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Vagabonding
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Vagabonding

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    Robbed and wanted by the police

    10. april 2023, Marokko ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    I start the day still a little tired from the exciting overnight stay with Zacharias and his family. Zacharias takes me to the police station to show them that I am in good condition. Then my journey continues.

    I pass a police checkpoint, where I explain the itinerary once more and leave my phone number.

    I want to drive a bit off the national road again today. It worked out well yesterday. 😊
    Just as I turn off and want to change to a side road, someone shouts from behind: "No,No! This is the wrong road!"
    A black Mercedes pulls up next to me and the driver tells me it's the wrong road.
    So there we have the plainclothes police. I point to my sat nav and argue that this is the short route though.
    "No no, that's the wrong road!" (my "wrong" road is 5km shorter than his "right" one. 30 minutes diversions 😤. ) I obey the police order and continue on the national road.
    The Mercedes follows me for hours at intervals of a few hundred metres. It gets on my nerves.

    Today it is also particularly hot and I am exhausted. At a river I drive off the road to the right and build a shady shelter for a siesta at noon. The black Mercedes is not in sight at the moment.

    A couple of guys come up to me and want some coins. Actually, I don't like to give money, but I'm really not strong-willed enough for a discussion, so I give them some.
    The boys are persistent and want more. More money and also some food. It's the "get everything you can" shtick I've seen before. Often enough I've seen that mischievous sideways look between their faces to realise that it's just an act. Within seconds, relatively happy kids turn into very, very needy kids. In the process, they further inflame each other and play a bit of theatre to get something out of it. It doesn't matter what you give them, they suddenly need something.
    I don't want to ignore the bad economic situation, be arrogant or make fun of it - I like to give to poor people within my means, but in my opinion, these boys don't need it as much as others and their diffuse desire to get something, be it food, a pen or something else, shows me that it is not acute.
    So after giving them some money, I go back to my shady spot, as the sun is really shining mercilessly from the sky today.
    The kids quickly lose interest and move on.

    My mobile phone rings, the number is unknown to me. It contains several double digits - to make it easier to remember the number. It must be the police, because you always have to pay extra for such a special phone number. I'm sure no one in the normal population has money to spare for such frills.
    I'm not in the mood for a conversation right now. First they keep me on their 'safe' roads and make me take detours, then they lose me and now they want to know where I am so they can keep following me.
    The ringing stops.

    After five minutes the next call comes.
    Then a call from a new number. So now two policemen are looking for me. I've moved up in the wanted list! 🙌
    After five minutes, the first number again.
    Then the second number again.
    My will to cooperate dries up completely. I switch off my mobile phone.

    As the sun fades and the temperature drops, I get on my bike and tackle the rest of the route.
    In the evening at the campsite I notice that my wallet is missing.
    I search all my pockets, but actually I know that the last time I took it out was in front of this group of boys.
    They actually stole my money and credit card...

    All I have left now is my Maestro card with high withdrawal fees and emergency cash in euro notes.
    A solution will be found tomorrow. Inshallah. 🙏

    The cash problem will become even more acute in the coming days.
    Now I notice that the debit card no longer gives money either. A phone call to the bank tells me that this card is also blocked. 😬
    They can't do anything more for me at the moment, just leave a note for my personal customer advisor, who will call me back.

    For the first time on this trip I feel unfree, life is difficult. Having cash always available has made the journey very pleasant. From now on I have to keep a close eye on the money until the problem is solved. Turn over every euro and, in an emergency, take a plane to the family to get cash from there.

    While writing a message to my bank asking them to call me back again, I read that the card is blocked 'at the customer's request' 🤨 - and then I realise my fatal mistake.
    Instead of a new credit card, I ordered a new debit card. The old one was automatically blocked. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

    I try to get cash for myself by trying Western Union and two other financial service providers that advertise sending cash internationally quickly and easily. All three services fail due to technical deficiencies. 😂😂
    I can hardly believe my luck.
    Maybe I'll have to get on a plane and collect cash from the family after all.

    The whole problem has been dragging on for a few days now. In the meantime, I'm in Fez and looking for a solution from there.
    At about this time, a backpacker I had already met in Spain crosses my path.
    He helps me by making himself available as a cash dispenser.
    Shortly afterwards, I receive a phone call from my bank telling me that they have been able to cancel the card blocking and that the card is now working again. 🙏    Les mer

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    To have or not to have

    11. april 2023, Marokko

    There is a difference between knowing how rich and good we live in Europe (Germany) and experiencing it through direct exchange.

    Strolling through the medina, I pass a small dark entrance to a café. The two-metre-long corridor leads into a larger, dark and very smoky room, which is occupied by a television.

    I'm about to go out again when I hear a 'Hey, my friend!
    I start talking to Adil, who lives here and also likes to hang out after work. The TV in the corner serves as a cinema for everyone, there is no real cinema in the city anymore, so the small café becomes a social space.
    He is a man of song lyrics. Often enough he answers one of my questions with a rhyme from a song. We talk about good films. He was in one when he was a teenager. At the time, Willem Dafoe was in town for a film adaptation of the Bible story. He got a small part and ran into the actor once.
    He has met Andy Garcia too, but ignored him at the time and didn't think he was important. Only later did he find out how famous he already was and got annoyed 😄.

    Out of a casual acquaintance, we meet several times and he invites me to his house. We have Harira, the Moroccan soup, simple coffee and sweet pastries.
    I get another impression of what life is like here. His family used to be wealthy, now he lives with his father and brother in a small house. He has the only income in the household, the father is sick and the brother is unemployed. He buys things at a second-hand market, repairs and cleans them before selling them on.
    His brother is trying to join his wife abroad and is just waiting for the documents to be filled out that will allow him to leave the country. In a few weeks, the time will come and Adil will have to take care of his father alone.
    All three of them share a mobile phone.
    Despite this life of poverty, he gives to me wearing sandals and a traditional Moroccan robe as a farewell gift.
    Hospitality comes first in this country.    Les mer

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    Moulay Idriss Zerhoun

    12. april 2023, Marokko ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I visit the hilly Moulay Idriss. Volubilis, the most important Roman archaeological site in North Africa, is just outside the city.
    We don't agree on the entrance fee, I don't want to spend the money on just looking at a few stones, and there don't seem to be any further information panels that would help me to remember the place.
    I feed the street dog Lina and walk into town.

    There are three lookout points and many children who are happy to guide you to one of the points. I am accompanied by Ines (9) and Mohamed (9), who show me their town and take me to all the viewpoints.
    They collect a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. When the bouquet threatens to turn into a huge place setting, I have to stop them (and another boy who has rushed over). 😄
    They get a little pocket money for the tour and I make my way back to Meknès.    Les mer

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    Fès

    14. april 2023, Marokko ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    I found a really nice campsite. A bit outside the big city, but very big and green.

    Originally, I only wanted to stay here for a short time, but chance decided otherwise:
    I'm standing in the middle of Morocco's largest old town and the country's second largest city, when a familiar head walks past me.
    I recognise the hair. That's Dolph from Seville, isn't it?
    I run after him and sure enough, it's him. We spend some very funny afternoons and evenings together and almost become hostel managers.

    Since I don't have much time left within my 90-day stay and
    I can't decide what else I want to see, I just stay. The campsite becomes my home for a fortnight and I quickly make friends with Mohamed and two Nourredines from the staff.

    In between, Montezuma's revenge catches me and makes my stomach go Ramba-Zamba. I feel really bad for one day, sleep completely in my tent at the campsite and succumb to my fever dreams. Afterwards, the fever is gone, but the Ramba-Zamba in my stomach haunts me for a while.    Les mer

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    Bonding with Vagabonds

    5. mai 2023, Marokko ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    I try to learn from all the encounters on my journey and take something with me. New perspectives, new ways of thinking.
    I learn a lot from Ishmaelle and Danielle in a very short time. Since they are also vagabonds, we have some things in common and can exchange experiences. We have deep conversations about God and the world, travelling, love and the search for a better life.
    I experience great warmth from them.

    They are much freer on the road than I am. With their two folding bikes and their backpacks, they can hitch a ride at any time. They have reduced their luggage to a minimum. That alone still amazes me and I start another list of things I could throw overboard 😁.
    They live much more cheaply than I do, because they take many meals from nature.

    We spend the day together and pick mulberries by the kilo and fill our bellies with them. We eat flowers and plant seeds that we find here and there. Bathing in the lagoon of Moulay Bousselham.
    The life they lead feels different. Much freer than mine, even less planned and timed. Too much planning constricts and prevents great coincidences. Anything can happen. The moment counts.

    We find a blueberry field and get permission to pick there. Another free meal. A really good one. I haven't had this many blueberries in 20 years. 😁 Then, after too short a time, I already have to leave them to cash in my ferry ticket.
    For now, it bites to say goodbye and review the experiences.    Les mer

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    Random Acts of Kindness

    8. mai 2023, Marokko ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    On my way to Tangier, I am accompanied by Youssef, a boy of about 15, of whom I know nothing more than his name. We have tried to speak to each other, but we don't get anywhere with our languages, only non-verbally. For a while now, he rides his bicycle sometimes beside me, sometimes behind me. Every now and then I sing a song that's stuck in my head or am happy about little things I show him.

    I plan to return some of the Moroccan hospitality today and invite him to a picnic. I don't tell him though, it will be a surprise. 😊
    I get one or two more things and then look for a reasonably nice meadow. He's probably already wondering what I'm doing, he looks so questioning. 😃

    Finally it's revealed: bread, spread, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers make a good base for Moroccan burgers, and there's apples and oranges for dessert.
    When I tell him to sit down on the picnic blanket and eat, he is very shy at first, takes only a little and looks at me asking if he can. He has certainly never experienced anything like this before: tourists who invite you to eat - the world turns upside down.
    Little by little I encourage him to take more and we have a really good picnic. 😃

    It's great fun to share and give back a small part of what I was able to experience in terms of (guest) friendship in this country.

    The next day I meet Ilyass again, with whom I review our backpacking trip through Morocco and talk about upcoming adventures.
    Two months ago, we met in Akchour and a unique friendship developed.    Les mer

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    Monaco

    16. mai 2023, Monaco ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    From Morocco to Monaco. Since I'm already in the area, I wanted to cross the country off my list. ☑️

    The photos I take here show the largest accumulation of capital I have ever seen. Here, 30-metre yachts are lined up next to each other and all kinds of luxury cars can be seen on the streets. This is where the life is lived that advertisements and influencers so often play us.

    All the people are really chic - as if they'd come out of a catalogue - and some sports groups are steeling their bodies outside to the sound of training music. Plus the blue sky and all the luxury goods. If this isn't paradise for some!
    Today, however, the cars have to slow down because I'm cruising leisurely along the streets with the Black Pearl. ⛵️
    Drink up, pirates yo-ho.

    Due to the limited space available (and upper five-figure square metre prices), the principality uses every square metre very efficiently. The roads wind their way up the steep mountain slopes with the help of tunnels and bridges, among other things, and look to me like a wildly built roller coaster. I have a hard time keeping track of which level I'm on and how I get to the other levels, let alone my destination, because the direct route is rarely available.    Les mer

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    Vacation at the lake

    24. mai 2023, Italia ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    After Monaco, I get caught in a big storm that will flood northwest Italy for the next three days. I take refuge in a rainproof shelter and watch the rain.
    This early summer, some regions in Italy are flooded. In the Emilia-Romagna region, the amount of water that usually falls in half a year falls within 36 hours.

    To avoid the still unstable weather, I take a train to my friends Julius and Anja, who are on holiday in Italy with their campervan.    Les mer

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    Botanical Beauties

    25. mai 2023, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    I am terrible at remembering names of flowers. Really terrible.
    I remember times when my mother showed me around the garden telling me all those names but they just wouldn’t stick in my head. After some minutes I would mix them all up if I could remember them at all.
    So here we are. I can’t tell any more about those botanical beauties, only show them to you. Enjoy!    Les mer

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    Via Ferrata

    31. mai 2023, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we're going up a mountain with Julius. We have miscalculated several estimates.
    We need much more time than we thought. There is still a lot of snow covering our trail. Already uphill we walk a bit off the path and have to orientate ourselves again and again where the actual path is. We then climb up a few difficult rock sections.
    At the top we have a wonderful view, but then a difficult and long descent follows, over snow and scree fields.
    Without smartphone navigation, we train our orientation senses and also need a really long time for the descent.
    The route is classified as 'walkable with children'. I would like to meet these children...    Les mer

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    Finishing Italy

    1. juni 2023, Italia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    I always think I have found the best places on my journey by looking at a satellite map.
    This time I am not disappointed when I find the two lakes just before the Slovenian border. I struggle up the mountain, but the view is worth it. It reminds me of Lake Karer in the Dolomites, which I also liked very much.

    Days in Italy: 19
    Kilometres travelled: 373.6
    Metres in altitude: 2809    Les mer

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    Bled & Vintgar Gorge

    2. juni 2023, Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    South-east of the Triglav National Park, which I unfortunately skipped because of my heavy bike, lies Bled, the pearl of Slovenia.
    Of all the regions I have seen in Slovenia (Triglav would certainly have been the crowning glory), I liked Bled best.
    Unfortunately, the big disadvantage is the large number of tourists there and the regulations that come with it. On the day I visited, it was easily 28 degrees and there were not enough shady places, not enough benches to sit on, but instead signs everywhere saying "No picnics or walking on the grass! 😕
    If you manage to ignore the crowds, you have a beautiful panorama. In the middle of the lake is an island on which a church has been built. With the forests in the background, it makes a great motif.

    A few kilometres to the northwest is the Vintgar Gorge, which was made accessible in the early 19th century. It winds through the rocks for several kilometres and ends in the highest waterfall in Slovenia (16 metres high, not in the photos).
    Unfortunately, no old steam locomotive passed by during my visit, so I took a photo from the internet. 🤓    Les mer

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    Show me your crow!

    8. juni 2023, Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Shortly before Ljubljana I find a crow lying on the road.
    It must have been hit by a car recently and I first get it off the road.
    I try to find out where I can take it - not so easy.
    Two passers-by find a phone number for me, which I then call. The doctor on the other end explains that he can't take the animal himself, but that I should try the university's veterinary hospital. The crow is packed up and then taken there as quickly as possible. 🚨

    There is a young man sitting in the waiting room whom I ask if I am in the right place to drop off an injured bird.
    He asks me what I have.
    "I brought a crow that got hit by a car."
    He: "Me too. Let's see your crow !" 😆

    We wait for a moment, then the steel door leading from the waiting room into the laboratory opens. A veterinarian comes out of the door and talks to the teenager about the condition of his crow.
    I don't understand a word and don't even focus on the conversation, because I'm completely distracted by the little bird sitting on her shoulder the whole time. 😳
    The woman must really have a special talent with animals. My crow is in good hands here. Who knows what tricks she can teach her!
    I'll leave her there in the care of the bird whisperer and on we go.

    To get to know the city a bit better in the coming days, I decide to look for a good camp spot. This is a bit more difficult than I thought, but eventually I find an abandoned plot of land with a ruin on it. Ideal for my purposes.

    The next morning I am just about to eat my muesli when a small car rolls onto the property.
    My gut feeling tells me that it could be unpleasant now (but it always says that when someone finds me camping. Most of the time I am ignored or greeted in a friendly way).
    I greet the man with a friendly 'Good afternoon', but although I don't understand the details of his reply, his annoyance at my presence on his property is clear.
    He is not put off by the language barrier and talks and talks. I tell him that I will pack up immediately and be gone in a few minutes. He continues to talk to me, I only understand the word policia. So that's who he wants to call. He makes some kind of phone call, I don't know if it's to the police or someone else. Meanwhile, I hurriedly pack my things, maybe I can soften him up.

    After a few minutes I am ready but the police are not there yet. He points at me and then at the exit. The message is clear.
    Before I leave, however, he doesn't miss the opportunity to wish the police, Homeland Security, the judiciary, the military, plague and cholera on me if he ever sees me again.
    I can understand his displeasure to a certain extent, but you don't joke about plague and cholera.

    I like Ljubljana very much, apart from the many temples of consumption that have been built there. The facades of the houses in the city centre are well preserved, the waterfront beautifully designed. I find a few cafés where I can work to some extent and wait out a few heavy rain showers. Once it hails - not too little - and I can free a few young people from a house niche with my tent tarp, who would otherwise have been soaked to the bone.    Les mer

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    Free chocolade 🍫

    13. juni 2023, Slovenia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The biggest surprises are always waiting off the beaten track. Today, too, this rule is confirmed when I spot a castle in the distance on one of the mountains and drive towards it for an hour to take a nice photo. In one of the towns I stop for a short break in front of the supermarket and am taken aback when I see an unopened package of chocolate right on the crossroads. None of the locals are interested in it, so after a short wait I take it. 🍫

    The towns along the route are small and cute. With the mountain panorama in the background, it's certainly a good place to spend a holiday - or even to live.
    While I let my gaze wander over the wooded hills, I spot a ruined castle among the trees, which I also take a look at. There I meet two elderly people who share their life stories with me.
    Decades ago, they worked in Germany and then used their savings to fulfil their dream of owning their own house.

    I find an excellent spot by the lake for the night and enjoy the silence. And the chocolate.    Les mer

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    Ptuj

    15. juni 2023, Slovenia

    The road in front of me is closed - again!
    The Tour de Slovenia is slowly getting on my nerves.
    Yesterday it already forced me to take a few detours and also left a negative impression because of an overzealous policeman.
    He was assigned to keep the intersection clear for the approaching cyclists and did so very conscientiously - so conscientiously that he told me that all roads into town were blocked, that this intersection had to be kept clear under all circumstances and that there would be no traffic in town for an hour... yes, sure... 🤥
    Meanwhile, behind him, a caravan of cars was rolling through this very intersection, but I was not allowed to join it. After all, the intersection was closed and I should clear it immediately!
    Thank you, Mr. Chief Constable!

    Today I simply drive past the traffic guards. It goes down a hill, across a plain and I catch sight of a castle built on top of a hill, overlooking a small town.
    Welcome to Ptuj!

    A spontaneous tiredness overcomes me and I look for a café to get my caffeine balance back under control. The first coffee does the trick and is immediately followed by a second one. Coffees are pack animals, they don't feel comfortable alone. ☕️☕️

    At the top of the castle hill, I get a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and Lake Pettau to the southeast and also of the route already covered to the west.
    I can even see the chain of hills in the distance that I passed through at midday.

    The city centre is not big, but it is chic and I explore it in a cloverleaf pattern. Soon I have seen all the corners. I snack on a pistachio cake and wash up with a coffee.

    On the way to my super camping spot in the river, another cyclist accosts me.
    Mirrored glasses. Fast bike. Looks fancy. One of the fast kind, that's clear to me right away.
    He's been on the road for a few months and has crowned his tour with a lap of the Triglav National Park. All the beautiful mountains that I skipped so that my legs wouldn't fall off, he crossed completely. He also likes to take a route where you have to carry the bike. 🫣
    A crazy guy, but very sociable.
    We get on well and the short conversation turns into dinner and later I take him to my chosen premium campsite.
    Instead of driving on, we spend the whole of the next day back in Ptuj and can't stop talking.    Les mer

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    Finishing Slovenia

    18. juni 2023, Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Actually, I wanted to spend the night in two countries at once tonight - with my legs in Slovenia and my head in Austria. But then I would have been right on a forest path. The topography sometimes throws a spanner in the works. Maybe there will be another opportunity later.

    Days in the country: 16
    Kilometres travelled: 467.5
    Metres in altitude: 2998    Les mer

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    MIMA!!

    19. juni 2023, Østerrike ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I am spending almost two weeks with friends in Vienna, distracting myself from my lack of motivation. Since I made the decision to take my bike to Berlin for a stopover with family (and I still have so much time to do it), the motivation for cycling has plummeted. It lacks the excitement, the adventure.
    Compared to cycling in Spain, Italy or Morocco, here it feels like I'm coasting around in Germany's front garden. 🥱

    Little Oskar, whom I last saw a year ago, can already walk and keeps me and his parents on our toes. Already in the morning he comes into the living room and calls 'MIMA? because he can't pronounce my name yet.
    Then my playtime with him begins. :)    Les mer

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    Bratislava

    4. juli 2023, Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    In Bratislava I meet my sister, who is finally able to take a well-deserved holiday while she studies. Together we take a look at the city and come to the conclusion that we don't really warm up to it.
    Maybe we're just in the wrong places, maybe it's the constant heat that makes us sluggish and not very receptive... who knows. 🤷‍♂️

    Now that my sister has left and I'm back on my bike, I'm at the mercy of the heat - and good for nothing. 🥵    Les mer

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    The bike thief

    10. juli 2023, Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    After leaving Bratislava behind, the summer heat chased me relentlessly. Every day the thermometer climbed to over 30 degrees Celsius, forcing me to stay in the shade. Already in the morning it became oppressively warm and I only got as far as Senec, just behind Bratislava. Most of the time I stayed in cafés and did some work, but even here it was so hot that one was slowly cooked through.
    Every day I went to the city lake and bathed. I don't think I ever felt greater pleasure than on those occasions.
    One day I didn't want to go far out of town to camp, so I pitched my tent on the shore of the lake. Some night fishermen had positioned themselves on the shore and I was left with only an exposed spot by the wayside. I don't like sleeping so close to strangers, but I was too tired from the day to look for another place to stay. I fell into a light, unrestful sleep; after all, I had to keep an ear on my bike and the bags.

    In the middle of the night I hear a metallic noise and pull up.
    Through the insect net of my tent I see that my bike is floating past me.
    No, it is being carried!
    Still completely drowsy, I wonder why someone would move my bike out of the way in the middle of the night. Maybe it was blocking the way and is now being cleared?
    Very unlikely.
    I shout the question buzzing in my head out into the night:
    "Hey, why are you carrying my bike?"
    The guy stops.
    Weighing my chances, I come to the conclusion that this thief is probably not violent and I can take a chance on a confrontation.
    In my pants I stand in front of the tent and ask again.
    He looks at me, then lifts the bike and comes towards me. My pulse quickens and I am already bracing myself for a fight.
    Silently, he puts the bike down in front of me and holds out his hand. 🤨
    Puzzled, I lash out.
    Then he turns around and shuffles off into the night.
    I stand there for a moment and process what has just happened.

    Since this place to spend the night is now 'burnt', I look for a new one and don't return here.
    After this interlude, sleeping in the forest regains its previous high status.

    Shortly afterwards I have another uncomfortable experience of a special kind.
    Trigger warning - in the following I describe an experience with eight-legged animals that might be too crass for some people.    Les mer

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    Kuty - Finishing Slovakia

    12. juli 2023, Tsjekkisk Republikk ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    The heat wave just won't let up and I'm tired of hiding in the shade for hours. Driven by the heat, I take the train north. No matter where, everywhere in Europe the picture is the same. Only in the Baltic States are the temperatures more pleasant.

    Days in the country: 10
    Kilometres travelled: 70.3
    Metres in altitude: 194    Les mer

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    Train ride 🚂

    13. juli 2023, Tsjekkisk Republikk ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The stretch to Pribor is the longest I haven't cycled so far. Until now, this option was not so present in my mind, but the heat is just not bearable any more.

    Since I made the decision to ride my bike to Berlin for the family reunion, my motivation to travel long distances or to seek out the unknown has diminished considerably and I find it difficult to get involved in new destinations.
    I wrestled with the decision for a long time and finally decided to travel as far as possible (and necessary) by train.
    Now I'm heading north.    Les mer

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    Česky Tešin

    15. juli 2023, Tsjekkisk Republikk ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Česky Tešin is a chic place. Unfortunately, it's been around 25 degrees since 8 a.m. and I don't feel like visiting the city at all. 🥵

    The last few days didn't go as smoothly as most of the other days. The heat is really getting to me and it's hard for me to sit by the lake for 7 hours and read a book until the temperatures have dropped to acceptable levels again.

    Since I can't cycle anyway, I spend two days here. One day I work in a café on the Czech side and the other in a café on the Polish side.
    Both times I have to get used to converting all my purchases from the respective national currencies. In a supermarket, the whole thing became completely absurd when I converted the price of a kilo of tomatoes to about 50 cents and found that somehow that couldn't be right🤨 .
    After some initial confusion, I realise that I've already crossed the border - and everything is fine again. 🤭

    Days in the country: 5
    Kilometres travelled: 91.49
    Metres in altitude: 1045    Les mer

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    Full speed ahead

    21. juli 2023, Polen ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The 'vale of tears' of my dissatisfaction is broken and my motivation is rising again 🥳.
    The temperatures are finally dropping thanks to the thunderstorms ( my tent is leaking again! 💦) and I am therefore making progress again.

    A big motivational boost these days is the concrete research for sights here in Poland. In retrospect, I let myself drift a lot and drove through the countryside rather unplanned (the main thing was to drive around the mountains ). In the last few weeks, the heat also made it difficult to make progress and plan wisely.
    Now I know which beautiful areas and places I want to visit in the coming time. I have a goal and a limited time window. In combination, this helps me to better choose my goals and reminds me that my time - however long it may last - is ultimately finite and that I would rather fill it with exciting experiences than sit it out.    Les mer

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  • TakeMeFurtherVagabondingReisende

    Into the Mines of Wieliczka

    24. juli 2023, Polen ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    As the temperatures above ground are still stifling, I escape underground.

    Salt has been mined in Wieliczka for over 700 years. Around 7.5 million cubic metres of salt have been mined. In 1978, the mine was included in UNESCO's first World Heritage List and salt was still being extracted from it until 1993.
    During the guided tour we climb 135 m below the surface.
    We are assured that a lot is made of salt down here. The floor and walls: made of salt
    The stairs: made of salt
    Chandeliers: made of salt
    Sculptures: made of salt
    The altars, chapels: made of salt
    The supporting structures: of wood (very exotic material down here!)

    Impressive what you can do with this material, if you use it for more than just salting food!

    It is no exaggeration to say that human development can be seen here like under a burning glass:
    As soon as we humans had a full (salted ) stomach, we were able to develop elements of high culture (pictures, statues, decor). ☝️🤓    Les mer

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