Poland to Portugal: How Far? How Many?

Here’s the recap from the Europe leg of our Bicycle Geography Adventure…

Days on the Continent/Days Pedaling: 106/62
Distance Covered: 3,625 km
Hours Pedaling: 244.5
Avg Speed: 15.0 kph
Longest Day: Beziers to Perpignan 104 km
Incidents: 2 (one angry driver in Croatia, one accident in the Alps)

Countries Visited: 9 – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, France,
Spain, Portugal
Languages Attempted: Polish, Slovakian, Hungarian, Croatian, Italian, German, French,
Spanish, Portuguese

Favorite Country: Croatia (CK), Croatia/Portugal (LK)
Favorite Food: Anything at a tapas bar (CK), croissants (LK and only the ones in France)
Best Beer: Zlaty Bazant – Slovakia

Europe was fantastic for bicycle touring. The continent is full of amazing scenery and interesting culture. Despite the language barriers, we found the interactions with the locals to be quite friendly. We weren’t rock stars as we were in Laos, but we got plenty of smiles and waves.
Although the US Dollar is weaker than the Euro, there are many deals to be found. If you’re into camping and self-catering you can live quite well.
We found roads and highways to be in great condition and drivers are used to bicyclists. In fact, most towns and cities were full of people pedaling.


Stay tuned for the entire trip recap…

LK

Europe Tour: Clue #3

Day 308

We have just about a week to go until we leave for Europe. It’s probably time for another clue. I think we should narrow it down to the country.

Geography: largest country in Central (Eastern) Europe, bordered by 7 countries, the Baltic Sea and the Carpathian Mountains
Population\Culture: over 38 million, very few minorities
History: land and population severely affected by WWII, became Eastern Europe’s first free-trade union, assisted the US military in the Middle East by taking control of south central Iraq in September 2003.
Currency: Zloty

Follow this link to the answer (if you want to know):

Europa Tour: Clue #2

Day 298

We’re in the midst of getting ready for Europe. Today we drug out the panniers and did a “practice pack”. Somehow, I didn’t fill all the bags up like I usually do. I must be getting good at this or I forgot a lot of things. We’ll soon find out soon.

I ran across a quote yesterday that I saved as part of our trip preparation. I’d like to share it because I think it fits some of the reflections I have toward our tour so far:
“The more you fail, the more you succeed. It is only when everything is lost
and – instead of giving up – you go on, that you experience the momentary
prospect of some slight progress. Suddenly you have the feeling – be it an
illusion or not – thatsomething new has opened up.” – Alberto Giacometti (1901- 1966)
And now for clue #2

I’ve been told that the first clue we gave about our European tour was pretty lame. I guess I’ll make the second one a little more interesting.

Let’s narrow it down to the region. We’ll be starting “behind the Iron Curtain”, an area where the boundaries were historically defined by the Cold War. The region has changed dramatically since 1989 and always challenges us to keep up with our geography.

If you think you know, follow this link to find out more.



Take care,
LK

All Over the Map

Day 294
Time: An Hour or So
Avg Speed: Single
Terrain: Dry Plains of Denver

About two months ago we published a blog entitled, “Ready or Not China, Here We Come”. Now after protests, an earthquake, major flooding, and the Olympics, we’ve decided that China is ready and we’re not. We can give you the list of reasons, but it basically boils down to one thing; we just didn’t have a good feeling about it.

So, where does that leave us? Well, it gives us more time in Europe. We have new tickets booked and we leave on August 5th. Where are we going? Well, we decided to have a little fun with you all on that one. In the spirit of the Today Show and their “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” segment, we will be keeping our destination a secret until we arrive. We’ll be sure to drop some hints and clues in upcoming blogs.
Here’s the first clue: we plan to ride from east to west.

Happy Monday,
LK