jonathans blog » cycle across europe

day off in luxembourg

jonathan — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:12:36 +0000

didnt make it into town last night. i was too knckered! fell asleep at 11 and woke up at 9!! we have a day off today so we are getting a bus into town and i need to find internet. i also need to find the price of the train to karlsruhe where the next stage of our trip will begin – karlsruhe to koblenz. then a train to dusseldorf and another day off if we have time. i need maps in karlsruhe. might send a few postcards from luxembourg :) i also need to wash my clothes. i have 5 pairs of socks and 1 tshirt left!

wiltz to luxembourg city

jonathan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:34:51 +0000

we went for a beer in wiltz before going to sleep – had an orval-6% it sent me to sleep!!! got up in the morning to rain. then uphill for 4 km. then downhill for 20! into goebelsmuhle, lipperscheid, michelau, diekirch, ettelbruck then on to a bike path that took us to luxembourg city!! we have a day off tomorrow so will need to find internet. we are going to get a train to germany on monday – about a days ride away so that we can take the sunday off :) then its down the rhine to the mermaid thing at koblenz, see all the pied piper shite again then train through to dusseldorf and cycle to arnhem. then beast for brussels again to get the train home.

la roche to bastogne to wiltz

jonathan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:07:28 +0000

had a cracking sleep next to the river. got up at 9 and set off with the dood who is going to luxembourg at about 12 after sorting our selves out after the night in the forrest!. up hill for 5km ! i was fucked after it! then 21 km more to bastogne – a few hills mostly upwards ones. then into bastogne at half three for lunch. another end of exams party! left at 4 headed to wiltz in luxembourg. went downhill for pretty much all of the 19 km and made it there for half 6 ! got a minted campsite with a pooland went for a swim which was well needed :) just had space rice for dinner and a cup of tea. we will head to luxembourg city tomorrow and should make it by five. think we will get a day off on sunday and then get a train to straasbourg cos we want to get to germany quicker. me and knowles are shite at french. i know the word for shit and the word for motherfucker and thats it! knowles just speaks english with a french accent which is fucking hilarious!! think we are going for a stoat about wiltz. population: 23 ;) it looks like the sound of music. pretty crap if you are cycling but loads of dead ww2 tanks placed about for the likes of us.

faux en tombes to la roche

jonathan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:39:55 +0000

up at 7 to try to get to bastogne. looking at the map we need to get to a place called ‘aye’ to get a fotae ae. through gesves and a few other places that are right out of the great escape.a few ww2 museums with tanks and in to aye. fotaes taken. on to march en fammine. turns out its ‘end of exams’ party for the town and everyone isin the park drinking and there is a mad party going on. we ask an undercover cop if we should go to some unpronouncable place or to la roche. we go to the second place. up hill for 10 km . no rests !! beastin. then all of a sudden its downhill for 10km at at least 40mph -knowles must have got 50 cos he dissapeared! my bike couldnt go any faster! turned left the 3km to la roche. got some scran at eurospar then found a campsite next to the river and am about to crash out. i have sair shoulders and no energy. might have one of matthews things. the gel thing saved me on the 10km up hill battle. we met a guy who is cycling to luxembourg so we will get him there. we might need to cheat and get a train at lux down to strasbourg but the ardennes are beasting! fuck knows how they got tanks through here. should make luxembourg for saterday night!

overijse to namur

jonathan — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:21:34 +0000

we left the campsite in the morning and headed for a road called ‘n4′ this was a bad choice as you will find out. it started cool, just a small road through a coupleof wee towns,we stopped in a wavre for lunch. went into a camping shop and got stuff but decided against a map as our google map was fine. we went into a bike shop so that knowles could fix his crank. we met a couple of cool guys and said bye. we trundled along this n4 which was now getting a bit bigger and was a dual carrige way but with a meaty bike lane so we kept going.we went up a massive hill that lasted 5 km and then at the top the dual carrigeway turned into a motorway and the cycle lane stopped. fuck. we went for about another 5 km and were trying to get off. some guy stoppedhis car on the hard shoulder a couple of hundred yards in front of us and i thought it was a polis. turned out it was the guy from the bike shop and he was going home. we told him we were trying to get ‘aff this fucking motorway’ he agreed and showed us how to get to faux en tombes – so we took a left and absolutely flew down a 10 km hill at about 40mph and got there in about ten or so mins!!! we tried for half an hour to find a campsite but it was shut so we ended in woods! it was rank but we got a fire and a scran then fell asleep.

on the train to london

jonathan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:19:43 +0000

im on the train to london. i left my headphones in my bike bag at the top of the train :| at least the internet works on the train!!! i dont get to london till quarter to 4, then immeeting my wee cousin lisa for a coffee and jumping on the train to brussels to arrive at 20:30 :) ill be posting photos as i can, but my internet is limited to my ipod or a cybercafe if i can find one!

Crazy thunder and lightning

jonathan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 18:13:28 +0000

I went for a cycle earlier today and got caught in a thunderstorm! I was soaked to the bone and kept thinking I was going to get hit by lightning. So much for the good weather :(