Ispica ------ Rome

Biking with Silvia in Rome

What's in the bag, Bernd?

Et voila.

 I have an extended stay with Bernd in Ispica (10 days), due to a combination of lack of motivation to tackle Sicilian roads again, no CouchSurfers able to host me and a wonderful, inspirational host and surrounds. However, all good things must come to a close, so its packing up time. On intercity Italian rail, the bike is totally forbidden, UNLESS it is in a bag measuring 110cm x 80cm x 40cm. After a predictable failed search for such a bag in Ispica - who after all, ever leaves their home towns in Sicily, especially with a bicycle? Luckily for me, Bernd is a genius when it comes to improvisation. The "bag" is fashioned out of a single duvet cover, with everything held tightly together by good old fashioned Sellotape. Perfecto! I will use this trick next time on the plane from Rome and on future bike treks.

Silvia and I having a "real" coffee in Rome

Yes, we met up with Giuseppi too.

A really amazing train journey from Ispica to Rome - the train drives onto a goddam ferry and the threateningly high mountains out the window convince me that I have chosen the right mode of transport to get to Rome.

Some street art, makes me feel like I'm home already

At the train station, I am met by Silvia and a congratulatory beer. Over the next few days in Rome, I see a lot of what is "behind the tourist curtain", courtesy of Silvia. Among the several highlights was visiting an Occupy space, where I saw some glimmers of the the alternative side of Rome.

Remnant of the Weird festival

We visited many galleries, museums and churches, where I began to truly appreciate some of the Italian art, especially Caravaggio's paintings.









Cycling in Rome was an experience too. Not as terrifying and dangerous as expected, but maybe my experiences in the cities of the Ukraine have toughened me up some.

Tarallucci e Vino - yummers

Gallerie Borghese, I think

Some final tales from Ispica

Ente uncovered

Sunset at Ispica

Progressed onto helping out Bernd with some of the more complicated tasks that completes daily. This time it is deconstructing a car engine, retuning the brakes and fixing the coupling. This turns out to be an oily and dirty job. With only a few spanners and a lot of know-how the engine was deconstructed and rebuilt within 4 hours. "Ich wöllte eins" was my repeated phrase during the day, in reference to this Citroen 2CV "Ente" car.
I keep bumping into the local youths who hang around street corners on their mopeds. They introduce me to their fellow school friends who look at me, then the bike and then the route we took from Berlin and keep saying "no credo!".
There is a multitude of flowers and various plants in Bernd's exotic gardens but the cactus flowers only on one night a year and I got to witness these strange plants in full bloom.

Boyz 'n' the Hood

Do vegetarians make an exception for tortoises?

Hats off, to you sir

Cactus blooms once per year - magnifico

Ispica life

I said just a little off the top!

6 pieces of pizza for 6 hungry

 dogs

Been here for a few days now and my first impressions have been proven correct. This sicilian oasis offers more delights by the day. Whether it is hanging with kite-surfers on the nearby unpopulated beach, helping Bernd out with cutting down a palm tree or just chilling in town, enjoying a gelato (ice-cream) or pizza with the locals, it all leads to one conclusion - here is a place to return to every April and September/October.
Small town Sicilian life can be a bit weird and claustrophobic at times. For example, the gardener knew all about this "crazy, German cyclist" from the kids I talked to the other day and overheard arguments from the neighbours are of the loud and long variety, but it really gives you a true glimpse into the non-touristic side of living here.
Learning Italian through German learning CDs is pretty cool too.
Tutti benesimmo ecco!

Francesco"s wedding in Modica

Duoma di San Giorgio

 Wake early to get on the road to Modica, to be in time for Francesco"s wedding in Modica. Only 20km away, but I will forever be wary of Italian roads and my navigation thereof.

The labyrinth of Modica

As it turns out, within 45 minutes I am in the city and another 30 minutes gets to me to the church on time, with lots of time to spare. Get to meet up with the priest in advance who lets me change in the church and is amazed that I have come to Sicily from Berlin by bike.

The beautiful couple

This is a really impressive church overlooking Modica, which is a beautiful city clinging onto the hillside.

Bellisima

Francesco and Brooke in their shining glory

It is a surreal sight to see Francesco in his native surrounds, but having to deal with the last minute stresses of an Italian wedding. Meeting up with others from St. James"s Hospital is equally bizarre. Retelling the tale of my bike ride to Sicily is something I have become used to and is met with looks of disbelief by all those who hear it.
The superstars of today will be Francesco and Brooke and they really look great and in the moment. The service is conducted in Italian, with the highlights translated by Francesco, in his own inimitable style. The atmosphere light and jovial and I get the assignment to film the wedding. Now I feel like a proper paparazzo.

That pool!

St. James"s reunion in Modica

I get the bus to the reception hotel overloooking the sea. Wow. It is 30C or so and I just want to dive into this swimming pool on first glance. However, there is a certain decorum that one must follow at such occasions. So I wait until after the delicious food to jump in. On the vegetarian"s plate  was generous helpings of  capanatta, gnocci,  vermicelli grilled aubergine and mozzerella di buffela. Sempre fame por cusina italiano.

The reception became more and more relaxed as the wine became to flow and the guys became kids trying to throw each other in the pool. The speeches from Fran, Brooke and family were conducted in the kitchen: how appropriate for an Italian wedding.

It has been definitely worth all the effort to get here for this wonderful day and here"s one last toast to the beautiful bride and groom. Salutè!

Heaven is a place called Ispica

Outside kitchen

 Really don"t know how to start describing where I find myself, so have decided that photos will dominate this part of my blog.

Bernd"s place is a total wonderland. He is German, but has been living here for over 20 years. He does not speak English, so we speak  speak German and un poco Italiano. He is an artist working primarily with sculptures and paintings, but has turned his hand to anything else that interests him and earms him a commission.

The lucious garden landscape

My batcave

His place is fantastico. It consists of a garden, a series of caves for sleeping rooms, an outside shower and outside kitchen and dining area. The garden has a wide variety of plants, with his scultpures and other artistics projects interspersed throughout. There are cacti, palms, lemon trees and flowers everywhere. The emphasis here is on sustainable living, but with very little setup cost ie he has built practically all the ecological living systems himself. All the electricity comes via the 12V variety, courtesy of a solar panel and series of rechargeable cells. This means that he has converted all the electrical devices to run on this 12V instead of 240V ie the transformers in several devices have been removed or modified to make them compatable. As a shortcut, he has used many devices that are designed for car ie 12V usage eg car stereos, car fans. Water is preserved as much as possible by means of a composting toilet and using waste water to grow his fruit, which includes grapes, apples, and oranges.
The rooms are etched out caves which are decorated with some of his paintings and feel nice and cool even when it is 32C outside.
No comfort is compromised in an effort to make his place sustainable. It seems like there has been just an alternative way of solving everyday problems. It has taken Bernd many years and labour to realise this level of comfort and sustainability, but the results are wonderful. It is literally a "green" oasis, in every sense of the word. And Bernd is ready to accept guests from all over the world to experience it for themselves.

Get to ride around in this - Citroen "Enzo" 2CV

 So, not only does Bernd offer me an amazing place to stay, but insists that I stay as long as I want. Seems that I have a lot to learn from this guy and decide to stay a while....

6 of these dogs (collect "em all)

Fragrant garden, once again.

Eclectic garden sculptures

Sericusa ----- Ispica

Getting lost in Sicily is a pleasant
experience when you have
 panoramas like this

Not trusting the Italian roads, or my navigation of them in any case, I give myself 9 hours of daylight to make a 50km trip. I have learned from yesterday that it is not just the hilly terrain that slows one down in Sicily.
However, after only losing the path once, I arrive at Ispica after only 4 hours.


Ispica.... qui bella!!!

What a remarkable town. It is built into a hillside and is tranquility personified. I am happy that I have received an invitation to couchsurf in such an idyllic place. There seems to be no commercial accommodation here and at 2pm, few people are out on the winding maze of streets.

Catania ---- Sericusa

On the right road, again... how nice is Sicily

ANAS man with van removes this
menace to Siclian traffic

So THIS is an Autostrade.. ah ha... now I know

Had planned to get to Ispica today, but the Italian road Gods are not making my life easy. Getting out of Catania is troublesome. Avoiding the Autostrade (motorways) is now the bane of my existence. In the end I decide to take the risk on the Autostrade, as it seems destiny that all roads lead to an Autostrade. Progress is quick. However after a 3km tunnel, I am pulled over - possibly for going too fast?!? Nope, but I play the ignorance card and they are more bemused than officious and I am left there on the side of the road to await a pickup truck. Get left 3km further up the road but this delay has caused me to seriously re-evaluate today's final destination.


Nice B&B but not a patch on CouchSurfing

90 minutes at a buffet breakfast

Further circles are performed in order to avoid the Autostrade. The signposts here are more confusing than anywhere else thus far on this trip. Decide that "ce sera, sera" and settle for making Sericusa. Have to splash out on a B&B as the night falls and the Italian drivers hurtle about the streets.
A full-on breakfast the next morning is a welcome sight and gets me hydrated and psyched for the 31C ride to Ispica.


Bacau --- Catania (Sicily, Italy)

Mediterranean morning swimming -
happier than I look to be here

Flying seems such a cheat, but gotta keep to a deadline: Francesco's wedding in a few days on Sept 28th in Modica.

Underwhelming Sicilian wine

The next question is whether our DIY packing job was sufficient to protect my bike from the "throwers" in both airports. A quick inspection and alles in Ordnung! Just need 40 minutes to unpack the bike and reconstruct and I am able to ride right out of the airport. Again, some puzzled and, I like to think, admiring looks by the airline staff whilst doing so.
Make it to camping ground (Jonsi) and experience my first Sicilian pizza. More spectacular is the location of the campground - directly situated on the coast, so I go for an early morning swim the next morning. The Black Sea last week, now Mediterranean... amazing.

Chesinau -- Bacau (Romania)

Bike parade

Still 30km from Chesinau and hoping to get to mountainous Iasi before nightfall with a wee hangover did not bode well for this leg of my journey. Also, I wanted to meet Ilia for a coffee in Chesinau.
As time ran out to cycle to Iasi, where my friend Andrei and his family awaited my arrival, I decided the only way was to get a train. Met up with Ilia and his friend Sacha and saw a huge bike parade through the streets of Chesinau. Thanks to them, I was able to catch a train with my bike stowed in the upper bunk of the overnight train. As my flight from Bacau to Catania (Sicily) was in two days, I could not stay in Iasi but went straight to Bacau.
270km journey - by bike approx 13-14 hours total, by Express train, the journey time was nearly 8 hours! It involves passport control and customs control by Moldavian and Romanian officers. Also, it involves changing the axels on the train at the border, as the "eastern block" countries use a different gauge. This journey flew by as I had a very seasoned and addicted world traveller (Dave) from Manchester in my compartment.

"Happiness from within" - right on
Johnny

However, arriving in Bacau at 2am with a dead phone and no sleep was not cool. Instead of braving the streets of Bacau and it's roving "community dog" population, I stay in the train station until dawn.
Recharging my phone at a cafe, Johnny (Mario moustache in photo), who talks about his philosophy of inner happiness.

Rockstar treatment in Bacau airport

Can you guess what it is, yet?

Stefan (aka Alex), my host for Bacau, collects me and shows me about the city before bringing me to his house for a large breakfast. He has his own grassroots bike lobby group in Bacau, which encourages cycling and highlights the difficulties for cyclists on the streets of Bacau. Then I meet his friend (Andrei) with whom I will actually be staying tonight. I enjoy the food his mother sends home with him then later that night we prepare the bike for its plane ride the next day.
Then it's time to chill out in a park with some friends. Have some beers, sing some songs and chat until way past my bedtime.
We leave for the airport 60 minutes before the departure; not my usual style, but Andrei works as border patrol at the airport and I get rockstar treatment. Not only do I get lots of shocked looks from his colleagues at the airport, but everyone wants to know my story and tell me about their biking experience. I am last to board the plane and with a fond farewell to Andrei and Alex, I am on my way to Sicily.

 

Odessa - Chesinau (Muldova)

No Andrew, Graham sad

There and back again... Well at least as far as Chesinau.
This time my faithful companion has deserted me :-( - see my actual sad face in photo leaving Odessa without Andrew.
The task was to complete 190km today, including two border crossings through the police state of Transnistria. As a result, I started early and promptly got very lost on the outskirts of Odessa for two hours in heavy morning traffic. Things were not going well.
Cycling solo as a "lone wolf" is something to which it is difficult to get accustomed. A combination of not being able to share experiences in the moment en route and having to face all the headwinds alone was proving difficult, even within the first few hours. But with steely determination, I reached the Ukraine-Transnistrian border. In thus direction I got the full shakedown by the border patrol guards. With a few phrases like "dollars, euros", "you bring money into country?" and "this is very bad", they were looking for me to offer a bribe to speed up the process. Refusing politely and using my bike as evidence that I had no money, after 45 minutes I was through, albeit somewhat frustrated by the delay.


Gate-crashing Raufs birthday

Wine + Vodka = roudiness

Google maps had directed me to the promising-sounding M14 road bypassing Transnistria and reducing 5km immune journey. My suspicions were aroused by the dearth of cars using this road, but I proceeded to the border. At this point, a tank, barricade and three camouflaged soldiers with assault rifles convinced me that once again, google may have miscalculated. They were pleasant but insisted that I had to go another 15km south to the border control.

There were also some girls at the party too

At the border between Transnistria and Muldova, I was taken into three separate offices, where they wanted a bribe. Sticking to my guns, I told them about my limited cash situation. This sort of questioning seemed quite normal for them and they were quite overt around other guards. It's pretty crazy. All this delay meant that as the sun was setting, I had 60-70km to go to Chesinau.
30km from Chesinau a most unlikely encounter happened. A guy jumped out of a car and requested me to stop. Happy for the break, I stopped and started chatting with him. He is a friend of Victoria, who we had met a few days previously in Chesinau. Over coffee in a nearby bar, he (Ilea) told me about his cycling treks. My presence had piqued the curiosity of the others in the bar and I was invited to join them. Rauf was having a 30th birthday party and we partied until the early hours with wine and vodka. This ended a day on a real high note and some impromptu Irish dancing.

Fame! Przymsil

Our interuption of a German class

Trying to sell our maps of Poland

Www.zszoi.edu.pl/index.php?f=184&i=1

At least throughout Poland!

Photos taken for the school's website in Przymsil.


Get to bring our steeds into school