After talking to FedEx on the phone yesterday for a while, it was looking like it would have been at least another week before I was able to get my bike gear and start my trip. I made the decision to just buy new gear in Berlin and head out, rather than delay the tour for any longer. So yesterday I went around to various bike shops and picked up everything I needed. After putting everything together and loading up the bike, I got together with Marla and Seb for a nice dinner out celebrating my last night in Berlin. It was wonderful to see both of them and it made me excited about finally being able to head out on the road.
This morning I woke up at 8 and hopped on my wheels. I biked about 87,1 km (a little over 50 miles) altogether today and it went well. I got rained on a few times, but each shower didn't last longer than around 15 minutes or so and it still remained fairly warm outside. At one point it really started to come down but fortunately I was in a small downtown area at the time and was able to duck into a cafe for a while and grab some good coffee. The German countryside is beautiful and it's a joy to be able to see all of the fields and old villages along the route. The bicycling infrastructure is also really impressive, much better than anything I've seen in the states, with almost every major road having a separate bike lane or path which are all very well maintained. I started this morning near the center of Berlin and finished in the small town 'Brandenburg an der Havel'. Bradenburg reminds me of Ashland, Oregon a little bit as it's a small rural town that seems to revolve around a few small theaters. It has a simple charm to it and it fits nicely into the surrounding landscape. Today was also my first experience with biking on cobblestone which shook me up a little bit. The cobblestone is only really in the downtown areas anymore it seems, and it caught me off guard the first time I road onto it, jostling me around on top of my handlebars quite a bit.
It's put a big smile on my face finally getting my bike fix. Now that I've found a hostel in Brandenburg I think I'll go get a nice big dinner to fill my empty stomach and the maybe find a small cafe to do some reading in before going to sleep. Tomorrow I'll be headed for Magdeburg and will be staying with someone I meet through couchsurfing. Just me and the open road for the next few weeks!
-i
-p.s.: i love getting posts from people, but please leave your name after it if you do leave one so i don't have to guess as to who it is :-). I also took some photos and will try to post them at the end of the week. Hope everyone is doign well.
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4 comments:
Ian, I'm so glad you're finally on the road. It's so true, what you say about all the bike trails and the neat little German towns. You will enjoy their beer and their gasthauses. Try to learn some of the language! Hope the weather is good for you and you have all the tools and stuff you need for every eventuality. I'll looking forward to seeing all your photos and your future blog posts. It will be interesting to read the differences you see between people in the different countries you go through.
Bye, Dad
yo ian
hows it goin? good to hear you're finally on the road, although i checked your blog today thinking that you probably left berlin sometime last week. i'll have to check out "summits and spokes" more often to make sure i get all the good news from your trip in a more timely fashion. either way i'm glad your on your way and it sounds like you're doin good so far. sorry to hear about your grandfather, it sounds like he was a good man and at least you got to spend some time with him in the past that you'll have to remember. let me know when you think you're gonna be heading into barcelona.
"take care. stay rebel."
-david
hey ian... sounds exciting to be on the road, and i can see why! can't wait to hear about more adventures. we missed you at grandpa funeral today, but i know he was excited about you making this trip.
love you, katie
so... you know you could've brought all you bike stuff on the plane, including your bike, for ~$75...
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