Review of B2B&B.

Saturday 5th October 2024. Lucky Me Month!

Bratislava to Rotterdam – 32km. Total for trip 2125km.

It’s a big job reviewing the trip that started in August in Bratislava and only just finished today. I probably won’t be able to do it full justice but here goes:-

When I started I wanted to try to semi-replicate the experiences of my ride across Europe in 2013. I wanted to have a solo cycling experience through areas of Europe I have never been to before. I think I did a decent job.

I particularly enjoy the fact that I cannot predict what will happen each day. The travels have created experiences that I will never forever….but I can only remember them because I have written it down in this blog!

A journey by plane with a bike is always a bit of a worry. I never quite know whether the bike will be OK when I assemble it. The logistical issues of handling two panniers and the smaller ‘top box’ plus the bike box are tricky. I was relieved once I had every thing reassembled at Bratislava airport….and it worked.

The trip started bloody hot….over 30 degrees every day but I really enjoyed getting started and I quickly moved through Slovakia and Austria into the Czech Republic. I was conscious that I was on or close to the Iron Curtain that only came down around 1990. Definitely within my adult memory.

Brno was interesting. It was the place I slept in a (rather damp) nuclear bunker and the city where I had to spend a second night because of my one and only cycle breakdown.

I was sooo lucky that I could actually get the gear shifter I needed to repair the bike. I feared that I could have been staying in Brno for days waiting for a part to be delivered. I shouldn’t complain because it was a nice place and the weather was great….but I have ‘itchy feet’ when I travel, I always want to keep moving.

I was especially surprised by Kutna Hora. It was an unexpected gem with a large art gallery, palace and St Barbara’s Cathedral.

The big hitter of the Czech Republic is, of course, Prague. I maybe saw it at its best. It was sunny and (maybe) not quite as busy as it can be. I had two days and it as plenty to offer to fill the time.

The day before I left Czechia was the last scorcher. I was especially pleased to have a dip in an open air pool. It was a highlight because it was the first time I had been properly cool since I started….and it was unexpected too.

I crossed the German border and my first amazement was Dresden. It is especially good when considering that it was bombed so badly and has been rebuilt. The evening of free food stalls was a great surprise.

I learned so much about Martin Luther and the creation of Protestantism. I also learned so much about the end of the Second World War….the horrors of Nazi oppression and the following oppression by the Russians, often in the same places for the same terrible reasons.

I was particularly amazed by Potsdam. This photo is Sanssouci Palace, it is one of about 7 or 8 palaces in the same park area. Its history for the Prussian monarchy and also the historic treaty of Allied leaders after the War was fascinating.

It was wonderful to see my wife Janice in Berlin for a 4 day break.

I cycled onwards in a westerly direction. Brandenburg, Magdeburg, Braunschweig and Hannover are all steeped in history and worth a visit in their own rights.

I was especially thankful for the welcome I received by the twinning committee of Rinteln (the German town twinned with Kendal). I was treated royally and hosted for two nights.

Into the Netherlands for my final week. Another different cultural feel. The Dutch people all seem to speak perfect English….it definitely helps! Deventer, Amersfoort and Utrecht were superb. The cycling culture here is unbelievable. It is a lifestyle rather than an occasional form of exercise.

Finally Rotterdam was the end point of the trip. The weather was being very kind too. I zipped around to see all the modern architectural brilliance.

How lucky am I….to be able to have the money and time to see the places and do the things I have done. I know that solo cycling for 5 weeks may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is mine. Actually I have had very few cups of tea….I have had rather a lot of….ice cream….bier….and cake too!

I am lucky – that I only had one bike break down. Thank you to my trusty Marin bike. I keep threatening to put it out to ‘pasture’. I didn’t even have a puncture and I didn’t swallow any flies at all!

I’m lucky – that I got through Central Europe before they had torrential flooding.

I’m lucky – that I have good health to do what I do, especially after eating the ice cream, cake and drinking the bier.

Lastly, I am super lucky to have Janice who is happy for me to take on a challenge like this.

It must be Lucky Me Month!

Thank you to all the people I met for their kindness and thank you to all the readers. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoy the nonsense I write! Till next time….