'Alo Velo

Nothern Italy (Lakes District to Venice) (you guessed it - photos to come!)

2009-07-21T02:02:00.000-07:00

June 6 - 18

We took a train to Pavia, a town just south of Milan. The winds were so strong that we saw a tree fall over onto a car - it was quite scary riding around! The trip to Milan was easy as we cycled along another canal (without the head wind this time!). There were people fishing everywhere.

We ended up spending an extra night in Milan so we could do some sightseeing. We met some great people at the hostel - Adreanne, Elodie & Alex - and the man at the hostel was very helpful and friendly, helping us to sort out our phone a bit.

Cycling though the Lakes District was not quite as easy as we had expected, but we got to where we were planning to each day. At one stage, we literally ended up riding through a cow paddock, then had to climb up a big embankment & climb a fence, with the tandem, to get onto the cycleway! We also did some hills with 14% incline (those who cycle a bit will understand this is really tough).

We visited towns such as Sesto Calende, Varese, Como, Breggio, & Lecco, all of which are located right on the edges of the most beautiful lakes. We met some great people along the way, and had a lovely night out for pizza in Bergamo with Marcia (from NZ), and 3 Finnish guys who were travelling by car - it was lots of fun and nice to go out for a meal for a change.

We spent two days in Verona and did a bit of sightseeing. We visited Juliette´s (from Romeo & Juliette) balcony (it´s supposed to be good luck to touch her breast, so I did!!). The hostel we stayed in was the same one my mum stayed in 18 years ago when she did some backpacking through Europe. Again, met lots of nice people, and were lucky enough to be invited to visit another German family - Frank and his 10 year old son, Bruno, had ridden through the Alps from Munich to Verona (Bruno on his own bike). One downside in Verona, was that there was a robbery in the hostel on our last night. Mum actually saw the guy, but didn´t think that there was anything suspicious going on - he took money from a couple of girls.

A few more days of cycling through the Italian countryside and we made our way to Mira, a small town just west of Venice. The hostel was in the middle of nowhere (& the lady who ran it spoke no English at all, so that created some interesting "conversations"), but it was very peaceful, and we met some great people from Portugal there (another invitation to visit!!). We ended up travelling into Venice with them, and took a gondola ride along the canals, which was interesting, but very expensive. I learned some new card games and tricks from Adao & Tiago.

After 9 train trips through France & Italy with no problem as far as the tandem was concerned, our final trip out of Italy to Austria was a nightmare. Mum ended up getting a fine for not having a ticket for the bike, & the conductor saying he would have to go to the police if mum didn´t hand over her passport!! Got it sorted after much discussion & drama. The next train, mum had to beg & plead for the conductor to allow the tandem on. Then the final one, the conductor refused to let the train depart with the tandem on, until a woman came to explain we simply needed to put it in the last carriage rather than the front one (no problem, easily fixed, but with unnecessary drama from the conductor).

Trip to border of Italy/Austria was beautiful. We met many cyclists who gave us lots of advice, & one Austrian guy invited us to cycle from Bremmer to Innsbruck instead of taking the train. We were pleased we accepted, as it was 35km (pretty much all downhill), with some fantastic views.

Cinque Terra (Italy) (photos yet to come)

2009-07-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

June 3 - 6

We took a very slow train from Menton to Cinque Terra on the northern coastline of Italy. The area is famous for the 5 villages that perch on the edge of the coastal cliffs. We started the walk that joins the 5 villages, which is 12km, but only got to the 3rd one, as it was really hot. We met Natalie and Ryan, who are from USA, and saw them on and off over the 3 days we were there - they were lots of fun. We spent some time at the beach, but the surf was quite strong and dangerous, so it was a little scary. We saw an emu in the creek that leads to the ocean, so that was funny. We don´t know how or why it is there, but it is!!

Southern France & the Meditteranean

2009-07-21T01:28:00.000-07:00

May 25 - June 2

Knowing we were riding along a canal meant that it was going to be an easy one! Wrong. 136km of consistent headwinds and 70km of "cycleway" that was more like a goat track, with holes, puddles, tree stumps, rocks, etc. A few times we thought we were going to end up in the canal, as the wind was so strong and gusty.

Carcasonne itself was an amazing place, with the medieval city still as it has been for 100s of years. The hostel was inside the walls of the olde city, so that was a great place to stay. We were exhausted when we arrived at 8.00pm, so the guy at the hostel gave us extra bread, cheese and wine to have with our pasta.

The winds weren´t letting up, so we took a train to Nimes, but this took all day as there were train strikes in France. We met a couple from Germany (Monika and Rupert), who have invited us to come and visit them, which we hope to be able to do.

Cycling to Arles was ok til we had to turn north, then the headwind was giving us grief again - it was difficult to manage 10km per hour at some stages and the bike was being blown all over the place. It was the longest 20km of our lives. In Arles we met another German family (Ursula, Gert & Julia), who were travelling in the opposite direction to us on their bikes. They have also asked us to come and visit, and I will have a chance to go to a German school for a couple of days.

We had another day sitting around the train station in Marseille due to the train strikes, but eventually got one to St Raphael. This town is right on the coast and is just beautiful. The hostel is high on a hill, and has the best views of the coast and mountains!!

Cycling towards Nice was beautiful along the coastline and I had a swim at lunchtime. The water was crystal clear and quite warm, but the beaches are mostly rocks and gravel, not sand. We had plans to stay at an apartment in Nice (via secret connections!!), and that all worked out well. We had 4 nights there, so we were able to get a real feel of the city and the lifestyle. Thanks to Sarah and George (& Tony, of course) for this opportunity!!

Our final night in France was in a town called Menton, which is close to the Italian border. We got there early in the afternoon, so spent the rest of the day on the beach, then tackled to 2km mountain up to the hostel (by foot in the end!). We shared a room with an Australian lady (Sue) who is living in England at the moment. We went out for pizza, then had the worst night´s sleep ever, as a basketball club who was staying at the hostel came home about midnight and continued to be very noisy until about 2 am.

Now, we are off to Italy!

Time-Out in Toulousse

2009-07-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

May 22 - May 25 (Happy Birthday Deb!!)

We left Rocamadour very excited about visiting in Toulousse, and also to have a few days off the bike. After the first 35 km or so, we knew we deserved some downtime, as the going was very, very hard, with massive, long hills! Spent the night in Cahors, which is on top of a hill (of course!), next to the River Lot. Met a few people at the hostel doing Rue de St Jacques, some on foot, and one by bike.

Spent some time in city of Toulousse before heading off to visit our friends. It is known as the "pink city", as most of the buildings are built with local stone, and it is quite pink. There are some really good cycle paths around the city too. We had a bit of trouble getting to Beatrice & Christophe´s, but in the end we made it, with a bit of help from some local teenage boys, and lots of guessing!

We enjoyed our time with the family. Christophe had spent many hours fixing up their pool so Elma and I could have a swim, so that was fun. I watched some DVDs with Elma and relaxed a lot. We had a very long lunch on Sunday that went til about 5 o´clock!! It was lovely to be in a home in France and have time to wind down a little.

Next was the trip towards the French coast along the Midi Canal, from Toulousse to Carcasonne.

Le Lot and Quercy Regions

2009-06-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

14/5 - 22/5
Ended up spending 4 nights at BSD as hoped, and did day rides around the local area, which was just beautiful. The weather wasn't great the first day or two, so rides were short, but it was great to go home to the hostel with a great big open fire place.

Have decided that non-cyclists really don't understand the meaning of "no hills" as we discovered that a recommended route near BSD was VERY hilly!! Met some other cyclists from Paris at BSD, who were lots of fun, and even got an offer for accommodation once we are in London, with one lady's daughter.

The guy at the hostel (called Guy!!) gave me a beautiful key that could be hundreds of years old!! It lives around my neck!!

After leaving BSD we continued south to the Lot Valley and then onto the Cele Valley, so the cycling was easier along the rivers, except the first 6 km which was straight uphill. Thankfully we got a phonecall at the top, so it was a good excuse for a break!!

We stayed in "Gites" which are like hostels, but located in really small country towns rather than the cities.

One Gite was in the belltower of an old Church and we were near the top. Many of the people staying in the Gites are walking the St Jaques de Compostelle trails, which lead through France to Spain and then onto Santiago (Spanish west coast). Some have been walking for 3 months so far and have more to go!!

Met Mary and Bob, who are from USA but now live in France, so they can cycle (half their luck). They have a tandem that can be pulled apart into 3 bits, and they were also towing a trailer (keen!!). They gave us lots of good advice about cycling in France and suggested a couple of routes to do, but at this stage we can't fit them in.

Met a family from Toulousse when staying near Rocamadour (another medieval village) and they have invited us to come to stay with them on the weekend, so we are going to, that should be fun. This means changing plans a bit, so now we can do the Midi Canal, which Mary and Bob recommended. Yay.

Did a great cave tour at Padric, that involved a boat ride on an underwater river, which was fun and amazing. Headed off to Cahors on the tandem our way to catch the train to Toulousse to visit with Beatrice, Christophe and Elma (our new friends from Rocamadour).

Loire Valley

2009-06-12T00:47:00.000-07:00

8-13 May

Today we rode 70km from Nantes along Loire a Velo and it was lovely. We FINALLY realised velo means bike, so a velodrome is a bikeodrome!! But French call horse racing tracks Hipodromes so does that mean they call horses HIPPOS? We met a cycling club of old people and 1 guy was desperate for a ride on the tandy so he got one!!

Next day we rode a long... long... long way to Thouars !!146km!!

We were soooooo shattered when we got into the town and guess

what? The Hostel was SHUT!! Luckily 2 people who were staying

there directed us to a Hotel near the train station. People at

Hotel were lovely and gave mum a bottle of vino for FREE!! Not quite as big

as the one in the photo though!!!! Unfortunately for mum!!!

Next day we rode from Thouars to Montriel Bellay and then back to Thouars! Not very far at all though! When we got back to the YHA we went to cook dinner and... NO POTS. NO PANS. NO BOWLS. NO SPOONS. NO NOTHING!! A strange man staying at the hostel gave us a pot and a spoon that was his and we ate out of chickpea and diced tomatoe tins!! Wont be back to this 1!!

The next day we rode from Thouars to Tours! We saw Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Its beautiful!

Last third of ride was on the river but we had a headwind. Typical!! But very nice ride. YHA massive! We rode to Blois the next day and it was easy but we had a HEADWIND!! Rode up a massive hill to get groceries!! YHA is very small. We met a girl called Marianne, from Quebec, Canada, who is staying here. I also made friends with one of the local cats.

On our second day in Blois we decided to catch the bus into town and do some laundry and other things we needed to do! We caught the train to Brive La Gaillarde and rode to Beaulieu Sur Dordogne, which was about 40km, but the first 12 k was straight up, then after a brief flat bit, the next 18 k was also uphill. Only got to enjoy about 10 k downhill on the other side.

BSD very cute medieval township, and the hostel here has been used as accommodation of some type for as long as history can show. The visitors book has so many wonderful comments about the hostel and the people here, so we hope to be able to stay longer than originally planned, and do some day rides out of BSD. Tonight we are the only people staying at the hostel. Cool. THE END

Northern Britagne

2009-06-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

27/4- 6/5

On our first day in Northern Britagne we caught the three trains to St Malo and spent more time off trains than on!! Hostel LOVELY and awesome brekky! We just spent a day riding round St Malo and nearby towns.

We then rode to Dinan. It started off nice but then got a bit hairy. We stacked right in front of the info office!! School group staying here were very noisy!! Next day it rained non nonstop, but on the Canal, it was OK. We have our own ACTUAL HOUSE to stay in for the night!!

We rode a very hilly ride to Pleine-Fougeres it was very quiet

because it was a holiday so we had plain ol' basmati RICE for dinner!!

YUK. Yann (hostel man) was actually scraping food off trays that

wasnt being eaten by a walking group, into the bin and we had RICE!

We had to rearrange beds so we could stay because the walking group had booked out the WHOLE HOSTEL!

Next day we rode to Pontorson! I learned to count to 10 in French... YAY! We accidentally ended up finishing a bike and running race and everyone was cheering us on! Quite FUNNY!! Yann dropped off our cateye magnet because he was going to buy a bike and we got it for FREE cos he didnt tell us he was at the Hostel dropping it off!

The day after we went and visited Mont Saint Michel. It is beautiful!

I made friends with a very handsome fellow!!!!

This carpark is often underwater, as Mont-Saint-Michel has the largest tidal difference in Europe, so when the tide comes in, your car may become a boat if you don't leave in time!!

We made pizza for dinner. We woke up early the next morning and had a headwind the WHOLE way to Concale! Another School group! VERYYYY NOISY!

The next day we only rode 20km back to St Malo

and had dinner beside the beach. Got up very early

the next morning and caught the train to Nantes, which is

a town on the Loire River.

We did a short ride there that afternoon along a forest path and saw a snake, just like Kajika (or so we thought!!). It turns out that these little vipers are the most deadly snake in Europe and if you get bitten you have less than 2 hours to seek treatment or you are KAPUT!!!!! NICE!!!

Paris

2009-05-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

April 21-26

On our first morning in Paris I had my FIRST EVER French Breakfast which was buffet style so I made the most of it!!

We set up the tandy just before we caught the train into the city.

We found the language barrier a teeny weeny bit of a challenge but there was always someone to help!! Cycling in the City= WAY too scary seeing as they drive on the right (wrong) hand side so we left the Tandy in the courtyard of our Hostel in Montmartre, which is the trendy, arty area of the city, and very lively to say the least!!!!

Saw the main sights on a 2 day tour bus which was great
and saved us lots of walking

We also spent one day walking around Chateau Versaille which is a beautiful palace which belonged to Napoleon and Marie-Antoinette.
On our last night we decided to treat ourselves to a Pizza-Pasta dinner that cost HEAPS!!

By the time we were scheduled to leave we felt so comfortable in Paris that we really didn't want to go, but knowing we had lots of adventures ahead of us made it easier.

x

On the Plane and On the Way

2009-05-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

19 - 20/4/09

Tonight/Today mum and I got dropped off at the Airport at midnight by Peter Henderson (THANKYOU SO MUCH!!) and we got on an Emirates Plane.

I watched Twilight, Bolt, Wild Child, and LOTS of Friends episodes. It was good to watch these movies cos I hadn't seen them before and had REALLY wanted to see them for a long time!! Mum was in the middle of me and another person so it was a pain for them both having to get up every so often for me to go to the toilet!! Mum watched Australia and Slumdog Millionaire. We had to stop over in Singapore and then Dubai. We were fed HEAPS and whenever I said to mum... "I'm hungry" it was like they could hear me and came down the aisle with meals for all the kids!!

When we arrived in Paris it took almost 2 WHOLE HOURS to get a cab that would take us 7kms to our hotel and fit the bike!! Luckily we had 2 really nice taxi attendants to help us out with the cabs! We got into "camp" at about 11:30 pm and after a long 26 hour flight I was (as Angus would say) KNACKERED!! :)