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.

 

Biking to Ireland starts with a bus ride

It's off to Ireland this time. Time to try my luck CouchSurfing Belgium, France and Ireland. 

The first leg to get to Ireland will be solo and joining up forces with Mylene when I reach Dublin. 

Availing of a cheap bus to Aachen, I avoid cycling the breath of Germany. An uneventful and entirely unsocial bus ride, demonstrates that, although convenient and cheap, there is little adventure to be had taking buses. Rather than the 'journey being the destination', one whittles away the hours on a bus in a frenzy of distraction. Wow, wifi, free movies, music.... a blur of insulated entertainment later and "you have reached your destination".

Cong (my CouchSurfing host in Aachen) epitomizes the spirit of generosity of CS. Despite an unexpected guest arriving on his travels from Liverpool and his limited space in the student dorms, we all get a comfortable place to lay our heads for the night. Cong is Chinese, studied in Singapore and is now in Aachen for one semester. He is newly converted to the cult of CS and asks for tips on bike trekking. 

The themes of conversation that unite our group centre around the surreal and mundane stories of travel, especially the our reliance on the kindness of strangers, be this hitch-hiking, accommodation or simply not being ripped off.
 

There is a certain ingenuity and spontaneity to travelling cheaply. It means that you do not have to spend time working saving for that dream holiday, but, more importantly, forces you to rely on others. It is both the giver and receiver of such small actions that benefit from these interactions - the central tenant of CS and one that is widely overlooked in today's insistence on paying for goods and services.

Daily rhythm in the caves

Life in the caves is getting into a simple daily rhythm. The sun rises before 7am but I disregard the cockerel bellowing from the dogs until about 8am when the sun is already beaming into the lounge area of the garden. 

Breakfast consists of oatmeal, yoghurt and pomegranate. Berndt advises drinking freshly picked nettle tea to detoxify the blood - why not give it a shot. Naturally enough it being Sicily, some coffee is required.

After feeding the five dogs, it's off to tend to the chickens. Fresh eggs daily are provided from some very happy hens. I gather peppers, aubergines, corgettes and some lettuce from the garden. Near self-sufficiency here is easy at any time of the year. 

Afternoons usually find me having out on the beach. It is 7km away and approx 150m lower than the caves but Berndt has a choice of bikes I can use.  Even though its mid November, the air temperature is approx 24C and the water temperature I guesstimate to be a respectable 18C or so... despite bemused looks, I kit out and go frolicking in the waves (nobody has probably been swimming here since September). 

After returning home, I heat up the water in the boiler by making a fire, so that I can enjoy a warm shower. In summertime, showering is done outside as the sun directly heats the water. 

The kitchen is outside as is the dining table which means that practically my whole day until sunset is spent outside. This allows to to feel more in tune with the sun's daily trek across the sky. The whirring solar panel motors also remind me of its progress. 

The sun dips below the horizon around 17:00 this time of year and I retreat to the coziness of one of the caves. Each cave comes equipped with a stove which keeps quickly heats the cave and staves away any dampness. 

Now the caves come equipped with WiFi, so evenings are spent surfing the interweb or reading. Occasionally, I go to one of my favorite pizzerias - walnut and Gorgonzola (Zola e noci) or the best ever "Gustosa" (mozzarella, capuliato, carciofi, porcini, algio, prezzemelo). Pizze dolci (sweet pizzas) are all the rage here - including pizza varieties like "ricotta and Nutella" - I am not convinced. 

Relatively free from the light pollution, the sky at night is awash with stars. 

Sleeping in the caves is no problem. After trying many mattresses, Berndt had prevailing issues with dampness and now equips his caves with thick thermarests - high quaility air mattresses.

The daily grind in Ispica

The pace here in Ispica is relaxed, as even now (November) the temperature at midday is approx 25C and Berndt's lifestyle focuses on maintaining his oasis with as little outside pressure as possible. 

While he is here, I get back into his groove of daily chores and also sporadic work. This includes helping him paint a mural for a child's bedroom and bringing a 2CV Citroen from the 70's back to life. 

Now that Berndt has left to Germany, my new daily rhythm takes over and it's off to the beach each day. As it is November, the beach is practically deserted and nobody braves its waters. This really is the perfect time of year to come here. Fewer mosquitos, less intense sun and having your own private beach for miles. The beach is 150m lower than the caves and 6km away. A beautifully hand-painted, pinstriped bike allows me to get there in style. 

Sicily ancore!

Back to Ispica, Sicily, to cave-sit for Berndt for 2 weeks. A chance to stave off the impending winter chill for a while and live closer to nature. 

Third time here and nothing much has changed except the season. Even in November it is harvest season. Gone are the figs, kaki, grapes and tomatoes to be replaced by oranges and lemons. In the vegetable garden lettuce, paprika and aubergines still grow. 

Berndt lives in this tropical garden with his five dogs: Mia, Benny, Hugo, Camilla and, the latest pack member, Cico. 

I am also responsible for the hens that lay the eggs each day. It's good to know your hens personally.

The energy used at "cava di Berndt" is provided by solar panels and fed into 12V batteries. 

The kitchen is located outside in the garden as is the dining area. The sleeping accommodation is really what sets this place apart. There are five caves, three of which are furnished as sleeping rooms. Quite cozy too, as each one has a wood burning stove that keeps it toasty in the wintery nights (down to 5C in January) and drives away the damp air. 

Why I write a travel blog

I often tell people that I don't update my Facebook page to reduce the pressure on others to be 'notified' regularly about just how their lives are somehow less interesting than mine. It's an old argument, I know, but one that's bourne out by FB devotees judging the worth of their lifestyles based on audience reaction.

So why then the blog? It's only the person who is actively thinks of me who make the effort to actually open another apart from FB to see my travelling adventures. It is not forced upon them and therein lies a whole world of difference.

The blog is also a personal record that I can look through in the future and smile, in the same way as making the following map of my cycled routes, thus far, gave me giddy pleasure. 

Three things that have revolutionised the way I travel - Ortlieb panniers, CouchSurfing and Maps.me - I am grateful to live in an age where I have been introduced to all three.