Europe by Bike (Part 2)

Budapest to Gibraltar

From Budapest, our tour of Hungarian swimming pools continued with a 6USD train ride to the Austro-Hungarian border area. We cycled through historic towns of Sopron, Kozeg and Szombathely. At the Buk thermal pool complex, we joined hundreds of others in regaining 10 years of life. But our bathing suits stunk for days afterwards.

Our efforts at learning Hungarian were originally rebuked with responses like "sprechen sie deutsch?" and we sometimes wondered if our phrase book was taken from the Monty Python skit; was I asking for bread or telling the woman that she had lovely buttocks? So we left the land of Paprika and Hungarian Salami and crossed into Slovenia.

The Slovenian customs officer asked us trick questions like "Do you have any cocaine or heroin?". We headed for the home of the great Slovenian crocodile wrestler (Rocky and his Peruvian girlfriend). We had lived with Rocky in Guatemala, while studying Spanish and later met up with him in the Bolivian Amazon (hunting crocodiles). The Slovenian language proved to be easily mastered, particularly with our base of 20 Czech words. Few foreigners speak Slovenian, but after a crash course, hello, goodbye, please and thank-you rolled of the tongue without effort. While we were with Rocky, conversation moved between Slovenian, English and Spanish; confusing everyone who came in contact with us, including ourselves.

Slovenia is a small mountainous country, one of the most developed European countries outside of the EU. We visited the fine small capital, the amazing caves at Postojna (Disney-esque, best we have ever visited), the Slovenian Alps with its fine swimming lake at Bled. Alas, the great crocodile hunters encountered but an inflatable croc at the lake.

From Rocky’s place, we headed north, climbing 750 meters on the first day to Logarska Dol, then a further grueling 500 meters on a steep dirt road. Entering Austria in the southern Lake District, we followed the Drau river upwards (we had lost most of our elevation) through Villach and Spittal, enjoying the sun and swimming in the lakes enroute. Austrian landscape is magnificent: forests, lakes, rivers and high mountains with prices to match (second highest prices in Continental Europe)..

It would be suicidal to cycle on Austrian highways, so we caught a train from Spittal to Bad Gastein linking one bike trail with another. Now we are in magnificent Salzburg (exceeded all expectations), close to the German border. Next it is off to Bavaria and Switzerland....

TRAVEL NOTES

Banana Price Index: Slovenia: 6 for 1 USD. Czech/Slovakia/Hungary: cheaper but not relevant as the Pivo (beer) index and wine indices are more relevant.

Chance encounter: Barbara (we met her in Guatemala) on the Chain Bridge in Budapest. Barb bought a 2nd hand bike in Poland and is touring Eastern Europe.

On the Tour de France doping scandals (performance enhancing drugs): where can we get some?

Love those Dogs: we spotted hund showers and washrooms in Austrian campsites.

Austrian railways slogan: Man fahrt wieder bahn (you can fart anywhere on the train?).

Highlight and biggest disappointment (they got there first) in Salzburg: the French kids who jumped into the 15 meter horse fountain in the main square and cleaned it out of coins.

Pet Peeve: Grocery stores are closed mid-day Saturday till Monday morning in Germanic Europe (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). To us, it is like closing tourist offices on weekends or closing restaurants at lunch to allow staff to eat.

On August 12, we left the thousands of weary tourists behind in Salzburg and headed into Bavaria with its quiet roads, rolling hills with the backdrop of the Bavarian Alps. We discovered that you should never stay at a Bavarian lakeside campground in August. We stayed along the Chiemsee and for a mere 29DM (supply your own toilet paper) with spaces between each tent of about one meter. This is what people do for their holidays; a week behind a desk looked more appealing to us!

We spent a couple of nights in Munich (nice place to live, but not much to hold the visitor) then across Southern Bavaria, via the Neuschanwanstein Castle (say that quickly), you know the one that inspired the Disney castle design and onto the Bodensee, which for some reason, is called Lake Constance in English.

We turned south, following the upper Rhine valley, traveling through Germany, Austria, Switzerland and finally Liechtenstein all before lunch. 4 countries in one day on a bike!!!

We spent 2 nights in tiny Liechtenstein. The country makes a fortune from stamps for stamp collectors and by charging Japanese tourists 2 Swiss Francs for passport stamps at the tourist office. The pace of life seemed a little easier and the Trisen bike shop owner did some repairs on our bikes for nothing (thank-you). Oh yes, the Liechtenstein cows are beautiful and there is a McDonalds there.

From Liechtenstein, we head into Switzerland and through Zurich. We missed our friend Janine who was on holiday (ah, the life of a Swiss student) but were impressed with all of the psychedelic, painted, full-size fiberglass cows strewn about town.

It was onto visit Josef and Corinne (met in Galapagos Islands). We gave a warm send-off to Josef, clad in his army uniform as he head off for his annual 3 week military session (mandatory for all Swiss men). We felt safe in Switzerland, knowing that all buildings have bomb shelters, though we were not sure who the enemy is.

We head south, via Lucerne (and Otmar, met in Isla Navarino, Patagonia) to the mountains. The hard work began: a 500 meter climb over Brunig Pass, a 500 meter climb upto Grindelwald were mere warm ups for the Grosse Sheidegg: a steep 1,000 meter climb in a mere 11 kilometers. It was followed by a 1600-meter climb over Grimsel Pass and yet another 1,000 meters climb upto Zermatt. We are glad the big climbs are over; the last 500 meters of elevation is always painful, especially with a fully loaded bike. In between, we managed to burn out our legs on our "rest" days (sometimes hiking up 2,000m).

Grindelwald was very nice with its exceptional views of the Eiger. The area around Zermatt was spectacular, though the town and the over-development throughout the valley was a disappointment.

We were amazed to find Swiss farmers hand raking grass, for hay, in many places: Switzerland has some of the highest labour costs on the planet, yet tens of thousands of farmers have managed to preserve their traditional way of life, propped up by subsidies, tariffs and high domestic prices. This quaint remnant of the 19th century reminded us of Nepali villages, without the rice and lentils.

The trip down the upper Rhone valley was excellent: the Swiss bike routes make the country very enjoyable.

Then it was another steep climb to the French border, where suddenly, the roads became a little tatty, the cars a little older, houses a little rough around the edges; it was no longer Swiss antiseptic. Standing in Chamonix, a town with character, more sportif than touristique, we watched the clouds clear over Western Europe’s highest mountain; Mt Blanc, at 4,800 meters. Whilst it is a baby by World standards, the glaciers are nonetheless impressive to look at.

Here in France, everyone says bonjour to us. Stop for a moment, and someone chats you up. In Salanches, we visited the Continent Hypermarché: where else can you find washing machines, horsemeat and Glen Ord whiskey all under one roof? We have finally returned home!

We then shacked up in the Osterman`s barn (country place), waiting for 6 days of rain to end, before heading south to warmer climates.

We passed through Annecy (a beauty, French version of Lucerne) and Vinay, capital of Grenoble walnuts and through miles of walnut groves. We are now 100 kilometers south of Lyon, blue skies, warm temperatures and only the sounds of crickets at night at our campsite....

TRAVEL NOTES

Just like Alberta: there is another place in the world where pedestrians stand at red lights even when there is no traffic for miles: Munich.

How to recognize a German touring cyclist: they ALL carry large mallets for their tent pegs and set up their tents right next to yours.

It says it all: While climbing up a very steep bike and pedestrian path on a fully loaded bike upto Neuschanwanstein Castle, Glenn`s lungs about to explode, a German tourist exclaimed "verboten" (referring to bike riding). Further up a French cyclist cheered "cèst Marco Pantani" (winner of the Tour de France).

What is the capital of Liechtenstein? Vaduz.

German, French and Italian appear on all Swiss products. but the most languages we saw on any Euro package was 17!

The Swiss do an amazing job of moving tourists (Japanese) to high places on their train network; 500,000 people a year take the tourist train upto Jungfraujoch, 3454 meters above sea level. Cost is a mere 150 SF ( 1 SF is worth more than the Canadian peso).

Good news for Dog owners: the train up to Gornergrat at 3,130 meters, which costs 63 SF, is half price for your hund. But don’t change your mind as a refund will set you back 14 SF in service charges.

Swiss Bread: EVERY Swiss person will tell you that they have the best bread in the world. But have they tried Wonderbread?

There is a marmot in the garden: we chased a marmot out of a patch of Swiss chard, they really do grow the stuff there, in spectacular Findeln, across from the Matterhorn.

An expensive habit: we skipped using e-mail in Switzerland. It costs between 18 and 20 SF to surf the net.

Any ideas? If coffee tastes best made with water slightly cooler than boiling temperature and water boils at lower temps at higher elevations, what is the optimum elevation for brewing coffee?

Move over Thunderdrome: here in southern France, we have Boulodromes. No Tina Turners or Mel Gibsons, just guys sipping pastis, playing boules (petanque). France is the only place where men can wear berets and not look silly.

First some new entries on the charts...

Friendliest people to cyclists: France

Most Helpful people: Hungary (if you can understand them)

Best caves: Postojna, Slovenia

Most Mountainous: Spain (Switzerland a worthy 2nd)

Worst bread: Spain (makes Canadian bread look good)

Best Weather: Spain

Somewhat disappointing riding: Spain

We pick up the trail in the south of France where we headed towards the Mediterranean at the height of the grape harvest-each town we passed through smelled like the Dancsak´s basement on a wine making evening. We passed through lovely Orange, Avignon and the coliseum at Arles before reaching the mosquito capital of Europe, the Camargue wetlands, then onto the beach in time for Sheila´s birthday. Enroute we spotted ostriches, camels and flamingos, wondering if somehow we had misread the map.

Despite some squawking from Sheila, we headed inland once again.

We arrived at the magnificent Pont du Gard (Roman aqueduct). It is BIG. Don’t think of jumping off it naked because "naturism" (nudism) is forbidden there.

Then, it was through the Cevennes mountains (good riding). It was wild boar hunting season and we often heard gun shots in the bush.

We rode right through the Gorge du Tarn: the whole place was shut for the season-we went 75 km without finding bread. Imagine...a lunch without fresh bread in France!

We hit wet weather along the remainder of the Tarn river to Albi: the depictions of Hell in the Albi Cathedral including boiling cauldrons of hot oil would keep anyone on the straight and narrow.

Finally, we returned back to the Mediterranean climate at the magnificent medieval fortress of Carcassone.

We were practically blown out of France by the winds and entered Spain along the Costa Brava.

Before reaching Barcelona we:

* visited the placid fishing/tourist village of Cadaques (we thought there was more of the same awaiting us further down the coast: wrong)

* experienced the bizarre Dali Museum at Figueres

* rode the beautiful coastal section around Tossa de Mar

* were dumbstruck by miles and miles of hideous coastal development.

Dali Museum at Figueres

Barcelona is fascinating: we stayed in the wonderful old town. Heading down the coast, the tourist developments and heavy traffic drove us inland over very tough mountainous terrain and uninspiring towns and villages.

We bypassed Valencia, Alicante and re-emerged along the coast south of Carthegena to ride the relatively undeveloped section to Almeria, including the very dry landscape of Cabo de Gata. According to a shepherd (on a motorcycle) with his 500 goats and sheep, the last rain was 10 months earlier.

From Almeria, we jumped onto a train to here, Granada, which is a wonderful city- everything one might expect of Spain.

Travel Notes

Even in Barcelona: Spanish shops close around 1 or 2 in the afternoon and re-open between 4 and 6 in the afternoon. But, they are open late.

Spanish Recycling: The garbage along Spanish roads is by far the worst in Europe.

¿Do the garbage trucks bring it out into the country and then set it free? (couldn’t resist using the upside question mark that the Spanish use).

Never on Mondays: Don’t blow a tire out on a Monday in France: all the bike shops are closed. We know from experience.

Recent Cycling pals

FREEWHEELING IN ANDALUCIA.....A BICYCLE WRAP UP...... SOUTHERN SPAIN

We left off in Granada and its magnificent Alhambra(Moorish palace) and head north through Ubeda and Baeza.

Thereafter, the route "roughly" followed the Guadalquivir River. "Roughly" meant poor road surfaces and very rugged terrain, but few cars into wonderful Cordoba. The city features a huge old ornate mosque in which the Christians integrated an equally impressive cathedral into the middle of it.

Then it was down river to Sevilla where we visited Christopher Columbus' tomb in the BIG cathedral. Sevilla and Calgary have similar populations, but that is where the similarity ends!

Heading South East, we visited the Laguna de Piedra and its thousands of flamingos (real ones) and onto the very enjoyable town of Ronda and surrounding region.

At this stage, we faced only having 10 hours of daylight; cool evenings and chilly starts. Getting up in the dark was too much like work and with frost on the tent, we headed down to the southern coast; just in time to miss a 15 cm snowfall in Ronda (call us wimps).

Gibraltar in the rain was a fitting end to our bike journey. It is a quirky place; mixture of Spanish, English, Moroccan, Indian and other cultures with a British high street and busloads of English holidayers from the Costa del Sol getting a fix of pub grub. For us, London to Gibraltar is a full circle!

TRAVEL NOTES

The jewel in the rough; Andalucia (Southern Spain) is a great destination.

A call to Vegetable Activists; Much of Northern Europe's winter produce comes from Spain. The veggies live in horrible conditions, cramped, subject to incessant pesticide spraying inside vast plastic greenhouses that scar the Spanish landscape. Then they are trucked up the coast, making cyclists' lives miserable. Be kind to your broccoli...eat beef!

Spain is a country of contrasts; one minute you feel like you are in the first world, the next minute, it feels like the 3rd world. We stayed at 2 campsites which had roosters as pets; good for 4:00 am wake up calls, but not much else!

It is hard to sleep while you cycle in Spain: Cars and trucks like to honk at cyclists.

Best deals in Spain: Olive oil and trains. Museums that are free for European citizens.

Most popular cigarette brand in Spain (based on survey of roadside garbage): Chesterfield.

A guide to grove riding in Spain: - cotton fields: flat and dull - orange groves: warm, colourful and fairly flat - olive groves: you are into the hills - cork tree groves: it is getting steep!

Best advice: Keep you latitude low and your saddle salve handy (Pierre C.)

Best Cycling:

France

Czech Republic, Switzerland and Southern Spain

Biggest Mystery:

Where was the support vehicle?

Theft Incidents:

Muesli and milk (fox suspected); Germany

Dog chewing Glenn's dinner plate; France

Cat burglar: feline attempt at food in tent vestibule; Spain

Cycle computer pulled off bike; Spain

Campgrounds that charged extra for bicycles

Spain: 5

Germany: 1

Rest of Europe: none

The ultimate was a Spanish campsite who charged more for 2 bikes than a car or RV (we locked our bikes and entered on foot!).

Best things about our trip

- Tailwinds and sunny days

- Old towns and pedestrian zones

- Eating heaps including chocolate and "Big Esky" ice cream bars

- French wine, cheese and bread

- Czech beer

- Postojna caves (Slovenia)

- Hungarian swimming pools

- French country roads

- A sense of achievement

- Sleeping in a bed (the times we did)

- Welcome beds; staying with friends

- Michelin maps of France

- France

- Geoff B's emails

- BBC World Service on our short wave radio (those were pre-WIFI days)

- The Swiss Alps

- Seeing cousin Wayne waiting for us in a Prague square (rendezvous arranged by internet)

- Chickpea dinners

- Salzburg

- Granada

- Rothenberg o.d. Tauber

- JP's pancake breakfast

- Luxembourg cows

- Hot showers (most of the time)

- Feeling fit

- Playing boules (petanque) in Alsace

- Resting up at Peter and Henriette's barn

- Slovak parkys (hotdogs)

The things that we could have done without

- Differing computer keyboards (we are used to the QWERTY keyboard at internet cafes)

- Presto showers (push button lasting from .0005 to 20 seconds per push)

- Pay showers that end without warning

- German and Austrian drivers

- Trucks

- Rain and more rain

- Too small a tent

- Campsites near autobahns

- The absence of picnic tables at campsites

- Over developed Spanish Mediterranean coastline

- Slovak parkys