Tag: Germany
-
Day 5: The medieval marathon – When your body writes the real story
Aviation morning ritual In the morning, I had a little bit of bonus entertainment because the airport had an event and there were some helicopters parked actually in front of the entrance to the hotel. So after exiting, I walked around a little bit just to see them up close, I had to satisfy my…
-
Day 4: Memory’s selective edit – When summer arrives unannounced
Uh, it’s hard to remember every detail of the day, and it’s really hard to write this every day. So I’m glad I forget the bad things that I think about on the way. But I guess that’s the trick that our mind does, it forgets the bad things and remembers the good ones. Maybe…
-
Day 3: When the cycling gods finally smile – Perfect weather and Potsdam’s bike paradise
A chilly fresh start After last night’s cats and dogs downpour, the morning air was crisp and clean, a refreshing 10 degrees that had me questioning my clothing choices. The rain had washed away yesterday’s misery and left behind that perfect post-storm clarity. Of course, getting out of my warm bed into that cool air…
-
Day 2: When rain plays mind games – 115km and a lesson in humility
The unwelcome wake-up call 5 AM. Heavy rain hammering against my window like an impatient debt collector. This wasn’t in the optimistic forecast I’d checked last night. My alarm wasn’t set until 6:30, but sleep was now impossible with that relentless drumming overhead. When I finally dragged myself up, every fiber of my being wanted…
-
Baltic to Adriatic Day 1: Escaping Copenhagen, battling headwinds, and meeting fellow cyclist
The journey begins (208km/2011km – 10% Complete!) They say the hardest part of any journey is taking the first step. Today proved that saying right, though in my case, it was more like taking the first pedal stroke an hour later than planned. The reluctant start I’ll be honest, I postponed the departure by a…
-
Day 8: Sun, schnitzel and peaks
I got the latest start yet, but being a bit ahead in the schedule, it hardly mattered. It turns out, parting from family and a hearty breakfast is tougher than leaving a random hotel. From dawn, the sun was blazing, and I was roasting all day, slapping on sunscreen like basting a rotisserie chicken. Today’s…
-
Day 7: Fast & Familial
A full week flew by in a flash. Today, the odometer hit a cool 1000 km. So, almost half of the total is done, yet it still feels like I’ve barely begun, like I’ve only posted about 2% of the total. On day 7, I spiced up the route with a few extra kilometers to…
-
Day 6: Off-route adventures
Last night, I cozied up with a symphony of rain as my white noise, praying it would clock out by morning. As luck would have it, it did clock out but not without dropping a thick fog as its foggy farewell gift. As predicted, the sun burst through, busy clearing the foggy mess, so I…
-
Day 5: Racing rain
Woke up early to wet windows and streets. The rain had finally caught up with me. Checking the weather, I realized I had enough time to reach my next destination before the skies opened up again. If everything had gone according to plan yesterday, I would’ve just dodged the rain. But now, I was just…
-
Day 4: Road bike to a gunfight
I am so not a morning person. I wake up early, but it takes forever to get going. It’s as if every blink lasts for minutes, and before I know it, two hours have slipped away. Knowing the start would be tough, I geared up for the day. Little did I know, the road ahead…
-
Day 3: Chill thrill
Unfortunately for me, my Turkish friend did not show up in the morning before I left, even though I left late, around 8:30. So, I got all day to think about that special bread with cheese and what it actually is, a Turkish delight. Thankfully, Mondays aren’t always blue, this one came to my rescue.…
-
Day 2: The winds of change
I had a head full of cycling epiphanies, but now, as I try to recall them, it’s like trying to catch smoke with a butterfly net. Arriving at hotel, the only obsession was food. I knew they have a restaurant and I was hoping day one kitchen debacle would not happen again, arriving too late…