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Karen Fig
Karen Fig

Karen Fig

traveled in 9 countries Read more🇺🇸Chicago
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  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler

    Saxony

    September 4, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    One of my favorite views along the Elbe was the Sandstone Mountains. Unfortunately they were so beautiful that I missed a turn and ended up on what barely qualified as path for a couple of miles. Whoops.

    I would have preferred to admire them from much closer, but that's the drawback of bike touring: you get to see a lot more than usual methods of travel, but you never have time for it all.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler

    Elbe

    September 3, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    I left Dresden on the Elbe River path. Beautiful, flat, and perfectly paved, it's a trail that spans multiple countries in Europe for about 800 miles.

    It is full of people of all ages, from children to retirees, riding bicycles with tents and sleeping bags strapped to them, and along the way you find a lot of Cycle Camps, which cater specifically to bike tourers by having a spot to pitch a tent and outdoor patios that serve food and beer. So dreamy.Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    1945
    19452019They left a chunk of rubble as a memorialThe Dresden Opera Hoise, another building rebuilt from rubble

    Dresden

    September 2, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Dresden was bombed to complete rubble in World War II, 1945. The skyline disappeared. For 40 years, the ruins of this church in particular, Frauenkirche, were used as a war memorial and a site of peaceful demonstrations against the East German government.

    After the reunification of Germany, they rebuilt a lot of Dresden's beautiful Baroque buildings exactly as they had been. After 20 years of construction, Dresden rose again.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    Luckily it was all downhill to Dresden after that mess

    Obstacles

    September 2, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Near the end of the day, I encountered construction going through the main road of the town. I didn't see any obvious ways around with my map, so I asked an eight year old kid with a bike for directions.

    Well, I'm assuming there was an official detour for cars, but I definitely got the eight-year-old kid -with-a-bike version of it, which was more...direct. I ended up going up a steep, unpaved hill, through a forest with a poorly maintained single-track path, and across a sturdy but very narrow "bridge." All of this led me to a field that eventually got me back on the road. Thanks, kid. I guess.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler

    Just a regular Monday morning

    September 2, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Things bike touring and construction have in common:

    -hi vis clothing and head protection required
    -long, grueling days
    - you get up ridiculously early but end up running late anyway
    -the tool you just used isn't where you left it
    - you're too tired to do anything but drink a beer and pass out at the end of the day
    -no good reason to bother with clean clothes
    -people tell you not to wear headphones but sometimes you do it anyway
    -everything hurts, ibuprofen only kind of helps
    - your bag is heavy and filled with stuff you dont use but there's still something you left at home that you need
    -coffee is necessary
    - you're constantly exposed to the elements but the only real excuse to stop is lightning
    -Sense of accomplishment clouded by pain
    -You want to wash your hands at break but there's nowhere to do it
    -"i really hope that giant truck sees me"
    - you waited too long to put on sunblock
    - you're not going as fast as you think you are
    - it's hard to tell if you're really tan or just covered in dirt

    Ok I'll stop now. Cause i shouldn't be wasting time on my phone. Hey, that's another one!    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    Pickle in a punt
    Pickle in a puntPickle trailHow the sausage gets made. And by sausage, I mean pickles and beer (cucumber flowers and hops)People were literally buying buckets'o'pickles. I opted for single servingI really wanted to use the pickle spear, but I couldn't figure out howNot pickles. But a sausage vending machine!

    Spreewald

    September 1, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    My home for the evening is (apparently) known for its pickles. Specifically for the gherkins.

    They take them like, REAL serious cause they're the best gherkins in the world or something. Hey, we all have our thing!

    Obviously i had to try one of these things.

    It was pretty good, nice and juicy and full of necessary electrolytes, everything a pickle should be...but I still think Andrew makes them better.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    The river spree, which I more or less followed all the way from Berlin!
    The river spree, which I more or less followed all the way from Berlin!I got to see and smell this forest for like a hundred miles and I already miss itSo pretty, much beautifuli mean just LOOK AT THOSE SWANS. Holy shit it was pretty. These weren't even the only ones I saw!!The town of Lübbenau had some statues of mystical spree forest creatures in the main squareManaged to get a picture of a glowing forest sprite in its natural habitat

    Spreewald

    September 1, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    The Spree Forest is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve area, recognized for its fragile wetland areas and alpine forests. I spent the better part of two days riding through what felt like a magical natural wonderland. It was lovely. The trees smelled exactly like a pine-scented air freshener, and the tributaries meandering through the wetlands were beautiful enough to make me get over the fact that I had to carry my bike up and down multiple pedestrian bridges since the whole place is basically a bunch of islands separated by tiny rivers. In fact, the area used to be exclusively traveled by punts, which, in my understanding, are European canoes. I saw many of them, and they look like they would have be difficult to get a bike on, so I guess I got off easy.

    I was really hoping to see an otter, but I had to settle for swans, which are pretty fucking majestic I guess. I looked at my phone later and had (if I had to guess) many hundreds of pictures of swans and trees. I narrowed it down to one of each, cause ain't nobody got time for that

    Except me, obviously
    All I got is time to be the tree-and-swan-arazzi
    I was always meant to be

    (I have clearly been spending too much time alone. I'll show myself out now...)    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    No swimming for fascists! (I think that's what it says...hah)

    fck afd

    September 1, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    The power of tagging is amazing. No wonder it's criminalized.

    I was planning on stopping in the next town for lunch, but on my way in, I saw two AFD tags, right on the bike lane. AFD, or the Alternative for Deutschland party, is Germany's new and quickly-growing extremely conservative party. They are German nationalists. Anti-immigrant, anti-feminist and anti-Muslim.

    Just like that, I felt chilled and decided not to eat there because it felt unsafe.

    I know even if I met an AFD member, just like a Trump supporter they'd be capable of a normal conversation and not just outright attack me. But it doesn't matter. The tagging was effective, and I understood that this place was not for me.

    It reminds me of when Andrew and I rode into Maine from Quebec, and literally the first house after the border crossing had a GIANT Trump sign.

    It's about sending a message.

    Conversely, seeing open anti-fascist and anti-AFD graffiti makes me feel welcome. It gives me some peace to know that there are people out there who are not willing to silently stand by.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    Punch-a-nazi-in-the-face-eweisen
    Punch-a-nazi-in-the-face-eweisenOne of these on every corner is not enoughThis is tricky to eat sober. Imagine doing it after a few beers!Currywurst: better than it looks. Not as good as it should beMy first meal in berlin was paneer served on a sizzling skillet and I probably can't top that, ever

    The only german food I've had is beer

    August 31, 2019 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 79 °F

    Seeing the ruins of fascism is cool and all, but I really just come to europe for the kebabs

    Berlin is food heaven for me. There is literally an entire park dedicated to Thai street food (called Thaipark, of course). The streets are lined with Turkish, Vietnamese, and Indian restaurants open late into the night

    The most "German" thing I've eaten, which I only did because it is apparently a drunk-Berlin staple, is Currywurst, which is a bratwurst covered in curry ketchup. It wasn't bad, but I'm probably going to stick to meat roasted on a stick    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    You have to imagine all of these photos with a serious "UNZ UNZ UNZ" in the backgroundFor a brief moment I thought there was tear gas ahead. Nope. Fog machine.

    Fuckparade

    August 31, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    I encountered thousands of people in the street today and my first impression was that it was some sort of demonstration.

    But, these people were dancing and there were very few signs. It was more like a...techno parade...

    Turns out it was both.

    "The Fuckparade is an annual summer technoparade in Berlin. The event began in 1997 as a demonstration against the increasing commercialisation of culture and public life and the misuse of the right of assembly by purely commercial ventures." (Wikipedia)

    "[In 2006], after some changes in the organizational team, the Fuckparade shifted its entire focus to political issues, ranging from violent repression of illegal parties and sub cultural activities to gentrification and new surveillance laws." (Electronicbeats.net)

    So literally - a political techno protest. Which is like the most stereotypically Berlin thing in the world.    Read more

  • Karen Figgermany-czechia-austria-switzTraveler
    i hope we find true peace one day
    i hope we find true peace one dayThe Brandenburg gate, built in 1791, was closed between east and west berlin from 1961-1989Sunset on the spree riverDusk in Mauerpark, or "wall park."

    impressions of freedom

    August 31, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Berlin is: art and graffiti. nocturnal. a beautiful, endless world of clubs that don't open until midnight and tiny sweltering bars in run-down brick buildings. they are probably so cozy in the winter; in the summer, not so much.

    People are out drinking in the streets and sidewalks all night long, smoking hookah, watching the sun set along the river, or barbecuing in the green space that used to be the death strip along the berlin wall.

    Or, of course, dancing, probably to techno.

    It feels like a huge contrast to Chicago, where the police literally kick everyone out of the parks at 11pm sharp and fine or arrest you for doing something as simple strolling down the street with a beer.

    After my bike ride from the airport, I walked 11 miles and ended up dancing at 2:30am at a place that felt like the 90s- no air conditioning, fog machine, loud house music, literally underground. I got back to the hostel at 5am, walking past still-thumping bars and clubs that don't stop until the sun comes up, and sometimes not even then.

    It seems like an endless party here, and it definitely could be if you wanted that. But more generally, I think this is what it feels like when a city belongs to its people.    Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    reunited

    July 27, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    It took a month, but I finally got my bike back. It was itching to get out of its box by the time it got to me.

    what a nightmare. i would recommend against flying wow air, but they have unsurprisingly gone out of business since then.

    anyway - all's well that ends well. First 800 miles through europe officially done.    Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler
    Last view of Paris
    Last view of ParisMy bike carried her own box half a mile to the airport shuttle! What a sport

    Lost

    June 19, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    My dear, strong, perfect, beloved bike never made it back to me at the airport in Chicago. At 1am, two hours after landing and waiting, I had to give up. I called the airline but they told me I have to make a claim at the airport. Everyone from the airline had gone home for the night. It's the next morning and I'm on my way back to O'Hare, hoping for the best, imagining the worst.

    Where are you, Ice Dragon? Forgotten in a corner of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris? Abandoned and alone in Iceland during the connecting flight? I can't believe we came all this way only for this to happen at the end.    Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler
    1Me and my date
    1Me and my dateGodparentsNathalie's husband's band, the Woofettes, playedJust family stuffI love my family cause they love their dogs

    I think we clean up ok

    June 16, 2018 in France ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    The wedding was epically beautiful and fun. Stayed up all night with wine and tequila. At 7am i collapsed in my medieval bed. Woke up feeling not like a human. After 15 miles and 12 hours straight of partying, the castle steps were particularly treacherous and people were slowly shuffling around eating Nutella on baguettes and drinking coffee. I got a ride back to Paris with a couple of Nathalie's friends. It was a really, really, hard 7 hour drive after a really, really great night.Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    1200 kilometers

    June 15, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Well, I've more less made it. 760 miles from the port city of Amsterdam to the port city of Brest, in France. I still have another 15 miles or so to the wedding, and then back, and there will be so last minute Paris riding, but....no more 50 mile days. No more camping, or trails, or bruises on my hands from the handlebars, or concerning levels of dehydration.

    I guess I should feel happy, or a sense of accomplishment, but mostly I feel really tired, and I'm really looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow, because although the trip has been....amazing, an adventure, beautiful, hard, and so much more....

     ...i guess anything that doesn't involve people I love is hard to feel strictly "happy" about. Ice cream sure does help though! :-D    Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    Sizun, France

    June 15, 2018 in France ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    The "oh man that looks cool but I only have 20 miles left and I want them freaking over with" photograph struggle

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    Plougastel-Daoulas, France

    June 15, 2018 in France ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    To my surprise, everything here, in the western Brittany region of France, is in both French and Breton, a Celtic language. From Wikipedia:

    "Brittany is the traditional homeland of the Breton people and is recognised by the Celtic League as one of the six Celtic nations, retaining a distinct cultural identity that reflects its history."

    Super fascinating to have reached a part of France where it's not even really French! I have no idea how to pronounce half the towns I passed through today.    Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    Last day of riding

    June 15, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    I can't freaking WAIT. I haven't had reliable service or a way to charge my phone in days, basically. More updates later - dinner with my godparents in Brest tonight, assuming I can ride 60 miles in a reasonable amount of time!Read more

  • Karen Figholland-belgium-franceTraveler

    Last campsite

    June 14, 2018 in France ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    It just didn't seem worth it to set up the tent when I really only wanted to rest for a few hours before setting out on my last day as early as possible. Luckily, rural bus stops make great napping spots! It was very cozy and there weren't even any spiders 👍Read more

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