I left Ankara with a clear target – to cycle approximately 450km to Samsun (where I always intended on passing) by Saturday, five days away. Then I could get the bus back to Ankara on Sunday, try for the second time to get my Uzbekistan visa on Monday and return the same day or Tuesday. … More Turkey part 3: Ankara to Samsun (02/06/15-09/06/15)
Well rested and with a much less hair than when I arrived, I crossed the Bosphorus and began my adventure into Asia. Istanbul had been a great city for a break, but the size and busyness of it had been a shock to the system. The city’s traffic is crazy and it was a horrible … More Turkey part 2: Istanbul to Ankara (22/05/15-01/06/15)
If the border change from Bulgaria to Greece was dramatic, the crossing into Turkey was something else. Finally I was out of the easy EU borders. This crossing had a long no-man’s land, rusty barbed-wire fencing and large ‘no camera’ signs against military personnel stencils. There were soldiers around the buildings and for the first time … More Turkey Part 1: From the Greek border to Istanbul (08/05/15-22/05/15)
With my brakes working again, we crossed the Macedonian border back into Bulgaria again. Just passed the border we found a what looked like a perfect picnic spot by on old bridge over a river. But the picnic didn’t last very long – a shepherd arrived out of nowhere shouting at us to move so that … More Bulgaria & Greece: Mountain climbing (27/04/15-08/05/15)
Szeged (in the south of Hungary) was a cute town. I enjoyed having a day off there, but mostly because I was so happy to be having a break after a busy week cycling. The town had a natural charm and I spent a nice afternoon exploring the centre and buying some ‘essentials’. The cycle ride … More Romania & Serbia: Following the Danube (07/04/15-15/05/15)
I’ve been busy since my last update – cycling ten days straight around Hungary’s borders with no less than five other countries. I was looking forward to a ‘social-break’ from the Couchsurfing routine, and had treated myself to a couple of nights in a hostel in Vienna. I was looking forward to an early night … More Vienna to Szeged: Austria to Hungary via four other countries (24/03/15-06/04/15)
I was last in Prague about four years ago. On my last visit (which was also a very brief one), it had been one of many blurred stops as I’d tried to cram in as many cities as possible in a month long Interrail ticket. I was really struggling to remember anything about the Czech … More Prague to Vienna: Spring has arrived (16/03/15-23/03/15)
Was another gorgeous day as I left Berlin. Warm enough to cycle in just a fleece and the sun was out. Felt a little groggy from the weekend, but nothing a good ride wouldn’t cure. After a couple of hours cycling I came across a block of flats nestled in the forest, clearly deserted and … More Berlin to Prague: Bike problems (09/03/15-15/03/15)
I was only planning on staying in Denmark for about a week, but instead I ended up staying for over two. I did a lot of doing nothing, but I still squeezed in a bike ride to my grandparent’s summer house in North Zealand and sorted out many of the last bits and bobs for … More Copenhagen to Berlin: Into the forests (10/02/15-08/03/15)
Just over the Dutch/German border I spotted the first (and last) other long-distance cyclist. We were passing in opposite directions, but exchanged a brief smile and nod, as if to say ‘at least I’m not the only one crazy enough to be cycling in this weather’. I took comfort in the sight of his load … More Germany to Denmark: Embracing the cold (30/01/15-09/02/15)
JKB's Bike Ride 