Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Let me think how to put the last two weeks into words...
I should begin briefly with a little more about Germany as it really surprised me. Germany's most fantastic aspect, from a cyclists point of view, was the thousands of miles of cycle paths they are continuously building all over the country. Highways completely dedicated to bicycles. That's part of the reason I was able to cover so much land in Germany so quickly. Munich was a fantastic city, also very bicycle friendly. One thing that struck me the most about Germans was how liberal they are, I always had this perception of a conservative Germany, but cycling through Munich's main park I was utterly shocked to see dozens of people casually sunbathing stark naked - I guess the Germans don't believe in indecent exposure!
I followed the Isar river south of Munich towards Austria. The following morning I was greeted with the sight of mountains on the horizon suddenly stretching high up into the sky - I had reached the Alps! Grinning from ear to ear I waisted no time and within a few hours I was swimming in a truly magnificent alpine lake with crystal-clear water surrounded by majestic mountains. I was now in Austria. My time in Austria was very brief, I cycled via Innsbruck which is a nice city. I sat on a bench down the high street watching the tourists watching me. I wondered what I must look like to some of these Germans, Austrians and Italians. My face browned with suntan and dirt, an old tattered bandage wrapped around my big toe (i'll spare you the gruesome details of why I had the bandage), my grimy fingernails gripping an apple while I peel off chunks of it with my knife and watch hordes of tourists pass endlessly by. I feel slightly insignificant when this happens, as if people are looking down at me, as if I shouldn't be there. But then I walk around the corner, I get on my bicycle, and I feel like a champion again.
One thing is guaranteed when cycle touring, and that is the smile that will appear on your face and the sudden rush of adrenaline as you cross a border. This is especially true if you are crossing into a country you have never been to before, and for me it was especially true when I crossed into Italy. "ITALIA!" I shouted at the top of my voice. Italy was an amazing country to travel through. At first I was slightly disappointed as in the Alps there is generally one direction you can travel in. There will be a motorway, a primary road, a railway and a river all following the same valley. Although this means you can cover a lot of ground and it is nice and flat, the valley is rather overcrowded. So I made the decision to take the alternative, quieter roads. The difference is that rather than going between the mountains like the primary roads did, these roads went over them! I had by far the toughest few days cycling of my whole trip, but the reward - cycling through the Dolomites. The Dolomites are some of the most beautiful mountains in the Alps; pink granite peaks rising high like towers. In one day I cycled two mountain passes, both over two thousand metres. Looking back I'm not sure how I managed to get through such a day. I think it was a combination of the Italian cyclists passing me and shouting "BRAVO!", "STRONG MAN!" and "YOU DE BEST!" as well as Jimi Hendrix helping me on my ipod. If there is one thing that will get me through a tough ascent it is Hendrix and his guitar. Cycling uphill can be the most memorable experience. Half your mind is concentrating on staying close to the white line on the side of the road, where as the other half is trying to get as far away from that white line and that road as possible. You think about anything you can, you invent stuff, think about what pasta sauce you will have that evening (even though you know it will be tomato and basil as it always bloody is) or you simply spell out a word over and over again - anything to take your mind off the uphill. Once in Italy, I was finally reaching the top of a grueling climb when I found an energy bar and a note that some wonderful person had left for me, some people are truly kind.
So I was in the Alps for about a week, it wasn't always tough. I enjoyed the occasional afternoon storm, when I would sometimes find shelter in the odd church. Whenever I walked in I half expected to burst into flames, but turns out athiests are aloud in the House of God afterall. Sometimes when cycling I would remember I hadn't looked up in a while and then an involuntary "woooooow" would emerge from my lips as I cast my eyes upon something amazing. That is what makes this way of life so wonderful, the beauty that is always around you. It never fails to amaze me how special nature can be. There is something terribly pure about falling asleep listening to the sound of deer calling to each other in the forest, or gazing at the stars whilst hearing waves washing up onto the beach, or shaving by the side of a river and washing your hair under a waterfall. For me it is these incredibly simple but natural things that make me the happiest. Speaking of nature, I saw the best wildlife I have seen in my life so far the other day. It was my final night in Italy and I was camping in a vineyard. As I was polishing off a bottle of Italian wine, I heard some noise coming from behind me. A family (I counted seven) of wild boar marched past about four metres from me and my tent, the thick white tusks of the largest one (which was absolutely huge!) glistening in the moonlight. It took a few seconds to register exactly what I was witnessing, and I stayed completely still as they disappeared into the night. Amazing.
After Italy was Slovenia (for about a day) and now Croatia. The coast is just something else. Dry rocky shores plunge into wonderfully clear sea. When I reached the Adriatic coast for the first time I had the same smile and buzz of adrenaline as when I cross a border. This wasn't West Byfleet anymore that's for sure. But I realised today that I haven't properly laughed in a month. I haven't heard the voice of anyone I know in a month. The loneliness comes now and again, but then as soon as it arrived it leaves me, sometimes all it takes is a beep of a horn and a wave from a passing motorist, a "BRAVO" from an impressed Italian. I don't know if I'm receiving more waves and cheers these days or if I am just appreciating and noticing them more, they really do help. Occasionally I will explain my trip to a local, and in broken English they will reply, "All on your bike? ALONE?" And as I nod they gaze back at me as if I have just accidentally insulted a member of their family and slowly shake their heads.
Not sure what I'm doing next, either heading towards Bosnia or carrying on down the coast a little more, this life is too good to give up just yet.
Tom
- comments