Wroclaw and the sobbing gog!

So, when I got to Wroclaw, it was already dark. But luckily the hostel I had booked was literally across the road from the station.

The hostel was in a really weird place, three floors up in a residential building. They were kind enough to let me bring my bike up (I even got it into my dorm and hid it, yes hid it, between two bunk beds). It was here that I met my first fellow tourer, who also had his bike in the room. I imagined we would be up all night talking about our adventures and what things we found hard etc. But I didn't even get a hello from him. He was a right miserable bastard. Maybe its because I'm from Britain, but if you say hello (which is universal in any language I've found out) you expect to have a hello back..

Anyway, I had something to eat and then tried to get some sleep.

But I couldn't.

I think in the end I had about 4hrs sleep. Between my nerves/excitement of going into territories unknown and the old man in the room snoring I just really struggled to even nod off.

The next day I figured I wouldn't be able to cycle after such little sleep, I cod barely think straight let alone cycle straight. I booked myself in for another night and decided to get some bits and bobs.

I managed to get some food, ibuprofen gel and a new jacket. I needed a new coat that would also be warm. The cycle jackets are good but I don't think they are suited for colder climes.

The jacket I got had a detachable fleece and is extremely warm!

Walking around Wroclaw I realised that j was getting a little depressed but came to the conclusion that the lack of sleep didn't help. It was round about now that I really started missing home, with Nanna's anniversary already been and gone too I was missing her too. Coincidentally I happened across a catholic cathedral which was open and went and lit a candle for her. I even said a little prayer asking for some help and guidance. She would have liked that.

The straw that broke my emotional camel's back was when I went into a pet store to look at the animals (hoping to cheer myself up), there were a bunch of rabbits that looked like my two (Toffi and Tiffin). I'm not ashamed to say that I started sobbing. (I dread to think what the pet store owner thought of a 6ft2 bearded man coming into their store and crying over the fluffiest things in the shop. It must have looked hilarious. Or scary as hell)

Anyway, after that I just kept breaking into tears all day. I finally got a hold of myself enough to book a train ticket to the other side of Poland (as close to the Ukraine border as possible).

I had real difficulty trying to get a ticket because they wouldn't let me have my bike crossing the border. I explained (countless times) that I didn't want to actually cross the border just next to it, but they weren't having any of it. Luckily, some guy who spoke English came up to me and asked did I want to go to Przemysl?

Showing me a map, it was the town before the stop I thought I wanted to take. He turned to the ticket officers and after 5 seconds (if that). I had tickets for the bike and I to Przemysl via Krakow. I don't know what he said, but I'm glad he did!

I got back to the hostel, had food, and got my head down to finally sleep. Alarms were set beforehand though - the train was at 0700.

Görlitz then Wroclaw!

So I headed off from Dresden following the B6 pretty much all the way to Görlitz. This time, however, instead of following what Google maps had directed, I actually just stayed on the major trunk (I never saw any signs prohibiting cyclists and plenty of police where around and not one of them said a thing)

The weather was cool but sunny. I find once I get going that I start to heat up pretty quickly, in no small part to the Helly Henson thermals I've got from my Dad!

The roads were perfect. I think if I were to go back and do this again I would stay on major roads. The bike, and more specifically the pannier racks, wasn't designed for cobbles, potholes and dirt tracks. Annoyingly, I seemed to have lost a piece off the new front pannier rack. Its like a spacer/washer, but its screwed back in and I've secured both front and back racks with cable ties. God I love cable ties! Most of the bike is covered in them! From the GPS mount to the bike computer to extra storage, cable ties hold the lot on! (That reminds, I need to buy some more! And maybe some duct tape)

Later on in the day there were a few showers and the wind picked up.

I got to Görlitz in good time and I caught a train to Wroclaw!

Dresden.

With that scary Chinese guy keeping me up most of the night I decided to get an early ride. Got up at six, had breakfast and was out by and on the road by eight.

It was a beautiful day but by the time I got out of the city (and away from cobbles and potholes) I noticed my front wheel was slightly buckled. It wasn't too bad to be honest so I  it would be good enough to get me to Dresden where I'd get it fixed.

It was actually a really good day of cycling. It was warm, the wind was behind me and besides the wobbly wheel the roads were immaculate.

Got to Dresden around three and found the hostel I booked. They were kind enough to let me put my bike in a WC they never used (although the “locked" it every time by using a scalpel to twist the catch from the outside, I could see the plastic deteriorate every time and I worried that the bike would be locked in there forever)

Found a bike shop online that promised that they were the fastest in Dresden, the only problem was they closed early on a Saturday so I'd have to wait until Monday for it to be fixed!

I tried to find something to do for the evening and happened across a venue that was hosting an old school american hardcore punk band called Bad Brains. But despite trying my hardest to find the venue I gave up, it was in some industrial complex that I just wasn't happy being near so I got a Subway and ate it on the way back to the hostel.

Sunday I went and did a little exploring. I am currently trying to upload pictures on to a flickr account so once that's up to date I'll post a link.

I went to a German market (I call it that because whilst I lived in Manchester, every December they would have a “German market") and all the smells left me starving. In the end I ended up having a joint of roast hog with sauerkraut and pan fried potatoes. With a beer of course.

Dresden was an awesome city. Remnants of its communist past, pre WW1 buildings and modern architecture made the city ooze with culture and diversity. Like I said, once I upload pictures I'll pit up a link.

For food that night I got a massive Hawaiian pizza for about €7. It was amazing.

Monday morning I was up and taking my bike to be repaired. I asked the guy to true the wheel, replace brakes and clean the chain set. He told me its be ready by Wednesday. The desperation in my face made him change his mind to Tuesday. Thankfully.

I can't remember what I did for the rest if the day apart from food shopping and laying in bed reading Carl Sagan's Cosmos! Wow, despite its age its incredible read!

Tuesday, I picked up the bike, and was on my way to Görlitz, a half German/half Polish town divided by a river.

Leipzig. And one seriously scary Chinese guy.

One thing I noticed about Europe is that whilst supermarkets may open at 0700, shops don't open until 1000. Which many I'd have to wait till then to go and get new inner tubes! Just to be on the safe side I got four, one to replace the dead one and three more to be safe.

Unfortunately my D-Lock that I had been lugging around had seized up and no amount of WD40 was going to help. So whilst at the bike shop I got a new lock, a cable one this time. Hopefully I won't have any problems with that one!

I decided to stay another night at the hostel and when I went back to the room there was a half naked Chinese guy fixing his hold all.

I said hello, nothing. So I went and replaced the tyre and when I went back to the room he was talking to someone on the phone. Well I say the phone, he had his headphones plugged into his laptop so I assumed he was on Skype or something.

The previous night I was rather restless so wanted to catch up on my sleep, but I couldn't with that guy talking. What I found weird was that he was talking in English, so why he never said anything to me is beyond me.

Anyway, with not being able to sleep I decided to go look around Leipzig. A really nice city but without anyone with me I got bored did some shopping and went back again to the hostel. This time going into the communal room. I watched about 5 episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother' (in German) and ate a lot of junk food!

Getting late, I had dinner and went back to my room. The Chinese guy wasn't there but the guy who was there the previous night and a new guy were.

The new guy asked me if the Chinese guy was still talking to himself. I was gob smacked, I genuinely thought he was on the phone and as if on cue he burst through the door jumped into his top bunk bed and went on his laptop. Talking. To himself.

I'm not going deny by this point I was a little scared. Even more so now that I started to listen into what he was saying. He kept cycling through various subjects: How he beat up a guy in Aberdeen thinking he was a “spy"; how he got into a fight in Cardiff after two “spies" jumped him; that he linked to religious radicals back in Beijing, but how could he be a religiously radical if he was gay; how no one speaks Chinese but expect him to speak English, or German; how he had a degree in Britain revoked due to plagiarism; how he hated Canada because he got into a fight with someone and “almost squeezed his eye out" until Canadian cops turned up.

I can't remember everything he went on about but needless to say, I slept with one eye open.

It's getting tougher!

This blog is for my Taid (grandfather) who asked my Mam when I'd be writing my next blog!

So. This trip is getting tougher and tougher. I was almost on the verge of giving up yesterday. The reason? I hate German roads/cycle paths.

They have been a literal pain in the arse (and wrists, neck and shoulders) for my entire time in Germany. I know I've ranted already about how or they are but yesterday was the last straw.

Let me go back two days ago. I'd spent the morning on a guided tour around the Jägermeister factory (well worth a visit if you're in the area) and I was in a great mood. Not even the rain was putting me off my trip south towards Leipzig.

I'm not going to go into too much repetitive detail, in part because im trying to block it out already, but the cycle route took me across 10 miles of a tractor track that was just slabs of concrete that made your bones rattle every metre; 8 miles of a major road between two villages that was barely even a dirt track (despite the fact I was cycling through porridge I still managed to get around 13mph); and to top it all off, every single town/city I rode through was cobbled. Why? What benefit could cobbling major roads through towns bring to the table? It's not as if it slowed down traffic. Just cyclists..

I got as far as a place called Quendlinburg. A UNESCO protected historical town. I'll you one guess as to why it's protected? That's right, for its cobbles!! By this point I was frothing at the mouth and just wanted somewhere to stay so ended up in a little hotel just west of the town.

Much of the same yesterday. Although I did manage to get onto the B6 for large chunks of the day! This meant that I was able to enjoy some of the best roads I've ridden on so far. Until I got into the towns that is! I made some good progress to a place called Halle before disaster struck again!

About 5 miles south of Halle I was doing really well. I bad about 20 miles left of the day and was zooming along quite nicely before some arrogant driver made it quite clear that HE didn't want me on the road (Despite the fact I had no problems before hand with any other drivers.) and he forced me onto the cycle path. after about 15 seconds of being on the pothole ridden death trap I hit a pothole so hard my tire popped.

I was so angry I almost punched the floor. I tried to repair the puncture but it was so big I just couldn't fix it. The oy option I hadeft was to walk it 5 miles back to Halle and catch a train to Leipzig. What a fiasco that turned out to be.

I managed to get a ticket just fine and even managed to get the bike down a flight of stairs (no sign of lifts for disabled) then back up onto the platform to await for my train.

The train arrived later than planned and I never knew I had to go to the back of the train to put my bike on. When I got there the conductor looked at me, shouted “No" and now the whistle in my face before getting on the train looking smug. I was so angry I wanted to cry (I also wanted to run after the train and punch his face as it hung out the carriage window but thought better off it).

I managed to find another train which was already waiting on the platform.  Got on it no problem and dreamt of a good night sleep in a bed.

Finding the hostel was a bit difficult in that it was in one of countless back alley plazas that dot Leipzig but once I found it, I was already beginning to feel better. A pretty punk girl at the reception and a nice hot shower was just what I needed to forget the crap I've had throughout Germany.

It's weird, I never in a million years have wanted to get out of a country so fast as I do now. I'm sick of Germany. Its sour faced citizens, it's over priced cuisine and despicable treatment of cyclists has left such a bitter taste in my mouth that I just want out.

Not long now though. I'm having a rest today. Then it shouldn't take me long to get into Poland (maybe a couple of days via Dresden)

It's a shame though, because I bet under different circumstances I would have loved it here.. Ah well.

Edit: My front wheel is slightly buckled and I've almost got a bald rear wheel tyre. Joy!!

Me - being wet and miserable

Slogging it out...

So the last two days have been pretty much the hardest I've had so far!

Sunday morning I was pretty much resigning to the fact I'd be getting a train from Hagen to wherever eastwards because the rain wasn't just pouring, it was flooding the air!! It was silly how far up the rain was bouncing of the tarmac!

Either that or stay another day in the hostel.

Regardless, I packed up, checked out and started loading the bike up. I thought sod it, might as well *try* and cycle a bit (at least make my train fare cheaper.

So as per usual I got lost for the first half hour before getting my bearings and headed north east. My aim was to get to Kessal but early on I realised that this wasn't gonna happen. I just wasn't getting anywhere fast. Is it because of the ground being wet or me being cold and my knees showing there age? Either way I was crawling along and aching too!!

I'm actually really glad that I cycled because It turned out a real nice day. I was soaking from the damp in the air and my sweat from wearing a plastic coat but apart from that I was warm! My knees had stop hurting too!!

Nothing else to report about the ride really, apart from getting caught in the occasional shower!

I ended up in a place called Paderborn and stayed in a beautiful hostel, paid the receptionist in some soggy/sweaty Euros and after dragging my half tonne of baggage to my room went to find some food. Found the WIERDEST chippy I will ever likely find! It wasn't that was dirty or anything. It was just so.. I can't put my finger on it.. It wouldn't have been amiss from League if Gentlemen's Royston Vaisey.. Don't get me wrong the lady serving me was lovely, she really appreciated my attempts at ordering in German despite her speaking fluent English but even she was odd..

Anyway. I digress, after food I pretty much zonked out at about 2300.. Didn't wake up til 0700 - just in time for breakfast!

I left the hostel at about 10. I really need to start leaving earlier but after having breakfast I like to just chill for a bit and it takes ages to repack the bike!

I reallllyyy struggled today. I don't know what was wrong with me but I normally cruise at around 12mph but today I was struggling getting up to 9mph.. I whinged about it a bit on Facebook which never actually made.me.feel any better about it. I really didn't think I was putting less effort in and out of nowhere I started getting averages of about 15mph then 26mph.. On flats!! Earlier on I couldn't even get 10mph going down hill!! it was so bizarre. There was no wind behind me. It had even began to rain.. I didn't get it!

I managed to cover some good distance in the time I had become some sort of superman but it wasn't long before I was cycling over my kryptonite. German cycle paths.

I was forced on them for quite a few miles due to the weather conditions and heaviness of traffic. I hate them! Really, I do! Im sorry if any Germans read this but you've not got a scratch on your Belgian/Dutch neighbours!

Anywho.. again, I realised I wouldn't get to my destination before sunset. So I'm currently in a hostel in Hildesheim. Short of the destination I'd set myself. Tomorrows destination - Wolfenbüttel!

Yes ladies and gemtlemen, tomorrow I'm taking a day off for some tourism!! “What kind of tourism?" I hear you ask!

Tomorrow I'll be heading (with any luck) to the Jägermeister factory (distillery)! I'm actually reeeeeeeally excited! Not because I'm your stereotypical binge drinker who'll make all his friends jealous (although both statements are true) but because I genuinely love seeing how things are made! I could watch that programme on Quest for hours (I won't name the programme ha ha). Plus the prospect of a testing is really whetting my whistle!

As always, thanks for reading! Also a big thanks to those who are constantly giving me support and words of wisdom..! I'll try and get you a souvenir from Jäger!

Europe! So far, so nicht so gut

So its been a few days since I've written my last entry.. A fair bit has happened since then. I'll break it down day by day:

Europe - Day 1.

Sailed over from Dover to Dinkirk. Was a beautiful day and nice calm crossing. Got to France around 11 (local time). I proceeded to get lost for about an hour, or so I thought. Turns out I was going the right way but hesitated because I was going through an industrial zone. Got to the Belgian border not long after and met two Manx lads you were cycling through Europe before going back to uni. We met up again in a place called Verne and decided to cycle together to Brugge as this was on my way to the Netherlands.

The cycle paths throughout France and Belgium were amazing. They were smooth to cyke on and rather wide too!

The three of us had cycled as far as a resort town called Oostende before calamity struck. We were cycling over some cobbles when we heard a “Twang" I turned to them and said something (in jest) along the lines of “I hope that was a stone and not a screw!". No sooner had I said that my whole front-right pannier rack snapped, contorted around the forks and threw the pannier it was carrying to the ground. God only knows how I never ended up on the floor, from someone who had been falling over on his bike just by turning to getting out of my SPDs in a split second it was incredible. My momentary celebrations were cut short when j realised what had happened.

The bolt holding the pannier rack in place had snapped in half, leaving part of it in the fork itself. The pannier rack was tightly wrapped around the fork and had snapped three spokes. I should have taken a picture of it, but I was so close to crying I could bring myself to take a photo. The two Manx kids helped me unravel the mess and waited until I had found a local bike shop before saying their goodbyes. I wheeled the bike to a quaint repair shop called Plums. The owner spoke a fair amount if English and told me it'd be repaired by 11 the next day. He also would replace the two separate front pannier racks to a single one.

With a bruised ego and a flinching wallet I unpacked the bike left what I didn't need into the slowly disintegrating laundry bag and went and tried to find a cheap hotel for the night, forgetting I had the unfortunate luck of breaking down in a seaside resort.
I ended up staying in a place called Alpha Hotel which cost me €46. Great.
Spent all night watching National Geographic as that was the only channel that was in English.

Euro Day 2.

Had a rubbish nights sleep. I was so miserable about the bike that I worried what if he couldn't sort the wheel out? A hilariously funny shower (it just didn't make any sense, and I ended up with a flooded bathroom) couldn't even lighten my mood. Finding out how much repairing my bike would cost put me in an even fouler mood. €95. I'm not going to go on about it anymore, I was just glad the bike was fixed.

By midday I was on my way to Brugge. I got there. Got lost. and somehow ended south of where I was meant to be heading. Took me a while to find it but as soon as I found the canal it was plain sailing (cycling) up to the Netherlands. Managed to find a campsite an hour before sunset. Despite not cycling far, I was emotionally shattered!

Euro Day 3.

Set off around 8. Headed south east back into Belgium and towards Antwerp. Pretty much motorways all the way there (even the motorways had cycle paths!!! Albeit they ran parallel to them about 10m away) Antwerp was a lot more navigable than Brugge and despite me wanting to get back into the Netherlands (still heading east) I found a campsite east of Antwerp where they had a restaurant. I had lasagne and two pints of lager before settling down for the night.

Euro Day 4.

As much as day 3 was following motorways, today was all about canals. My aim for today was to get to Germany. I was slightly annoyed that I seemed to be peeling a lot of miles but not really getting anywhere. I'm so stuck for time as have to be in Russia by the 24th, that I'm going to have to skip chunks of this trip out and catch trains. Not really how I wanted to do it but you've got to be realistic about your goals.

I never got to where I had intended to for the night which I was a bit gutted about, half because of windy canals and roads and half because of the heat. Its been soooooo hot the last couple of days I'm having to carry around with me about a gallon of water.

Anyway I was struggling to find somewhere to call for the night (I just within the German border) when I saw a sign for camping. There was a woman watering her plants outside her house and I thought to myself:

“GCSE German - ACTIVATE!!!"

Needless to say I failed miserably. Thankfully I had picked up a few words for camping from signs and what not that we were able to understand each other enough. She sent me to speak to a man in a tractor who spoke Joskin German because I couldn't understand a word he was saying. With enough miming I went through to what can only be described as a geriatric campsite. The tractor guy came round with a glass of orange fanta and asked for €10. He couldn't believe how much I was carrying in my bike and e even got what looked like his apprentice to point and be amazed at the way I unpacked everything.

Euro Day 5.

The shower in the old peoples caravan home was amazing. It was like having a fire engine blast you.
This was to be my first real day in Germany, but it was almost my last cycling. I was so angry. The German cycle paths were awful. They were bumpy, they had grown trees next to them too so the roots of the trees lifted and cracked the ground. I was actually trying my hardest not to throw my bike on the ground with rage. I don't know what had gotten over me, perhaps it was because I had it so good in Belgium France and The Netherlands that I couldn't believe how poorly maintained the German paths were.
Once I had gotten past Düsseldorf they were a bit better but not fantastic. It wasn't until ⅔ through the day that I talked to a Croatian guy and realised that I don't have to use the cycle paths. After that I flew through to my destination, Hagen. German roads were certainly a lot better than their cycle paths. No one honked their horns or shouted at me or even showed any signs of displeasure of me being on the roads so I think I'll stay on them!

Got to a youth hostel in Hagen and got put in a dormnon my own but surrounded by other dorms hosting an under 15s football team. Great.

Spoke to my mam for the first time in a week. Told her about how hot it's been and how I've gotten a fantastic tan, it's just a shame it from my ankles to my thighs; my wrists to my biceps; and my neck and face!

Euro Day 6.

I've actually taken today off from cycling and decided to kip in the hostel for another night. I didn't get much sleep last night because of all the kids making a bloody racket!!
I got up at 7, had breakfast and got ready to go when I just thought “i cant be arsed today"

So today I went into town to pick up some supplies and finally found a place that sold Coleman's fuel.. I'm glad I never cycled today as it absolutely pissed it down with rain. After me bragging to my mam the previous night that I was riding a heat wave to russia, karma decided to open the skies and I got drenched to and from town. its cleared up now but I wouldn't have liked to have been cycling through that I can tell you.

I'm glad that I've taken today off too so I could catch up writing this blog. I need to make sure I don't let it slip otherwise I'll forget the little things!

Anyway I'm going to just chill out now and munch on pomme bears and maoams!

Verne, Belgium

A weird heart shaped bruise