Franky, Oder?

Back onto German soil today, as I cross the Oder river from the Polish town of Słubice. I arrive one day earlier than expected but Tom welcomes me into his WG (shared flat). He's an International Business student who is just back from a cycling adventure for the last 7 weeks and is eager to hear about my time on the road. 

We hang out over the next few days talking about our outlooks on life and meeting his friends. There are many students from former Soviet block countries here in Frankfurt Oder. I learn that the university here offers Bachelor courses through English instead of German and this means that everyone speaks English as the default student language. 

Cycling back to Berlin (approx 100km) takes me less than 5 hours on a bright sunny day. There's a special feeling of doing these trips door-to-door only by bicycle. 

Zielona Gora - jacek time

Time that I paid a visit to that hero I met a few years ago in Zielona Gora, who goes by the unassuming name of Jacek. He's 70 years old and is his adventures of the past few years are truly awe-inspiring. He started his cycling adventures when he "finally had enough time" on retiring at 62. He spent 8 months in the road and cycled to Morocco. He had minimal funds and a very simple old bike. At night he camped or sometimes was invited into people's homes. So what adventures has he accrued in the past few years since my last visit? Or had old age dug its talons into his joints and shaken such thoughts from his skull?

I'm happy to report that this encounter left me as wide-eyed as our previous one. 

He fails to recognise me when he opens the door: a less that auspicious beginning. He spies my bike and scans it without commenting. Our talk turns quickly to past and future plans. He took his bike to Russia and cycled around Baikal lake and then cycled through Mongolia before cycling through some of China. He previously described himself as a "lone wolf" on our last visit, but now invites me on a canoeing trip next year! Ok, a little about the canoe... He built it himself over three months and it is suite simply a work of art. He uses it regularly and is just back from a canoeing adventure in Finland. 

The one thing holding him back from being an eternal hobo? His lovely wife, who abides and acquiesces his forays to far-off lands, but does not participate. 

He searches through his large collection of maps to show me his route through Mongolia and China. The map of Mongolia does not appear to be useful in the slightest, as there are only a few roads shown. China on the other hand is a mass of confusing road lines crisscrossing the paper, with the names in chinese characters adding to the disorienting impression. For this journey, he splurged on a new aluminium bicycle, which he built himself, of course. 

The next day, with my head swimming with new cycling inspiration, Jacek says he will escort me half way to my destination. He assures me that he knows the nicer roads and can show me some of the sights on the way. Putting all my faith in his navigation skills, my GPS takes a rest for a few hours. That is, until Jacek looks confused and needs some GPS assurance after we have been pushing out bikes down a sandy fittest path for a few kilometres. We find our way again and after 40km we take a dip in a nearby lake to refresh ourselves. This 80km round trip for him, is the proverbial walk in the park.

Glogow

A reasonably short ride to Glogow (110km) but taking the major roads can be a little stressful at times. 

Meet up with Natalia who has agreed to host me for two nights. She lives with her two cats and teaches English at home and at a school nearby. 

We make a tour at night of Glogow and climb this tower. Abandoned buildings are the most fun and exciting thing to do in an urban environment.

Glogow has the largest roundabout in all of Poland, don't y'know?

Wroclaw - pretty, pretty, pretty

Poland is for the most part non-mountainous and bicycles are not prohibited on even major roads. This makes cycling through Poland quicker than Austria or Czech, but has its associated risks. The large trucks roaring down these national roads sometimes create a draft that pushes the bike sideways as they pass by. As a strategy to lessen this death-by-HGV, I find that taking the secondary roads helps somewhat, although it does add distance to every day's journey.

Meet up with Estera in the evening to stay over at her place. She brings me out for the best pizza and ice cream in town and shows me the main sights. 

Wegry - near Opole

It's time to visit some old friends here in Poland. First on the list, live near Opole. I visited them twice before and am looking forward to spending a few nights there, with home grown and home cooked food. 

But first, there are the major roads with which to contend. Usually there are quite new and in good condition, but cyclists are a rarity on these roads and the drivers can get a bit impatient at times. 

Kasia and Asia welcome me to their home and I feel instantly one of the family once again. 

We visit the city, bake a "mould" cake and visit a local lake for a dip on a sunny day. The stars are brighter here, not just during the night. 

Paczkow - Polish border

A mountain pass of approx 900m greets me on my way into Poland, but also rain gives way to sunshine. 

On arriving in Paczkow, after a long day climbing mountains, Kasia informs me that there is a group of women performing an equinox Indian cleansing ceremony by a lake. Yet again, pretty random, but sounds like an adventure.  

Next morning we walk about town and eat in a "Bar Mylesko" - a former soviet styled restaurant - which serves basic, but delicious home cooked meals. 

Hradec Kralove - Iron man country

Biking through central Czech is much less of a challenge as at its borders, as the terrain is mostly quite flat. 

Near Hradec Kralove, Stepan and his family await my arrival. He is a four time iron man (5km swim, 180km bike, 42km run) competitor and tells me modestly about his training routine. We barbecue and eat outside his old wooden house, which he and his wife have renovated into a comfortable, modern, carpenter's opus. 

Current bike setup

Checker pig frame

Deore LX 9 speed derailleur 

Brooks saddle

Tubus back rack

Ortlieb front rack 

28" schwalbe Mondial evo tyres 32

Pentagon wheel skewers 

Ortlieb rear mirror

3 bottle cages 

B&M front LED light

B&M back LED light

Shimano XT brakes 

SKS mudguards 

28" continental tour tubes 

Shimano XT back wheel hub

Shimano dynamo front wheel

Prague - the Paris of the east

Weather conditions show signs of improvement - now just raining every hour or so - as I make my way east toward Prague. Again, sometimes forced to take somewhat busy roads, makes today's ride not very pleasant, but, thankfully, uneventful. 

Some spectacular, but sadly rundown, buildings grace the side of the road. 

My host for my stay in Prague is Filip, who is informs me about his views on TTIP, food waste and safe cycling in the city. We go to the cinema and watch "Captain Fantastic", which provides the group with lots of talking points over beers in a local bar. 

I carch up with Klára and her brother the next afternoon and visit the contemporary art museum "Rudolfonium". 

In the evening, I meet up with another CSer and I am invited to go play kayak polo at his club. CS certainly provides variety on one's travels. 

Dubi, Dubi, Dubi, Dubi, la, la, la, la, la, laaaa

Decide that I can't get enough of the Elbeweg, so in spite of it adding another 40km to today's ride, I stay with the river until I cross the Czech border. 

As can be seen in the photo, weather conditions have altered dramatically. It rains quite heavily all day, which is not only annoying, it also ruins the stunning views. 

There is a mountain range (Sechsisser Schweiss) that limits excludes all but the most hardy of cyclists crossing into Czech. If that weren't enough, the Czechs decided to put little thought into their cycling infrastructure - this means that I bike as close to the edge of a reasonably traffic-heavy road until I reach Dubi, near Teplice. 

Here I meet up with Tomas and Pavlina who have offered to host me for the evening. Suddenly it's the start if a Saturday night pub crawl about Teplice and Dubi. I especially liked the "beer platter" that they served in the Monopol bar/ micro brewery. 

Dresden

The Elbeweg gets better after Riesa, with a lot more people biking it and soaking up the rays on this 30C Indian summer day. If you are ever overheating, just plunge, dip or immerse the offending appendage in the cool waters of the Elbe.

After a very leisurely ride into Dresden, I meet up with Torsten, my CS host for the next two nights. He sacrifices his bed for me and we head off to his gig for the evening - a battle royale of the best and brightest of the musicians that Dresden can put forth on stage. After his sterling performance, a new-found groupie asks Torsten to play in a public square nearby. We draw quite the crowd.

The next evening we hang out at a local art gallery and chat about the inherent goodness if man. 

10km shy of Riesa (Elbeweg)

The reason I had decided to travel a little west before heading east was to experience more of the "Elbeweg". This is a famous bicycle-friendly route that diagonally cuts Germany in two and extends into the Czech Republic.

Cycling into a headwind with minimal protection from trees and other features, proves tiresome, more in the annoying than the exhaustive sense of the word. On this stretch of the Elbeweg I encounter few cyclists, but it is pretty well signposted, which makes navigation easy. That, and the fact that you just stay as close to the river as possible. 

Late in the evening, having found no host for the night, I pitch my tent in a forest near by the river. I expect a nice late evening swim would be refreshing, but the mosquitos guard their territory fiercely and I decide to not try their patience. 

From an open-covered tent, the otherwise starry sky is all but obliterated by the overbearing moonlight. As I sleep fitfully this night, I get to track the moon arch across the sky from my meshed dome. A dog barks aways off and all is silent once again. 

Jessen - Saxon-Anhalt

All prepped and ready for the off:

- itinerary and accommodation organised? Check

- bike at least glanced over for faults? Check

- essential gear packed? Check

I am all set for my door-to-door bike ride through Czech Republic and Poland, averaging about 100km each day which could prove challenging in the mountains in Czech. Hopefully by that stage my legs will be hardened by the road through Germany. 

The weather is looking amazing for mid September - 30C and not a cloud on the horizon. My first stop will be in Jessen in Saxon-Anhalt. As expected, the roads are a pretty boring affair, but it does give me not an inconsiderable thrill every time I can just blast through road works, while the rest if the traffic is forced to detour. Ca it schadenfreude if you will, I just enjoy the streets devoid of cars and imagine a future world, where the bikes are top of the road hierarchy. 

Moni and Klaus have invited me to stay with them in Jessen, a small town just north of the Elbe river. Although most of their children have grown up and left home, they are still exerting an influence on their parents. They have decided to host travellers inspired by the travelling adventures of their daughter.

At first the Saxon accent troubles my Berlin-learnt German, but as we chat late into the night over Brotzeit (evening meal assorted breads) and Landskron beer (same surname, no relation), my ear gradually attunes. I am accommodated in my very own room with adjoining balcony, surrounded by an assortment if board games.

After an enjoyable and extensive breakfast, I ready to hit the road this side of midday. I am assured a place at their table any time I decide to visit Jessen again. It certainly was interesting getting a glimpse into the mindset of a more rural german family, albeit briefly. 

Organising accommodation

Although I have the requisite camping gear and love to go "wild camping" (not in officially designated camping grounds), I spemd most of my nights on the road indoors. This involves a bit of organisation approximately starting 10-7 days before heading off on my adventure. 

Using hospitality platforms such as CouchSurfing, BeWelcome and WarmShowers, it is surprisingly easy to find hosts who invite you into their homes      On these platforms I find the hosts you like the look of and send them a message with a brief description of myself, my trip and some interests we share. Once they invite you to stay, I follow up by asking for an exact address and contact telephone number. On the day I am planning to arrive, I send another text informing them of a more act arrival time. It is best to keep a record of all your hosts details in electronic and paper form. 

"Wild camping" is safe in Northern Europe, as we have killed off any natural animal predators and once outside an urban environment and hidden in a forest, nobody is likely to even notice your presence. 

Bike trip inventory (Autumn mode)

After a few years doing this, prepping for a cycling trip is getting easier and I've leaned exactly what is essential and what just weighs you down and breaks your spokes. 

For this biking adventure lasting three weeks through Germany, Czech Republic and Poland, I will be bringing the following:

Camping gear:

2 person tent (2.4kg)

3 season sleeping bag

Thermarest mattress 

Headlamp

Bags/ storage:

2 x back roller ortlieb panniers

Handlebar ortlieb bag

4 x stainless steel water containers (750ml)

Tupperware container

2 x large zip lock bags

Wallet

Bike accessories:

Spare tube

Puncture repair kit & tyre levers

Compact pump

Multitool (topeak hummer 2)

Adjustable wrench

2 x cable ties

Pliers

Leatherman multitool - micra 

Mechanic gloves

Pentagon allen key

Entertainment/ Tech;

USB werk (charges phone while riding)

Ebook reader 

Iphone 4 (maps.me - downloaded relevant maps; windguru; blogger)

Paper notebook and pen - waterproof

Watch 

USB iPhone charger with mains plug 

Bike computer

Clothes:

2 x biking shorts

2 x biking tops

Helmet

Sunglasses

Sunglasses

Towel

Waterproof trousers

Waterproof jacket

Waterproof socks

Waterproof cycling shoe protectors

Cycling shoes (clip in)

Light runners

3 x socks

3 x boxers

Long t-shirt

Fleece jumper

Light long trousers 

Glasses

Casual t shirt

Light hat

Toiletries:

Sun cream

Toothbrush 

Toothpaste

Miscellaneous:

Abus lock

Gifts for couchsurfers

Food clip to seal open packaging

Food:

Peanuts

Apples

Dried fruits

Rice based meal

Magnesium effervescent tablets

Things I wish I brought:

Hi viz vest

Magnet to connect USB port to frame

I keep my pack to a minimum these days so that I have to carry less, easier to organise things and less likely to loose things. I ride with only two back panniers, which allows easier removal of my stuff and doesn't weigh down my steering. 

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

Ireland to France (to be written)

The Royal Canal Way (most of the way) back to Dublin

"Take the Royal Canal Way all the way from Mullingar to Dublin." is what we were told. Checking the map it seemed like a great idea: minimal hills, direct and no traffic with which to contend. The reality, however, interfered with our intentions.It deteriorated from a well paved road, to roads that were more pothole than road to a hiking trail onwhich we had to lift our bikes over the many gates. Although curious as to how the conditions could get worse, after about 40km we headed onto the noisy national roads and in to Dublin.

Mullingar

We decide against heading north from Sligo, as Mylene has a plane to catch in a few days time. Cutting across the country means that our halfway point will be Mullingar. A last minute CouchSurfing request gets us in contact with Melanie. She lives on a horse stud and has had many career changes trough her life - design student, studying traditional chinese medicine (TCM) and rearing horses. She eschews life in the city for the more rooted rural lifestyle. What's particularly interesting in our topics of conversation is TCM and she has a private practice in the town. Her house is cosy, with a peat stove and simple but comfortable furniture.

Sligo, I hardly recognised ya!

We decide to take another rest day in Sligo as the weather has decided that summer is over. We plan to use the time to dry our clothes and rest our weary legs. Mossy, a primary school teacher and our CS host, lives south of Sligo town and provides us with conversation and omlettes in ample measure on our arrival. As evidence to how trusting some CS hosts are, he leaves the key out for us in case he arrives home after us. He is passionate about his "kids" (his school children), travelling alone and music. On our rest day, we weave between showers and visit Strandhill and Slligo town. Although I lived here for nearly a year, the town is barely recognisable to me due to all the new constuction and new road layout. The town looks a bit more run down with more businesses closing down and lots of traffic in the town.

Newport or first of many ports

A day of firsts today.

My first experience of Warm Showers (warmshowers.org) awaits me in Newport. Warm Showers is the same concept as CouchSurfing, but specifically for bicycle tourers.
The other first is experiencing the famous Greenway bikeway that extends all of 50km or so along the coast as far as Achill. The intention to build a better cycling infrastructure for tourers along the west coast is an admirable one, but the execution is somewhat lacking, with variable road quality and road works at places.
We meet the most impressive stretch of road thus far between Maam Cross and Leenane. A stunning valley made more spectacular by the continuing sun.
Betty, our WS host, turns out to most interesting and has spent a lot oof her life at sea, manning yachts of various shapes and sizes She inspires me to try and join a yacht crew as my next adventure. Instead of adventures on the high road, it'll be adventures on the high seas next time.

Galway nights

22C and an early ferry from the island permits us to take the more scenic road along the coast, through the Burren. On asking for water, we are invited for a coffee and learn that all four have strong Berlin connections - two live in Schoenberg and the other two have spent many years living there.
The sun is so intense that we spend lunchtime in Ballyvaughan, before heading on to Galway. Its Friday evening when we reach Spanish Arch in the heart of Galway city. The combination of sun and weekend make Galway THE place to be when the weather is fine. Its a young and vibrant city, epitomised by our host for the next two nights, Betty.
Patty is from New Zealand who takes a relaxed approach to hosting. She gives us a key to the house and let's us loose on the city.
This is the first time in Ireland we have a rest day and its great to just have a lazy day to read, catch up on emails and just cruise on our bikes.
On Saturday evening, we listen to some live music in a pub. The band is good and plays lots of Van Morisson, The Beatles, Paolo Nutini and Simon & Garfunkel.

Inis Oirr - An Island in the Sun

A short ride to Doolin (50km) in somewhat sunny conditions allows us time to take in some of the scenery en route. I do realise that we are on the west coast where the weather is most erratic, but hope that the sun will stay out for this night as we have planned to camp.
We load our bikes and gear onto the ferry to the smallest of the Aran Islands - Inis Oirr. It adds to the feeling of adventures when you take a ferry across the seas from "the mainland", albeit only 30 minutes into the Atlantic Ocean.
It turns out to be beach weather all day, which is fortuitous, as this is the first beach we have encountered on our journey. The island is 3km x 3km, with most tourists staying a few hours and then heading back to the mainland before dusk. In spite of its size, there is a lot to see when the sun is shining and we visit the shipwreck (of Father Ted fame), the lighthouse, the seal colony (minus the seals), the holy well, multiple ruined churches and the sandy beach.
Time does not stand still on the island but it certainly does run slower which gioves the sun more time to burn our skin. Yes, who would think to bring suncreen on a holiday in Ireland? You can really see changes in the colour and intensity of the sunlight as the afteroon sun gives way to the evening sun.
After a Guinness at one of the local pubs, we set up camp on the west side of the island. believeing there is little wind, we pitch the tent on a large flat rock overlooking the sea. This was a mistake, as the wind rattles the tent all night long, making sleep intermittant at best.

Ennis relations

A short ride to Ennis, remarkaby with no rain, means that we arrive there in late afternoon. To change thngs up a bit, our hosts for this evening are actually people I know quite well, distant relatives Tom & Bernie. I have not seen them in about 25 years, but the welcome is every buit as warm as I remember. Despite their advvancing age they are very active and have a full day planned, colleting grandchildren from school, birthday party and funeral. However, Bernie has still found time to cook us some dinner and make our stay as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Mylene is inspired by the homemade soda bread and resolves to make some at the soonest opportunity.
They are open-minded, being particularly curious about CouchSurfing. They are interested in local politics but have a larger worldiew than most people in Ireland. They want to learn about stuff that's not happening in their own backyard. For example the refugee situation in Europe. They insist that being happy outweighs all considerations of future security. I don't know why I did not really listen to this advice before now. I guess that wisdom and listening skills come with age and experience.
Bernie was up bright and early the next morning and baked an extra soda bread for us to take on our journey.

Limerick

Guess what? More rain, ya betcha. "Unsettled" has been the description of the wethaer thus far ie it rains everyday in bursts, making it impossible to have the correct clothes on at all times. Mylene catches the bus the final 40km and the race is on.... bike vs Bus Eireann. Granted I have a 50 minute head start, but still I arrivein Limerick just 10 minutes after Mylene.
Awas, our CS host for the evening, hails from Saudi Arabia, but tells us how he fell in love with Ireland whilst doing a Ph.D. here. "Its always a party when it rains in Saudi Arabia", so the persistant rain does not bug him out and he loves the Irish personality. His set up is a little unusual in that he has bought a houe in Limerick, where he lets his guests stay, but he spends his nights sleeping in the university campus. Odd, but it means that he can have more guests at any one time. As we fill up on pizza and 7-Up, we chat late in the evening.

Killarney National Park

Although it was plan to have an easy day of only 70km, we neglect to check how hilly the coastline is between Bantry and Killarney. The weather clears a little and we get to see some of the stunning coastline scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Eventually we arrive at Killarney National Park toward late evening. As we have not reached our intended CouchSurfer in Tralee, we have to rely on our plan B, camping. Setting up camp in wet conditions whilst having being wet all day, is not the most pleasant way to spend an evening. Reversing the process the next day does not thrill me much either. It does mean that we are on the road early for a change, though. We sleep in the arboritum section of the park and woke up very close to wandering tourists the next day. Despite 10 hours of alleged sleep, muscles are slow to warm the next day. Wild camping in Ireland is not allowed but if one is suitably hidden, never a problem.

Who's that at my Durrus?

It was always gonna be a long day to Durrus (near Bantry) and starting late did us no favours. On reaching Cork in the pouring rain (notice the theme?), Mylene decied to take the path of least resistance and takes the bus the rest of the way. Slogging out the remaining 90km (135km for the day) was an exercise in determination.
In Durrus, the no street signs or house numbers, makes it difficult to locate our CS host for the evening, Sinead. Sinead, Tadgh (her cute and talkative 2 year old son) and Frank make us feel welcome from the very start. The vegetarian curry that Sinead has prepared is particularly memorable when one is in calorie deficit for the day, as is an epic warm shower.

Somewhere between Mitchelstown and Fermoy

One thing about Ireland, is that it has proven difficult to find CouchSurfing hosts. We surmise that this is sue to its peripheral location in Europe, leading to it's lesser exposure to newer ideas. There could also be some scepticism about letting strangers into one's house, due to this insulated island mentality. Whatever are the responsible factors, I do hope they dissipate over the coming years and that Irish people get to enjoy the freedom and also the inspirational potential CS brings as both traveller and host.
Heavy rain all day means and the prospect of a wet night under canvas, dampens our resolve to cover more kilometers. We avoid the "death-trap" betrween Mitchelstown and Mallow by climbing one long hill towards Fermoy and decide to knock on the nearest door asking for permission to pitch our tent in their garden. After a somewhat guarded acceptance, we start mounting our tent as the downpour continues, at which point we are invited inside to take showers and sleep in a warm bed. We spend the night looking after the four kids (Ronan, Rory, Padraig and Hannah) while the parents (Donnagh & Rose) go off to the cinema. I play Halo 4 with the boys, while Mylene talks Art with Hannah.
The next day we get the royal tour of the dairy farm, where the kids have a list of chores to complete. We gain insight intothe practicalities and politics of dairy farming in Ireland.

Oh my God, they Kilkenny

My dad and I collect Mylene at the airport on the night before we are to set off on our Tour d'Irlande. She arrives with her over-sized (3 times normal bike box) oversized luggage. Amusement for all around who care witness our attempts at fitting such an enormous box through various doors and the final challenge of getting it folded and into the car.

Five hours sleep and we need to pack my brother's car with the bikes to give us a little head start on our first day. The sun is shining, the weather is clear and the remaining journey to Kilkenny is a breeze, which coincidently is on our backs the whole way.
Lots of time to stroll about the beautiful and historic city, explaining to Mylene about hurling and school uniforms.
We meet our lovely Polish-born host, Dorothy, where else but at a local pub. She gives up her bed so that we can sleep soundly and cooks us brownies for our journey the next day. We have a tour of Kilkenny by night and enjoy some live music at night.

Dublin ahoy

The wind behaves itself today and between bouts of rain, sunshine breaks through. The coast road from Gorey to Dublin is great with little traffic. I have my lunch on the beach of Brittas Bay, with the sun deigning to shine for the 20 minutes I sit there. 

The Dublin suburbs, I mean sprawlburbs, reach into neighbouring counties and the final part through these kilometers is an insipid blur of hastily constructed dwellings lined up in attention. 

Approaching my house after a 1000km journey conjures up memories from my youth. I remember that I cycled as far as the end of the street, then to Bushy Park, then, in later years, regularly to a pool in Stillorgan and even as far as Bray! Throughout my life, as I have cycled further from my doorstep, my worldview has shifted. To this current extent that I feel that my bike connects not just to the outer reaches of my hometown, but to the whole world.

My fantasies of a warm bath over these past 12 days are realised on reaching my parents' house. The first leg is complete and now it's a waiting game until Mylene joins me in a few days.
The beautiful Mafalda comes to visist me in Dublin for a few days and I get to show her around town.

Gorey moment

The anticipated voyage across the sea from Cherbourg to Rosslare was not the high seas adventure it was expected to be. The James Joyce ferry is mundane and dull and the journey lasts 20 hours. 

Finally arriving on Irish soil, all set for my first bike tour in Ireland, a force northerly wind curtails my plans to make Gorey without breaking a sweat. Ireland warns me that, despite its diminutive stature, it will be no pushover.

Steven, a Methodist minister, greets me at his door and bids me to make myself at home while he pops out on some parish business. Soon he's back and I learn of his good works and generous spirit to those unfortunate. Without fuss or fanfare, he helps the needy families with nowhere else to turn. Hero cape required, but he probably wouldn't wear it. 

The next morning, there is a fundraising event for the church. It's a lively affair, with a large selection of items on sale as well as the delicious homemade cakes. Choosing a biscuit cake and sitting down to force-fed cup after cup of tea, is a grand way to spend a Saturday morning. 

Morsalines

Today I encounter the Atlantic - or as my host corrects me, the English Channel. Instead of feeling triumphant at this milestone, I think of how my nemesis, Mr North Westerly, will use this lack of shelter to throw the kitchen sink at me, water and all. And so it proves to be a long day battling the wind and rain, a last gasp effort to foil my plans to reach the coast in time for my ferry to Ireland. Luckily I have planned for such a devilish manoeuvre and I've plenty of time to reach Cherbourg. To quote the Bard, "come wind and rack, at least I'll die with devil on my back".

In less dramatic terms, I'm late for dinner at Greta's in Morsalines. Greta and Jean Baptiste have a magnificent wooden house near to the beach in Morsalines. They have a two-year old boy, Phileus. 

The coziness of the homestead warms me from within and the log fire warm me from without.

Jean Baptiste is a magician and mentalist and has some of the mannerisms of Derren Brown, as he performs his magic tricks and, even more impressively, his "mind reading" performance. 

Next day, the family shows me the beautiful coastline in lower Normandy and we even go out on the family boat for a jaunt around the islands.
 

Caen

This habit of late starts and procrastination mean that I reach Caen after 21:00. The wind has turned it's back on me and is now my daily enemy as I wish for hills to provide some shelter from its breath. There is the feeling of accomplishment in summating even the lowliest hill, but strong headwinds taunt continuously and the struggle has none of the same victorious feeling at the end if the day.

Jeremy and Clara are happy to receive me into their apartment in the centre of town, where talk turns swiftly into the left wing activism that is happening in numerous cities in France. They provide an intelligent insight into what's happening at these demonstrations and the brutality of the police to oppose this peaceful right to protest. 

Rouen

Couchsurfing with philosophy students is a deep experience. Guillaume has found his calling as a philosopher after serving years if training in the army and then a guitar making apprenticeship in England. This is the kind of varied background that provides plenty of subjects for conversation late into the evening and many points of common interest. We enjoy a few 'freshly saved' pizzas and other food to help with my carb deficit from the long bike ride. 

Being philosophy students, they weigh up the pros and cons of attending lessons the next day and decide against this wholly unnecessary participation in organised learning. After all they have 24 hours a week of lessons - positively unheard of by Irish philosophy students.

Cambrai

One of those fun "shortcuts"

Seems that I'm not that anxious to get on the road early these days. Usually having a long, lazy breakfast that extends into lunch before I drag myself away from my CS host and get on the road. This in spite of averaging ~120km per day. Guess when the wind is on your back, the days are long and the hills are gentle means that rolling up to the next destination in the evening, is the best way to maximise your time with your host.
However on reaching Cambrai, I panic when the street to which my GPS points only goes to number 10 and not the required number 44. I get that Harry Potter feeling when he first goes to Kings Cross station. My lovely host Aurelie saves the day by coming to meet me and escorting me by car a further 7km uphill to yet another "Rue du 4. Septembre".
 
The thing that stands out most about Aurelie is her obsession with Robert Downey Junior. She is just back from Paris, where she saw the premier of his latest movie and the next day will travel by bus to London to catch the same premiere there. She will queue up in London from 10am hoping to catch a glimpse of RDJ when he arrives in the late evening. There is an entire room bedecked with Ironman posters. I just hope that he's worth it. Since Chaplin his movies have all gone downhill in my opinion. 

Amiens

A late arrival in Amiens on a Saturday night does not deter Armauld from suggesting a night on the town. He shows me the main attractions - the cathedral is the biggest by area in all of France - and then we eat and have a beer in a trendy bar. He's an engineer, keen traveller and classically trained guitarist... he provides the soundtrack while in his apartment. 

Lalo from La Capelle

Again a detour from my intended path, but when one receives an invitation to sleep in a farm and is passionate about organic farming, who am I to refuse?
This detour means that today's journey is expected to be 135km. However, as the roads are overflowing with large trucks, my option for smaller roads and a technology breakdown - 2 dodgy is not better than one functional one -iPhones and means that in the end I make 160km.
Wearily I dismount my bike and meet Lalo in her farm courtyard in La Capelle. She has taken over her father's farm in January and tells me how she has completely transformed and organised it since then. She is a positive, energetic and thoughtful person, who believes that she is making a political action in everything she does, be it running a farm single handedly or hitch-hiking.   We talk late into the night and find that our attitudes in life are similar, maybe hewn from our similar travelling style. 

Visiting the farmers' market the next day, helping out with farming duties and eating locally produced organic produce makes it difficult to leave Lalo and her farm behind. I eventually drag myself away after 17:00. 

Lovin' Leuven

Although a detour of 50 km from my intended route, I simply had to drop in to the Laurent and his lovely family in Leuven.
They had hosted me twice before two years ago and I had felt like one of the family. The family is large in both senses - the older boys (Adam and Jan) are more than 2 metres tall and the younger two (Klara and Rik) steadily catching up.
After a 120km uneventful trip from Aachen, Laurent had promised me an evening of mountain biking. The first thing he showed me on entering his garage was a few of the bikes which could be suitable for this evening'a proceedings. I chose a bike worth more than 2000€ with a Rohloff hub. It was a glorious evening for a bike ride but my legs suffered to keep up with the large pack of 20. 35km of trails and asphalt later, with the sun having set, we retired to the pub.