Howdy-hoo. We're in the train station in Ljubljana, checking emails and hitting the blog while we wait for a train to Postojna.
We spent the last three nights at a tourist farm outside Skofja Loka, in the village of Crngrob. Not enough vowels in that name. It's pronounced Seer-n-grob. The farm was great; great food, great wine drank by Erin, great hosts. And it's a working farm, as well. Most of their meals came from their own fruits, vegetables, meat. There were Italians, Dutch, Germans, Spaniards, and Slovenians there while we were. A great place.
Two days ago we headed out for a bike ride around Skofja Loka. There is an extensive system of bike trails around the town, so we chose one and headed out. It seemed great, until suddenly it veered directly up a huge hill. Yeesh. It was slow going. And to top it off, going down the back side was nearly all gravel, so no zipping down for us. Yikes. Great view, though, from the top.
Yesterday we took our bikes on the train to Bled, to check out the famous castle and the storybookish church in the middle of the lake. It was dang hot, and we forgot our swimsuits, but we rented a row boat and rowed out to the island. At the castle (which we got to by riding directly up a huge hill, though not as huge as the previous day) we got caught in a rainstorm, which continued throughout the day, intermittently.
We are headed to Postojna for the night, to check out the caves nearby. Then we will make our way down to Piran, on the Slovenijian coast, and then on to Italia. Hope everything is well wherever you are! We love to read your comments!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Slovenija
We made it to Slovenija yesterday afternoon. The train was no big thing. We got through it fine, though without much sleep. Even rode around in Salzburg with tons of 7 am bike commuters for an hour while we waited for our connection to Villach.
Our "Tourist farm" is super nice, with an outstading dinner. Today we are off in Skofja Loka, checking out the town and finding a bike shop, as my saddle bag was taken off my bike on the train from Budapest to Salzburg, and we need a new patch kit and tire irons. No big thing, but our first experience with theft! Better the saddle bag than our helmets, which were right there as well, or our bikes! No one really wears helmets, so maybe they weren't interested.
This computer is a little funky, so no pictures right now. Or reading of emails. But the blog lives on!
Our "Tourist farm" is super nice, with an outstading dinner. Today we are off in Skofja Loka, checking out the town and finding a bike shop, as my saddle bag was taken off my bike on the train from Budapest to Salzburg, and we need a new patch kit and tire irons. No big thing, but our first experience with theft! Better the saddle bag than our helmets, which were right there as well, or our bikes! No one really wears helmets, so maybe they weren't interested.
This computer is a little funky, so no pictures right now. Or reading of emails. But the blog lives on!
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Baths, cylces, and naughty cows!
Today was a day to just wander and see what ever came our way. Our train doesn't leave until 8:30 and we had to check out at 10am, so we wandered aimlessly around Budapest on our bikes. Most everything is closed on Sundays but we found that they close the "Chain Bridge" for a summer pedestrian festival on Sundays. Food, music, real crafts, tourists and locals. We decided to head for the park and read for a while. The park is not just for walking and hanging out in, here in Hungary. It's also for sunbathing and making out. Men in speedos and bikini clad women hanging out in the sun. The park also had an amusement park, castle, zoo, food, ponds, fun fairs, and more. We chose to hang out in the shade and read. Then we hit the bath after a lunch of Gyros.
Hungarian baths. Wow. What a funny thing! They were built by the Turks, who built them because they were worried that while they were invading that people wouldn't bathe. Well, they certainly were used. It seemed like the most crowded place we have been yet. We stood in line to get in. There were locals and tourists like us. We weren't really sure what we were doing, or where we were going so we just kinda went with the flow. A funny little Hungarian man who spoke almost no English, ushered us into a "cabin" to change. We then went and paid for our massage before we entered the pools. We had an hour before our massage, so we went to explore the pools. As soon as we entered there were people in bathing suits everywhere. Again, men in speedos, just strutting around. We kinda just walked around for a bit to figure out what to do. We found one end and just worked our way to the other. The pools ranged from about 38 c to 28 c. There was even this funny pool that had a current. We just spun around in an oval with about 20 other people, letting the current move it. It was so funny! The medicinal pools had more old people in them. I tried not to think about all the people in all the pools, and all their dirt and grime from the heat outside. Yuck! And just tried to relax. We finally reached what appeared to be the end, when we discovered there was an outside section!
This was where the party was! There were three huge pools, a couple of resturants, terraces, chairs, old men playing chess, in the pool, water spouts, women and men sunbathing, another current pool, kids, everything! Yep. Then we got our massage.
I guess we could call it a massage. Maybe a rub down. Again, I tried not to think about it too much. I was in a funny little room, with a half naked man at the table right next to me, and a fat old lady masseuse. The woman didn't speak any English, she told me to take my top off. Then she closed the curtain when she realized I was a little skeptical about the man next to me. Then they rubbed a lotion all over us, and vigorously rubbed for about 15 minutes and then it was done. Yep. That was our Hungarian bath experience, next time I will be more prepared and I think it won't be so shocking. Oh yeah, we got 600 FT back because we left within two hours, crowd control.
We get on the train to Slovenja tonight. We hope it works out ok, with our bikes. Hope all is well!
There are these "art" cows everywhere. We have seen a watermelon, salami, flowers, a lemon drop, and then we came across this one. Hmmm...we aren't really sure what this one means. We think maybe the pigs in Seattle, might be patterned after these Budapest cows.
Kulshan Cycles travel the world!
Hungarian baths. Wow. What a funny thing! They were built by the Turks, who built them because they were worried that while they were invading that people wouldn't bathe. Well, they certainly were used. It seemed like the most crowded place we have been yet. We stood in line to get in. There were locals and tourists like us. We weren't really sure what we were doing, or where we were going so we just kinda went with the flow. A funny little Hungarian man who spoke almost no English, ushered us into a "cabin" to change. We then went and paid for our massage before we entered the pools. We had an hour before our massage, so we went to explore the pools. As soon as we entered there were people in bathing suits everywhere. Again, men in speedos, just strutting around. We kinda just walked around for a bit to figure out what to do. We found one end and just worked our way to the other. The pools ranged from about 38 c to 28 c. There was even this funny pool that had a current. We just spun around in an oval with about 20 other people, letting the current move it. It was so funny! The medicinal pools had more old people in them. I tried not to think about all the people in all the pools, and all their dirt and grime from the heat outside. Yuck! And just tried to relax. We finally reached what appeared to be the end, when we discovered there was an outside section!
This was where the party was! There were three huge pools, a couple of resturants, terraces, chairs, old men playing chess, in the pool, water spouts, women and men sunbathing, another current pool, kids, everything! Yep. Then we got our massage.
I guess we could call it a massage. Maybe a rub down. Again, I tried not to think about it too much. I was in a funny little room, with a half naked man at the table right next to me, and a fat old lady masseuse. The woman didn't speak any English, she told me to take my top off. Then she closed the curtain when she realized I was a little skeptical about the man next to me. Then they rubbed a lotion all over us, and vigorously rubbed for about 15 minutes and then it was done. Yep. That was our Hungarian bath experience, next time I will be more prepared and I think it won't be so shocking. Oh yeah, we got 600 FT back because we left within two hours, crowd control.
We get on the train to Slovenja tonight. We hope it works out ok, with our bikes. Hope all is well!
There are these "art" cows everywhere. We have seen a watermelon, salami, flowers, a lemon drop, and then we came across this one. Hmmm...we aren't really sure what this one means. We think maybe the pigs in Seattle, might be patterned after these Budapest cows. 
Kulshan Cycles travel the world!Saturday, July 08, 2006
Budapest - Day Two
Spent another enjoyable day in Budapest, this time on the Pest side. We opted to ride our bikes around today. I was a bit wary before, big city and all, but there are many, many bikers here, and we have a fancy-schmancy lock and cable. Biking around was definitely easier and faster. In fact, we found ourselves with more time than we knew what to do with. And we're getting to know the streets of Budapest. At least, the ones somewhat around our hostel.
We visited the Parliament building first today. There are some picture of it on the previous post. We went all out and took the guided tour. As it's a government building, we had to go through security and everything. Well, we had a knife in our bag for our lunch later, and when the security guard saw it, alarms sounded, officers swept down on us and we were detained for three hours. Just kidding. We gave them the knife, they gave us a receipt, and we picked it up on the way out. For some reason I think it would have been different at the US Capitol.
The Parliament was impressive. So many intricacies. And it's newer than many DC buildings. But ours seem so boring in comparison. Ah well. Greener grass.
Stopping for a picture in Szabadsag Square, on our way from the Parliament to the Basilica
Inside the Basilica there is a Chapel of the Holy Right Hand. The owner of the hand died in 1031. It's an old hand! The picture of the actual hand was all fuzzy, so you'll have to settle for the sign.
Again we braved the stairs to check out the view from the Basilica dome, this time St. Stephen's Basilica. I think this Basilica was actually smaller than the one in Esztergom, and the view maybe even less impressive because in Esztergom it was atop a huge hill. But the view was nice all the same. We got to check out all the places we walked to yesterday.
Here we have the Szechenyi Bath. As our train doesn't leave until 8:25, and we've seen most of the sights we want to see, we thought we'd beat the heat with a dip in the medicinal waters. And maybe even partake of a massage for a thousand forints or so.
We visited the Parliament building first today. There are some picture of it on the previous post. We went all out and took the guided tour. As it's a government building, we had to go through security and everything. Well, we had a knife in our bag for our lunch later, and when the security guard saw it, alarms sounded, officers swept down on us and we were detained for three hours. Just kidding. We gave them the knife, they gave us a receipt, and we picked it up on the way out. For some reason I think it would have been different at the US Capitol.
The Parliament was impressive. So many intricacies. And it's newer than many DC buildings. But ours seem so boring in comparison. Ah well. Greener grass.
Stopping for a picture in Szabadsag Square, on our way from the Parliament to the Basilica
Inside the Basilica there is a Chapel of the Holy Right Hand. The owner of the hand died in 1031. It's an old hand! The picture of the actual hand was all fuzzy, so you'll have to settle for the sign.
Again we braved the stairs to check out the view from the Basilica dome, this time St. Stephen's Basilica. I think this Basilica was actually smaller than the one in Esztergom, and the view maybe even less impressive because in Esztergom it was atop a huge hill. But the view was nice all the same. We got to check out all the places we walked to yesterday.
Here we have the Szechenyi Bath. As our train doesn't leave until 8:25, and we've seen most of the sights we want to see, we thought we'd beat the heat with a dip in the medicinal waters. And maybe even partake of a massage for a thousand forints or so.We may post again tomorrow, or not. Regardless, next stop Slovenia and the town of Skofja Loka. Day rides there. Szia!
Friday, July 07, 2006
In the Budapest
Howdy kids. We spent the day walking around Budapest, the Buda side, checking out Castle Hill and Gellert Hill, where we unsuccessfully searched for an elusive underground resevoir, and stopping by the Central Market on the way to this little Internet Cafe with the world's slowest computer. Okay, not the slowest. But maybe the most annoying.
Anyway. We have more pictures for you, and commentary!
This was our first of two ferry crossings two days ago, from just outside Esztergom to the town of Szob. Good view of the hills that Hungary seems to have a lot of around the Duna "knee." Good view of Erin, too.
Very nice path out of Szob, with the river on our right. We were certainly impressed by the bike paths during the whole trip. Only those few gravel patches in Slovakia and a few road stretches in Hungary; the vast majority was path for the whole 180 miles or so.
Well labeled, but in Hungarian.
Two nights ago we stayed in Szentendre, just a twenty minute drive from Budapest (the ride took us a little longer). When we arrived the place was crawling with tourists and there were cheap trinket shops everywhere. Kind of crazy. Definitely very different from all the towns we had been to so far. At about 5 all the tourists got on their buses back to Budapest, the trinket shops closed, and Szentendre became a nice, quiet little town. We watched France v. Portugal in a little local bar/cafe and had a dinner of chicken stroganoff, with mushrooms and pickles. Hmm. Yum!
Even as we entered the big city, there were nice, mostly well-marked paths. Even designated sidewalk space for bikes. As we made our way to our hostel we made an obligatory stop across from the impressive Parliament building. Pretty much one of the coolest looking buildings I've ever seen. We'll check it out up close tomorrow, when we explore the Pest side of the river.
Another shot of Parliament, from the Fisherman's Bastion, on top of Castle Hill.
Another of the sights on Castle Hill. Some of the buildings had colored ceramic roof tiles. Very nice touch, you Hungarians.
We spent about 2 hours at the train station yesterday, trying to figure out how to get to Slovenia on Sunday. "Bicycles very difficult," the information lady informed us. It took the ticket lady forever to figure out how we were getting where, and what it would cost. We finally got tickets through Salzburg, 17(!) hours just to get to our relatively close destination. Of course, 6 hours of that is in Salzburg, from 3-9 am. We're planning to ride out and catch the sunrise somewhere over the mountains before we have to catch our train. Maybe some breakfast, too.
Time for a shower and siesta. Both of us have sun rashes (dang NW sun doesn't give us any level of tolerance), and are constantly sweaty sticky. But oh well! We're having fun!
Anyway. We have more pictures for you, and commentary!
This was our first of two ferry crossings two days ago, from just outside Esztergom to the town of Szob. Good view of the hills that Hungary seems to have a lot of around the Duna "knee." Good view of Erin, too.
Very nice path out of Szob, with the river on our right. We were certainly impressed by the bike paths during the whole trip. Only those few gravel patches in Slovakia and a few road stretches in Hungary; the vast majority was path for the whole 180 miles or so.
Well labeled, but in Hungarian.
Two nights ago we stayed in Szentendre, just a twenty minute drive from Budapest (the ride took us a little longer). When we arrived the place was crawling with tourists and there were cheap trinket shops everywhere. Kind of crazy. Definitely very different from all the towns we had been to so far. At about 5 all the tourists got on their buses back to Budapest, the trinket shops closed, and Szentendre became a nice, quiet little town. We watched France v. Portugal in a little local bar/cafe and had a dinner of chicken stroganoff, with mushrooms and pickles. Hmm. Yum!
Even as we entered the big city, there were nice, mostly well-marked paths. Even designated sidewalk space for bikes. As we made our way to our hostel we made an obligatory stop across from the impressive Parliament building. Pretty much one of the coolest looking buildings I've ever seen. We'll check it out up close tomorrow, when we explore the Pest side of the river.
Another shot of Parliament, from the Fisherman's Bastion, on top of Castle Hill.
Another of the sights on Castle Hill. Some of the buildings had colored ceramic roof tiles. Very nice touch, you Hungarians.
We spent about 2 hours at the train station yesterday, trying to figure out how to get to Slovenia on Sunday. "Bicycles very difficult," the information lady informed us. It took the ticket lady forever to figure out how we were getting where, and what it would cost. We finally got tickets through Salzburg, 17(!) hours just to get to our relatively close destination. Of course, 6 hours of that is in Salzburg, from 3-9 am. We're planning to ride out and catch the sunrise somewhere over the mountains before we have to catch our train. Maybe some breakfast, too.
Time for a shower and siesta. Both of us have sun rashes (dang NW sun doesn't give us any level of tolerance), and are constantly sweaty sticky. But oh well! We're having fun!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Pictures!
We're taking a day off in Esztergom, Hungary. And here's some pictures! We apologize in advance for those without high speed. Maybe go make a snack or something.
Heading for the Tube with a trolley. Brilliant!
Building bikes while balding in Bratislava
Nice quiet Bratislava street, with Castle Hrad in the background
On friday night Bratislava was invaded by young English (not British) men. All of them crowded around this restaurant. That's what they get for having the World Cup on outside.
All packed up and ready to go.
On our way out. Photo courtesy of our very own personal Slovakian funny little old man.
On the wonderfully flat paved path during day one.
Erin and a field of sunflowers. There were several of these fields, and if we had come by a week or two later they would have blown our minds. They were still nice, though.
A giant, helmeted Slovakian warrior...next to a big wooden statue.
There's that bruise I promised. It's even better now. Stay tuned for a visual update.
Erin on the "MTB" gravel road. Still on the Slovakian side.
Adam on the quiet "main" road. Notice who's wearing the yellow jersey on the second day of le Tour!
The basilica in Esztergom, as seen from Sturovo, Slovakia. Today we explored inside, checking out the bell tower, the crypt, the main hall, and even the view from the top, outside the base of the dome. Lots of steps! We gave our bums a rest today, but not our legs!
Esztergom, with dome.
The beginning of the Danube "knee." Actually, it's the Duna, now that we're in Hungary.
Heading for the Tube with a trolley. Brilliant!
Building bikes while balding in Bratislava
Nice quiet Bratislava street, with Castle Hrad in the background
On friday night Bratislava was invaded by young English (not British) men. All of them crowded around this restaurant. That's what they get for having the World Cup on outside.
All packed up and ready to go.
On our way out. Photo courtesy of our very own personal Slovakian funny little old man.
On the wonderfully flat paved path during day one.
Erin and a field of sunflowers. There were several of these fields, and if we had come by a week or two later they would have blown our minds. They were still nice, though.
A giant, helmeted Slovakian warrior...next to a big wooden statue.
There's that bruise I promised. It's even better now. Stay tuned for a visual update.
Erin on the "MTB" gravel road. Still on the Slovakian side.
Adam on the quiet "main" road. Notice who's wearing the yellow jersey on the second day of le Tour!
The basilica in Esztergom, as seen from Sturovo, Slovakia. Today we explored inside, checking out the bell tower, the crypt, the main hall, and even the view from the top, outside the base of the dome. Lots of steps! We gave our bums a rest today, but not our legs!
Esztergom, with dome.
The beginning of the Danube "knee." Actually, it's the Duna, now that we're in Hungary.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Live from the banks of the Dunaj
What would you call that? Slovakish? Slovkenglish?
We are now in Komarno, two days into our ride to Budapest. We changed our route from the original. Instead of cycling on the Hungarian side, we have been on the Slovak side. The path stays closer to the river there--it's more of a straight shot.
We spent last night in Gabcinkova, at a little pension. $30 for a room and breakfast for two. It was a cute little town, as have been most that we have pedaled through so far. Very few lawns, but huge gardens for every house, and lots of chickens. Watched England v. Portugal in the restaurant and spent the entire game deciphering the menu.
The ride has been nice. The Danube Cycle Path is on a dike and follows the river on the Slovakian side. Yesterday we rode 38 miles from Bratislava to Gabcinkova. It was so flat! Nothing like the 38ish miles from Bellingham to Deception Pass. We even had a bit of a tailwind! And it didn't rain, though it's been rainy lately.
Not so lucky today. Apparently, they start early in Slovakia. Some sort of wake-up bell rang forever at about 7, and shortly after they were working away at some construction of some sort in the room across the hall. So we were up. Got our breakfast (bread and meat), but passed on the beer that everyone else was drinking. Hmm.
On the road there was a very slight headwind and about 10 miles out it started to sprinkle. We put on the raincovers and keep on going. Here the path veered away from the river through some sort of swampy nature preserve. I saw some nature, but not much. Lots of bugs, a giant rabbit, cranes, other birds, tons of snails.
We turned off onto the road (which was very unbusy) because the path turned to "mountain bike suitable," and we weren't really interested in that. It was raining harder now, but our raincoats are solid, and we were staying dry on top. The feet were getting a bit soggy, though. Anyway, we had a bit of difficulty finding the turn off to meet back up with the trail. We went about 2 miles out of the way, and eventually found our path once again. However, it was still "MTB" designated, which meant a slightly soft gravel road.
Our speed was more than cut in half, to about 5 mph, and we started looking at the map for an alternate way. We saw a side road that linked up with the big highway, and decided to take it. It was a hard gravel path, and was much better despite huge puddles and some deer that Erin was sure were vicious wild Slovakian dogs. We had met our first dogs earlier, with Erin spraying her pepper spray haphazardly and myself outpacing them except for a slight tug on the pannier. He let go quick.
Komarno is an odd town. Not as charming as some of the smaller ones we've been in. Lots of old Communist buildings still. It does have some impressive architecture, though, and if we hadn't left our camera cord in the pension you might have gotten to see some of it. Komarno is a border town, and we were planning to go over to Hungary to see some castles, but we're sort of beat. A long, slow, wet slog for us today. But still fun. Much more fun now that we've finished it.
Erin had her first fall the first day. She just stopped and fell over on the side of the road. She's got a wicked bruise that's getting better every day. Every hour even! Pictures of that, too, when we can.
Okay! We'd love to hear from you!
We are now in Komarno, two days into our ride to Budapest. We changed our route from the original. Instead of cycling on the Hungarian side, we have been on the Slovak side. The path stays closer to the river there--it's more of a straight shot.
We spent last night in Gabcinkova, at a little pension. $30 for a room and breakfast for two. It was a cute little town, as have been most that we have pedaled through so far. Very few lawns, but huge gardens for every house, and lots of chickens. Watched England v. Portugal in the restaurant and spent the entire game deciphering the menu.
The ride has been nice. The Danube Cycle Path is on a dike and follows the river on the Slovakian side. Yesterday we rode 38 miles from Bratislava to Gabcinkova. It was so flat! Nothing like the 38ish miles from Bellingham to Deception Pass. We even had a bit of a tailwind! And it didn't rain, though it's been rainy lately.
Not so lucky today. Apparently, they start early in Slovakia. Some sort of wake-up bell rang forever at about 7, and shortly after they were working away at some construction of some sort in the room across the hall. So we were up. Got our breakfast (bread and meat), but passed on the beer that everyone else was drinking. Hmm.
On the road there was a very slight headwind and about 10 miles out it started to sprinkle. We put on the raincovers and keep on going. Here the path veered away from the river through some sort of swampy nature preserve. I saw some nature, but not much. Lots of bugs, a giant rabbit, cranes, other birds, tons of snails.
We turned off onto the road (which was very unbusy) because the path turned to "mountain bike suitable," and we weren't really interested in that. It was raining harder now, but our raincoats are solid, and we were staying dry on top. The feet were getting a bit soggy, though. Anyway, we had a bit of difficulty finding the turn off to meet back up with the trail. We went about 2 miles out of the way, and eventually found our path once again. However, it was still "MTB" designated, which meant a slightly soft gravel road.
Our speed was more than cut in half, to about 5 mph, and we started looking at the map for an alternate way. We saw a side road that linked up with the big highway, and decided to take it. It was a hard gravel path, and was much better despite huge puddles and some deer that Erin was sure were vicious wild Slovakian dogs. We had met our first dogs earlier, with Erin spraying her pepper spray haphazardly and myself outpacing them except for a slight tug on the pannier. He let go quick.
Komarno is an odd town. Not as charming as some of the smaller ones we've been in. Lots of old Communist buildings still. It does have some impressive architecture, though, and if we hadn't left our camera cord in the pension you might have gotten to see some of it. Komarno is a border town, and we were planning to go over to Hungary to see some castles, but we're sort of beat. A long, slow, wet slog for us today. But still fun. Much more fun now that we've finished it.
Erin had her first fall the first day. She just stopped and fell over on the side of the road. She's got a wicked bruise that's getting better every day. Every hour even! Pictures of that, too, when we can.
Okay! We'd love to hear from you!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Tales of the bike boxes
Hello all! First post from east of the Atlantic!
We had an easy time with the big boxes on the Tube and train in London, once we figured out that we could use a trolley instead of carrying the damn things. The morning commuters didn't seem to mind much, though maybe they'll tell their spouses about the weirdos on the Underground.
We spent yesterday in London, walking. And walking. And...walking. Saw the sights. London Bridge is kind of boring. The Tower, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, the "Temms," Buckingham Palace, a couple Banksy stencils. Okay. Done with London. Onward!
We're in Bratislava now. Much nicer feel than London. Bit of an adventure with the bikes here. It was pouring when we got off the plane. The airport's not much, so the boxes got a little wet. They were on their last legs. On the advice of the tourist lady, we put the bikes together to take them on the bus. But the bus wouldn't take them, so Erin had to cry and sniffle a little. First time, though!
We eventually took a taxi. Or, we took a taxi and our bikes took another. But we got here okay in the end. Just spent a bit more money. That's okay. Tomorrow's payday!
We walked into the old city for lunch, where we ordered a sandwich of some sort. Talked to an odd lady from Alabama who said it was deathly hot the other day. It's definitely warm here, and if she thought it was bad, us Washingtonians are in for it.
We'll post pictures when we find a USB port. For now, you'll have to use your imagination.
Talk to you soon!
We had an easy time with the big boxes on the Tube and train in London, once we figured out that we could use a trolley instead of carrying the damn things. The morning commuters didn't seem to mind much, though maybe they'll tell their spouses about the weirdos on the Underground.
We spent yesterday in London, walking. And walking. And...walking. Saw the sights. London Bridge is kind of boring. The Tower, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, the "Temms," Buckingham Palace, a couple Banksy stencils. Okay. Done with London. Onward!
We're in Bratislava now. Much nicer feel than London. Bit of an adventure with the bikes here. It was pouring when we got off the plane. The airport's not much, so the boxes got a little wet. They were on their last legs. On the advice of the tourist lady, we put the bikes together to take them on the bus. But the bus wouldn't take them, so Erin had to cry and sniffle a little. First time, though!
We eventually took a taxi. Or, we took a taxi and our bikes took another. But we got here okay in the end. Just spent a bit more money. That's okay. Tomorrow's payday!
We walked into the old city for lunch, where we ordered a sandwich of some sort. Talked to an odd lady from Alabama who said it was deathly hot the other day. It's definitely warm here, and if she thought it was bad, us Washingtonians are in for it.
We'll post pictures when we find a USB port. For now, you'll have to use your imagination.
Talk to you soon!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Packed up and ready to go
Dang it's hot around here. But it's hotter where we're going! We spent the afternoon under the sun today, and a bit under the shade of the crab apple tree, taking apart and boxing our bikes. It went like this:1) Take off wheels (Easy!)
2) Take off front fenders (Easy!)
3) Put padding on tubes (Easy!)
4) Took off 3 pedals (Relatively easy!)
5) Got pissed
6) Took bike to shop to get pedal off (Annoying!)
7) Took off handlebars (Easy!)
8) Put bike in box (Easy! --but)
9) Rack sticks up, seat tube sticks up (Getting pissed again)
10) Calm oneself (Not as easy as it should be)
11) Took off racks (Easy!)
12) Shifted, tweaked, stuffed, jammed (Easy!)
We leave early tomorrow morning! Fun, flights, and five hours in Toronto! Exciting! Check back early and often; we'll try to post as often as possible.
Miles so far: 0
Bike shops utilized: 3 [Kulshan Cycles (packing trinkets), BICycles (packing foam tubing), Classic Cycle (pedal removal)]
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Four Days and Counting...
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, no days.... Nervous, yes! Excited, yes! Ready, yes! Today we will try our first test pack and make sure we have enough room in our paniers. And room for things to bring back...it might be a challenge, especially for me! We will keep you posted as we go along... till then....
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