanes)
-Couchsurfers are amazing people - everyone should be a part of this: http://www.couchsurfing.org/
-Jake's chain fell off today, got caught in his wheel, and took out two spokes... he got his bike fixed and a new tube for 6 Euros
-Gene fell in a ditch trying to get his camera out of his backpack
-Our food budget is 4 Euros per person PER DAY (Haha. Oh wait, that's not funny)
-Charles likes the word "lovely" and sent his mom everyone's blogs so that he didn't have to update her as much
-I'm on the wake up crew (with Chris, Charles, and Yash) and this morning we woke everyone up 15 minutes early with a megaphone singing 'Oh Canada'
-Two more days of riding and we get a day off

Okay it's dinner time, I wonder what the remainder of our 4 Euros will get us tonight...

Michael Jackon Memorial Tour '09

2009-06-29T06:15:00.001-07:00

Christel, Chris and I rode out of town, through the cutest little streets, past some wonderful sailboats, and along a dike to the quaintest little traditional Dutch town.

Later that night, we met up with the team downtown and we all picked up some food and found a spot in the lovely Vondel Park. Upon sitting we realized that each one of us had a bottle of wine to themselves... so of course this led to drinking games and human bouldering - something that seems to be happening quite often, the bouldering not the drinking (but also some drinking).

It started pouring rain so hundreds of people ran to the bridge nearby and huddled under it. There we met some Dutch guys who showed us the way to Christel's boyfriends bar where there were live bands playing. We danced the night away and got rides home on the backs of the bikes of Christel's friends... in true Amsterdam style!

The next day Gala and I met up to wander the city a little and then join the group at the main library for some orientation prep/planning along with breathtaking views of the entire city.

The group then strolled the streets, found dinner and a coffeeshop and made our way home. I might have neglected to pick George up at the train station, but somehow he made it to our place (and quickly too!). The next morning we put our bikes together and rode off to Zeeburg Camping for the first day of orientation.

It's been so neat getting to know everybody. We actually went around the circle and talked about what makes us tick and how we deal with conflict and confrontation. Things like "When I'm pissed, you'll know", "I need my space when I get upset", "I'm as passive agressive as it gets"... So it should be interesting to see how such a diverse group pulls together to make this crazy ride work.

After orientation we had our first external engagement meet-up, a potluck with the Amsterdam Baha'i community who sponsored our stay for orientation day 2. It was such a treat to hear about their religion and culture. Everyone was asking all sorts of questions and they were very calm, patient, and non-threatening in all their answers. I felt really lucky to meet them and hear about a religion and philosophy based on helping eradicate poverty, never speaking ill of others, doing community service as prayer... There's also a temple in Edirne, Turkey (at the end of our ride) where their prophet spoke, so that will sandwich our ride with Baha'i encounters. Cool!

Oh and also, we stayed in the cutest little wagonettes.

We're riding onward to another campsite tonight for the second night of orientation, and then tomorrow we kick-off our tour and head to Utrecht. Yay!

Internet access has been infrequent and expensive, so I'll do what I can, when I can. Thinking of you all!

Day 1 in Amsterdam

2009-06-25T13:56:00.001-07:00

Well, I made it! A few things about Amsterdam:

1) You are much more likely to get run over by a bike than a car.

2) Coffee, delicious. Goat cheese, delicious.

3) Channels everywhere, bikes everywhere.

Pretty much I love it here and I'm sad that I'll have to ride out of here in a few days... but I'll just have to soak up as much as I can in my short time here. Vancouver's bike routes could learn a thing or two.

Christel is awesome and lets me ride her cruiser around. Tonight she made me dinner and then we trained to the beach to eat it! Now I am exhausted. Here are some pictures:

The night before

2009-06-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

My bike is in it's box despite the agony endured to remove the pedals (thanks Kevin, thanks pedal wrench). My stuff is packed, mostly... I think.

I'm about as excited as it gets, and I just want to thank everyone who helped me out along the way. It's been a long past 8 months of planning, stressing, fundraising, wondering, prepping, training, and freaking out. Now the time is finally here! I couldn't have done it without all the love and support and MONEY! So, thanks for emptying your pockets/pocketbooks for the cause and for me - I won't forget it, and the money that we've raised from this trip (over $60,000) will help to make a difference in many peoples' lives.

No fancy scenic pictures yet, but a before and after of the bike boxing process... a complete pain in the ass.