Total to date: 2943km: 15km today
Today is Sunday and a day of rest for us after a week on the road. After our early starts we had a lovely lazy lie-in in our comfortable apartment.
Continue reading Day 10: Split; Ferry to Hvar and just 15km cycling
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Day 9: Sibenik to Split
Total to date: 2928km: Day totals: 90km and 600m of climbing
What makes this day different to the day before and the days that will follow? Possibly not much to be honest – but we are 90km down the coast. So what were the high and low points of the day.
Day 8: Zadar to Sibenik
Total to date: 2838km: Day total: 88km
So it’s official. We are in the middle of a heat wave in this part of Croatia. It’s not our imagination or even totally bad planning! Even the locals complain about the heat.
Day 7: Pag Town to Zadar
Total to date: 2750km : Today 56km : 420m of climbing
Today almost started with a disaster. As we left the cool pansion at 6.45am with its air conditioned room Bernie noticed her stand was not working (that is her bike stand rather than her positional posture). We stopped, I unhitched the trailer and fiddled with it until it was working ok. We then pressed on out of town. A couple of kilometres later I suddenly shouted “Where’s your trailer?” which, with hindsight, was a monumentally stupid remark.
Day 6. Camp Ulja to Pag Town: 81km and 1030m climbing
Total so far: 2694km : today 81km and 1020m of climbing
As we thought, heat would be one of our major issues and hence the alarm went of at 5.30 to get an early start and beat the heat at least for a few hours. We packed up our impromtu camp by the car park (much nicer than it sounds), the only delay being the search for matches. because no matches meant no coffee! Having emptied every bag and abandoned the hope of a cuppa before setting off we found them in the most obvious place that neither of us had managed to look! However even if we had been deprived of our caffeine boost we would have quickly woken up.
Continue reading Day 6. Camp Ulja to Pag Town: 81km and 1030m climbing
Day 5: Medveja to Camp Urja, beyond Senj
Total distance: 2613km Daily totals: 99km, 1060m of climbing, total exhaustion but a great day.
Our quiet secluded camping place at the far end of the campsite proved tranquil and we both had a good night. Up at 6.30 and away by 7.50 – the once known and ingrained routine started to become familiar again. 
Continue reading Day 5: Medveja to Camp Urja, beyond Senj
Day 4: Buzet to Medveja (near Opatija)
Total distance to date: 2514km: Today: 76km and 870m of climbing
We both had a solid sleep in spite of our window overlooking the only bar in the old town. Buzet specialises in Truffles – I’ve never quite known what they are – expensive fungi along the lines of caviar (sort of cocaine for people who like mushrooms) when you try it you can’t quite see what the fuss is about. However my white bean, fig and black truffle soup from the night before was delicious and I was still savouring the taste as we set off.
Day 3: Trieste to Buzet
Day 3: 64km and 829m of climbing: Total distance: 2438km
The first 10km was, of course, a glorious decent into Trieste. All that climbing disappeared in virtually no time as gravity worked its wonders.
Day 2: Sportyland to Trieste
Total distance: 2374km: Today 110km
We both slept well and set off after a pleasant breakfast where coffee was some mind blowing dregs of espresso served in a tiny paper cup.
Day 1: the adventure resumes: Venice Airport to Sportyland
Distance since home: 2264km: Today 52km
I started typing this whilst sitting in bed in a none too great B & B under the Gatwick flightpath. I finished it in a cafe 1200feet above Trieste, But the story of the climb to the campsite will have to wait til tomorrow!
Continue reading Day 1: the adventure resumes: Venice Airport to Sportyland
Route going north from Albrighton
As part of our training Bernie and I cycled 54 miles from Albrighton (near Telford) in a loop. Here is (I hope) a screenshot of the map showing our route.
If this works then it will be a miracle but I will believe it when it is up on the site.
Two weeks to go
Well it is 2 weeks to go before we fly to Venice to set out on the next leg of this “interesting” journey. We are off for a training ride today and the weather is fine
Here are a few photos of previous training rides to show we are trying to get fit.
A few days ago we had the delight of Warmshowers hosting Jeb and Mike, 2 brilliant lads from the USA who were cycling from Dublin to Istanbul – but far faster than we plan to cycle. Good luck to them both (and the third member of the trio who took the train and thus missed Bewdley in the sunshine). Their blog is at http://irelandtoistanbul.com/
Final thoughts on Part 1
This has been a warm up trip for the more challenging roads ahead. The trip was in some distinct parts. The first 4 days in England were great and it was sad to leave Kate and Chris. They were great relaxing company and I feel grateful that I have such a good family.
The trip through Holland and down the Rhine was flat, full of cobbles and had some really memorable scenes such as the windmills, and we visited cities such as Bonn, Koln and down to Strasbourg. However overall we felt that cycling large rivers has its limitations. The scenery is much the same and there are large industrial parts to be negotiated.
The end of the Rhine section came with our time with Philippe and Chantal; whose hospitality cannot be faulted. They are a great couple and seeing Strasbourg through their eyes was a privilege.
It was good to start climbing as we went through the Black Forest, with its sweeping hills, vistas over fields and woods and friendly approach. Seeing the renaissance style church at Sankt Peter in the early morning calm was very special.
Then we had a wet day (we had only a few wet days) around Lake Konstant/Bodensee. This is a wealthy area and there were some really expensive lakeside homes and towns. We cycled through this area feeling like we were looking in to a world of affluence. However even the opera festival in Breganz did not stop the friendliness of the locals.
After Breganz we faced the alps. We had one really tough but brilliant day with 3 passes that ended at St Anton. Climbing was steep and tough in places but the vistas were as memorable as anywhere in the Alps. This was the day we saw the man with the most impressive alpine moustache which went round and met itself coming back!
We had great hospitality from Nadine and her parents in St Anton. It was good to get information and advice from Hans, in part because he was so proud of his country, Austria. There is such a good side to Austria which came out so clearly from Hans, Rita and Nadine.
They persuaded us to take in Innsbruck which was astonishing. An architectural gem full of Hapsburg history.
Then the Brenner Pass, which was a disappointment with a shopping centre at the top, and into the magical world of the Dolomites. These were every bit as dramatic and stunning as the hype. The colours of the rock faces changed in the sun, but showed browns, greens, purples and a host of other colours.
Cycling the dolomite passes was a pleasure even when it was steep, and it somewhere we must return. Then we had the long descent from the high country to the towns of the Northern Italian plain. They are full of old, musty, celebrated and architecturally fascinating buildings from the last millennia.
Padua was perhaps the highlight of this cultural part of the tour, as we strolled amongst the buildings, sipped coffee in the market and watched the everyday business of greeting, shopping, arguing and reaching compromises taking place in ancient surroundings.
Then finally to Venice where we re-joined the crowds of tourists. This brought home to us that we were, after all, just tourists like everyone else. Even here however it was possible to forget the crowds when looking at the sheer majesty of St. Mark’s Cathedral.
We are fitter than 4 weeks ago, thinner and have done a route that we made up for ourselves. We have camped, sought out hotels, blogged and relaxed our way for the 2,200km from home to Venice. We are ready to come home because we have a life at home, relationships with family and friends that mean so much to us and work that is calling. But we are perhaps a little wiser about what the next stage of our overland trip will feel like. We still aim to get as far as Australia but there is no point in looking beyond our next hop to Istanbul. We will be better prepared for the next set of challenges because they will be greater than we have had to date.
Padova to Venice: Final leg of Act 1
Just 58km: Total to Venice: 2212km
We woke and had a surprisingly good breakfast at the “lack of character” hotel, and then packed up for the short cycle into the centre. Our first stop was the Cappella Delgi Scrovegni, a famous church with frescos painted by Giotti.
Bessano to Padova via Vicenza. 81km.
Total from Bewdley: 2152km
If the day before yesterday was a Wow day and yesterday a Wet day, today was a day of contrasts.
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