EasternBlockCycleTrip

2009-10-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

2009-10-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Good morning from America. Or is it the evening? The hue of the sky and my perceptions are no longer aligned and I am sure Brett's are even farther off as he is Bend, while I am in Michigan. Yes, we are finally Stateside and it is good to be home. The trip was grand and will forever exist beyond words. We are eager though to attempt an account with the telling of stories and tales of our most legendary moments overseas. We cannot wait to see all of you. Here are few final pictures from the last of the adventure. Thank you everyone for playing along and keeping us in your safest of wishes. Until South America 2011 this Steven and Brett signing off.

2009-10-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

2009-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

2009-10-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

2009-10-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

2009-09-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

F*** Rick Steves. I'm Tom Boonen Bitch!

2009-09-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

The saga continues undoubtedly. The last time we all connected was in Slovenia. I now write from the sixth story terrace of a flat in Prague, Czech Republic belonging to the Advisor of Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister of this lovely country. How did we end up here? The answer to that is the long chain of circumstance, frustrations and decisions made known as the past. Lets take a gander.

Our assault on the Austrian boarder was thwarted for a few days by the complicated road network of Slovenia, a gigantic weather system and eastern range of the Austrian Alps. This, although we didn't know it at the time, worked in our favor. We only later realized that Slovenia, a land of beautiful terrain, fine people, and low costs was not ready to release us to her evil Northern sister Austria. We had a few stressful days of constantly dealing with and attempting to avoid the wet. It is hard to keep moral up after 5 days of putting on the same wet bike shorts and gloves on saturated fall mornings. We prayed for the sun and drank infinite shitty cappuccinos. We used any window of non-rain to slog our way North into the mountains. As we found our last road over the boarder there appeared a "No Bikes" road sign. We immediately bought some crayons and fabricated a sign that read "Klagenfurt, Austria" and put our thumbs out. Some locals found us and asked us why were hitching. They informed us the sign indicated that bikes were only "half-legal" and the cops, if encountered, would only shake their finger. The road was steep, some 22% grades, and involved a 1700 meter tunnel excavated by the prisoners of the Ljubelj Nazi extermination camp of WWII. This eerie light less chamber delivered us to Austria, wet and with few plans.

The Austrian landscape is some of the most beautiful we have ever scene. The roads are in miraculous condition and ungulate through the green pastures of mountain valleys. The camping was easy once found and included, as a few pictures indicate, a October Fest style replica village of a quaint little town. We figured that since no event was happening that night we should not have to pay admittance to enjoy the rain proof structures bestowed upon us. Although a beautiful country we were eager to pass through. The people were less inviting and the prices were twice that of the boarding countries. Who can afford to live in a land where a banana costs 50 cents? Not us I assure you. Luckily you can still find wine for 2 dollars a bottle :) It was in Linz (North Austria) that we realized we did not belong in the affluent cities and regimes of old money and aristocracy, but rather the projects and farm fields of less developed nations. This was confirmed as soon as we entered the Czech Republic to the glorious sights of Gypsy bazaars, logging operations, and cheap delicious pastries.

Our first night in the CR came quickly as we entered the country shortly before the sun set. We crossed a creek and posted up in the tall grass of a farmers field. The cover of night continues to assist us in finding supreme accommodations. The temperatures are steadily dropping and our once too warm of sleeping bags are now rewarding us. In cruising Northward we arrived at the delightful city of Cesky Krumlov. It is apparently one the finest preserved examples of middle age architecture in Europe. It was here that Brett stumbled upon a train schedule while we searched the tourist info center for the best cycling route North toward Prague. Should we pay the 20 dollars for the train to avoid two days of intense car laden riding? Instead of camping should we instead stay the night in town, clean ourselves and our clothes, and sample some absinthe and conversation with other travelers? Absolutely yes on both accounts. The rest is history.

So we arrived in Prague a few days early and in high spirits. We met up with our latest Couch Surfing friend Jana and she provided us keys to her flat and fantastic stories involving Heads of States from around the world. As mentioned earlier she works in the Prime Minister cabinet. She rocks and we are very thankful for all she has done/(is doing) for us.

After an adventurous ride to the Prague airport we learned that we must after all depart from Warsaw in less then two weeks. Our hopes of departing from here or Budapest were deemed "impossible" by another not so friendly airline representative. So little time left! We have opted to stay here in Prague as long as we can, help Jana paint her Flat, catch a football game, take a little trip to Slovakia to visit some other Chaprnkas, and ultimately train it back to Poland sometime next week. It feels strange to have a vision of what the last bit of this trip may look like. It is the first time on the trip that the end is in sight. It feels strange and comforting to both of us. But we do have WEEKS left and that is a great thing. I guess that until the last of the trip this is it. Thanks everyone for following along with us. You all have been a big part of this trip as well. Brett and I have been discussing the posts and constantly thinking about the States. Oh what a glorius land the States are! If anyone wants to party in Prague over the next week do email. You are all invited. Best wishes. Steven and Brett.

2009-09-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

2009-09-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

2009-09-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

2009-09-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

How quickly Croatia came and left us. We are happy and tan and have learned many things about this rugged land. The most important thing to know about this country is that the South coast and the islands are the places to be. We immensely enjoyed our time here sleeping on beaches, riding through vineyards on coastal highways and jumping from island to island on impressive ferry boats. We first explored the island of Peljesac and then Korcula. The weather was perfect and camping was easy. Needless to say we took are time getting to the end of each. From the town of Vela Luka we caught a ferry to Split, on the mainland, and quickly realized the island vibe was for us. It was at the dock in Split that we found out the only ferry heading to our next destination was leaving in 36 hours from a port town 170 kilometers to the north. So naturally we threw down a 10 hour day of riding, camped in some industrial lot near the docks, and were back on a boat headed to the island chain of Losinj, Cres, and Krk. We had ambitious plans of lounging and maxing heavily at some pristine beach but as we rolled North the weather began to frown and forced us to trade in the swim suits for riding gear and long sleeves. So it goes.

We arrived at the mainland city of Rijeka, Croatia a few days ago. We used the time to clean everything, most importantly our clothes which had not been washed since Belgrade, Serbia, and loosely plan the rest of the trip. It was good night to have accommodations in the hostel because there was a hellish rain storm that we were forced to bike through in order to retrieve our clean clothing on the other side of town. It is all part of journey. We have opted to avoid Oktoberfest for a few different reasons, mainly because everything about it would be wicked expensive. It is also hard to party like a rock star downtown Munich when we would be needing to find our camp site by dark. So we decided to focus our energies on Prague. We hope to find a lovely couch surfing friend or friends and maybe stay in the city for awhile in order to really get the feel, and also heal from all this riding. It no longer seems strange spending 6 or 7 hours a day on the bikes.

We are currently in Ljubljana, Slovenia while it drizzles outside. We have about 1.5 hours before we have to start looking for camping. Brett is nobly requesting couches in the Czech Republic while I work on the blog. We should be in Austria by tomorrow were we will stop at the airport, find the Swiss Air counter, and demand information about our return flights. Both of our itineraries have been changed to unknown degrees. So it goes. The climate has cooled and leaves fall from the trees as we pedal. The stores and products are more familiar and western while bikes, for the first time on the trip, are perceived and respected as a acceptable form of transportation. Hurray for bike lanes. We cross our fingers that the sun will fill the sky soon. Oh how the weather plays with our emotions and plans. It seems the only reasonable thing to do is have not plans or expectations, only an empty space to be filled with whatever will come. Best wishes. Steven and Brett.

2009-09-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

2009-09-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

2009-09-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

2009-09-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we have a great deal to catch up on. I believe the last entry had us in Belgrade, the only shinning light of Serbia. I actually hear the mountains to the south are lovely though we did not see them. Our final night in the town turned out not to be our final night. We were prepping for a night of dancing and laughing with the local tour guides when it started to storm uncontrollably. We gave a ring to our friends and as it turns out, no one goes out in the rain in Serbia. No one except Brett and Steve. To a make long story short we headed to the bar for shots of whiskey, Jim Beam specifically, then discovered beer by the 2 litter (thats 64ozs) for about 2 dollars at the market. Then while drinking in the alley we met 2 new friends, one fisher/trapper hooligan ex-prisoner and his side kick the bookiet, neo-Nazi, Free-Mason intent on crushing all diversity, including Americans. Needless the say we spent most of the evening with them drinking shots of brandy, beers, smoking cigarettes, acting Canadian, and letting them pay the tab. Thanks guys. I managed to lose my rain jacket and mind while Brett tried to explain exactly what religion he was to these fellows. It took about 12 hours for me to rally guts to leave town, leave Serbia, in search of more hospitable terrain.

We decided to take the shuttle to Bosnia. This was a fine choice as the maximum dangerousness of the shuttle ride itself, on the awfully narrow crumbling mountain roads to Sarajevo, only reinforced our decision to not ride the bikes. We also saved 3 days of riding and were able to put the Serbian plight behind us quickly and efficiently.

Sarajevo is amazing. We ended up finding a yard, rather a garden, to pitch our tent. It was at the house of a local named Salih we found on CouchSurfing. He proved to be very helpful and insightful drawing us very small confusing maps to the best places. These included kabab stands, sheesha dens, and old fortresses overlooking the city. He was also able, along with some of his friends, to put words to the war that we all saw on television 15 years ago. 1000 mortar shells would rain into Sarajevo on a daily basis while rape and other torture were used to break the will and spirit of the people. It is quite compelling hearing the brutally honest accounts of his in half broken English. His neighbor told us, Nobody win in war. All I want to do is work and live, that is it. On a more positive note though it seems the war created a city that prides itself on the fact that everybody gets along. There is felt acceptance between religions and genders and the people are proud of this.

Unfortunately we had to move on from Sarajevo after only a few nights. But it is the nature of this trip to move and see and keep moving. So onto Mostar, Bosnia. This was a challanging day of riding and landed us in the middle of nowhere. We rode for 70 miles or so and after 5000 feet or climbing, a great deal on dirt roads, we camped in an magically quiet high plateau of Bosnian sheep country. We dined on a can a tuna Brett carried from Poland (unable to open due to lack of can opener), slightly under-smoked salami, Sarajevo local cheese, and a few bits of chocolate. Not quite enough after our ride but we felt fortunate because we undershot our planned destination, or put another way, we were ass lost. So it goes. These things often work in our favor.

The next day we arrived in Mostar but could only stay for the afternoon. We had a nice swim under the famed bridge, a quick tour around the shelled and bullet ridden infrastructure left from the war (much like Sarajevo), and ate a pizza-like sandwich filled with spicy sausage and boiled egg before we departed for our camp which for that night was abandoned stretch of highway with views of an ancient castle and the valley below. What a place to end our time in Bosnia! And then onto Croatia. It would take a miserable day of underestimating distances, elevation gain, Mediterranean temps, food and water necessities to land us in Croatia.

That was yesterday and we are still recovering. The ride was brutal and ended in night on the busiest highway we have ridden yet. We are posted up at this apartment/hostel in Debrovnik and are waiting to see what kind of trouble we can find tonight. And then onto the islands and ferries of the Adriatic. Well, so much more to say but what can you do. Hope everyone is well and finding creative ways to enrich the days. We will let you know at the next turn.

2009-09-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

2009-09-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

2009-08-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

2009-08-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

2009-08-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

Just to assure those moms out there we found the camp ground and had a nice night of sleep. It was a joke of an operation that took too much of our money. But we did meet a nice German man named Manfred who will let us stay with him in his home town of Oxberg, some 60K out of Munich/Oktoberfest later in the trip. We always seem to find the people we need to find. Tonight we get the local's tour of the night life of Belgrade. This is a town that seems to come alive when the sun descends. Who knows what it will actually look but it might just happen that we don't get back to Belgrade soon. So why we are here we must get the view. We have decided on a hostel for the night and are working on what will be the next step. I really just wanted to take this moment to upload some more pictures. And for everybody following the blog and not posting comments...we are waiting ;) Will write from Bosnia. Much love.

This is Serbia, 'Anything is Possible'

2009-08-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we have made across the Serbian boarder a few days ago and it has been hot. Probably somewhere in the 90s but it doesn't really matter because we have to keep riding in order to get out of this country. It is not really that bad but the most third world like yet. The commons sights so far have been corn fields, dead animal carcasses, and 18wheelers passing closely at high rates of speeds. We are constantly passing burning heaps of organic debris and trash we scents and defuses the light nicely.

We arrived in Belgrade this afternoon after the scariest ride so far. It seems like a pretty wild place although we are not sure how long we will stay to enjoy it. We are working out somewhere to stay and may have to keep riding until we find camping. The map says there is camping in the area but our map, it turns out, is shit. Brett is on the phone right now working it out. Keep those fingers crossed yall.

We did meet a very helpful man named Zlatko. He approached us in the small town of Coka as we were looking at our map in front of his shop. He was the only person in this village of 4 thousand that spoke English. Lucky us. We told him we were Canadian because apparently only half of Serbians like Americans. We are not sure which ones. So until we get to Croatia we are from Vancuver, BC. Zlatko also proved to be the local hair stylist. This was also fortunate as we had been looking for shaves for a few days. Our favorite quote of his was, 'This is Serbia, Anything is Possible.' So an hour later we were so fresh and clean and looking for that ever elusive camping site.

We are considering taking a train to Sarajevo to expedite our arrival at the coast. We are greasy and anxious to swim in that salty Adriatic. The Canadian, Alex, that Brett just started talking to informed us that is that it would be no problem. He is vacationing with his family over here and just so happens to be at the same internet cafe. He told us to try and stay here in Belgrade for a few nights if possible because it is great. We will try. Maybe another hostel.

Well, I only purchased an hour of time and I am waiting for the not so pleasant lab attendant to start yelling at me. That kind of seems to be the method. If they are not yelling it must be okay. Hope everybody is well. Until the next time.

Steven and Brett

2009-08-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

Its about to be 9oclock and Brett is helping Ivan and his Mom take books off the shelf and put them in boxes. The shelf almost fell off the apartment wall last night and we have to do this before we go out dancing tonight. We are meeting up with a coulple of girls we met at the bar last night for a local drink called Palinka. It is pure alcohol infused with fruit of your choice. Needless to say we are right on track. We have been Budapest for 2 nights now and are staying with Ivan, another couch surfing friend, who is showing Budapest by bikes messenger style. We are showing him some of that Budapest nightlife he lives so close to. But lets back up. Its been awhile and an entire country since we last checked in. Slovakia was amazing. As South Poland fades into Slovakia the mountains punch out the earth and the sun gets hot. We rode some hard days and fell into some pretty funny circumstances and steep hills as we lost our way. Slovakia had us sleeping in school parking lots, lovely mountain meadows, a bus stop, and other little coves here and there. North Slovakia has the mountains and the tourists while the South has projects and frowns. We were happy to cross the Hungarian boarder as things started looking up. The woman look better and the restaurants are more easily identifiable.

We will be on our way south toward Serbia as soon as we get new maps and start pedaling. That makes our stay here in Budapest at 4 days. That is not nearly long enough as we have just started to get acquainted with the locals. We were able to play some bike polo and this was amazing. They play on hard courts with boards but everything else is about the same including the laughter and drinking. Brett and I represented the states like some true blooded players making passes and scoring points.

There is so much to tell and this blog does very little justice to the experience we are having. There is so much to tell and so little space to do it. Do know that Brett and I are getting along swimmingly and continually laughing at our inside jokes and shared experience. We are constantly put in situations that illuminate how good and how crazy we have it in the States. It seems so long that we have been away. Each day is an eternity of memories.

It is nice though being able to share a bit with all yall back home. Thanks for staying in touch and posting those comments. We miss you all. Until next time. Much love, Steven and Brett. (and for Kelsey, Ace and Gary)

2009-08-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

2009-08-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

Lets just start with some pictures

2009-08-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hello from Slovakia! Unfortunatly this post will be without images. Brett and I can barely figure out how to use the keyboards and I am afriad that loading pictures may cause the citys power grid to crash. Look at these letters or symbols we now have to navigate. § ň ú ä ľ š č ť ž ý Needless to say we are already missing the Polish we spoke so badly. We have finally reached the mountains and are currently in the mountain town of Lipt. Mikuláš. We are eating anything and everything and our new mosquito tent, made in the last Polish town we stayed in in fact, is allowing us to get our beauty rest. We are trying to find someone to host us in Budapest via CouchSurfing.com. So far we have been taken care of very well primarily by our hosts mother who they still live with. The families are much tighter knit. We ride anywhere from 5 to 8 hours a day. These numbers are decreasing as the road grade percentage is increasing. Holy shit was that road today was steep. This whole country seems to be a vast mountain range. Brett thinks we can cross it in 3 days. I think five. Regardless our legs will look like redwoods and our skin like bronze. We must prepare for the beaches of Croatia. We only need those speedos...or do we-a question mark goes here but i dont know how to make it go. Much love from Europe. Thanks for the posts. It is great to hear from everybody. Steve and Brett

2009-08-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

2009-08-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, some more. Krakow is amazing. We arrived in the hardest rain I have ever riden in. We were crossing the city in order to get to our new friend Alina's house(thank you CouchSurfer) and took on much water. We worked it out after 1 crash (Brett) and getting lost as shit. We were only 1.5 hours late. This city remains much more intact than Warsaw after the 2nd World War. Very vibrant, young and full of spirit. Everyone should visit here. Many amazing clubs and pubs all existing in ancient basements with original brick and mold and style. The beer is cheep and delicious. Today we visited Auschwitz and it was amazing. We are very tired and dumbstruck with the evilness that was the third riech. The Polish people were almost erased from history. We are staying with our second couch surfing family and we owe them big. Much vodka, laughing and body language is bridging the massive barriers that exist between us. Alina, the daughter of Vesha and Janosh, speaks English very well and has been a splendid tour guide. She has helped us with our language and finding of better maps. Our current maps have us on major roads that are full of insane Polish drivers. The country roads are favorable. Hopefully the rain of the last 3 days will end tomorrow and we head South for the mountains of Slovakia. A new lauguage and customs to master upon arrival. No problem for Brett and Steven. There is so much more and I know you want stories and detail but this must be all for now. I seem to always be tired and hungry but feel great and lucky to be doing exactly what I wish. Thanks everybody for checking it out. Please post comments for it warms us to hear your words. Best wishes. Steven and Brett.

2009-08-13T13:58:00.001-07:00

(PhotoContext. top. A image from the longest consectutive graffiti wall in the world-Warsaw, below Brett as New Art, Presidential Palace, Warsaw)

Hello from Krakow. So sorry it has taken some days to write but Brett and I have been busy traversing the countryside. The riding has been flat and the weather spectacular. Wow! Where to begin? The days go quickly but it seems like we have been here a long time. Our polish is slowly improving and we now know how to ask, "Can we please set up our tent on your land?" Previous to this we have found accomadations in an orchard and a church yard. The mosquitos are horrific.
We have been forced by consectutive nights of bad sleep to buy a mosquito netting tent. So it goes. We spent our time riding, drinking polish-redbull(tiger-GET THE ENERGY BACK!), and generally snacking our way accross this fair country. We have met many locals including Robert, a Polish road cyclist, who road for 30Kl with us providing the better route. Instead of bridges there are ferries and many of them. Luckily they are cheap and provide intertainment.

2009-08-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Siren of Warsaw and her boyz.

2009-08-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Abandoned villa in Konstancin-Jeziorna anybody?

2009-08-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Report from Warsaw

2009-08-06T15:51:00.001-07:00

This is Kolan, Brett, and Aga. Na zdrowie (cheers) from the heartland! We are here and loving it. The first two days have been a smashing success. We arrived at the airport, assembled our bikes and rode to our first destination about 15 miles away. Our new friends Aga and her her parents Marek and Ela are wonderful hosts and lovely people. We could not have arrived in better hands. We have spent the day touring Warsaw with Aga who is an student of architecture and knows everything about the infastructure of this war-torn city. What a guide! Anna would love this. We spent the rest of the day drinking delicious pilsner (Tyskie, from Poland) and terrible coffee near the city center. We have learned many lessons of the customs of Eastern Europe. #1 Do not wear football apparel of any nation unless you want to fight! #2 Do not ask any lady her foot size no matter what the context! More lessons to come... Things here are great. We are having a riot. We'll let you know more as soon as we are on the road.

The Route, Maybe.

2009-07-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

Pull out those maps printed post 1990 and check out our theoretical route. Our destinations are based on drunken nights of gazing at a map of Europe, inspired by fantasy, fascination, and unsubstantiated folk lore. From Warsaw we head South to Krakow. Onward through Slovakia toward Budapest. Then we'll bank hard left and cross into Romania were we are going to track down a renovated castle that's now a sanatorium in the Transivanian Alps. Then South again into Belgrade,Serbia and Sarajevo, Bosnia. Then it's time to kick it on the Adriatic Coast and work on our tans. Dubrovnik, Croatia is our Southern destination. From there it's hard to know. Maybe up the Croatian Coast. Maybe, depending on finances, a boat ride to Italy and North from there. Only time will tell. 6 days and counting! Be well, happy trails.

2009-07-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last post from Bend. See ya in Poland cowboys and cowgirls.

2009-07-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

2009-07-26T16:58:00.001-07:00

To Everyone,
Thanks for checking the page out. Me and Brett are fantastically excited about getting underway. We'll be in touch as often as our path will allow. Until next time and best wishes. Steven