Gearing Up

Hello from Germany. We’ve been here with Matthias’ family for about a week and are staying until May while we get ready for the next portion of our travels. We spent Easter in Matthias’ family vacation home in the Harz area (a small mountain range with zillions of walking/hiking/biking paths, where we spent a few weeks last year hunting mushrooms.) They have two days of Easter here (Sunday and Monday), and since the family is not religious at all, we just used the holidays as an excuse to eat big meals. Also, on the night before Easter, all over Germany (or at least the region, as far as I know) they have Easter Fires – or bonfire parties – in each town. Again, this doesn’t seem to have anything to do with religion (welcoming spring/saying goodbye to winter as I’ve been told), and people just gather around the fire and talk, drink and eat. The fire we attended was for Eggeroder Brunen, a hamlet of about 80 people where Matthias’ family has their house. I was impressed with the size of the fire, but Matthias said it’s tiny compared to those of other “real” towns. Anyway, it was really fun. Links to photos (and video) of the fire and more are to the left under "Germany 2007" and I have added pictures from Portugal to the link below that ("Back in Tarifa")

We spent another couple of days in the Harz before coming back here to Gommern to continue planning our trip. As it stands now (of course, this is always subject to change) we are going to ride on the North Sea Cycle Route this summer. We plan to leave in mid-May and ride along the Elbe River through Hamburg to the North Sea, which we will then follow to Belgium where we will get a ferry to Scotland. Then, we want to cycle north through Scotland all the way to the Shetland Islands (by ferry,) where we would get a boat to Denmark. Then, down through Denmark and back to Germany.

With one bike tour already behind us, I’m looking forward to a “smoother ride” on this trip. First, we are going to do a bit more route planning as we need to book the ferries in advance (for example, the ferry from the Shetland Islands to Denmark only goes twice a month and (supposedly) gets pretty full.) So I’ve been working on planning our route to rendezvous with the ferries. In terms of making the ride more comfortable, we have ordered a bike trailer, in which we plan to tote various amenities such as chairs, a tent shelter, and sleeping mats. So, if it does rain a lot this time (did I say Scotland?) we should at least be able to relax and stay dry while camping. And, of course, Matthias is going to pull the trailer….

In the meantime, we are getting our bikes tuned up, ordering maps, checking on ferries, and shopping for supplies and equipment. The weather is getting pretty nice and the flowers are beginning to bloom (see photo of Matthias' mom's garden to the right) Also, we are excited to visit Katja and Thorsten in Bremen, as well as go to Hamburg with Matthias’ parents to see Mamma Mia later this month. Finally, we are working on an itinerary for Stu’s visit in the beginning of May. Should be enough to keep me busy at least for the next few weeks!

Isn't it Ironic?

Part of the reason for my new computer - which I love dearly - was so that I could more easily update the Blog, which I now see that I haven't updated in about a month! At least now I have a lot to write about.

We have left Tarifa and are now in Germany, where we will spend about a month getting ready for the next stage(s) of our trip. We need to buy new equipment to make our next bike ride more comfortable, and get our visas for Russia and China (for the fall.) But first, a little about our last month.

I took two additional weeks of Spanish classes in Tarifa before Matthias' family arrived. His cousin Katja, her boyfriend Thorsten, and Matthias' Aunt Ines came to Tarifa for a one-week holiday. We had lots of fun with them - going out for dinner and drinks, and touring the surrounding area. I was even able to get ready for the Easter season with a Cadbury Creme Egg from Gibraltar. It was fun to feel like tourists again in Tarifa, although I was also beginning to like the feeling of "living" there. Then we had to say goodbye to our new friends at the Circus Bar as we headed off to spend 10 days in Portugal.

On the same day Katja, Thorsten and Ines flew back to Germany, we left Tarifa on the bus to Sevilla. We spent the day there walking around the city and enjoying various tapas before catching the midnight (overnight) bus to Lisbon.

Though we were a little tired upon arrival, we found our lovely and inexpensive hotel quite easily - situated up high in a nice neighborhood near the Rato Metro stop. (Pensao Dinastia was the name, and I highly recommend it.) I also recommend Lisbon - a beautiful city built on seven hills, with lots of great architecture and churches. (Matthias: "Lisbon has about 100 churches, and I've seen them all!") We weren't too keen on the food at first (ever wonder why there are no Portugese restaurants around?) but then we got into the groove and found some tasty things to eat. Two of our favorite dishes were Fejoada (or what Matthias calls "hoof and beans") and Cocido Portugese (also interesting cuts of pork and beef along with veggies.) We also had some good grilled fish.

As far as the sights are concerned - we were able to fill a week by walking up and down the hills of the city and always seeming to find a new corner (and a new church) to explore. We also took some day trips, to the picturesque town of Sintra and Cascais, a nearby seaside resort. And, in the middle of it all, we went to Porto for two nights. Unbelievably, it was even prettier than Lisbon. I'll try to post the pictures soon.

Noting that a year ago today we flew from Argentina back to Florida, I've been thinking about what we've done for the past year. At first I thought that we haven't really done that much (mostly Europe), but then I realized that during this year I fulfilled two of my long-standing dreams: to ride a bike through Europe, and to learn Spanish in Spain. That, and visiting Russia, friends and family back home, and Portugal too. Not to shabby at all. Now I just have to get better at updating the blog....