Day 29,30 & 31:Ahhhhh im melting

well day 29 also know as sunday was a nice warm days in which i read dan browns lost signs ( it was ok nothing speacail) and chilled so all in all a good day

Monday day 30 i set of to met up with mel and her BF all i can say was it was hot met two lovely family first one i was lost and this old lady took me to her daughter house where i met family had drinks while the family sort out my route then they gave me 10 euros, the next family i was trying to cook dinner in the camp site the my cooker would not start( still not working unsure if need more fuel or worse ) so a man in across the way called me over then his wife gave me the left overs from there meal and got a free beer so all in all a good day but it made think a little, people i've never meet have been so help it been totally amazing but if i was in there shoes would do the same........... probable not and thats made me think quite a bit. i once had a very good friend ring say he was dying and was wondering if i could get him some medcine or something like that, my response was you cant by dying if you where u would not be calling me. its interesting how over poeples kindness makes you think about your own actions hmmmmm (i've just drank a bottle of wine on a empty stomach hense the deep thoughts)

woke up early to day as i wont to meet up with mel and avoid riding in the sun, i stepped foot in franch then had a look at my map it was now that i realized that i had another 30-40 km togo and that my ride on wen was going to massive so decided that would head back today and not meet up with mel :( but aleast i will be able to have to shorter days. not sure what is a bout the town im in what boy is summer time good reminds me off pop in to town on my lunch breaks and heading to the riverside hmmmm good times all most crashed my bike, also on a side note i seems that dirty old hun like the mail order bride from asia.


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more pics

Day 27 & 28: Lube and bordom

Well after a good night’s sleep I set of for Heidelberg well not the most interesting of rides but then i got to Heidelberg. I still hate city’s as i seem to lose all sense of direction. Then only place i’ve not suffered this illness in was New York now that was a lovely city so well organized not like these poxy maze like like city. But Heidelberg has one this its favour its set in a lovely vally with some amazing views and Architecture. I’m in camp site a few clicks from the city in a small village. Decided to get my bike checked out as it was making a funny clicking sound this is where the lube comes in as the bike person was able to fix the click sound for free but said I should buy some bike lube for the chain as it was a bit dry. So after getting the bike sorted i did a bit of food shopping as im planning on staying here till Monday then hopfully meeting with a couple that are going to the wedding on the Tuesday then coming back on the Wednesday so that when everyone arrives on the thur for the wedding on the Friday. Any way now to the being bored part, I hate stopping and have a really short attention span and i find that without a book or some sort distraction, all i want to do is ride my bicycle.

it rained last night again but i've had awsome news but im kepping that on the down low for the time being but all i can say is italy :) did this this thing called site see yea its not all it craked out to be my feet hurt and all muscelled that have not been used for a while due cycle are hurting it sucks any i've got some nice picks but there in my tent and that means walk so they will have to wait till tomorrow not quite sure what ill do to tomorrow  prob read as i've bought my self three books to combate the bordem. Had my first german sausage not as good as a english banger not not bad. im quite looking forward to this weeding as it will mean hopefully eating something other than paste or rice if not im kicking off only reason im here is for the food hehehehehe dont tell rob or whats her face (ina just looked on facebook prob should try and rember for next week) well the weather still sucks but i've got books so its not all bad. 

Day 25 & 26: wazing in the rain

Woke up to a cloudy sky so after breakfast i set off. after a while the cycle path turned in to a sandy track so i decided to cross over to the left bank ( if your going up stream ). This meant i was on the grape growing side and prob due to the large number of grape the fly side so between trying be blinded or chocked to death i cycled on about, about 2 is it started raining then it started pouring down with thunder and lightning this was when the need to go started so finding the only dry place i could a tourist information point i wazed in the rain then had lunch as the rain did not look like it was going stop any time spoon i set out a gain it was shortly after this that i realized that my water proofs had reached the limit to their water proffness but i still had dry feet thank to my sealskin soaks. so looking like a drown rat i made my way tomainz were i found a hostel to stay in and to dry out

woke up to sunny skys and other than that nothing else to say pretty borring its another stuiped bankhoilday and every things shut blasted germans how on earth did they get to the worlds best ecomemise when every thing is closed on a bank hoilday grrrr madness pure madness got really lost so staying a hotel :) but i've look over my spending and if way not for all the problem at the airport i would be under the £25 a day i set my self as it is im at £28 but hopefully there will more camp site in other countrys that or ill be back at thames water hahahahaha

Pics and the jouney so far

845 km far this bit

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823 km ish as im not sure what route i really took

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Day 22,23 & 24 Fairytail castle and evil nazi weather expreiments

Well it rain a lot, but im still having fun meet people, at moment im sitting overlooking the rien in a little village called St Goar, there a little bit of blue in the sky so hopefully the weather gets better.

In the end i did not stay in Koln as i had planned, i have come to relize that i dont like stopping. I have no problem with the riding its the stop i dont like which couse problems as im now only 3 day ride from the wedding site and i have 10 days to kill ahhhhhhh im not sure what im going to do as i find i get bored very easily and other than taking one to pictures dont really like site seeing on my own which is why i dont like stopping. so after a quick look at koln i shot on, stared looking for a camp site around 4ish and found one in a little vally about 5 km from the rein, i set up and started cooking my pasta while drink a half bottle of wine, i've started buy a bottle aday as they only cost 99 cens and it not bad stuff plus it helps me sleep.  i was join my a german cyclist who was doing going the oppsite way to way. after a quick hello i put my washing on ( yep i started useing a washing machine its taken 27 years but it finally happened i only ever do  a 40 wash and have manged to dye all my whites blue but at least they are clean) felt them to dry under a little shelter and went to bed.

I woke at 6 o'clock to bright sunlight so decided to lay in a bit, so when i finally woke my at 9 it was raining quite havily so i stared watching Dexter season 5 ( my notebook has been a life saver) so after watching 8 episodes the rain finally had die down to a little bit of drizzy so  packed up a left. My washing from the day before was still wet which made packing quite annoying and ruined my system which pissed me of, which made me think i mite be a little OCD insetain istuations. But manged to over come this little :). i have aslo found that as im on my own most of the time there only a few thing that get me down one is find a place to stay and the other is getting lost in town but other that i find my self enjoying my self and felling quite relaxed i've even stopped worring about money not that im going crazy but my out look on life has changed im but that bothered if i dont even make to Australia i would like to but it not the main goal any more, im just live each day as it comes and have stopped trying to plan head. But any way i've gone of topic. it was today that i stated seeing the castle and it seemed like some thing out of a faity tail with the mist from the rain. it was awsome. i shot past koblenz which had a cable cart to the other side could not help thing of where eagles dares and the fight scene on top of the cable cart. kept going to till i came to a campsite in Spay as i was setting up my a tent a english voice said hello i was camped right next to a english couple and the there was all so  a germany cyclist who gave me a map of austria with all the camp sites as he had come from there and the english couple gave a 5 euros for my beer/wine fund which was very unespected plus they gave a cup of tea i almost cryied.

Today was a short ride of about 30km to st goar where i did some shoppping bought some protein bars just so Mr Mat T can stop worrying about my protein intake.  all i can say is im loving it.

Day 19,20 &21

Just a small thak you to seb for the very helpfull word of advice "its just another mars bar further" these words have been used almost every day. its a amaving some one so bald could come up with such helpfull words of advice.

Any way after a good nights sleep and cold water bags my nee seemed fine so of i set. I set of in the direction of the rien its was about 2 hours in that it started to rain it got so bad i could not see more than 5meters in front of me, so pull over and joined elderly german man hiding in a smoking shelter once the rain had cleard i set again it rain on and off during the day i finally found the rien quite hard to miss as its a massive river but then set about finding a camp for the night thank fully another helpfull native pointed me in the direction of a camp site, where i meet my first english couple they had retired and where doing a 60 day cycle along the rien. It was so good to be able to have a conversation in english. The camp site was in sane there where marble statues in the toilets the germany arew really in to the camping/carvanning. the camp site had a nice little store where i bought my self a two bottle of cider. I join the english couple after lunch in the there massive tent ( which when i do this again is one of the tings im changing while my tent is good its very small and getting changed requires quite bit of contortion to complete) so i nice chat about where they had been and there futher plans, went to bed around 10 ish

after a nice nights sleep i woke to sunsine so after packing away my stuff and have a shower i set off following the rine. In my last post i mentioned getting lost, well i hate citys i all ways get lost in them, the country side is much easier to navigate but cites with the winding streets and no clear sky line Grrrrr any way AS YOU HAVE GUESED I GOTS LOST FOR A HOUR OR TWO cant quite rember the name of the town, manged to find my way and back on to the cycle path. When i came to the next town i was looking at my map and a couple on there way from work pull over next to my and asked if need help so i asked for dirction to the campsite i wanted to stay at, they then proceded to take me half way there while talking about the touring exprenses. ( i would like to point out at this point if it was not for all the helpfull poeple i've meet along the way i would probable be not enjoy as much as i am, and mite have ended up in deppest darkest russian by now) fund the camp site not quoite as nice as the other and it was raining but a very nice lady said could under her porches and gave me a bowl of stewberrrys. it rained most of the night.

after a early start i set out i decided to have a short day as it was raining ( as i write this its hailing so perhaps, so i good thing i did) im stay in a hostel 34 km from Koln where i plan on staying two day the weather forcasts are rain for the next 7 days :) ill updats maps and pic next time i log in

Day 16,17 & 18 :I think those are the right days

I’m going to merge these three days in to one as time starts to merge after a while. Found  cirout it was a some sort of national hol and that all the shops are closed and everyone is cycling somewhere. Total madness its the first time i’ve ever been somewhere, where bike rule the roads. The only down side was for the next to days i had to live off peanut butter and chocolate spread, coca cola and McDonnell’s (as they never shut) yep it was awesome. Any stayed in camp site meet a couple my age (Germans but spoke good English) which is the first time i spent any time so far with people my own age they all so gave me chocolate mousse  which made instantly like they (any one that feeds me must be a good person)

Any way next set off got lost ( i think on average i send 70% of the time knowing where i am and the remaining 40% going around in circles, at this point some of you will think that does not add up well that because of 10% of time I’ve been there before on a previous circle) any after finding my way with the help of the natives i was heading the right direction well, could see the hills in the distance and was strangle compelled to cycle over them instead of going around them, it was hard work but good on the other side i came to a town where i planned on staying but the due to the hol it was closed two other cycles ( A German couple) where in a similar problem we managed to communicate with much point and a few words in broken English, i invited myself to their group as they planned on wild camping ,wild camping is a german taboo and very much frown apon so being with some german who could explain why, was why i join their group plus they bought me a drink at the pub then shared there tea/dinner with me (they were very nice ) so after a nights sleep we went back to the hostel i decided to have one rest day as i’ve not had one since come to germany, spent in buying food and washing clothes and watching castle.

The next day i set off around 9 ish and about hour in to riding my left nee started having shooting pains which only got worse but there was not much i could do but slow down a bit when ever is toped staring back up some times made me make manly screams 110 km had to go a little further as the place i wanted to stop was full which was a shame as Munster looks like a very nice university town and the wild life was very please to the eye (lot of red heads i only mention this for my brother as that what floats his boat, and it might a good hol location for him) plus it has some a amazing parks would have liked to stay there longer, any im writing all this in a small village just out side of munster called nottuln hopefully my nee will healed up by tomorrow, also i've some how manged to lose both my sunglass it was just after i relized i had lost the seasond pair that going down a hill being dive bombed by all the little blood suckers in the area that, try to blind (im talking flys in eyes) that i started wishing i had not lost them

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Day 15 & 16 living the dream

Had quite a late start on day 15 11 oclock, i followed the cannal and cycle paths signs. i've started cing signs with shells on them i wonder where they go :), any way had nice ride. germany def has some of the best cycle path. Decided to treat my self today and had a bugerking plus i need the toliet it was good so good .About 6 o'clock i started looking for some where to stay decided to do a spot of sleath camping finally found a place which i was happy after setting up camp and fell a sleep woke back up about 9ish to the sounds of the wood and pitch black ............. umm well i'm man enough to say it i was a little scared thought that was some wild creature out to get me or a crazy farmer with gun. but thank fully i got a txt from my best friend mat which help bring me back from that bark place. so being told i need to eat more protein i got sleep woke up around 6 ish and decided to cook breakfast i've called a david speacail consiting of coffee 3 in 1 thing, oats and water boiled all to together yep in tastes as good as it sounds, after breakfast i manged to cycle in circle quite a big circle as it took me a hour but after that i manged to make my to Celle with help of quite a few people, stay in a hostel to night need to wash my clothes hopefully the next couple of nights ill be to stealth camp

Had quite a late start on day 15 11 oclock, i followed the cannal and cycle paths signs. i've started cing signs with shells on them i wonder where they go :), any way had nice ride. germany def has some of the best cycle path. Decided to treat my self today and had a bugerking plus i need the toliet it was good so good .About 6 o'clock i started looking for some where to stay decided to do a spot of sleath camping finally found a place which i was happy after setting up camp and fell a sleep woke back up about 9ish to the sounds of the wood and pitch black ............. umm well i'm man enough to say it i was a little scared thought that was some wild creature out to get me or a crazy farmer with gun. but thank fully i got a txt from my best friend mat which help bring me back from that bark place. so being told i need to eat more protein i got sleep woke up around 6 ish and decided to cook breakfast i've called a david speacail consiting of coffee 3 in 1 thing, oats and water boiled all to together yep in tastes as good as it sounds, after breakfast i manged to cycle in circle quite a big circle as it took me a hour but after that i manged to make my to Celle with help of quite a few people, stay in  a hostel to night need to wash my clothes hopefully the next couple of nights ill be  to stealth camp


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Day 14: um i think i've seen that McDonnels before

Well decidaed to ride down to lubeck from Kiel so after setting found my self found out the map i had brought was not detailed engough so was wondering what to do when a elderly german gentlman asked me if i need help (in german) i asked if he spoke english which it turn he knew very little but he was able to work at i wonted to go to lubeck so he said fellow him which i did. it was at this point had a moment of relection and which resulted in me relizing that im quite a trusting sort of person with almost unshakable faith that everything will be ok just not quite the way i planned it. any after fellow this chap we finally parted way after shaking hand wish me all the best. getting to lkubeck was quite easy it was the getting out that proved some what diffcult, But lubeck is a lovley medievil town so getting lost was qutie fun even if it did take me 2 hours to get out me passing the same McDonel at least 5 times. I had arrange to stay the night at person from warm shower a cycling site decited to touring people but could not reach the person which reulted in me having to crash at youth hostel boy is it exspensive in germany oh and i've got fuel at last thank fully no one has sparked up near me a as manged to cover most of my left arm in petrol. im stay about 50km from Hamburg in place called Molln

Day 12 & 13: At sea

After a good nights sleep, i woke had breakfast, Darius had arranged with his wife for her to take the little one to playschool so of me and him set, he want to show me the national park area. it was nice to ride a unload bike again and to feel the diffrnce in handling.  after our ride darius wife in invited me back for lunch had cold soup which was awsome then head to the ferry port

so after wait around to start boarding the ferry, we set sail thank fully i had download kindle( book thing) and had down load as many free books as i could so i pass the time by reading one of these books. by about 10:30 i relised i had made a big mistike with the choise of clothes (shorts,t-shirt & flip flops) as it had got quite cold and i was sleep in a chair by about 1 o'clock i was freezing so i went look for a some thing keep me warm. all i could find was a small bin bag which covered my feet and ankles so i stiuffed it with toilet rool and wrapped in around my feet this seemed to work but resulted in a small pool of water collecting at the bottom of the bin bag getting my feet wet.

when a i arrive in germany it was rain so went looking for some where to stay and plan the next section of the journey which found i a nice hotel



Day 11: All the crazies are out

Today I saw more fellow brother of the way ( touring ) than I have so far, 10 whole people + 2 + 3 but ill get in to the 2 plus 3  later, the days ride was I bit of a returned to the old boring slog down the main coastal road from litva to Lithuania so lots of trucks and head wind, after some of the slowest riding due to nice open fields and gale force winds.

(one of the lakes i placed almost wanted to stop and have a swim but kept pushing on)

I finally arrive in Klaipeda (Lithuania ) after making way in to the centre of town I meet the plus 2, two Canadian gentlemen who gave a me shout and wave as I was trying to get my bearing they point me in to direction of the tourist information centre, so after have look at possible place to stay i head in the direction of a nice looking hostel (photo shop had to be that i when it was first built 500 years go), I’m going to go of on one now so bear with. Some of their streets are still cobbled which is a most unpleasant ride and after having to broken spokes had me fearing for poor speadygonza the 2nds. Any way finally made my way to the hostel to be greeted with the site of a very run down building so i stared look at the info map when a voice asked me if need any help, turned around there was man and his daughter so i said do u know and cheap place to stay, so he said i have a private room you can use if you want, so i said why not (not something I normally say to strange men) but he started talking about his love of touring and all things to do with cycling, as you can hope fully see from the pic it turn out to be a very nice room.

After he had shown me around i pop to the shops for some food one of his mates pop in a fellow touring cyclist. I would like to add that I  found being able to talk to people about what I’m doing and who knew some the problems that crop up really helpful. Darius and his friend had two very different approaches to it, Darius was a stealth camper and tries to-do everything a cheaply as possible while his friend due to the fact his wife like to travel with a few home comforts went for the more fully loaded approach. All so i feel a little more confident trying to do the whole stealth camp thing. Now I must probable add I had booked a ferry ticket from Klaipeda to Kiel Germany which started bording at 14:30 tuesday , so darius afford to give a quick tour before showing me the way to the ferry. But before i went to be Darius said i must try out his sana before i went to bed which i did and felt much better for         

Day 10: just like old times

I did nothing went for a quick walk, did myself some French toast for lunch and watched the complete first season of Castle, a awesome TV series that I have been watch I thought I would go back over it for when the next season comes out can’t wait. So like any normal weekend when i was back home.... it was a wonderfull day

Day 9: its been that long already

im i a slight relective mood for some reason, had a nice ride to prob had some thing to do with there the being diffrent tree on the side of the road........... let me explain so far up till to day the its just been pine trees in nice neat straight lines and it gets quite boring to look at well to day there where non pine tree ones with leafs and for some strange reason this made all the diffrence.

Plus i've had my first cooked meal in 3 days so far due to the absence of fuel/bottle. Most of the time i've been eating bread,suger puffs or oats with water so pity much a well balanced diet oh and nut, died fruit and tin's of tuna so its not all bad its has made me very regular tho. Also if any one going to robs weeding is reading this please could you bring out some tea bags im dying for a cupper of tea so far i've only been able to fine herbal rubbish.

Also i think i've finally manged to pack my bags in a way that im happy with, im not nomally a nervouse person but i've been quite panicky with my bags and have packed them in diffrent ways almost every days which means looking forsome things is like lucky dip but i finally found a system that i like.

i think its taken me a little bit of time to get used to, im spending a day or two in liepaja got some clothes washing to do and sort or the next bit of my journey

oh last but not least so far the not speaking any thing but english not a problem i've had people ring up friend to so they can give me direction in english most campsite/ hostel people speak english and any one under 25 tho they do make me look at little silly as they all seem to to speak at least 3 diffrent lanague while i just tell they sorry only speak woooky


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Day 7 & 8: lots of firsts

Day 7

i decided to wake up at 5 o'clock and hit the road in attempt to avoid the sun not the that it work, as i was riding a long i need to go badly must all i could see where public toilets in the a parking/picnic area...... well the atcully all it concited of was a plank and a hol in the floor after over coming my fear of splinters in place the should never get spinters i was able to go just thought i would share that with you all, i got quite borded so just kept on riding and in the prossess went bright red riding 160km /99 miles in the sun will do i've been told. Any way after about 9 hours riding i finally found a camp site and fell a sleep if you can call it that while trying blance on the no burnt bit is quite tricky :). Day 7 was also the day i had my first bick problem a spoke broke after the bunge cord attached its self to it and as i had forgoten to bring spare spokes i was a little stuffed. i also got to try out my water peurifyer which i think worked a the water came out looking quite a lot like pee tho but it tasted like water so cant complaine


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Day 8

they still have gravel main road in the this backwater country, its shocking there i was with a bike with a broken spoke trying to be as carfull as possble, its in possable to todo unless i was driving a tank. well thank full i made it to the next city where they had  repair shop which have just finished fixing my back wheel and they gave/sold me 4 spokes as well , i all so had my first puncture today which i will be fixing to night just to pass the time away

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Day 6: and he rested

Not much to say other than lovely city pity im on my own def come back tho, managed to find a fuel bottle but no onw sells the fuel so ill try a pertrl staion tomorrow, here are some pic