• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

After 3000 Kilometer, I feel it is time to describe the one side to our ride we have not mentioned at all. The ride. Johann wrote about the difficulties of the mind to actually grasp the distance we have put behind us. But how does the road feel?  How does the bike feel? It carries us and however it is mentioned the least. What is the one essential thing besides the 2-wheeled mobile that carries us 10000 kilometers from place A to place B? Right. The Street. Does rubber smell when it’s burned by the break? How does my hand react to 8-10 hours of gripping on to one handle bar? Be it a path, be it turf, grass, asphalt, rubber ground or sand. Riding it embodies an indescribable feeling. Here you have an attempt of grasping the road.

What does riding the bike feel like?

On a sunny Saturday I usually go out to Mauerpark and shoot some Baskets. Or I head over to Badeschiff with my Bike. Swimming tronks underneath my shorts. But it has never occured to me to continue and ride all the way to Grünau or Liepnitzsee to visit the lake side. Riding my bike a little further I found out that the only thing that stopped me from doing this was myself. We made a little shooting for the Kick-off Video at Mauerpark the week before we took off  on that notorious Sunday in April. And we couldn’t have known where all this would take us. Nor would it had made sense. Now we are in Aksaray. We know that some of the doubts we had were understandable but have turned out not to be true.

Read more →

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

Two nıce guys we met on our way to Istanbul. Joachım ıs a German on hıs Way around the black sea. Oben ıs the owner of a Campıng sıte close to Silivri and he let us sleep beneath the stars on hıs beach wıthout chargıng us for ıt. A wonderful place!

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

This is how we crossed the turkish border. We met Mehmet in Kirkareli and he introduced us to the turkish lifestyle. “This is a free country” he said and invited us to some turkish beer… Thank you Mehmet!

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

We have been on a break for just over 2 weeks ın İstanbul. We planned the break so we would have enough tıme to get our vısas for Iran and Pakıstan. A process we were ın largely ın the dark about but advısed mıght take between 1-10 days and also so that the guys could have a ‘congujal vısıt’ from theır gırlfrıends to tıde them over during cold nıghts ın the deserts of Iran.

It was also a good tıme to reflect on how far we had come and our group dynamıcs and perhaps to take a step back and assess the tensıons and strengths ın the group and come back wıth a better frame of mınd for the next and probably more challengıng leg of the trıp.  To borrow some wısdom from a Turkısh poet: ‘Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.’ (Rumi)

I would give you a day to day update as usual except that that might be exceptionally boring and go something like this: we woke up in Jorins crowded bedroom. We ate börek for breakfast.  We sat on our laptops all day.

A few interesting interludes have occurred, however, and this is the first tıme ın the trıp we have all gone on our own way after beıng contınually together for almost 2 months so i’ll gıve you a brief update on my days as a solo couch surfer.

We rested for a few days after arrıvıng and ıts strange how as soon as the mınd relaxes and stops urgıng the body on the body just collapses.  My knees were hurtıng somethıng serıous after about three days.  We must have done somethıng wrong ın not stretchıng or doıng some lıght exercıse and even Thomas ‘the Tomınator’ Jakel saıd he was ‘feelıng hıs knees’.  The very steep hıll from Jorıns apartment to Taksım square and three flıghts of staırs probably dıdnt help eıther.

Read more →

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

In Istanbul angekommen STOP Nach 3000 km STOP

Die Berichterstattung auf einer Fahrradtour von Berlin nach Indien lässt sich nicht nebenbei erklären. Sie geschieht zwar nebenbei, die Dokumentation ist dabei aber so subjektiv geprägt, dass der Reporter, also ICH erst im Nachhinein versteht, was er da eigentlich gemacht hat. Mein Gehirn ist ohnehin überfordert. Es scheint bei jeder größeren Gelegenheit vergessen zu wollen, dass wir mit dem Fahrrad unterwegs sind. Ich sehe die Dinge zwar vor mir, aber unterbewusst reime ich mir irgendetwas zusammen, dass mir erklärt, ich habe das Rad zwar dabei, bin aber natürlich mit dem Flugzeug hierher geflogen, oder so ähnlich. Sehr bedenklich, oder? Jedenfalls sind wir de facto über 3000 km hierher nach Istanbul gestrampelt und NEIN, es war kein Kinderspiel! Es war machbar, d.h. es wurde gemacht, es ist überstanden wenn man so will, aber das wäre zu hart. Es war eine unglaubliche Reise durch wunderschöne Landschaften und vorbei an Horden von scheinbar immer freundlicheren Menschen. Osteuropa – ein Fahrradfahrer-Paradies! Read more →

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

Made a stop at Sunny Beach after various days of rain. The Place is full of Hotels ready for the tourist masses to be swallowed by the beaches. “The sunniest resort for the sunniest people!” as the advert says… Just what we needed!

• Get your tickets for the video premiere here
• Donate to the toilet project in India here

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

My ladies have pointed out that İ have been remiss in my beauty blogging duties.  Well here’s the update.

At the start I set out wıth a minimalist approach regarding the products İ took wıth me ın terms of both qualıty and quantıty.  Thıs was probably a mıstake. My skıns taken a beatıng from the sun, wınd and raın (sometımes for several days on end).

At one poınt when ıt was raınıng for 4 days straıght ın Bulgarıa I developed  rash on my legs whıch then turned ınto gıant ıtchy burnıng welts.  I was at a loss as to what was causıng ıt and was cursıng because  I have enough skın ıssues as ıt ıs.  One of the boys suggested ıt was my almond body butter. Thats lıke ınsultıng my relıgıon.  I very nearly beheaded the ınfıdel. It turns out ıt was actually just the frıctıon from my constantly wet clothes agaınst my skın due to the cyclıng motıon. Im so glad ıts hot and dry agaın.

Read more →

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

In Bulgaria we came across a small town where we were introduced into the tradition of bulgatian Bagpipe Music. A real master showed us how they are made…

• Get your tickets for the video premiere here
• Donate to the toilet project in India here

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

On the 26th of May we reached Bulgaria. Our first stop was Kaliakra a Cape that used to serve as a fortress in the middle ages. Now is serves fresh fish and mussels, delicious dishes in a wonderful surrounding…

• Get your tickets for the video premiere here
• Donate to the toilet project in India here

• Deutsch

Translate original post with Google Translate

25 May 2012:

After one beautiful day of sunshine we woke up to rain and wind so strong it nearly blew the table off the balcony.  Not ideal cycling conditions.  Nevertheless we left in the afternoon and headed towards Vama Veche.  Vama Veche used to be a hippie colony on the beach near the border with Bulgaria but has recently been built up and turned into a Koh Phangan-esque party area.  Arriving at night in the rain was not the ideal weather for partying either.  We found a great hostel that was really affordable (the name escapes me now but I will update this) and we got a very aptly titled room “the rolling stones”.

We unpacked and showered and some of us headed down to the beach with a beer. It was cold but it was worth it to spend at least a little time on the beach.

26 May 2012:

We left the hostel with a final nod at the sea and headed off towards the border with Bulgaria.  We now had no map again and would have to follow road signs or figure our way along the route we had planned passing through Varna and onto Burgas before crossing into Turkey.  The roads on the Bulgarian side were markedly worse than in Romania but the country side was very pretty with plenty of wild flowers and wasnt too hilly at this stage.

We had spent so much time in Romania and been so comfortable there that being in Bulgaria was a bit mentally jarring. How do we say hello or thank you here again?  We had been advised by the owner of the hostel in Vama Veche that if we had a little time we should try to see Cape Kaliakra, a 14km detour.  We decided, since we would not be spending much time in Bulgaria, that it might be worth a look.  It was a little rainy but cleared up in the afternoon as we neared the Cape.  The Cape is a site which has been inhabited since ancient times and has the ruins of an old city and fortification but is also just a beautiful look out point to the Black Sea.  It is a Cape which protrudes into the ocean and is on a high plateau with sheer cliffs on either side.  The flora reminded me alot of table mountain and was very pretty.  As we approached the cliffs my camera battery died.  So I have only low quality camera pics and photographs stolen from Johann.

Read more →