Copenhagen

Feeling refreshed after a stay with my sister, I  rise early to get four trains to Stockholm. Predicting that Deutsche Bahn ICE trains may let me down, I get on the earliest train to Hamburg. Even this early, the train is late 30 minutes. Fortunately, they change the arrival platform in Hamburg to the opposite one to the connecting train to Stockholm and they delay the Stockholm train. 

It will take approximately 15 hours to get to Stockholm, but a coincidence intervenes. I find out that my friend from Berlin, Emi, is exhibiting her Japanese furniture in Copenhagen and decide to stay there at least one night to enjoy the exhibition. The exhibition is part of the "Three Days of Design" festival which is taking part across the city. I can't think of a better location - she exhibits on a boat on the canal. 

Paris - Frankfurt

The early train to Paris goes off without a hitch. I take the early train in order to spend a few hours in Paris before boarding my train to Frankfurt. Unfortunately as I had only slept a few hours, it is hard to get into the Parisian vibe. 

It was interesting to see how Paris has developed it's cycling infrastructure. Often held as an example of how to quickly transition to a biking culture and lauded for it's safe streets to bike for children, I have another opinion. The cycle paths are sometimes on one side of the street and other times on the opposite side, then, just for variety, down the middle of the street. This is plain confusing and especially tricky at junctions. I am not sure I saw even one child on a bike in the few hours I was here. The cyclists travel erratically and very fast, seemingly oblivious to any safety risks to themselves or others. Yes, there is definitely progress here, but it is not easy, especially for an outsider, to feel comfortable riding here. It has a long way to go to feel as developed as Copenhagen. 

There is a two hour delay on my connecting train to Frankfurt - only 70% of fast trains from the Deutsch Bahn are on time (within 20 minutes) these days.... much to the annoyance and embarrassment of many Germans. This means I arrive in Frankfurt close to midnight and disrupt my sister's bedtime schedule. 

I plan to spend one day in Frankfurt, which turns into two, due to new information that the night trains in Sweden under no circumstances will allow bulky bags. Ah well, the sun is shining and the outdoor swimming pools (Sommerbäder) are open. Finally back to German society and it's daily rhythms. 

Carantec continues craic

After a fantastic weekend of music, walking the island and having great picnics, we board the boat back to Roscoff in the evening. 

Marianne invites me to stay the night at her place in Carantec. What an amazing house and garden 100m from the seafront. 

We cook some amazing food and Marianne and Ronan partake in some freshly caught oysters. 

Due to full trains the next day to Paris, I get to stay another night here. We help out Marianne with some gardening and then go for an evening swim in the sea. 

Ronan cooks a delicious quiche for dinner and we watch a movie past midnight. 

Roscoff ahoy - Íle de Batz beer festival

Biking today flows easier and it helps that I have a definite destination today. Annemarie (WarmShowers) had suggested that we met up on the island closest to Roscoff. A local beer festival is taking place this weekend and it seems the perfect way to spend a couple of nights. 

After 100km, I reach Roscoff and take the ferry to the island - Íle de Batz. There I find Annemarie and Ronan already having some support at the campsite. They are very welcoming and the festival looks like it will be good craic. 

The island is about 8 square kilometres and everywhere is walkable. The music line up is a mixed bag - DJs, live rock music and more electronic music (Sun Cowboy was great). Although not a fan of beers, Annemarie is a great guide who knows her IPAs. The love music stops at 2am and we have a moonlit trek along the beach back to our campsite. 

Day 2 towards Roscoff

After a long day yesterday and a very wet and stormy night, I can't get into a cycling groove today and every 20km is a bit of a chore. The interesting canal locks become more numerous as they go up and down about 100m in total - approximately 3m each lock. There is not much else to see other than the canal and the bike friendly forest paths. 

I complete 100km and set up camp just on the edge of the bike path. 

Bike touring entropy

I have been on the road over six weeks and spend some of my time repairing things that have deteriorated or broken en route. These can be small things like stitching up holes or repairing the inevitable puncture or larger repairs such as replacing broken tent poles or patching up body parts after a minor accident. You are reliant on the equipment you have, including keeping your body well fed and suitably rested, to get to the next destination and road side repairs are the norm rather than the exception. 

This makes staying with a host, especially Warmshowers, invaluable, as they tend to be more practically minded and have more specialised tools to hand. Also a special shout out to Decathlon, once again, as they have saved me a lot of stress on this bike tour. 

The list of larger repairs to do once I reach home grows longer by the day - replacing bike parts, upgrading equipment, etc. Doing the repairs and bodges (as the French say "la bricolage") keeps the entropy creep somewhat at bay and is a skill that could be tiresome or frustrating to some, but is essential for those wanting to do longer tours on a reasonable budget. 

Brittany adventures

After becoming motivated to explore Brittany by Pierre, I take on the challenge to bike the 370km in three days to make it in time for a festival near Roscoff. The weather forecast shows 34C today, storms tomorrow and generally changeable conditions. 

My first accident this trip happens on the road out of Nantes. I lose control of the bike (maybe melting tar/ oil on the road) and fly over the handlebars while going ar speed down a hill. C'est ne pas gravé! I slide on the road skinning my elbow, thigh and knee. Luckily the road is quiet. My major concern is my phone - luckily the crash just resulted in a cracked screen, but it still functions, yay. 

Maybe it is even a blessing in disguise - this overturned tractor happens just ahead on the road. 

A bit shaken up, but not stirred, I still put in 170km today on very flat roads along the canal - L'Eurodysess. Keeping hydrated is very important today, but there are plenty of water refilling stops every few Kms.