Monday, August 30, 2010

Amsterdam and Conclusion to European Tour

Euro Tour 2010



Dusk in the City



i spent my last week in Europe in and around Amsterdam. took a train from Hamburg and stayed with a very kind lady who lives outside of the city in a nice village. the weather was rainy for almost the entire time i was there but one day the sun came out and my host took me on a bicycle tour of the countryside. we had a great time riding on small roads and bike paths weaving into the Dutch landscape. i was to fly home on a Sunday morning and decided to stay up for the whole night on Saturday, went to a party and then made my way to the train station in the early morning.




Cafe view



cycling culture


Industry near Harleem, Netherlands



Canal in Harleem, Netherlands


bikes!





weather pattern







Central station 4 a.m.

Monday, August 23, 2010

-0- Photo Graphic -0-

small town Germany 2am   

Central Station Hamburg, Germany 10;45PM Aug, 23 2010


Danish farmland

Euro Bike Tour - Athens to Amsterdam


Red=Bike
Blue=Boat
Green=Train 






Trondheim, Norway




i just spent a fantastic week with my brother in Trondheim, Norway visiting our good friend Eric Nevin. We had some nice and relaxing days exploring the area. i then took a train back to Oslo and a ferry to the northern tip of Denmark. from there i rode south along the coast and stopped in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark after Copenhagen. While there i decided that my Euro bike tour was at it's end. i had considered going to New Zealand but have decided to go back to Colorado for the fall/winter. So i put myself and bike on a train to Hamburg, Germany then jumped on another to Amsterdam. i am now in Amsterdam and will be here for a week and then fly home on Sunday, Aug 29. This trip has been one of the most amazing journeys that i have ever been on and will never forget the places and people that i have met along the way. More than 6000km of riding through eleven countries. it is sad to end the vagabonding but also exciting to be moving into a new chapter.

- One door closes while another opens - Love and blessings!


Sunset Boat Ride - Molde, Norway



Eric's beautiful house in Trondheim




waiting for the ferry to depart to Denmark



Stealth camping in downtown Oslo


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

moving through Norway

outside Molde Norway












i spent two nights camping in Bergen and then took a ferry ride up to Floro following the western fjords and arrived at around 8pm.
there was still plenty on daylight to ride a few kilometers so i took off from the port to look for a place to camp.
after a few unsuccessful attempts at finding at a suitable place to put my tent it wasn't until 11:30pm that i finally found a place by a nice lake and made a late dinner.the next morning i woke up to some amazing views and fired up the stove while looking forward to another day on the bike.
had a nice time riding through some small country roads and stopped for a long lunch break. this night i stayed in a youth hostel. the next couple of days would send me through some extremely scenic mountains and fjords. riding over a small pass i came down to meet the ferry which i took through a narrow gorge to the small, chic and touristy town of Geiranger and had a great nights sleep at a large campsite.
the next day would be a death march going over two major mountain passes and some of the most incredible roads i have ever been on and was very happy to be blessed with perfect weather on this day. i came over the backside of the famous Trollstigen pass and then down the endless switchback roads into the town Andalsnes. this was a fantastic day for me, i only covered 85km but had a great time going up and down and through the magical Norwegian landscape. i was able to find a room at the local youth hostal and made arrangements to couchsurf with a guy who lives out in the country side about 45km north of Molde.
i stayed two nights with a very interesting man who lived out in the country side near the coast. just after i arrived at his house we went out on his boat and saw a fantastic sunset. i then rode about 50km north to the town Kristiansund and caught a
ferry to Trondheim.

Geringer Fjord 1



Geringer Fjord 2

Thursday, August 5, 2010

from Copenhagen to Bergen Norway

After spending a week exploring the greater Copenhagen region i ended up taking a very expensive night ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo. So far Denmark has been my favorite country for cycling because of the bike culture. everyone is on there bikes there. also has an extensive network of designated trails and the landscape is amazing and peaceful. the Danes are definitely doing many things right. the only downfall has been the rain. it rained almost everyday i was there. although when i got to Norway the rain got even worse.
i arrived early in Oslo on a Saturday morning and spent the day doing some repairs on my bike, got a haircut and bought some more rain gear and cruised around the city a bit. at about six that evening i headed out of the city to look for a place to camp, rode about 45km until i was in a nice wilderness area and set up my tent near a creek. it was about 11pm and fell into a deep sleep. the next day i rode only about 100km after sleeping in and getting lost by trying to avoid the highways but at least i found a great place to camp by a large lake this night. the next couple days were spent riding into very heavy rain, it also got quite cold as i started riding up into the mountains. even though i felt determined to ride all the way to Bergen i got tired of getting wet and decided to take the train for the last 200km. it ended up being a very scenic train ride through some incredible mountains, valleys and lakes, it was nice to put my feet up and enjoy the ride. arrived at the train station and went down to the harbor and fish market, had some lunch and then after trying in vain to find a wild camping spot i found an established campsite about 15km outside of the city.
my plan is to stay here for a couple days and then head north to meet my brother in Trondheim. the idea is to take some ferry rides through the western fjords and bike riding the rest of the way. i hope that i stay warm and dry. cycling in Norway can be very challenging for many reasons but when the sun comes out it is absolutely brilliant.