Now it's time to go and eat and get ready for our sightseeing day of Possagno.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
The Garmin 1000 is the leading edge.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Hanging in the Dolomites.
Now it's time to go and eat and get ready for our sightseeing day of Possagno.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Possagno, a place to be enriched.
We left the town of Conegliano at 8.30am after a terrible night's sleep. The place we stayed at was called the Delle Rose which was a nice place, but in summer, it's a sweat box and too close to the train station. The fan had one speed, flat out, which nearly blew me off the bed, and the noise it made reminded me of that jumbo jet the other night. To add salt to my wounds, I left the double window fully open and when the 12.10am express decided to come through town, I seriously thought it was coming through my window and kill me. So, all in all, I had a shit of a sleep. The photo below is Peter standing with the owner Lupcho of the Delle Rose B & B. I should say that the hospitality we were shown was amazing.
Today was the day I had been looking forward to for some time. We were heading to the town of Possangno where my father in law was born and lived for the first 13 years of his life. His family the immigrated to Australia shortly after WWII. The photo below is the first sighting of the town.
The ride today would take us along quiet country roads with very little shoulder to ride on. At least it wasn't that hot. We stopped for a coffee early in the ride and enjoyed what would be the start of an amazing day, full of experiences.
The photo above was taken as we entered the town of Possagno. We had to climb yet another hill to reach the town and then made our way to the local supermarket to get some lunch before we searched for Betilla. I was given some photos of people and Possagno from many years ago and I needed to show them to people to locate my target, Betilla.
Whilst having lunch on the footpath a lady came out and started to talk to us in broken English. We worked out that her name was Cunial, just like nearly everyone else in the town. She pointed out Francesca Cunial and we were on our way to Betilla's home.
We followed Francesca in her down the hill and turned into a narrow alley which led to 3 people standing out the front of their home. I knew straight away from one of the photographs that the elderly lady was Betilla. The photo below was taken by Peter whilst I was going through the photos with Betilla and her son Jan Carlo. She was so moved when I showed her the photo of her brother who was killed in a car accident many years ago when he was in Australia. We all went inside, sat down and just talked and talked and talked. I was lucky Jan Carlo could speak English and he could help translate between his mother and myself. It was an encounter that I shall never forget.
The photo above is the moment I showed Betilla the photo of her brother.
The photo above is sitting in Betilla's home going through the family album.
The photo above is of the church is Possagno. Now there's a story in this church for another day.
After coffee and biscuits, Jan Carlo took us for a drive of the town and up to see the church. We then continued on to see Tony and Graciella Cunial who lived in a very nice home in the Dolomite's overlooking the city of Possagno. I was in awe looking down onto the town below whilst talking to people who lived and breathed this amazing part of the world.
I also got to meet Itello, who is the godfather of my father in law. He was amazed why 2 old cyclists would want to come and visit him in a town that's hard to find on any map.
The photo above is of the church overlooking the town.
After running around the countryside still in my smelly cycling gear at 5pm, Jan Carlo took us to the hotel on top of yet another hill. We got cleaned up and relaxed over a coffee and beer whilst waiting to be picked up in 2 hours time.
Jan Carlo and Betilla picked us up to head up into the Dolomites to meet up with Tony and Graciella for dinner. Once again we could see forever high up in the mountains. It was just one of those moments that will be engraved in my mind forever. We enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal with special company.
We went back down to our hotel around 10.30pm to type up this story and hit the sack. Tomorrow we have big day planned on our rest day.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Whilst having lunch on the footpath a lady came out and started to talk to us in broken English. We worked out that her name was Cunial, just like nearly everyone else in the town. She pointed out Francesca Cunial and we were on our way to Betilla's home.
We followed Francesca in her down the hill and turned into a narrow alley which led to 3 people standing out the front of their home. I knew straight away from one of the photographs that the elderly lady was Betilla. The photo below was taken by Peter whilst I was going through the photos with Betilla and her son Jan Carlo. She was so moved when I showed her the photo of her brother who was killed in a car accident many years ago when he was in Australia. We all went inside, sat down and just talked and talked and talked. I was lucky Jan Carlo could speak English and he could help translate between his mother and myself. It was an encounter that I shall never forget.
After coffee and biscuits, Jan Carlo took us for a drive of the town and up to see the church. We then continued on to see Tony and Graciella Cunial who lived in a very nice home in the Dolomite's overlooking the city of Possagno. I was in awe looking down onto the town below whilst talking to people who lived and breathed this amazing part of the world.
I also got to meet Itello, who is the godfather of my father in law. He was amazed why 2 old cyclists would want to come and visit him in a town that's hard to find on any map.
After running around the countryside still in my smelly cycling gear at 5pm, Jan Carlo took us to the hotel on top of yet another hill. We got cleaned up and relaxed over a coffee and beer whilst waiting to be picked up in 2 hours time.
Jan Carlo and Betilla picked us up to head up into the Dolomites to meet up with Tony and Graciella for dinner. Once again we could see forever high up in the mountains. It was just one of those moments that will be engraved in my mind forever. We enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal with special company.
We went back down to our hotel around 10.30pm to type up this story and hit the sack. Tomorrow we have big day planned on our rest day.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Gorizia to Coneglano, province of Treviso.
Our ride today was very flat with at times a favorable wind. The temperature reached 40 degrees but for the majority of the time it hovered around 35 degrees. We were having a great day on the bike following the SS13 highway.
We stopped at a Spar for our usual lunch stop which was pretty good today. Peter chose some salami, tomato, coleslaw and some fresh fruit salad. This is much better than tuna for a change.
We strolled into Conegliano around 5pm and after much searching found the 'Delle Rose' B & B. Lupcho the owner treats us so special from the time we arrived. He also gave us a gift of venetian glass from Venice. He and his wife could not do enough for us.
Tomorrow we make our way to the town of Possagno where my father in law was born. I hope I find his relatives and get some great photos for him to look at upon my return from the amazing journey. We should have about 50kms to ride and then it's time for another rest day. We need it.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Just another walk in the park. Damn big one.
We sat down to a hearty breakfast at 7am in Hotel Mantova. With 2 eggs, bread and some cheese, we were ready for a gentle stroll in the Slovenian countryside. We left the town of Vrhnika at 7.45am and started to ride to Logatec which was a couple of gentle hills, but nothing to bother 2 matured age men in the prime of their lives.
Once stopping at the huge supermarket called 'Mercator', we were now stocked up for what was going to be hell a mountain. Now I've seen Mt Ventoux and watched people like Lance and Pantani riding up these mountains full of juice, but you should try doing a tougher climb with 45kgs of bike and baggage between your legs.
After riding through the town of Kalce we had to take a turn and head for the village of Podkraj. We had both decided to take on the mountains which was the more direct route to the Italian border. We knew it would have some climbs but 10kms less this way was worth the challenge. No sooner had we turned off the main road, our ride decided to aim for heaven. For the next 5kms we steadily climbed together through a spectacular forest of trees and the most amazing scenery in Slovenia. It was extremely tough work but the gradient was just enough to allow forward progress.
After climbing to the top of the mountain it was time to take a break. For when we start the final climb there would be nothing other than pain.
Peter and I started the final climb together but soon we parted ways for each person to ride their own tempo. I rode along at one speed taking my time and then the mountain which was already 7%, decided to jump to 12%. Now this is extremely steep, and remember the weight we're carrying. Bend after bend the road just wouldn't relent on us. At least we had the best road in the world to be riding on. Just when you thought the road was flattening out, up it went again. I read the next sign on the side of the road, '3.5kms of twists', yeh, well that's what we've doing for the past 1/2 hour. So up we went again, sweat pouring off my nose, arms and legs.
Now I was suffering at this stage and I knew I still had another 10kms to go, and in this heat I had to remember I wasn't 25 year old. As I counted down the kms I was met with another sign, '17% gradient'. Now I was in a real bother. I didn't know whether I would have the strength to push the bike and me up this section. I put my head down and just pushed on as hard as can be, waiting for my legs to let go at any point. Each time you would lift your head to check the road ahead and each time I see the road winding further and further up this mountain. This has to be the steepest mountain I've ever ridden in my life, and that includes my racing days and riding through Africa with Josh.
The road peaked out at close to 1000 metres at the summit and there I sat down and waited for Peter to arrive. I felt like I had achieved something big climbing this mountain today, but Peter who doesn't ride as much as I do back home put in a mightier effort in making it to the summit not far behind me.
The above photo was taken about 1/2 way down the mountain.
The photo above was taken with about 10kms to go.
As all bike riders know, the best part of a mountain is going down the other side at stupid speeds. We roared down the mountain and into the town of Adjovscina and this is where we had our lunch stop. When you work hard on the road you really enjoy that tuna, tomato, onion and cheese roll.
After lunch it was time to finish the day and hit the border and find a place to stay. Whilst riding out of Nova Gorica a chap stopped us and took our photos. He was a journalist and thought it would be interesting to talk about 2 Aussies riding their bikes across Europe. He also stopped to tell us that a huge storm was coming from Italy and that we should be indoors when it hits. We had about 8kms to go to the border so I wasn't concerned.
The road to the border was on a secondary road and was rather quiet and safe to ride on. We still had the same headwind that we brought with us from Istanbul and it wouldn't let up. We just pushed along until we found the border post at Gorizia. The border post is non existent, all we had to do was keep riding into Italy and we were in our next country.
The photo above proves I'm in Italy.
Peter spotted this Fiat car outside the supermarket tonight. How the hell would I fit in that?
After dinner we went for a short walk of the town to try and stretch the old tired bones. The town of Gorizia has that historical sites to see, but we're in no shape to walk too far.
The photo above is of St Ignatius Church in the heart of Gorizia.
The above photo shows the Italian community hard at work around 6pm.
Another fantastic day on the bike with some serious hill climbing thrown in for good measure. Tomorrow we head further west and see what is around the corner.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Once stopping at the huge supermarket called 'Mercator', we were now stocked up for what was going to be hell a mountain. Now I've seen Mt Ventoux and watched people like Lance and Pantani riding up these mountains full of juice, but you should try doing a tougher climb with 45kgs of bike and baggage between your legs.
After riding through the town of Kalce we had to take a turn and head for the village of Podkraj. We had both decided to take on the mountains which was the more direct route to the Italian border. We knew it would have some climbs but 10kms less this way was worth the challenge. No sooner had we turned off the main road, our ride decided to aim for heaven. For the next 5kms we steadily climbed together through a spectacular forest of trees and the most amazing scenery in Slovenia. It was extremely tough work but the gradient was just enough to allow forward progress.
After climbing to the top of the mountain it was time to take a break. For when we start the final climb there would be nothing other than pain.
Peter and I started the final climb together but soon we parted ways for each person to ride their own tempo. I rode along at one speed taking my time and then the mountain which was already 7%, decided to jump to 12%. Now this is extremely steep, and remember the weight we're carrying. Bend after bend the road just wouldn't relent on us. At least we had the best road in the world to be riding on. Just when you thought the road was flattening out, up it went again. I read the next sign on the side of the road, '3.5kms of twists', yeh, well that's what we've doing for the past 1/2 hour. So up we went again, sweat pouring off my nose, arms and legs.
Now I was suffering at this stage and I knew I still had another 10kms to go, and in this heat I had to remember I wasn't 25 year old. As I counted down the kms I was met with another sign, '17% gradient'. Now I was in a real bother. I didn't know whether I would have the strength to push the bike and me up this section. I put my head down and just pushed on as hard as can be, waiting for my legs to let go at any point. Each time you would lift your head to check the road ahead and each time I see the road winding further and further up this mountain. This has to be the steepest mountain I've ever ridden in my life, and that includes my racing days and riding through Africa with Josh.
The road peaked out at close to 1000 metres at the summit and there I sat down and waited for Peter to arrive. I felt like I had achieved something big climbing this mountain today, but Peter who doesn't ride as much as I do back home put in a mightier effort in making it to the summit not far behind me.
As all bike riders know, the best part of a mountain is going down the other side at stupid speeds. We roared down the mountain and into the town of Adjovscina and this is where we had our lunch stop. When you work hard on the road you really enjoy that tuna, tomato, onion and cheese roll.
After lunch it was time to finish the day and hit the border and find a place to stay. Whilst riding out of Nova Gorica a chap stopped us and took our photos. He was a journalist and thought it would be interesting to talk about 2 Aussies riding their bikes across Europe. He also stopped to tell us that a huge storm was coming from Italy and that we should be indoors when it hits. We had about 8kms to go to the border so I wasn't concerned.
The road to the border was on a secondary road and was rather quiet and safe to ride on. We still had the same headwind that we brought with us from Istanbul and it wouldn't let up. We just pushed along until we found the border post at Gorizia. The border post is non existent, all we had to do was keep riding into Italy and we were in our next country.
After dinner we went for a short walk of the town to try and stretch the old tired bones. The town of Gorizia has that historical sites to see, but we're in no shape to walk too far.
Another fantastic day on the bike with some serious hill climbing thrown in for good measure. Tomorrow we head further west and see what is around the corner.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Just made forward progress to Vrhnika.
I've heard the old saying, 'what a day'? well that applied to us. We started the day on a good note, found the market to buy some milk, yogurt and bananas for our breakfast. We sat down on the side of the road and got stuck in our 2.50 breakfast. I love a bargain.
We rolled out of Dolenjske Toplice at 8am ready to attack the mountains. The first came straight into the ride, but at least we were covered by the overhanging forest. The ride up the first mountain was perfect, not too hot, and not too steep. We just cruised along watching the valley floor disappear beneath us. We could see for miles as we continued higher and higher. We stopped to take some photos of the surrounding landscape from 1/2 way up the climb.
As we continued to the 2nd climb the road became gravel. For the next 10kms we suffered in temperatures reaching 40 degrees and the first part of the climb went to 12%. Now since we're real cyclist who don't need drugs to climb hills, I think we did a fine job in reaching the top. And like all good mountains, the fun is roaring down the other side and into the valley below. The photo above is Peter in the distance climbing the gravel mountain outside of Ivancha Gorica. No matter how stuffed we were, the amazing views of Slovenia greeted us around every corner with miles of green pastures and beautiful homes nestled on the side of mountains. Life is pretty good.
The photo above was taken 1/2 way up the first climb. It's a shame I don't have a photo of the other mountain, it was huge.
I took the above photo which is the Autobahn that runs through Slovenia, Croatia and on towards Italy. We might give that motorway another crack tomorrow.
The photo above was taken just before we entered the town of Brest. Just to reach Brest was a nightmare. We had been told by one of the locals that we should ride 5kms out of town and we would come to a SBS shop and then we should turn right. We should continue about 5kms and then come to the town of Brest. It didn't actually turn out correct. We rode 6kms and then climbed a 5km mountain, gave up and returned to be told it was 500 metres out of town. Bullshit. I was pissed off considering the temperature hit 45 during the climb. Eventually we found Brest and I'm happy.
From the town of Brest we rode along a nice country road being sheltered from the sun which wouldn't let up all day with it's ferocity. I should add that we had a strong headwind all day to contend with. So with the heat, wind and mountains, we were slowly being defeated and needed to call it a day. From 3pm we decided to find the next place to get a room. From town to town we were told no room at the inn. The photo above shows an amazing old entry to a town that we came across towards the end of the day. It looked just like something out of Xena the Warrior TV show. That's one of my favorite shows.
At stage we were running low on water so I called out to a family that were standing at the back of their house if we could fill up our bottles. They waved us down and now we had enough water to get us to the finish.
We ended up at Mantova Hotel in the town of Vrhnika, the town we had hoped to reached today. The bad thing about it was the advice we were given added about another 20ks to the trip. And that's more time out in the sun.
The photos below were taken yesterday, but I couldn't add them because of the slow WiFi in the camp.
The photo above proves that Harvey Norman exists in Croatia. We did see the shop as we left Zagreb yesterday.
The above photo was taken of the catholic church sitting in a field all on its own.
We found a lot of places were people were swimming yesterday. The water looked clean and plenty of fish could be seen from the bridge.
The above photo is of Peter and I celebrating the 2000km mark of our journey.
So that's a wrap for today. We hope to enter Italy tomorrow if I get the directions right.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
We rolled out of Dolenjske Toplice at 8am ready to attack the mountains. The first came straight into the ride, but at least we were covered by the overhanging forest. The ride up the first mountain was perfect, not too hot, and not too steep. We just cruised along watching the valley floor disappear beneath us. We could see for miles as we continued higher and higher. We stopped to take some photos of the surrounding landscape from 1/2 way up the climb.
At stage we were running low on water so I called out to a family that were standing at the back of their house if we could fill up our bottles. They waved us down and now we had enough water to get us to the finish.
We ended up at Mantova Hotel in the town of Vrhnika, the town we had hoped to reached today. The bad thing about it was the advice we were given added about another 20ks to the trip. And that's more time out in the sun.
The photos below were taken yesterday, but I couldn't add them because of the slow WiFi in the camp.
So that's a wrap for today. We hope to enter Italy tomorrow if I get the directions right.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Zagreb to Dolenjske Toplice, Slovenia. An amazing first day in a new country.
We left Zagreb at 7.30am to ride to the Slovenian border town of Somobor. I spent a great deal of time working with google maps writing down left and right turns, the name of streets and just about anything that would lead us out of the city. Well, even good plans go to crap sometimes. After battling tram tracks, cars and motorcycle we decided to just follow the sign to the the capital of Slovenia and the border crossing. The problem with this was that the road took us onto the A1 which is a motorway and one is not allowed to ride their bicycles on a motorway. We thought that we should just try and chance riding to the border on the motorway and see what happens. We did see a highway patrol bike on the other side of the road waving at us to say hello, or get the hell of the motorway you idiots. We just waved at him and kept riding to the border.
About 5 minutes later a motorway works vehicle stopped and told us he had calls from drivers and that we had to get off the motorway. The next thing that zoomed up to us was that nice highway patrol officer who was waving to us about 10 minutes earlier. We had a nice chat, spoke about prosecuting and the criminal justice system whilst sitting on our bikes on the motorway. We discussed his job, his family and he shook our hands and told us to get off the motorway and don't do it again. No problem, we turned around and rode back about 100 metres and found the town of Somobor. We rolled through the town and found this little border crossing which was going to be another problem in our day.
What we didn't realise was that at this border crossing, it only applies to EU residents. Now we were in bit of bother. We had left Croatia and now were trying to enter Slovenia on a border crossing that didn't apply to 2 dumb Aussie cyclists. We told the police we couldn't go back because got kicked off the motorway, so we had nowhere to ride. After a bit of negotiating, one of the officers took our passports to another border crossing and got us a stamp each in our passports. We were allowed to enter Slovenia.
Slovenia is one beautiful country. We rode the back roads all day reaching our final destination at 5pm. Dolenjske Toplice is situated on a river and this is where we're camping tonight. The campsite is excellent and I'll post all my photos tomorrow, the WiFi is not strong enough to upload all the photos.
Whilst riding along the road 2 touring cyclists from Slovenia caught us on the major climb of the day. We chatted about touring and they provided advice to us on where to camp. They also wrote down all the towns we will go through to reach the Italian border in a couple of days time.
We walked into town and had a great meal at this nice restaurant called 'Ostarija'. It was time to head back to camp and check out whether the copper pipe I bought today has held my shitty tent together. We did get to see a 'Harvey Norman' shop as we left Zagreb today. Photos coming tomorrow.
We ended up doing another 100kms and we intend to do the same tomorrow.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
About 5 minutes later a motorway works vehicle stopped and told us he had calls from drivers and that we had to get off the motorway. The next thing that zoomed up to us was that nice highway patrol officer who was waving to us about 10 minutes earlier. We had a nice chat, spoke about prosecuting and the criminal justice system whilst sitting on our bikes on the motorway. We discussed his job, his family and he shook our hands and told us to get off the motorway and don't do it again. No problem, we turned around and rode back about 100 metres and found the town of Somobor. We rolled through the town and found this little border crossing which was going to be another problem in our day.
What we didn't realise was that at this border crossing, it only applies to EU residents. Now we were in bit of bother. We had left Croatia and now were trying to enter Slovenia on a border crossing that didn't apply to 2 dumb Aussie cyclists. We told the police we couldn't go back because got kicked off the motorway, so we had nowhere to ride. After a bit of negotiating, one of the officers took our passports to another border crossing and got us a stamp each in our passports. We were allowed to enter Slovenia.
Slovenia is one beautiful country. We rode the back roads all day reaching our final destination at 5pm. Dolenjske Toplice is situated on a river and this is where we're camping tonight. The campsite is excellent and I'll post all my photos tomorrow, the WiFi is not strong enough to upload all the photos.
Whilst riding along the road 2 touring cyclists from Slovenia caught us on the major climb of the day. We chatted about touring and they provided advice to us on where to camp. They also wrote down all the towns we will go through to reach the Italian border in a couple of days time.
We walked into town and had a great meal at this nice restaurant called 'Ostarija'. It was time to head back to camp and check out whether the copper pipe I bought today has held my shitty tent together. We did get to see a 'Harvey Norman' shop as we left Zagreb today. Photos coming tomorrow.
We ended up doing another 100kms and we intend to do the same tomorrow.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Friday, July 26, 2013
A very hot rest day in Zagreb.
Today I got the chance to sleep in to 8am. Although it was pretty hot last night I think I've caught up on the sleep I missed the night before due to the aeroplane incident.
Peter and I went into Zagreb today to check out a couple of the sites recommended by Lonely Planet. First we went to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. the church dominates the sky with 2 neo-Gothic spires that date from 1899. The cathedral was formerly known as St Stephens. Elements of an earlier medieval cathedral destroyed by an earthquake in 1880
can be seen inside, including 13th century frescoes, Renaissance pews, marble altars and a baroque pulpit.
We moved on to check out the Dolac market which was basically a large fruit and vegi stand. It really didn't have that much to offer. It was time to move on to the next tourist attraction being St Mark's Church. Its colourful tiled roof makes this Gothic church one of Zagreb's most emblematic buildings. Unfortunately it was closed at the time of our visit. Below is a photo of the church.
The above photo was taken for the novelty of the sign. You'll see where the humor lies. A museum for broken relationships, now that's interesting. The 2nd photo above was taken to increase the amount of photos I put on the blog each day.
We continued walking around the centre until about 1pm when it was time to head back to the hotel and get out of the burning sun. I've got a strange notion that our tour is going to heat up big time. We leave tomorrow morning for Slovenia. I've done no research at all, other than to ride west and see where we end up after about 100kms. I hope the weather is kind to us.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Peter and I went into Zagreb today to check out a couple of the sites recommended by Lonely Planet. First we went to the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. the church dominates the sky with 2 neo-Gothic spires that date from 1899. The cathedral was formerly known as St Stephens. Elements of an earlier medieval cathedral destroyed by an earthquake in 1880
We moved on to check out the Dolac market which was basically a large fruit and vegi stand. It really didn't have that much to offer. It was time to move on to the next tourist attraction being St Mark's Church. Its colourful tiled roof makes this Gothic church one of Zagreb's most emblematic buildings. Unfortunately it was closed at the time of our visit. Below is a photo of the church.
We continued walking around the centre until about 1pm when it was time to head back to the hotel and get out of the burning sun. I've got a strange notion that our tour is going to heat up big time. We leave tomorrow morning for Slovenia. I've done no research at all, other than to ride west and see where we end up after about 100kms. I hope the weather is kind to us.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Vrbovec to Ravnice, Zagreb, Croatia.
Today we were in no hurry to reach the capital of Croatia, so we decided to sleep in and do the 40kms at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately things never seem to go to plan with me on holidays, and this is a short overview of last night.
The room we got was so hot you could cook an egg off my ass, and that's not a pretty sight. The air conditioning unit sounded like a jumbo jet with all 4 engines hanging off ready to explode into a billion pieces. I hope you get the idea now of the noise. We decided to turn the air con off and see how we went.
During the night Peter had to open the door to the room because he found it hard to swim in the perspiration that he had showered all over the bedroom floor. The problem with opening the door was quite simple, now we could hear the sound of 2000 trucks approaching and leaving the roundabout below of room during the night and early morning. It was decided to kick start the jumbo jet and stick rolled up toilet paper in our ears to try and soften the sound of the aeroplane overhead.
We woke at 6am fresh as a fiddle and ready to attack the capital.
After breakfast we hit the road which once again took us mainly through small townships in the beginning and much larger as we got to the capital. The road was in a poor state of disrepair and we had to be on guard not to hit the huge pot holes. The ride took under 2 hours which wasn't bad considering the traffic. One thing in this country is the trucks and cars give us plenty of room and I don't remember being tooted in anger at any time, even when we're holding up the traffic.
I had done some research last night and found a place called 'hotel Race'. I read all the roads and turns on google maps and we found the place to my surprise. For about 25 a night I got a huge room with a queen size bed, a TV I don't know how to use and WiFi. Peter has his own room as well. The couple who run the place are extremely kind and helpful from the time we arrived. It seems that nothing is a problem to them when it comes to customer service.
I laid around for a couple of hours trying to catch up on some sleep and then we decided to go into the capital and have a look around. We'll be doing more sightseeing tomorrow. The capital is a beautiful place and similar to Hungary and some ways Romania.
The photo above is of the coffee set in Zagreb.
The photo above is of my cycling partner, Mr P.
The photo above is the funicular that takes you from lower Zagreb to the old city. We'll be going their tomorrow.
Whenever you go to a major city you have to use the local transport system. In Zagreb they have fantastic tram network and of course Peter and I took it back to our town without buying a ticket. We were told no one buys a ticket.
The photo above is one of the many cobbles alleys in the capital.
After our brief look at the city we caught the tram and walked back to hotel Race to crash for the evening. Tomorrow is a rest day and sightseeing.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
The room we got was so hot you could cook an egg off my ass, and that's not a pretty sight. The air conditioning unit sounded like a jumbo jet with all 4 engines hanging off ready to explode into a billion pieces. I hope you get the idea now of the noise. We decided to turn the air con off and see how we went.
During the night Peter had to open the door to the room because he found it hard to swim in the perspiration that he had showered all over the bedroom floor. The problem with opening the door was quite simple, now we could hear the sound of 2000 trucks approaching and leaving the roundabout below of room during the night and early morning. It was decided to kick start the jumbo jet and stick rolled up toilet paper in our ears to try and soften the sound of the aeroplane overhead.
We woke at 6am fresh as a fiddle and ready to attack the capital.
After breakfast we hit the road which once again took us mainly through small townships in the beginning and much larger as we got to the capital. The road was in a poor state of disrepair and we had to be on guard not to hit the huge pot holes. The ride took under 2 hours which wasn't bad considering the traffic. One thing in this country is the trucks and cars give us plenty of room and I don't remember being tooted in anger at any time, even when we're holding up the traffic.
I had done some research last night and found a place called 'hotel Race'. I read all the roads and turns on google maps and we found the place to my surprise. For about 25 a night I got a huge room with a queen size bed, a TV I don't know how to use and WiFi. Peter has his own room as well. The couple who run the place are extremely kind and helpful from the time we arrived. It seems that nothing is a problem to them when it comes to customer service.
I laid around for a couple of hours trying to catch up on some sleep and then we decided to go into the capital and have a look around. We'll be doing more sightseeing tomorrow. The capital is a beautiful place and similar to Hungary and some ways Romania.
The photo above is the funicular that takes you from lower Zagreb to the old city. We'll be going their tomorrow.
After our brief look at the city we caught the tram and walked back to hotel Race to crash for the evening. Tomorrow is a rest day and sightseeing.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Virovitica to Vrbovec. Traffic on the rise.
We rolled out of our hotel and made our way down to the local supermarket. After picking up some milk and some supplies for the day, we got our gear out and had some breakfast sitting outside the supermarket.
Breakfast was a healthy bowl of cereal with yoghurt and an orange juice. You still have to try and eat as healthy as possible when covering over 100kms each day. If you don't, you won't make the end of the day.
I had planned to go through the towns of Prespa, Brezovac, Godovac, but this didn't go to plan. We took the wrong road (my fault) out of town and travelled about 10kms out of the way. Eventually we got back on track around the town of Bjelovar and that's where we had our lunch. The road today was really nice and fast. We had good surface to ride on and the trucks gave us plenty of room when passing.
The photo above is where we had lunch which was the only place we could find out of the midday sun. We had the smell of a chicken pen next to us to help us enjoy our tuna, tomato and onion sandwich. The weather is getting hotter and hotter each day and when a lady told us it will be very hot in August, I thought, shit, just like Cambodia again.
The photo above was taken in the town of Szeged 5 days ago when myself and Peter left the company of Maurice and Mary. We did have a great time with them and wished them a safe journey as they made their way to London.
After lunch we rolled along narrow roads and then pine forests and then corn and wheat farms. We pulled into the town of Vrbovec around 3pm with 105kms done for the day. We did have a 1/2 hour break laying under the trees in the afternoon to recharge our batteries after being zapped by the 40 degree heat. If I laid there any longer I would have fallen asleep. I did hear some strange sounds from Peter, but he said he was wide awoke. I doubt it.
We eventually found the Marina Hotel at the major roundabout leading into town and quickly got a room. It costs 40 Euro for the night with breakfast for 2 people. It's a huge contrast compared to what we were paying in Romania and Bulgaria. The further west we go, we can expect to pay more for everything.
Just to finish the day we went for a walk up into town and found a nice restaurant for dinner. The young Croatian lady called Anna was looking after the business whilst her parents were in Split on holidays. We had a great meal and was later provided a plate of pastries to take with us. These were home made and a free gift. We were tickled pink by her generosity and for being such a lovely host. I think she loved the idea of practicing her English with us, but that doesn't detract with her generosity of course.
Since we have about 40kms to reach Zagreb and the much needed rest day, we're going to sleep in. See my American buddy Len always thought I slept too much when we rode through Asia earlier on in the year, and he couldn't understand why Australians needed more sleep than Americans. It's simple, our brains work harder than Americans. I intend to sleep to 9am Len.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Breakfast was a healthy bowl of cereal with yoghurt and an orange juice. You still have to try and eat as healthy as possible when covering over 100kms each day. If you don't, you won't make the end of the day.
I had planned to go through the towns of Prespa, Brezovac, Godovac, but this didn't go to plan. We took the wrong road (my fault) out of town and travelled about 10kms out of the way. Eventually we got back on track around the town of Bjelovar and that's where we had our lunch. The road today was really nice and fast. We had good surface to ride on and the trucks gave us plenty of room when passing.
After lunch we rolled along narrow roads and then pine forests and then corn and wheat farms. We pulled into the town of Vrbovec around 3pm with 105kms done for the day. We did have a 1/2 hour break laying under the trees in the afternoon to recharge our batteries after being zapped by the 40 degree heat. If I laid there any longer I would have fallen asleep. I did hear some strange sounds from Peter, but he said he was wide awoke. I doubt it.
We eventually found the Marina Hotel at the major roundabout leading into town and quickly got a room. It costs 40 Euro for the night with breakfast for 2 people. It's a huge contrast compared to what we were paying in Romania and Bulgaria. The further west we go, we can expect to pay more for everything.
Just to finish the day we went for a walk up into town and found a nice restaurant for dinner. The young Croatian lady called Anna was looking after the business whilst her parents were in Split on holidays. We had a great meal and was later provided a plate of pastries to take with us. These were home made and a free gift. We were tickled pink by her generosity and for being such a lovely host. I think she loved the idea of practicing her English with us, but that doesn't detract with her generosity of course.
Since we have about 40kms to reach Zagreb and the much needed rest day, we're going to sleep in. See my American buddy Len always thought I slept too much when we rode through Asia earlier on in the year, and he couldn't understand why Australians needed more sleep than Americans. It's simple, our brains work harder than Americans. I intend to sleep to 9am Len.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Pellerd to Virovitica Croatia
We rolled out of the hotel around 7.15 and headed in the wrong direction thanks to me. I sensed we were heading back to the major highway and we wanted to go the other way and take secondary roads into Croatia. Less traffic is always the best option.
Today's ride took us once again through rural areas of Hungary. We past many villages and some looked like they were deserted. You could have let off a shotgun and no one would have come out and played.
For the best part of the morning ride we had the cover of the overhanging trees and a slight tail wind. We stopped a couple of times for a coffee and to buy more supplies, in particular water as we were going through heaps of it today. I think we might not have had enough water yesterday.
Today we passed through the towns of Baksa, Vajszio, Darany, Dravafok and the border town of Barcs. Barcs was the town we had our lunch. A nice huge hamburger with salad hit the spot. I think I ate too much and I felt it in my stomach for the rest of the day.
Once through the border we intended to ride to the town of Pitomaca but it was decided that we would ride into the Virovitica and see if we could camp for the night. After asking plenty of people, camping was ruled out and we opted to stay at the hotel Sulentic. The room is very tiny and the price is high for what we're getting.
Tonight we'll just chill out at the hotel and then get up early get closer to Zagreb. We intend to have a shorter ride into Zagreb to spend more time looking around on our rest day.
We hope to cover at least 90-100kms tomorrow.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Baja to Pellerd. Temperature rising.
After a good night's sleep in the tent overlooking the Danube River, I was up nice and early for today's ride. The photo below is of our campsite around 6am today. I should note that this is too early to get out of bed.
We rolled out of the campsite around 7.30am and headed south following the Danube to the town of Mohacs. The ride to Mohacs followed a levee all the way winding through pine forests and miles of Paprika crops. It was another fine morning to go bike riding.
To cross the Danube River we had to board the local ferry with cars and trucks for the 1 minute trip across the river. The photo below is of one of the locks on the Danube River.
I took the above photo whilst waiting to board the ferry to cross over to the town of Mohacs.
The above photo was taken to show how little traffic take this crossing each day.
After crossing the river we headed for the town of Pecs. We stopped for some dinner just outside of Mohacs at the local pub. It amazes me as to the number of men drinking beer in this country and the time in which they start. Whilst having a coffee earlier in the day, there was a guy drinking beer at 9am. Now that's keen.
As we approached the town of Pecs, Peter suggested that we take a photo showing off our pecs. Some call them muscles. Mine were hard to see because of cycling gear. With 6kms to go to the town of Pellerd, we decided to cut the day short because of the heat. Today's max was 41 degrees C and we covered 93kms. We rolled into Pellerd around 3pm and found a nice hotel. We bargained for a discount like all Aussies do and we got what we wanted. Tomorrow we reach the Croatian border and leave Hungary forever.
Hungary has been a beautiful country and I've enjoyed the riding and it's people very much. Tomorrow we'll be up nice and early for breakfast and hopefully hit the road by 8am.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
We rolled out of the campsite around 7.30am and headed south following the Danube to the town of Mohacs. The ride to Mohacs followed a levee all the way winding through pine forests and miles of Paprika crops. It was another fine morning to go bike riding.
To cross the Danube River we had to board the local ferry with cars and trucks for the 1 minute trip across the river. The photo below is of one of the locks on the Danube River.
After crossing the river we headed for the town of Pecs. We stopped for some dinner just outside of Mohacs at the local pub. It amazes me as to the number of men drinking beer in this country and the time in which they start. Whilst having a coffee earlier in the day, there was a guy drinking beer at 9am. Now that's keen.
Hungary has been a beautiful country and I've enjoyed the riding and it's people very much. Tomorrow we'll be up nice and early for breakfast and hopefully hit the road by 8am.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
I know Scott Chipperfield too.
I'll comment on the title of my post at the end of the update.
Last night was our last dinner together with Maurice and Mary from Brisbane. They were heading north to Budapest and Peter and I were heading west to the Croatian border. Our first stop will be Baja some 115kms away.
We said our fond farewells to Maurice and Mary and started our ride at 7am. Today was the first day on tour where we had favorable tailwinds. Instead of travelling the main highway straight to Baja, I planned an alternate route through the towns of Domasczek, Kelebija, Bacsalmas, bacsbokod and onto Baja.
It was Peter's job to get us out of the city today as Maurice was no longer the caption. Peter did a great job in not getting us lost and took us straight onto the highway and out of town. For the first part of the ride we took the cycleway which lasted for about 30kms. The path was fantastic. When we reached the town of Assothalom it was time to take the back roads and experience Hungarian life at its best. We got through our first town just in time for morning tea. It's a god given right that us Aussies take morning tea wherever we are on the planet. And of course, it was Peter's job to prepare the billy.
The photo above is Peter preparing the billy for our morning tea which consisted tea naturally and some dry biscuits. And we did all of this on a pathway in the local park.
The photo above was taken whilst having morning tea. This guy although friendly stunk of cigars and something else I'm not really sure of. He wouldn't leave us alone and watched us having our morning tea.
The photo above is of Peter riding through some of the remote Hungarian roads. There was no traffic for hours on these narrow roads. It was just perfect riding with over hanging trees protecting us once again from the heat of the day.
That's me in the above photo riding through a fantastic countryside without the hassle of cars bearing down on me.
The above photo is of Peter preparing my dinner at the campsite. I told him I don't cook. In all sincerity he made a fantastic dinner and I would rate it as 7.5/10. He thought it was worth more and I told him I took into consideration the weather, the cooking facilities and that he should be happy with the score he got. I hope he strives to improve on his cooking.
As we rode through one town approaching midday I asked this young chap for directions. I found out that he and his father owned the pub that we were now sitting at. They offered us a can of coke for free and we stayed on for 1/2 and hour chatting. It never ceases to amaze me the hospitality of the people we've must thus far. We offered to pay for the coke but they would have nothing to do with it.
We pressed on to a little children's park and had our lunch in a shelter large enough for both Peter and I sit down. We had our tuna, tomato rolls, washed down with water and we were now feeling full.
As we continued on after lunch I though I should take a photo (see above) of the many religious crosses throughout Hungary. I'm confident they are put in a strategic place to give the farmers some religious intervention for a healthy crop each year. The monument was a statue of Jesus.
As we got about 20ksm from Baja, we came across a John Deere harvesting machine bearing down on us from the rear. We pulled over and allowed the machine past and then pushed as hard as we could to catch it and sit on. Now some people know I'm one of the greatest sit on people in the world. I never did much whilst racing, but I have of late. Peter and I sat off the back of the machine for about 5kms with husk and wheat blowing all over us. The things I put up with to go touring.
We rolled into the campsite which is situated on the Danube River and pitched our homes. The photo above is of a family who turned up with all the children on board. It's amazing how this family travel around Europe on this extended machine and dragging a baby's cart behind.
Now in the photo above, you can see a lady to the right of Peter. The lady told us she came from Basel. I thought that's interesting. I asked her if she knew my friend, 'Scott Chipperfield'. She said she knew Chippers and that he was one of the greatest soccer players to play for Basel. I told her that I was his mate from Australia. I think I impressed her.
The above photo was taken from my tent looking out into the Danube River, Hungary. No way was I going to swim in that river.
We had a great day on the bike today and rode through some truly spectacular country roads of Hungary. Tomorrow we'll head further west as we make our way to Zagreb our next rest stop. Everything is going great, we're both healthy and having the time of our lives.
On another more important note, I wish Dennis from eXsight Tandems who's currently in Wollongong Hospital all the very best in his recovery. I expect you to be joining us on our return at Ruby's at the end of October, your shout of course.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
Last night was our last dinner together with Maurice and Mary from Brisbane. They were heading north to Budapest and Peter and I were heading west to the Croatian border. Our first stop will be Baja some 115kms away.
We said our fond farewells to Maurice and Mary and started our ride at 7am. Today was the first day on tour where we had favorable tailwinds. Instead of travelling the main highway straight to Baja, I planned an alternate route through the towns of Domasczek, Kelebija, Bacsalmas, bacsbokod and onto Baja.
It was Peter's job to get us out of the city today as Maurice was no longer the caption. Peter did a great job in not getting us lost and took us straight onto the highway and out of town. For the first part of the ride we took the cycleway which lasted for about 30kms. The path was fantastic. When we reached the town of Assothalom it was time to take the back roads and experience Hungarian life at its best. We got through our first town just in time for morning tea. It's a god given right that us Aussies take morning tea wherever we are on the planet. And of course, it was Peter's job to prepare the billy.
As we rode through one town approaching midday I asked this young chap for directions. I found out that he and his father owned the pub that we were now sitting at. They offered us a can of coke for free and we stayed on for 1/2 and hour chatting. It never ceases to amaze me the hospitality of the people we've must thus far. We offered to pay for the coke but they would have nothing to do with it.
We pressed on to a little children's park and had our lunch in a shelter large enough for both Peter and I sit down. We had our tuna, tomato rolls, washed down with water and we were now feeling full.
As we got about 20ksm from Baja, we came across a John Deere harvesting machine bearing down on us from the rear. We pulled over and allowed the machine past and then pushed as hard as we could to catch it and sit on. Now some people know I'm one of the greatest sit on people in the world. I never did much whilst racing, but I have of late. Peter and I sat off the back of the machine for about 5kms with husk and wheat blowing all over us. The things I put up with to go touring.
Now in the photo above, you can see a lady to the right of Peter. The lady told us she came from Basel. I thought that's interesting. I asked her if she knew my friend, 'Scott Chipperfield'. She said she knew Chippers and that he was one of the greatest soccer players to play for Basel. I told her that I was his mate from Australia. I think I impressed her.
We had a great day on the bike today and rode through some truly spectacular country roads of Hungary. Tomorrow we'll head further west as we make our way to Zagreb our next rest stop. Everything is going great, we're both healthy and having the time of our lives.
On another more important note, I wish Dennis from eXsight Tandems who's currently in Wollongong Hospital all the very best in his recovery. I expect you to be joining us on our return at Ruby's at the end of October, your shout of course.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
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