Moving on from Paris

Moving on from Paris, departing for Orleans the morning of Thursday, June 4.  The day began with stop and go traffic getting out of the city. After an hour of that the day consisted of 120 k through the french country side and several small towns along the way. there was a lunch stop in arpajon which had a nice little park with a stream running right past the picnic table. shortly after, my route lead me off road through what appeared to be a forest preserve just outside of cheptain. there i stubled onto the cheptain dirt camp which consisted of wooden ladder bridges and berms, dirt jumps, step downs, step ups, and a 15 foot half pipe. Basically a free riders wonderland. the road leading to and from the dirt camp was treacherous for a road cycle, but it was well worth it to see the presence of the free riding community. once i got back to the pavement. it took another 5 hours to make it to fluery, a city an the outskirts of orleans, where i got hit by first car of the tour. I suppose you could say we bumped shoulders. Given that no damage was sustained i would describe it as an invigorating experience. I then stopped at a small grocery store to pick up some food and a few beers to settle down for the night. As luck would have it though, there would be no settling down. I made it in to the city center where there was a park next to one of the train stops with a nice view of the cathedral. I cooked some pasta with cheese and salami; and as in every public dining occasion, i recieved a bon apetite from every passer by. Two tourists from algeria joined me for the end of my dinner and a few beers. We managed to conjure up about thirty minutes worth of conversation through a series of cherades, and then parted ways with smiles on our faces. Around ten, I rode to the cathedral to take some pictures where my attention was drawn to the squeeking of a bicicle horn coming from a small group of friends. They turned out to be a group of clarinet students waiting outside the conservatory where they study to meet their professor for a few drinks at a local bar. One of the students, Babtist, spoke english very well and helped facilitate conversation with the rest of the group. After a little conversation, i was invited to join them. at the bar at least a dozen of their friends and friends of friends came and went, all of whom projected the good vibration that seemed to just bounce all over the city of Orleans. many of them were also musicians and one of the themes of the night was the collective excitement for the music festival that would be taking place over the next two days in Ingré, a quiet town about 10 k removed from the city. A few drinks at the bar turned into closing time where i was convinced that the most prudent decision for the tour would be to stay with Patchou, a good friend of Baptist and an excellent guitarist, and join them for at least one night of festival. So we went back to Patchou;s house which was much like the villa we stayed at in Rheine. there are seven residents, a big yard where they grow fresh produce, and very communal atmosphere. After a few more beers we finally made it to bed around 4. After, sleeping in, we woke up, freshened up and went to the store to get the fixins for a BBQ. The food was great and the beer was cold, the perfect kick off for the festival. The festival was appropriately named Ingrédeints, and definitely had all the right ingredients. Good music and more importantly great people all gathered together for some fun in the sun and dancing into the night, which went on into the morning. The second night was much like the first with about double the crowd, most of whom were there to see Simeo, a very talented one man band, and Caravan Palace, an eclectic group from around Orleans who are now considerably famous in France given the short time they have been together. So after two days and nights of Ingrédients, we are all taking a day of rest, which happens to be mothers day in france "happy mothers day Mama". Tonight I will be cooking diner for the house and getting a good night sleep to continue on to la Rochelle.

Amsterdam to the Hague

When I first opened my eyes on the day that I was finally going to make the journey to meet up with John and the boys I was so excited I could barely stand it. Let me tell you, that excitement was nothing compared to what I felt when I rounded the corner at the Amsterdam airport and saw John's smiling face there to greet me. Its a moment I wont forget for a few reasons. I was truly relieved to know that he was safe and sound after so long being on the road. Also, he had the look of someone who was in on a secret and I knew that I was about to understand just where that smile came from. The smile comes from the knowledge that bike tours are pretty much the coolest thing ever.

So after spending a few fantastic days of enjoying a taste of what Amsterdam has to offer including the Van Gogh museum, parks, pancakes embedded with bacon, coffee shops, kebabs, night life, and the cutest collection of bicycling Dutch people you can imagine, John and I (Katie Svec) packed up our bikes and got on the road.

On our first day, we made our way through the outskirts of Amsterdam, through suburbs, industrial parks, the airport, wide open fields and communities filled with modest little houses all surrounded by systems of canals. There were plenty of curious cows and entire herds of sheep who would greet us with their "baaa's" as we pedaled by laughing and laughing.

Everything in the Netherlands seems to be very clean and very well-kept. They have an obvious pride in home ownership and it really shows. The other major thing that I noticed was the 'appropriateness of scale' of everything around us. To put it concisely, Hummers and McMansions have not yet hit the Netherlands scene. Every aspect of the built environment feels efficient and thoughtfully designed, with an obvious sensitivity to nature and neighbors. They take up just as much space as a reasonable person actually requires and no more. Plus their gardens are fantastic. Minimalist and restrained, which happens to be right up my alley.

Our entire ride from Amsterdam to the French border was biked via dedicated bicycle paths. The paths we rode on are all smooth, well maintained and equally as extensive and interconnected as routes provided for cars. This is to say that quite literally, no matter where you want to go, infrastructure is in place which makes biking a viable option for travel. The bike paths and lanes are supplemented by bike traffic lights, bike parking garages, and ferrys which fill in the gaps when water comes into play.

Another wonderful thing that we noticed in the Netherlands was their system of community gardens. They have set aside parcels of land, maybe a few acres each, that have been divided up, about 12 feet by 12 feet or so, and it seems that people in the surrounding area go there to garden in a community setting. I'm thinking, what a great idea! I don't remember ever seeing anything like that here in the U.S. but it seems to make a lot of sense. I mean, why not turn gardening into a social activity? They probably share all sorts of tips and advice about gardening, share the things they grow, just simply have people to talk to while they're pulling weeds and watering stuff. I love it! I really think that you might not take notice of this seemingly small detail of Dutch life if you were traveling by car.

That night also included probably the most breathtaking sunset of the trip - above a field dotted with lazy cows. It was the kind of sunset where you literally stop and get off your bike to look at it, standing there speechless. Riding into the city of the Hague just after sundown was absolutely beautiful. We found a great little campsite (again, surrounded by canals) and set up our tent before heading out for some yummy pizza and wine at a sidewalk cafe. We were the only ones at the restaurant that night and we took our time eating and talking after an awesome first day on the road. The man who took our order and made our pizza by hand as we peeked though the window eventually told us in a very friendly voice, "Ok its time for you to leave now, please." And so we went.

The one point I hope to convey to whoever's out there reading this is that traveling by bike is hands down one of the most rewarding, enriching things I've ever experienced. I feel really lucky to have been a part of this crazy, amazing tour. Thanks to John and Will (you too, Sal, Catherine, Josh, Rob...)

Amsterdam

Amsterdam was a hoot and a holler people. And seeing that we're on a bike tour, it was very fitting to find ourselves in one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Amsterdam is also a very small city, with close to 1 million people, so the streets can be very busy and if you're not careful you're just as liable to get hit by a biker as you are by a car.

Will and I made a mad dash from Rheine to Amsterdam in order to be there for the Dutch National Holiday - Queen's Day. As far as I could gather Queen's Day basically goes like this: everybody dresses up in orange clothing, floods the streets and gets all rowdy. And of course, there is drinking involved.

After making it in time for the holiday, we had about a week and a half before two friends joined us - my girlfriend Katie and good friend Sal from Los Angeles. So in the meantime we did a lot of relaxing, reading and drinking coffee. We were also accompanied by Rob for a weekend who took the train in from his temporary home in Paris. The quartet was dynamite!

The city is interlaced with canals and when the bridges are lit at night it really gives the place a magical feeling.

In Amsterdam everybody bikes. Well not everybody. But, as I learned from Professor Wray's book, Pedal Power, 40% of all trips (like to the store, school, etc) in Amsterdam are made by bike. That compares to 1% in the US. We've got work to do people. But beyond the pro-bike rhetoric, it is fascinating to see the way in which a biking culture has been developed and continues to grow. For example, it is not uncommon to see 4 people on one bike - 3 kids (one in the front and two in the back) and a mom or dad making the machine go. But what fascinated me most was the variation in demographics of bikers -- teenagers biking on dates; teenagers in mobs of 10, 2o or 30 people just riding around doing what teenagers do; moms and dads with multiple kids in tow, grandmas and grandpas with tulips in their front baskets, business executives in suits; twenty-somethings doing their thing; people with dogs in their front baskets or back panniers; really just everybody. And the bikes are designed for everything imaginable. I especially liked seeing the bikes with the wheel-barrow fixed to the front often carrying multiple children and/or pets.

A simple idea in this respect is brought to life by the Dutch - that the bike is a sensible and logical way to move one person from one place to another. Doing so is healthy; it reduces society's (beyond out-of-control) carbon footprint; it is cheaper than driving a car; and it is fun.

The Netherlands

A beautiful day of riding yesterday, we crossed the border from Germany into the Netherlands; arrived in Apeldoorn around dark for a nice dinner on a patio in the downtown area; and slept in a park. It rained. Things got wet. But we got the tent up and made it out alive.

We're going to Amsterdam today.

The Villa Part II

If you were to take HWY 475 into the small town of Rheine Germany, about 2km from the city center, or zentrum, you would pass a small side street that leads to a the storage site for a construction company. But before you got to the site, tucked away behind thick brush and a cherry blossom tree, there lies The Villa. The true charm of the place, besides the people you find you there, lies in the back yard.

Rheine lies on the Ems River, and there is about 150 yards between the back premises of the villa and the Ems. In between is a beautiful green area - I'm gonna quote the one and only Kate Svec here from an email she wrote me just a couple weeks ago because it explains the beautiful green area I'm talking about.

"The green fields you were riding through adjacent to the river are what's referred to as a 'riparian zone.' The nutrients carried along by the river make for a lush, thriving ecosystem adjacent to the water - hence the intensely green grass. in the U.S. this would be prime real estate. in europe its prime recreation space to be conserved, not developed."

So there you have it folks.

The most important thing you do at the villa is chill. Whether it be in the back or in the common area inside that has a woodburning stove. We watched two movies - Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Changeling. Both were good and worth a watch.

We helped construct and install an above ground pool today in the back - another place to chill. It was exactually quite an impressive project.

We also went to a park called Huenborg, that featured a Stonehendge type structure that dates back centuries. We chilled there too.

Most importantly, however, has been the kindness shown to us by our host especially, Tamai. But also by two new friends Ina and Nadya. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We hope to return the hospitality and friendship should any of you ever make it to the USA.

Steeple to Steeple through the Big Yellow Fields

Germany has been, based purely on the elements, the best riding we've seen all trip.

Today was an especially awesome day and we have just reached our destination - Braunschweig. The title of this entry makes two references. First, as it got pretty hilly today, our approach to each town was such that, as we would be riding uphill, the church steeples in each town were the first thing we would see. Thus, we rode from steeple to steeple. Second, there were these enormous fields of yellow flowers that would roll through the countryside as far as the eye could see. I mean acres and acres of bright yellow fields people.

Once we got to Brauschweig we headed into the city center where we found an open square, surrounded by trees and on the one side a big, old church. The square had tables and chairs that you would expect to see in a nice restaurant. But they are simply here for the people to more fully enjoy the public space their town has to offer. Absolutely awesome. So we are drinking beers and making food here on the main square off the main strip of the town.

Bike tours rule. Spread the word.

The Chilla Villa

We are at The Villa (Rheine, Germany) as its known by the Tamai, the sole permanent resident and his band of merry men and women that work to continuously upgrade the place. Today, for example, Will and I helped them construct and install an above ground swimming pool. The Villa resembles many of the hostels weve stayed at in many ways - people always coming and going, a party place and a general hangout, as well as where we sleep.

We came to know Tamai when we were sitting on one of the many bridges that crosses Rheine. We started talking and got the invite to come hang out at his place. That was 3 days ago. I have some more general reflection, about Rheine, Berlin and Germany generally, but given my limited time at the moment, that will have to wait until the next entry. Thanks for tuning in.

Also, Tamai is a really great photographer - there is a facebook album from our time here called John and Will - its posted on my profile and the pictures are much better quality than what our jpeg camera can do. If you like the photos, check out more of his photos from all over the world. They are really good and worth a look. The website is in German but its simple enough that you can manage. www.tamai.de

Austria to Czech Repub with guest blogger, Mike Kneafsey

Tim Lankford aka BT (Big Tim) and I (Mike Kneafsey) left O'Hare as excited as two kids on the trip to join up with John and Will Lankford and do one leg of their 5000 mile incredible bicycle journey across Europe to raise money for disadvantaged young men's education. Next stop London where we had a layover before our next flight to Vienna. The layover was long enough to meet with my cousin Jim Kneafsey. He was born in Ireland and now lives in London. He met us at the airport. It was a short meeting, unfortunately, before boarding the plane for Vienna. We arrived in Vienna and were met by John and Will. They immediately took out a bicycle chain and cut a bracelet size length to go around each of our wrist.---The Empowerment Bracelet--- which both of them were wearing. It symbolizes the reason for their trip which was to raise money for these young men. I must say when you spend a week on a bicycle and sleep in hostels at night you really get to know the people you are with. John and Will were a joy to be with and very determined young men. Their parents Tim and Sally have good reasons to be proud of them.

We un-boxed our bikes and assembled them and boarded a train into the old town of Vienna.It was our first afternoon in Vienna and it was raining. We had checked the weather forecast and had anticipated at least a few days of this weather but someone's prayers were answered because it was the last day of rain we saw during our trip.

We checked into a hostel in the old town of Vienna, cleaned up and went out for our first beer in Austria.

On our 2nd day in Vienna we got up early, had breakfast and headed out for a day of sightseeing. I had a friend who was with the Jewish Museum. Her name was Dr. Felicitas Heimann and she was director of the Museum. She was very happy to see us. We had a private tour of the Museum and a lecture which everyone enjoyed.

Day 3 We took off on our 1st day of biking heading toward the Czech border. The hills were more challenging for BT and I but we toughed it out.

It was a great trip and John and Will were very accommodating for the two old men they had under their charge.

Its also a trip I will remember for a long time because of John, Will and Tim. Thanks for including me.

Between Dresden and Berlin

We did a night ride tonight and it was awesome. Last night we were in Riesa and spent a good portion of today there.

So the ride tonight... It definitely wasn't our first night ride but it was definitely the best. Several reasons... 1) the traffic was really mellow and Germans (at least in my experience) are really respectful of bikers 2) the road was really well paved 3) there was no moon but the stars were incredible 4) the temperature was perfect 5) the distance was perfect - 36km, which we did in about 1.5hrs. 6) I had a cup of coffee before the last section of the ride.

For the day section of the ride we rode along the Elbe River which was, to our surprise, some of the best riding we've done so far. The Elbe is considerable in size, one of the major rivers in Europe, I think. Anyway, there were well-paved bike paths on both sides that would occasionally stray from the river bank, leading through small towns, often times consisting of no more than 20 homes, many of which had sheep, goats, cows, chickens, etc. Given the recent Easter holiday, nearly all the homes had those plastic easter eggs hanging from small bushes and trees in their yard. Also on both sides of the river were farm houses, independent from the towns, spaced sporadically along the river banks. But perhaps the coolest part about the Elbe River is how green the fields are that it runs through - that lush, thick green grass that will be 6-foot high come August. Another cool thing, bridges across the river were rare, very rare - rather there were small docks every several miles that had a small boat to transport people the approx 60 yards to the opposite shore.

Vienna Prague Final Reflections

This is Tim writing again on the plane ride home. I wanted to capture a few more thoughts about the trip on paper while not struggling with typing on a blackberry.

John did a great job of leading us through a variety of passageways including:, bike paths, county and country roads, highways and sidewalks, farm lanes and dirt roads, and even a snow lined loggers trail near the Czech boarder. As we biked along, we could not go very far without seeing one of two things; deer stands (for hunting deer) and religious shrines. There were all kinds and sizes (of saints, crucifixes and many of the Blessed Virgin) and looked like they have been there for a long time.

Riding through the countryside, small towns, and villages was delightful and even peaceful. It was amazing how pristine the homes and farmsteads were. There is obviously an engrained cultural pride of neatness in this part of the world. You could easily see differences in the affluent versus the more humble abodes, but not when it came to being neat and tidy.

A highlight of the trip was the magical element we got from experiencing the beautiful surroundings on a bike. As John has mentioned before and Harry Wray, one of his professors from Depaul, so aptly describes in his book “Pedal Power,” you just see the world differently on a bicycle. The natural flow and randomness of our riding order had us taking turns leading and lagging and haphazardly pairing up in all possible combinations when we were in the more remote areas. This allowed for wonderful conversation and an ability to share the environment together.

I wanted to note Will’s quip to Mike Kneafsey, who is one hundred percent Irish. What do you call Irishmen in the Czech Republic? Chex Mix.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to US Empowered Foundation, especially while we were on the trip. It was inspiring for all of us when we would learn of those donations via blackberry updates. FYI Will received an email from a guy he met in Vienna saying he was so inspired by John and Will’s trip that he was telling everyone he met about it, leaving their blog address on bulletin boards in all the hostels where he was staying, and planning a ride of his own to raise money for charity.

In closing, I came away with even greater respect and admiration for John and Will and the monumental task they are undertaking. This is an experience they will remember forever and an affirmation their ability to accomplish whatever they set their minds and hearts to.

Spring Time

We've made it to a small town called Riesen that's approx 30m NW of Dresden.

After leaving Prague a few days ago, we spent the first night in Usti nad Labem, CR, which was a very pleasant small river city. As cool or cooler than the town itself was the ride in, mostly because the road we took followed the river. On the banks of the river there were houses - sometimes scattered and sometimes clumped together - that went on for miles. It was also flat and the weather has remained gorgeous. Everyday it gets greener and greener.

In case I haven't mentioned it, spring time came to Central Europe a week ago. Two things worth noting regarding the floral explosion we have experienced... These yellow bush-trees (perhaps Forsythia) are without a doubt the most beautiful things yellow that I have ever seen. At times we've been riding and seen clusters of them, but other times you could look out into a huge meadow and there would be just one that brought the entire landscape to life. The second thing, these white flowered bushes that smell incredible. I mean, they are just so white and smell so good. I think that overall, the highlight of spring's arrival has been looking out into the fields and seeing all the new greens, whites and yellows. And, of course, not being cold.

Austria to Czech Republic

This is Tim writing, as we relax after lunch beside the Vltava River with a beautiful view of the Charles Bridge and skyline in Prague, to keep my promise to John to make a blog entry. Helicopters are around as Obama arrives today. My entry covers our last night in Austria to our first nite in the CR. After a great days ride (though cloudy and cool) we pulled into Waidofen an der thaya (on the Thaya River) where we spent our last nite in Austria. The town set high on a steep hill which made for Mike and I being a little anxious. We did not like hills especially in the second half of the day. In keeping with our tradition we went to the platz (town square) and just gazed a bit and got our legs. Then one of us would happenstance pick a local to inquire about possible places to stay. This afternoon led us to a family gasthaus beside the town church. After check in and hot shower we met for a beer as we usually did on the ground floor where the gasthaus always had a restaurant and bar. We would then take a walk and scout for a place for dinner to get us out and about, sometimes seeking ideas from locals other times our own pick. This nite we ended up in a place called Tell on a group hunch. The owner (Stephan Kaintz) took a liking to us and personally waited on us because he spoke great english. The food was fabulous and one of our best meals starting with Steve's homemade pizza and then the house dish of chicken and vegetables in a sauce to die for. When we were leaving Steve insisted on buying us a beer and joining him and several of his friends. It was a treat leading to us getting a lot of local color and the recipe for the chicken dish and sauce. We learned about tall shrines (two to three stories) in every platz. Many were built at the time of the Black plague. Will remained with Steve and friends late into the morning and made some friends he thinks will visit.

The next days ride was cool and cloudy weather again in the morning, but on que with an email from Catherine sending sun vibes from Madagascar, blue skies and sunshine arrived in the afternoon. We stopped for lunch in a little village close to the Czech border. While eating the owner summoned us back to our bikes where through hand language and evidence we learned Will's rear tire blew out. (A blessing we weren't flying down a hill or in the middle of no where). The owner took us to his shop where he had tools, compressor and even a better tube fit that he swapped with us and refused to take anything for his efforts. After lunch we arrived at the CR/AUS border. The gateworks took you back in time picturing many armed guards but everything was wide open and barely anyone around spare two elderly guys removing snow stakes for the season. We motioned for one to take our picture under the border sign which lead to a lively discourse (none in English) where he proudly made it known he had biked once several thousand k's around eastern Europe. We got big smiles and kindred spirits as we motioned for him to join us.

The CR welcomed us with some great downhill rides. We spotted quite a few deer and rabbits (that seemed nearly as big as the deer) along the way. Later in the day after facing a number of uphill slogs we stopped to rest by a little cemetery to some of Will's backpack guitar music. To our delight the next crest led us to a downhill coast all the way into our destination of Jindrichv Hradec. J Hradec was a bustling town where we saw the most people since leaving Wien. Will had gotten the name of a place to stay from Steve the nite before but they were booked which led us to the Grand Hotel on the platz. Mike wanted to mail some things back which involved quite an ordeal. (We later learned from George Nussbaum in Praha a great joke about a Czech and a genie that shed some light on the situation). J Hradec was a prosperous castle town with a scenic lake, river and moat. John and I discovered a stork in its monster nest high atop a chimney. A broken english recommendation and parrot sounds led us to our dinner spot that nite. (Can you say parrot in czech). It was really tucked away but so well worth it for the great food and way that it took us to see the sites.

I am typing on the bberry (John is great to be writing many of the blogs on the berry) in our hostel sun morn in Prague. We are waiting to go to Mass at Tyn Church in Town Square. It is a blessing to be here with John and Will. Trip of a lifetime and our foursome has been most enjoyable with John as leader and navigator, Will as music, bike repair and Chillmaster, Mike as banker and lodgemaster. Many Thanks to you guys. Hope Sally can make it over to join you for a leg. TTFN

Vienna - Prague

Vienna to Prague has been an especially awesome portion of the trip. It has been so because of the two individuals - my dad and Mike Kneafsey - that joined us for the 175-mile journey. We spent a day and a half in Vienna, 4 days riding, and 3 full days in Prague. For the first half of the trip the weather was fair, cloudy and cool. For the second half of the trip it was gorgeous, and this past weekend in Prague has been the nicest of the year - 70 and sunny.

Budapest-Vienna

From Budapest we enjoyed the beginning of what has become a stretch of great riding days.

The first stop was the cross border community of Komarom (Hungary) and Komarone (Slovakia). They are divided by the Danube. It was cool and it was mellow and we stayed the night in a Pensione that was way to expensive but it was late and I was cold. The highlight of the day was following the Danube river, but not really being able to see it for most of the time, and then coming around a stretch of hwy and seeing the points where the river really got wide.

We left early the next morning and headed for Bratislava. It was a beautiful day. Once we arrived, we made our way to the Backpacker Hostel, which was awesome. It was a friday night, so their restaurant was bumping. We had no trouble meeting people and wound up out at an authentic Slovak restaurant and the food was bomb.

The 40 miles to Vienna can really be broken into 2 parts. The first was when we were headed just slightly southeast, but mainly east. The second part we were headed more northeast. And with 30-40mph winds straight out of the south the difference was enormous. On the first part, to avoid being blown off the road (which was inevitable) we would lean into the wind with our whole body and the weight of the bike. And when cars would drive by and momentarily block the wind, the whole bike would radically swerve in the opposite direction that we were leaning. Intense. And then the second part of the ride was a breeze.

Hungary Part 2

The ride to Budapest featured more fierce headwinds. Boo! But once we arrived we were thrilled to be there for 2 nights with an entire day to explore.

Budapest has two sides, Buda and Pest, and they are divided by the Danube River. Several large, beautiful bridges provide crossing points.

It was super easy finding our most awesome hostel as it was right in the heart of the city. The main streets form rings around the city center. After checking in, we took some time to collect ourselves after a week of really intense riding. We grabbed a beer at one of the coolest little hipster coffee houses that reminded me of a place I'd be if I were back home. It was filled with students, some studying, some drinking, and all smoking.

We cooked dinner that night and made a hostel friend - Janeen the Machine, a Canadian gal from Vancouver out doing the travel thing solo. The three of us went out to a bar that had been recommended to us by several people. It was somewhat reminiscent of a huge old bomb shelter, concrete floors and dimly lit.

Our full day of exploring was a little chilly but the sun was out. On bikes we did a loop around the whole city, across the river into Buda and then back to Pest. The city was easy to navigate and very bike friendly. The high point of the day was the visit to the Turkish baths, in which we floated effortlessly for a couple of hours. The main pool was outside, encircled by beautiful, white buildings with pastel roofs.

Hungary Part 1

We crossed the border into Hungary after a day of riding into fierce winds. The stretch from Belgrade to Bratislava was by far the toughest of the trip. All about the wind. The first thing we saw in Hungary was a bike path.

Szeged was the first Hungarian destination, and we got there that first night. We found accommodation at a small pensione. The thing I want to mention about Szeged is that it was probably the most bike friendly city we've been to in Europe. It featured a huge percentage of what the bike movement calls 'complete streets' - those not designed solely for the car, but also for bikers, pedestrians, public transportation. We hung around Szeged for the morning and then began the journey to Kecskemet, the first leg of the 2 day bike to Hungary. Once again, all about the wind.

We made it Kecskemet late and when we discovered that our campground didn't open for another week, we rode back into the city center and found a little pensione/pizza place. The town was mellow with a nice downtown area that we visited briefly that night.

Romania

Romania was there and gone faster than you can say Timisoara. The primary destination was Timisoara where we arrived later in the evening. We scored our most lavish, 3-course meal of the trip for under $25, which we considered justifiable considering our campsite accommodation ran us $5. Dinner included probably the best appetizer I've ever had - plum tomatoes with an eggplant cream filling; a chicken entree served with a traditional mushroom sauce; and we finished with an apple and cream filled pancake that had been deep fried. Yum. Oh yea, our server was awesome, noting his appreciation of our appreciation for the simple things in life, i.e. bike riding and good bread.

Our exploration of Timisoara consisted primarily of the ride into town. The city center was quaint, featuring several nice, but not overly-lavish churches, with a good amount of public park space. We made our way onto what appeared to be the main, cobblestone pedestrian corridor of the downtown area. Many of the shops were closed as it had gotten late, but it nonetheless provided that taste of cosmopolitan living that feels so good after a long day of riding through fields.

Belgrade

We've just about made it to Budapest. After leaving Belgrade several days ago, our major stops were Timisoara, Romania and Szeged and Kecsmeket in Hungary.

We stayed in Belgrade for 3 days. As far as cities go it was probably the highlight of the trip so far, thanks in large part to our most awesome accommodation at the 3 Black Cats Hostel. Situated in the Republic Square (identified by the huge statue of a man on a horse), we had convenient access to the heart of the city.

The hostel was small but felt like home more than any other place we've stayed. There was a tiny kitchen that had everything necessary for Will to cook delicious meals several times a day.

The first night we were there our gracious owner and host, Mladin, prepared a traditional hungarian meal that was without a doubt the best food we've eaten since being on the trip. There were 3 main components 1) really good bread, 2) pork that was prepared in egg, breaded and then fried and 3) pickled peppers that had been soaking in the magical juice since october. When we asked him what you call this meal, Mladin explained that it translated into "winter food." It was a simple dish and Will and I were clearly the most excited people in the room about it.

We also got a chance to do some touristy things. The first day we went to the military museum located withing the grounds of the city's enormous fortress. Overlooking the Danube from one side and the city center from the other, it was clear that Belgrade has had a long, and at times violent history. The military museum was the military museum, don't know much what else to say. Cool weapons.

After the museum we made our way to the oldest tavern in the city, ? Aka "The Question Mark. We splurged a little on the recommendation of the server. It was good, but no winter food.

The next day we went to the Tito Museum and it was pretty clear that Serbians love that guy. It was an interesting experience that I will simply say this about - the nationalism espoused by a people (particularly in difficult or transitional times) in admiration for a single, charismatic individual can be both frightening and inspiring.

We had taken a bus to the museum and walked back through the city towards the hostel. We stopped at a huge, famous cathedral, the Parliament Building and made our way through the Bohemian Corridor. All very cool.

Sarajevo

It was dark when we arrived in Sarajevo and we were glad to find our hostel without much difficulty. Like many of the cities we've been to, the river provided a nice reference point. Unlike in Italy, Eastern Europe has no street-level detail on google maps, thus we've been working out of the maps in Lonely Planet. Its more difficult but also more rewarding when we successfully navigate our way through foreign street names to remote locations where hostels are often found.

We really took it easy in Sarajevo, based in the Old Town quarter, where we pretty much stayed the whole time. The weather was 40s and rainy. We walked the cobblestone streets of Old Town and down along the river. The city sits literally right in the middle of the mountains and from any given point you can see how close the snow covered mountains really are. The markets were bustling and the bombed out buildings on random street corners were a reminder of how recently war was a regular part of life here.

We ate really well and got a small taste of the nightlife when we went to see a killer blues band from Mostar at a local bar. Its difficult to explain how it was different from Western Europe and the states... Something in the facial expressions of the local people we passed perhaps. And, like rest of Europe, there is so much more history here, traditions and buildings alike are noticeably older.

The Greatest Ride

So a hostel friend that we made asked me today what my favorite place we had been was. I hesitated at first but then it occurred to me. I touched on it a little bit last post, but wanted to elaborate. It was not so much of a place as it was the last section of the ride on the day we left Dubrovnik.

We had spent the day riding the coastline of Croatia, which was in itself one of the most scenic portions of the trip. The hills provided healthy, but not overwhelming climbs, followed as always by a glorious, pedal-optional descent. The road was windy with obvious variations in elevations. The road hugged the coastline at sea level for sections, and then we would make the climb for sections that looked out over the Adriatic and all the islands not even a mile off the coast. But I think the best part of the riding along the coast during that day was when the natural line of the coast would cut inland around the little bays that provided protection for the small, coastal towns that often occupied them. The bays always had a variety of docks and their respective boats and waterfront homes. Often times these little coastal towns had no more than a couple hundred homes with no signs for a general store of any kind. There was something so cozy and safe about all of them, like out of some children's book. What was so cool about it was that we would ride completely around the bay, from one side to the other and get to see the towns from every angle and at varying elevation. And all at the mellow cruising speed that the bike offers.

After following the coastline all day, we finally turned inland just before sunset. And it was this little section of the ride that was the most extraordinary part of the trip - simultaneously calming and electrifying...

The sunset had begun to color the sky in that indescribable way that it does on the nights with the best sunsets as we abandoned the coastline and turned inland. We had just made the most significant climb of the day and found ourselves high at the cusp of a huge valley - the last bit of light colored the enormous valley floor populated with farm houses. The small fires burning piles of wood throughout the valley sent smoke into the air, and the entire scene was like something out of a dream. I pondered the feeling of being in this place that felt so familiar, yet at the same time was like no place I had ever been.

Riding downhill we curved around the valley floor before getting back on flat road that followed a river into the town of Metkovic, where we were headed. The air was crisp and cool as the dew had begun to set. Dusk had turned to twilight as we rode by a small town nestled up into the hillside on the opposite side of the river. There was a church lit up in a way that made the whole town seem to glow. It was like riding through a fairytale, not quite real but at the same time a completely sensory experience. Everything seemed at peace, and there was something so safe about this little hillside fairytale town.

I was sad to think that so much of it had only recently been rebuilt after war. I had always thought of the conflict in terms of the greater Balkans, but riding through that small town the tragedy of it all was so much more apparent than ever before.

Dubrovnik to Mostar

We left Dubrovnik for Medjugorge the morning before last. People told us that the Croatian coastline was beautiful and seeing it from the boat when we arrived in Dubrovnik was awesome. But to actually ride it was an experience I'll never forget and hope to have again.

We received some advice from a cab driver in Dubrovnik to take a back road into Medugorje, which provided for some country-hopping of sorts. After crossing into Bosnia, we shortly thereafter crossed back into Croatia and then back into Bosnia. All within 30m or so. There were just small little checkpoints where we showed our passport and moved though easily.

We spent that night in Metkovic and left the next morning for Medjugorge. Metkovic was cool, we had pizza and watched Starsky and Hutch.

We arrived on Medugorje early afternoon and spent the day on the church grounds. We went to an evening Mass and the music was beautiful. The service was translated into about 5 different languages. Will and I both sang.

From Medugorje it was a short ride to Mostar. Mostar is still rebuilding after the wars and there were bombed out buildings, bullet holes everywhere. We got in before noon and the place was jumping. The thing to do on a Sunday in Mostar is hang out in the beer gardens. Everything was closed except the bars with the front patios, and everyone was out. We had lunch in a park before heading to the bus station for the ride to Sarajevo.

Naples-Bari

A nice young gal just handed us a flyer for what we think may be a free sandwich, and not just any sandwich, but a chicken shwerma sandwich. We're not sure (it may be a free drink if you order a shwerma) but if that is in fact the case, our day thus far - between 7 and noon thus far - has taken not just a 180, but a 540.

Two nights ago we got into Naples after a full day of riding. The city had been described to us as "controlled chaos" and we unequivocally confirm the assessment. Making our way into the Naples, our destination was Napoli Centrale - the train station. However, when I googled it on our blackberry, we were taken to the restaurant Napoli Centrale, rather than the station. Ha! Naples essentially sits on a huge hill and getting to our misguided destination involved climbing that hill. Getting to our actual destination involved coming back down that hill, and that's when we got to experience that which is the controlled chaos of Naples.

A couple weeks before I left for this trip I took a family friend on a bike ride through Chicago. It was a particularly enjoyable ride because my riding partner embraced the aggressive kind of riding one finds when rolling down a traffic- packed Michigan Ave. A Marine, Raleigh used a phrase that they used in the service to describe our experience - Go Get Some!

I have never gotten so much as I did during that night ride through Naples. Basically a down-hill free-for-all, we weaved our way in and out of traffic until reaching our destination.

So back to the 540 that our day took. We got on a train in Naples the next day only to be kicked off at the next stop for having bikes. This after being told twice that the bikes were okay. I left my backpack on the train. It had my bike shoes, jacket, helmet, Lonely Planet and Pedal Power - The first three of which would either need to be found or replaced in order to continue.

We managed to get onto two more trains that eventually arrived in Bari, under the impression that my backpack had made it to the trains final destination in Lecce. We did what we could to determine whether or not the bag was in custody of authorities, but to no avail.

We arrived late in Bari and found a tucked away park to camp in, sleeping under a tree with no tent. We woke early up to rain, despite the clear forecast, and headed to Bari Centrale where my backpack was waiting with the baggage claim. The sun is out now and we're chilling at a park in Bari. We take a 10pm ferry to Dubrovnik. Shwerma included, the day took a 540.

Rome to Terracina

The stars are bright tonight. We've made camp on the beach in Terracina after a 70m ride from Rome. The ride today was the best of the trip. Sunny and 60, the first portion of the trip featured a 6-8km climb, which was more exhilarating than anything after a full day rest. At the top of the climb we rode through several little mountain towns, and it being a beautiful Sunday, much of the communities were out and about enjoying their day of rest.

We enjoyed a gradual descent and the final 40m featured mountains filled in by open pastures, a recently paved, flat road, and the wind at our back. For the last 25m or so we road parallel to a river and as we passed through small town after small town there were people fishing all along the banks - mostly not the serious angler types, just people enjoying some Sunday afternoon leisure time.

We pulled into Terracina around 4.30 and made our way to the beach-front where the boardwalk was bustling with hundreds of people out eating gelato and watching the sun make its way down.

Twas a good day.

Part 2: Tut-Tut It Looks Like Rain (and Wind and Gnarly Climbs)

We woke up soaked from the night's rain as we had not slept in the tent to avoid being noticed camping outside a campground - worth it in our mind to have saved the 20-25 euro its been costing us. So we found a laundromat, dried our essentials and were on the road by noon.

One of the problems we've encountered regarding roads is that often times a highway (which is okay for biking) merges with an expressway (not okay for biking) for 5-10 miles before splitting again into highway and expressway. That dilemma today led us diverted our course onto a series of back-country roads that consisted of several multi-mile climbs. Throw in a steady 20mph headwind gusting to 40mph, with constant and at times heavy rain and you get an idea of the intensity of our ride. It was by far the most intense ride I've ever experienced. For me personally, the elements combined for what was also the most exhilarating ride I've ever been on. The views were out of this world and there's something about an overcast day that illuminates the lushness of the vegetation - perhaps bc the plants are soaking up the nutrients that make them so incredible. Only about 30m today, it was a full day.

We made it to Albina after dark and by a stroke of luck found a little Bed n Breakfast type place with a room for 2 for the night for 45 euro, and an incredible pizza dinner. After all the rain and wet, a dry room was a necessity. About 80m to Rome, we hope to make it tomorrow, but the weather will be the determining factor. It's good to be dry.

Livorno - Castiliogne della Pescaia - Albina: Part 1

So I'm covering two days of incredible riding in this here post. Yesterday morning we left Livorno after an incredible night breathing in the sea air. The ride, approx 70m, was the perfect distance for 2 riders still breaking in their legs.

We followed the coast for almost the entire ride with lots of good, but manageable climbs. For the first 20m of overcast we would move from high atop bluffs looking out over the Mediterranean down into stretches of narrow road with dense, Florida Everglade-like vegetation on both sides of the road. I kept thinking how much the plants looked like the mangroves that grow out of the canals and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

During what is now our regular mid-morning stop at a fruit market, the rain started to come down quite hard. We took the opportunity to stretch, 30 minutes later it had passed and 15 minutes after that the sun made its first appearance of the day.

The second stretch of riding brought about our first off-road adventure of the trip. As we followed the coast heading south we entered a sizable stretch of flat road with forest to the right (between us and the coast) and open farm field to our left. As we continued along the road we weren't certain whether it would lead us in a big circle, dead end, or what. We continued despite our reservations and arrived at what appeared to be a dead end. There was, however, a very narrow, puddle-filled dirt road that ran directly from where we were towards the parallel highway that we could see over a mile away. We went for it and it was that mile stretch that provided our off-road adventure. What made it tricky were the puddles - every few yards - in the middle of the road that we sought to avoid by weaving in and out on either side of each. We couldn't just stay to one side because there was enough room to get around each puddle only on alternating sides. We embraced the obstacle course and were pleased to find paved road on the other side.

It was fitting that the sun shone brightly for the third stretch of ride as we made our way though half a dozen beach towns. The winds out of the south slowed our progress considerably but the sunshine felt great.

Our final stretch of ride through the dusk brought us through an enormous, lush valley dotted by the characteristically Italian pastel farmhouses and back towards the coast after having been taken inland a bit. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Just before dark we reached the small port town Castiglione della Pescaia and found a discreet little area to make camp for the night. We settled in, exhausted for a night sleeping under the stars. We were not expecting the rain...

Florence to Livorno

With Will's knee feeling better after the Florence break we got an early start this morning. We left Florence in the rain and arrived in Livorno early evening. While we were expecting a less than ideal day given the weather, it turned out to be the best day of the trip so far. The riding was great, enough hills to keep us occupied but nothing too intense. It was small town after small town that wound through the gentle mountain passes all the way to the coast.

Reaching the coast was the goal for the day. And we did. I want to mention 2 things about todays ride that were particularly special. First, as we started to get closer and closer to the ocean we started to get great big whiffs of the ocean air that were utterly delicious and an inspiration to keep on keeping on. Second, as we got closer to the coast, everything became greener, and the wildlife generally more alive. We began to see trees with green leaves on them, which meant a lot to two weary riders.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Professor Harry Wray's book - Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life - that I am reading because it occupied my mind for most of the day. It constantly reaffirms a philosophy of biking that continues to take shape with every great, and not so great ride I take. Its a must read for any biker, and just plain interesting for the non-cyclist. Amazon it. Amongst a great deal else, he talks about a cross-country US tour he did years back and as I was riding today the timeless spirit of adventure and exploration by bike was clearer than ever before. I am sure his book will be the subject of much reflection to come.

Florence

We spent two full days in Florence at a really awesome campsite that overlooked the old city center. From atop the bluff where our campsite was there was a trail that ran down into the city, which we traversed several times at all hours of the day and night.

Our first night there we met a merry band of guys and gals - Seton, Eduardo, Jason, Skye, Rachel and another gal whose name I can't recall, all painters studying in the city - who were more familiar with the city than us, so we tagged along and got to experience some of the nightlife we probably wouldn't have otherwise. Twas a spankin' good time.

The first day was gorgeous and we hung around the campsite, made some bomber pasta and just relaxed. Around 4 we made our way back down to the city for a happy hour and reunited with some of the merry band for a mellow evening.

Then came the rain. It rained all the next day and all the next night. Its supposed to continue all week.

Loiano to Bologna

So we had our first set-back today. Will has got a bad knee so we back-tracked from Loiano to Bologna where we are currently waiting for a train to Florence. We are going to do whatever we can to get his knee better starting with glucosamine pills and a couple days rest. Its a long trip and we are optimistic that it will be a majority biking trip.

Lodi to Modena

We biked our little tails off today in what was our first serious day of riding. We made it to Modena after dark, around 90 miles. We had a great, cheap meal at the restaurant next to our campsite. Props to Will for being camp savvy - he boiled water on his Whisper Light International camp stove (which is running on unleaded gasoline in the absence of white gas btw), poured it into our water bottles and put them in our sleeping bag - toasty! We are exhausted and going to bed. Thanks everyone for following the blog and special thanks to Steph and Mom for your comments, it's a real morale booster. Peace out bean sprouts.

The Beginning

We biked today from Milan to Lodi, short ride of only about 20 miles. Milan was fantastic though we were ready to move on. Our first night there was definitely the most interesting. Will and I had set a place to meet as my flight got in about 6 hours before his. After meeting at the Cadorna train station, the evening began with a celebratory drink at a bar called the Red Mullet.

Unable to secure a hostel for the evening, our Sri Lankan bartender - Roshan - suggested we crash on the grounds of an enormous castle - Castello Sforzesco - just a few hundred yards from Cadorna station. We were able to stay out of site because I'm pretty sure we were in what was once the moat surrounding the castle. We easily found the castle and immediately realized why Roshan had made the suggestion. Before settling in for the night, however, we made our way over to the drum circle going down about 50 yards away. Fifteen Sri Lankan guys jamming out with a single drum, singing, clapping, etc. We joined and soon found common musical ground with the tunes of Bob Marley. It was a hoot.

Around midnight we headed to our makeshift campsite, blew up our insulation mats, got into our sleeping bags and slept under the stars. Just before falling asleep I recall thinking to myself, welcome to Europe Tour 09.

4 months, 5000 miles, 15 countries...

Hi All,

On February 20, 2009 we fly to Milan where our journey begins. Please stay tuned as we will be making regular posts to this blog throughout the trip.

We have teamed up with the Chicago-based non-profit, the US Empowered Foundation, that works to provide educational opportunities for economically-challenged students in several schools throughout Chicagoland. Their efforts serve not only the students and their communities, but all of us who benefit from the education of our youth. The talent and dedication of the US Empowered team, and the results that they have achieved, make us proud to ride on behalf of the students they work to empower.

Click here to make a donation to the US Empowered Foundation.

Thank you so much for taking an interest in our trip. We strongly believe in the potential of biking to offer solutions to many of the most serious challenges facing communities in the US and throughout the world.

Thanks,
John and Will Lankford

-- Biking rules. Spread the word.