holland-belgium-france | FindPenguins

Newest first

holland-belgium-france Traveler
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
2 likes
holland-belgium-france Traveler
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
0 likes
holland-belgium-france Traveler
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
TravelerIt's always worth it to stop for a photo.
6/15/18Reply
TravelerNot always...I'd never get anywhere! I skipped so many :-(
6/15/18Reply
I definitely had that feeling on my last day in Ireland. A headwind and rain did not help!
7/10/18Reply
Oh, that last one was by Kierie btw
7/10/18Reply
1 like
holland-belgium-france Traveler
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! :-DRead more
1 like
holland-belgium-france Traveler
Keeper of the castle
June 16, 2018 in France ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
The wedding venue was incredible, and even had a french bulldog running around, glad to eat scraps and be pet by the approximately 150 dog lovers in attendance
1 like
holland-belgium-france Traveler
When you give your guests a photobooth
June 16, 2018 in France ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
Cousin, uncle, random french guy
1 like
holland-belgium-france Traveler
1
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
0 likes
holland-belgium-france Traveler
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
0 likes
holland-belgium-france Traveler
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
0 likes

Trip end
June 23, 2018