The first Journey 14.11.'01 - 01.12.'01 "Back to my Love"
It was decided one morning over a coffee that it is time to move on. So John, who was cycling through Ireland and made a stop in the mill by the time, and myself decided to cycle to Germany. After I got new brake pads, fixed a puncture to make the bike going again, a short trial run to Kilkenny and a blessing with St.Moulins water by Sean the journey could start.
It was mid of November and it was time to move on...
The Wexford County Council build this new road from New Ross to Rosslare with even a cycle track. But my rims were old and the track so bumpy that it took just a few bumps and the first spokes were ripped out of the rim. But luckily this happened in Ireland and I could buy a new rear wheel in town.
And so we went on across the ocean to Cherbourg in France and because we did't have a map, just a compass Sean gave us, and I can't really climb hills with my one gear, we decided to keep always beside the sea. And so we cycled up north towards Holland. The first people we asked for the way to Holland couldn't give us any directions, and must have thought we're crazy...
It was a brilliant cycle, through the veggie fields of France that fed us, passed the invasion beaches where the allied troops landed in WW2, they left all there army rubbish behind, and through one and another bar along the coast were we always got good wine in all quantities.
After a while Johns tires were completely worn down, and nothing could stop the tube of getting punctured, so that we were finally stranded in Bolonge and couldn't go no further... But as things are, the sun was shining and we were sitting beside the road making music, as a photograph came by and made some photos of us. And he was a very nice man and into cycling himself, so that he had his connections and one hour later we had two new tires and a new puncture repair kit for nearly nothing.
Thanks to you and always a tailwind on your journeys!
So we cycled on, and after a few days we reached Belgium in the evening... I've been in Belgium before, and could remember that the coast was not too nice, so we stopped 300m before the border to pass Belgium the next day in one day. And so we did! The first half to Oostende was brilliant, sunshine and a nice tune on the lips, but after lunch in Oostende the first rain on our journey started and it didn't stop for the rest of the day... So we reached the Dutch border completely wet and the first roundabout in Holland was the place where we erected our tent for the night and slept well.
In Holland it was peculiar, because in general the weather didn't recover, but always as soon we smoked a spliff the rain stopped and we got a tail wind... So what else could we do than smoking... But as we came closer to the German border we ran out of weed and money and so it was raining non stop for the last three days of our journey. For the last 50km until Oldenburg we even made the big mistake not to put on our raincoats anymore and as more raindrops our clothes soaked up as more weight we had to carry and it was harder for us to move on. So we reached Oldenburg half drowned, but got a hot shower...
John fell in love with Julia's friend Jassi and stayed in Germany except for their trips since.
Great trip, thanks John!
And here comes the 2nd trip...
It still takes a while until I put some pictures here, cause they are lying in Germany and have to be scanned in