The Campingplatz shuffle

Rebel with time to pause for a picture

August 18, 19 2012 Saturday and Sunday

After having our bellies filled, we awoke the next day to even more delicious food! Manfred and Doris, some of the nicest folks on earth, had breakfast waiting for us. There was fresh bread, cheese, jams, hard boiled eggs, and an assortment of foreign meats. We also had orange juice, coffee, and sparkling water. It was awesome. We decided to pack most of our stuff away before heading to the huge pool next to the camping area. When we came back to the camping area, we met Doris and Manfred's family who had just arrived. Before we headed off, we noticed that Hanako's steer tube was hella loose, and Manfred came to save the day with some sort of tool that helped us tighten it back up. And with that we were finally off!

We love Doris and Manfred!

And their grandaughter too!

We headed east, and passed some futbol action. Hanako asked me if I wanted to stay and watch but I said "Nein" because I wanted to watch a game where I could understand all the shit talking.

Church in Havelberg

We biked about 10 km to Havelberg to go scope out this church that we could see from our bike route. It was a cold, dank, dark church- kind of nice. We headed out about 15-20 km more and stopped in Warnau for a drink. It was pretty hot out, so taking a short break in the shade for a drink was very necessary. We met this wonderful woman named Silvie who asked us where we were from. She thought we were from England but we said "Nein" we are from California. Her face lit up completely and said "California is my dream!" and we told her she should make it a reality. She then proceeded to tell us about her 3 kids and her "man" (we learned that the german translation for man and husband is the same). Two of her sons and her man were away in Switzerland working, while she lived there with her youngest son. She gave us a good lesson in German numbers, and she spoke some English based on her studies in school and the studies of her son. It was so nice in refreshing to meet her, her spirit seemed lovely. She even offered to let us stay in her garden, but we respectfully declined, as we wanted to get in more kilometers before the day was through. She gave us the good advice of staying off the last bit of the scenic route, as it would be faster and the scenic part was less developed (read: harder for us to navigate).
We headed off again, trying to make good time since we stayed talking with Silvie for so long. We got to the campsite and it was mosquito central because it was by a lake. I made the nights meal- 3  courses- of mushroom gravy, gnocci, and mediterranean rice. Hanako wasn't feeling so great due to cramps, so she took it easy and went to sleep early. I heard music, so I went to investigate, but it was just in the town next door. There was no "Wo ist die party" for me. Met my least favorite German (some teenager who scoffed at  me for not knowing German) then headed off to bed.

Sunday
We woke up to probably our hottest day of travel. We took our time getting out things together to make sure that Hanako was well enough to travel that day. We left the campsite and headed into Rathenow, forgetting that it was Sunday and hardly anything would be open. We found some sort of casino place with internet, but the one computer was in use, so the woman working there let Hanako use internet on her phone to let our host in Berlin know that we were running late. We found one of few food places open that day and had pizza that was part of a daytime special.
We headed off that day and decided to stray away from the more scenic routes to head to Berlin more directly. When we got to the town of Senzke, we took a pathway that was only represented as a line on our map which led us to the main road. Being on it, you could tell that some cars, but im sure mostly tractors headed that way, but we felt that we had chosen a good option for adventure (thanks Sara Bond). Connecting to the main highway wasn't too bad, though we biked with traffic for a bit, most cars moved a safe distance away while passing us. Not too long after, there was a bike path along side the highway which we were lucky to take because of traffic. All the main highways lead into some of the smaller towns and cities, and it seems that construction of new traffic lights kept the line of traffic going for several km.
We headed into Zeestow to camp that night, leaving us with 20 km to go until we reached the edge of Berlin.
A lovely older gentleman gave us the lowdown on the campingplatz, a key to the restrooms, and was also the bartender and cook. The camping platz seemed like a place where Germans went to vacation for a good while, as most of the Wohnwagen set-ups seemed pretty legit. Our neighbors even had a fence around their little property. We had a most excellent meal of chicken and schnitzel with fries, and several beers to match. Hanako often got distracted by the TV playing German commercials as well as American shows dubbed in English. We headed back to the tent, but after a while decided to just go back to the bar, as it was much cooler, had much less spiders, and had beer. We slept well knowing that we could take our time the next day before arriving in Berlin.

The wurst day to be hungry

Ja! Ich liebe the Deutsch countryside

August 17, 2012 Friday

After getting up reluctantly and being thoroughly exhausted, we made our way out of the campsite when Hanako got a pinch flat before we even got to the main road. So we pulled over, unloaded it, and fixed it right quick. Seeing as how we were starving, we headed to the market and bought up everything, then headed out to find a restaurant in order to power up and make good time. Unfortunately we didn't find anything open that was serving meals since it was later in the afternoon and places in the German countryside are only open for ice cream, coffee and beer.
So we kept on trucking. It was a super hard day as we were both cranky without much food and physically exhausted. It did have its high point of course, with butterflies fluttering around our heads and a beautiful moment of watching a horse teaching its young to trot in a field.
Finally we had an absolutely delicious meal (probably because we were so hungry) with a great view of the river (meaning it was overpriced). With our bellies full and our spirits high, we took off to make it to our next destination. First we crossed over a truly wonderful bridge over one part of the river and then a rickety wooden slats bridge alongside the railroad. We continued through the beautiful German countryside along the south side of the Elbe as the sun started to set.

Bridge view right after our meal

Other side of the bridge

We hauled ass to the next campingplatz only to not know exactly where it was. From our map we could tell we were close, but there weren't many sign markers along this part of the route. There was a rumble of motorbikes from a dirt path near by, and we stopped two young guys to ask the way. They told us to go down the path, then at the crossing make a right. We headed that way, but the right side of the path didn't seem as promising and we heard voices straight ahead. We decided to continue straight only to find a field with a bunch of guys playing soccer as well as some sort of athletic complex. We tried asking one guy who seemed to be finishing his workout if he spoke English and if he knew where a campingplatz was, but he wasn't having it (probably the only person in Germany who didn't try to help us). Then we found three guys, two of them looking like brothers, twins maybe, who were drinking beer and riding bikes and we asked if they spoke English. One said "a little bit" and for the first time, someone in Germany was being accurate about their English language levels. He knew as much English as we did German, but we did our best to work together. They took us down the dirt path that we should have turned right on, which seeemd to go on for a while. Hanako rode behind two of them who kept trying to cheers their beers as they rode, while I made my attempts at communicating with the other. We seemed to go deeper into the meadow and wooded area, and Hanako and I were both warry in case they were not taking us to the camping platz. We came to an area with a big swimming pool, and one of the guys went to find out if it was the right place (since we speak no German). He came back pointing us the right way. So we spoke the international language of high fives and parted ways.
Upon entering the campsite, a guy camping there met us to tell us that we could pay in the morning since the keeper had left for the day. The guy told us that he spoke English for his work, and explained that he was bike touring with his wife and daughter and with another family and their two kids. They pulled the two little ones in a trailer, and the 8 year old rode by herself. He told us that they put in about 60 km a day, with enough breaks for the kids. We were very impressed and decided that we hope to do that one day with a family of our own.
We had gotten to the campingplatz pretty late, had time to shower and rest our bodies for a moment, only to start making food at a late hour (maybe 10:30 or 11). There were only a few people at the campingplatz, and besides the touring families, the rest were in Wohnwagens. One of the ladies in the Wohnwagen next to our tent came over to see what we were doing. She spoke only German, and us English so it took a moment. It seemed that she thought we were asleep already, then saw our lights and our small camping stove. She looked at the instant potato soup with Gnocci that we were making, and made the international sign for "wait just a moment" and went to the trailer. When she came back, she had a plate of wurst, chicken, and steak and a glass of wine in her hands. She brought us ketchup, then told us to just come sit with her and her husband by the Wohnwagen.
We were so grateful and probably said "Danke" about a thousand times. Even though we didn´t know exactly how to communicate with each other, with the help of hand gestures and our pocket dictionary of German to English, we did pretty well. We were even able to tell them about camping in the backyard of the former mayors house in Wittorf! Turns out they are Doris and Manfred of Rothenow, which is a town somewhat in the direction of the rest of our travels to Berlin. They have camped a lot through Germany and gave us suggestions on the route to take the next day (since we wouldn´t be following the Elbe anymore) and of a campingplatz just outside of their town. They told us that if we were ever in Rothenow when they were there, that we could stay with them. As for right then, they were expecting their daughter, son-in-law, and grandaughter on Saturday and planning to stay at the campingplatz until Wednesday. We enjoyed the food thoroughly and even shared a a night cap of some sort of Jager (delicious!) and Schnapps and felt the most relaxed and at home than we had in days. Doris asked when we planned to leave the next morning- we said probably noon or so- and she invited us to have breakfast with them. With full stomachs and tired bodies we fell asleep in no time flat.

RAIN

Oatmeal with hazelnut cream

Spinach ravioli in soup

August 16, 2012 Thursday

Our sleep wasn't the best, so I was already awake around 8 to go and pay for the night of camping. That's when the rain started and it didn't let up until the early afternoon. Alex had the right idea to just sleep as much as possible (since we both felt pretty tired) The small bar (and possible restaurant) we figured out was not open on Thursdays at all, so we weren't thrilled with the idea of staying there another night.

We made a delicious brunch of oatmeal with hazelnut spread and soup with spinach ravioli. It was a great day to test out our waterproof and windproof matches.
The rain let up in the afternoon and it was sunny by the time we hopped on our bikes to put in a few km to arrive at the next campingplatz. Though maybe our shortest leg of travel, it was probably the most breathtaking. Due to the recent rain, everything felt fresh and green, especially in the last bit of rolling hills that we rode through.
When we checked into the campingplatz, the woman working there told us that she sold beads and was getting ready to go to a huge show in Hamburg the next day. She also told us that she had been to Tuscon before for bead shows and had traveled to California to visit friends.
We settled in, showered, and cooked up more food- the rest of the ravioli and scrambled eggs with tomato and mushroom in the small frying pan. While getting utensils and a beer, Alex befriended a young couple camping in a wohnwagen and smoking hukkah, and they invited us to hang out for a bit. Turns out they were from a town, Sittensen, that was 10 to 20 km away from where we camped our first night in Zeven. We compared lifestyles, pros and cons of the German and American experience and overall had a great time hanging out.

Biking along the Elbe

August 15, 2012 Wednesday

We woke up at more of a decent hour (due to our hunger and all of the farm noises) but did not get a chance to see Gustav in the morning to thank him repeatedly (THANK YOU GUSTAV!!!) We biked to a bakery near by to get some fresh rolls, sandwhiches and to stock up on a few food supplies.

Wittorf and California represent!

When we headed out, we were lucky enough to come across two women who were also biking to the Elbe for a short bike trip of their own, so we all headed that way together. When we parted ways, they asked to take a picture with us, because "It wasn't everyday that you meet Californians in Wittorf". We too wanted a picture because it wasn't everyday that we would meet someone from Wittorf.

town along the edge of the Elbe

Our view at a stopping point (and probably where Alex left his water bottle)

We finally connected with the Elbe bike route which was quite beautiful and refreshing. Clear skies and calm waters were excellent scenery for our days journey. We got close to a small town in which to eat and restock, when Alex realized he had left his water bottle about 6km back, and since it is our aim not to loose too much on this trip (and the fact that our waterbottles are so essential) he went back for it. He made excellent time too.

Upon arriving in the small town, we realized that 3pm is not a lunch hour, but time for coffee and ice cream, so we were somewhat low on options. We ended up eating at a Greek fast food type place and had 2 Gyro burgers and a plate of fries a piece. We picked up some fresh food at the Biomart down the road and got back to biking.

Our view while riding

We ended up putting in a fair amount of kilometers to a camping platz just outside of Tießau (the ß= ss) where we were told we could pay in the morning. We set up camp and made two small pots of instant soup, one with carrots and peas added, and another with an egg cooked in.

Hungover in Hamburg or I always depend on the kindness of former mayors of small towns

August  14, 2012 Tuesday

bathroom artwork at Jim's Burritos

After a long night of partying with our new friends in Hamburg, we got a very late start. We jumpstarted our engines with burritos from a place called Jim's burritos (suggested by Alex from Suicycle). I was pretty excited to find burritos anywhere in Germany. The atmosphere was a bit cheesy with luchador masks all over the walls, but I let it slide due to the cool aluminum bike up on the wall in the hallway towards the bathroom and the siracha and tapatio on hand. Luca also joined us and told us it was his first time eating burritos. It wasn't the best burrito ive ever had, but it was exactly what i wanted and it hit the spot.
And then we were off!.... to lay down in a park to digest and then really get started. Hanako and I laid down in a park next to a lovely fountain and enjoyed the sunshine and cool breeze underneath a shady tree.

maxin' and relaxin' by the fountain

We started along a bike route that took us along the Elbe river. After getting out of the city and biking for a bit, we pulled over to eat some trail mix and carrots and shared a bench and conversation with a nice German man named Carson. He told us he had been to the states before with his futbol club when he was younger. We talked about Germany for a bit. It seems really great- awesome health care, unemployment benefits, and a months paid vacation. He seemed to really proud of his country and I can really respect that. He gave us more detailed directions to find the upcoming ferry crossing and we were on our way once again....
Only to stop for a moment so I could slide down the biggest slide Ive ever seen. It was pretty fun, but no joke it scared the hell out of me.

the slide of fun and doom

crossing the Elbe

We found the ferry crossing, and almost immediately started on the wrong bike path. We asked several people along the way where the next campingplatz would be, and no one seemed to notice that we weren't where we thought we were. So we hustled our asses off to where we thought the closest campingplatz was, but we found that we were about 20km south of the Elbe.
We pulled into this tiny town to ask for directions and stopped a tiny green car from pulling out of a driveway. The English speaker in the car, Gustav, was in the backseat, so the driver had to get out so that he could talk with us. He told us we were in downtown Wittorf and that the nearest campingplatz was 15 km away. He told us that he lived right across the street right next to the firehouse, so with about 30 min of sunlight left, I asked him if we could camp behind the firehouse. He told us that we could camp in his garden, and it turns out that he was the former mayor of the town and had keys to the firehouse bathrooms so that we could use them. As soon as he told us that we could camp, we noticed that Hanako had just gotten a flat tire (from what we discovered was about an inch long nail). Talk about some serious good luck.
 We set up camp pretty quickly and he brought us some sparkling water and canned fish (which I couldn't have) to eat. I was super sad, but at least Hanako got to eat it. We also warmed up some rice and had trailmix too. Gustav met us later for some conversation and wine. The company he works for does work with people in the US, so he frequently writes emails in English. We talked a bit of politics and economics and he seemed to be proud of his German heritage. He told us that the town had just celebrated 1000 years in 2008 and his wife had planned it out. He left us to sleep after about an hour, and we fell asleep to the sounds of cows from the farm next door.

WE GREET FROM HAMBURG

August 13th, 2012 Monday

WE GREET FROM HAMBURG!!!

Holy sheit mann Hamburg home of the whooper was like disneyland for me but with out the facist founder. It's really hard to describe Hamburg cuz its a super complex city with a ton of lil districts in the city but if i had to compare it to any place i would say it's like L.A. but way better! "kind of".

go big! go Hamburg!

on on our way into city, we met a real cool young man who was on a track bike and full spandex. It was pretty Rad cuz we spoke the international languge of gear ratios, he was then nice enough to tell us about a shop in town that could help us solve our bike problems. So with a hand shake, smile, and a point to our map we were off to go find this "fixie shop".

Soo as we where riding throught city taking in all the sights and sunshine we came across, like a millilon bike shops non of which had what we needed and the one that did was closed, even tho the sign said it was supposed to be open. We where about to call it a day when a kid on a conversion bike was rolling by so we flagged him down and asked him if he know where this magical shop "suicycle" was at. He was like "ja I am on my way, I take you" so once aging our chaos powers prevailed and this strapping young man came through!

OH SUICYCLE HOW I LOVE THEE! So after all that we finally found what we where looking for! we got the chain ring bolts with some to spare and "Alex" one of the owners of the shop was kind enough to help us fix Hanako's back wheel "the axle and cones where slightly off"

Hanako, Alex (Suicycle), Alex (XRAY)

So after all that we finally got our bikes in tip top shape! we talked to Alex "not me but the owner of the shop" and he convinced us to stay in the town for a night instead of heading to the campingphlatz outside of the city. So we decied to check into hostle not too far away that  he recomended , he also told us about a show to check out later that night! So we checked into our home for the night and met a new friend Luca-from Switzerland- who had gotten there a night prior. And so we were off for a night of adventure!

On the docks

Saint pauli the district we where staying in was like WET DREAM for me! It basically looked like all the counter cultuer in gemany moved into this lil district in Germany. The atmosphere is unexplainable, and the people where super chill. we went to go eat some real Germany food "whatever" that means. It was delicious so after that we went cruise the red light district in Hamburg which is the largest in Eroupe "next to amsterdam of course". After that we headed to the show on the harbor!
Had some beers on the dock and then rolled up to the spot where the show was at, and to my surprise there where a bunch of punk kids outside with some other kidz sk8ing on some ramps and a rail. When we rolled up there was a big sign over the door that said somthing in German and our Swiss friend told us that it said SOLDOUT. So when the bouncer walked inside I grabed Hanako and Luca and made a dash for the door. I thought the music coming from inside sounded familiar, and it was- Municipal Waste, a band from the states, was f-ing it up (their words). I gave my fanny pack and glasses to Hanako and jumped into the pit, where I rocked harder than any German in there. We caught the last 4 or 5 songs, which was just enough to get me sore and mess up my shoes. I thought we were going to some fancy club DJ so I wore my white vans. At least I'll remember Hamburg forever.

Left my heart and cleanliness in Hamburg

We headed outside for a break before the next show, and the kids were still skating. with all the people out of the club, they definitely stepped it up a notch. It was rad- great combinations of new and old tricks, even stuff ive never seen people do live. There was a mini skate park set up on the sidewalk right in front of the richy and fancy places right next to the grimey club. Our new friend Alex came through soon after, and we met the kids (also a part of Suicycle) who brought in the ramps and rail to skate out there. Even suicycle Alex was amazed that the cops didn't come. We were super amazed, especially after all that ruckus.
When the ramps were packed up, we headed up much later to catch the end of Trash Talk, a Bay Area band that we hadn't heard before. Turns out the drummer, Sam, is from LA, and a good friend of our most favorite JAZZY BOIIIII! Sam told us he was exhausted, that free late night show being the 2nd that they played that day. Being a hardcore drummer ain't easy, so I felt for the guy. He had enough time to talk to us for a bit before they headed out to Amsterdam for their next show. After the band was done playing there were some bad-ass punk DJ's who knew the way to my heart with some gg allin, D.I., Adolecents, and even some Voids. There was also a group ping-pong game where there are several people with paddles moving around the table- everyone has to hit it once, and if you mess up, youre out, until it gets down to the last two people who play a match, then it starts all over again.
We went back down stairs, kicked it with Alex and his crew, got handed several beers, and chilled into the wee hours. In retrospect, St. Pauli is probably my favorite place on earth.

***Post script: When I get to the states, I'm gonna have to get suicycle send me a frame, cuz their bike ish is bad-ass!

The long and beautiful road to (not quite Hamburg, but) Harburg

August 12th, 2012 Sunday

Are we going the right way?... Are you taking a picture??

We got to a bit of a slow start on Sunday as we took time to enjoy our first camping experience in Germany. There weren't many people camping in tents as it seems most Germans camp with smaller RV's (what they call Wohnwagen- voonvagon). We used are small cooking stove for the first time to make a can of beans (it worked!) and prepared for our journey.





 We headed out from the campsite, and quite soon after started heading the wrong way (we noticed this due to Alex's good sense of direction, and the lack of bike signs pointing the way, which our numerous) After getting ourselves on the right track, we stopped at a little restaurant called Seepavillion Weertzen  in Weertzen that was right next to a park and a lake that had a wonderful view, and even better food. With a little more energy to burn, we started putting in the kilometers.

our view at lunch

our view of lunch

We saw tons of blue sky, ongoing fields curbed with dense woods in the background, windmills, cows, and sunflowers. We definitely took some moments to stop and take it all in. We also hit a pretty long bit of cobble stone bordered with sandy gravel, which slowed our travel.

Alex takes a moment to stop and smell the sunflowers

i look quite windswept but its probably just helmet hair

As we got closer to Hamburg, we hit a misdirection or two and got ourselves just below the city in Harburg at a late hour. We were a bit too far from a campingplatz and a bit too tired to go into the city and look into hostels, so we opted for a bit of pampering and stayed at Panorama hotel in Harburg (which ended up being cheaper than our last night in Amsterdam). We took full advantage of the space, the shower, the comfortable beds and the 12pm check out time, all to ready ourselves to stop into Hamburg to seek out bike repair assistance.

Three is company too or day one is just as much of an adventure as any

August 11th, 2012 Saturday

 And thus began our adventure!

Our send-off crew!

 With the blessings of the artists in residence (and son) we made an excited, yet slow departure away from Bremen. I had several issues with my derailer getting off of its track (mostly me leaning forward when stopping to correct the issue and thus moving my shifters) but we were finally able to move away from the city and envelop ourselvs in vast green fields- and that was only the park!

 We met many lovely people along the way including a woman named Reina who was on her way to visit her elderly aunt the next main town over. She rode with us for a bit and was kind enough to translate a few signs and explain a few things (such as the food and such items for sale along the side of the road).

beautiful yet bumpy cobblestone

We were blessed with excellent weather, and shade for most of the way. I was not as prepared for the change in road as we passed from paved streets, to cobblestone, to dirt road, back to paved, as we moved between small and even smaller towns. So imagine my surprise when I look down at my chain ring and I am missing not one, not two, but THREE chain ring bolts (this is out of 5) with the two loosening themselves with every pedal stroke. Alex was kind (and smart) enough to give me one of his bolts (me now with 3, and he with 4) which enabled us to get to the closest bike and repair place along the map. Alas, we arrived too late in the afternoon (around 3) and they would not be open again until Monday (small towns take their weekends seriously, and we can respect that).
Along the way, we encountered a lovely play area where Alex and I took a break from riding to try out the teeter-totter.

teeter-dee

totter-dod

 At one point we strayed from the scenic route and took a "regional route" which basically means it is up to the surrounding areas how well established the bike route is. In this case, it was quite sandy and rocky, and our km per hour sometimes slowed to walking the bikes. We made it about half-way to Hamburg (a decidedly beautiful route to the city from Bremen) to a camping place called Zeven (zee-fen)

Children of the revolution- Bremen

WE GREET FROM BREMEN!!!

We left Amsterdam to stay in Bremen at Anna's mom's art studio, where we met several other artists yuppies who are against gentrification (kind of like us). One of them was working on a project with metal shards from old WWII bombs, buffing them and then using them to play wonderful resonating sounds. We are excited to see how that project pans out.
We also met some other young people from Bremen through Spenser and Anna. Our first night there they taught us a drinking game of pitching bent bottle caps into cups of beer- we keep wanting to call it kerplunk, but we're sure thats not it (Spenser, Anna help us out here!). We had several engaging conversations with the group, and it seems that at a younger age (most of these friends were in their late teens, but very mature) Germans are much more aware of their social and political surroundings.
But don't think that they don't party twice as hard as us!

One of the first phrases Hanako and I asked to learn was "Where is the party?" which is "Wo ist die partie? (spelling?) We also went to a German club called Tower, where we were reminded why we don't go to clubs, because we waited in line for a good while. But the lovely thing is in Germany, they never stop serving alcohol. So we partied until 5:30 am on a Tuesday, and everyone said that was an early night. We could smell fresh bread being made as we walked home (fresh bread everywhere you go!) It was awesome.

peep this old building yo

Town center (I heard you like bling so I gold plated parts of the architecture)

Anna also gave us a tour of Bremen, which was a very old and beautiful city (whats up cobblestone) There we got to travel through the oldest street in Bremen, which wasn't Cali old, but OLD-old. The main church in the center of the city was built in the 700's. Being raised Catholic, I feel as if my Grandma would have had a time if she had been there. We also checked out the statue of the Bremen town musicians (wikipedia it) and it is said that if you hold the feet of the donkey at the bottom of the statue that you can make a wish. 

I bet she's wishing that dude wasn't in the picture

The reason we are in Europe at all, we finally picked up our bikes from the shipping place

Danke!!!!

(THANK YOU A MILLION BAJILLION TIMES ANNA AND SPENSER) After much discussion and clearing up in German, shipping paperwork, a lovely letter from Hanako's cousin written in German (Thank you Mark), and some phone calls from tax or customs or some efficient department, we were able to get our bikes. Yessssssssssssss! We built them up in the studio space, then took them to the bike co-op that is open on Wednesdays called Frischrauber. They helped us a great deal, hooked us up with help in translation, fenders for our front wheels, and a nice squeaky parrot for my bike thanks to Benny.

Ich liebe Bremen!

PS We tried a Berliner which is like a jelly doughnut, and is also what Kennedy said he was to the people of Berlin. 

Testing out out rides

On Thursday we tested out our bikes with nearly all of our gear just to get a sense of what we need to adjust or be aware of. We even donned ou full bike attire! Spandex has never looked so sexy. We did a few miles along the Weser (sounds like veza). Bike ways and walkways to be next to the river or to see it from slightly above. So beautiful.

Hanako's

Xray's

check out the view, and we were only test riding

Shout out to Anna, Spenser, the Koper and extended crew for helping us get our bikes and giving us a place to stay.
Also shout out to freischrauber the donation based bike space for helping us out and putting up with our minimal German. Thanks to them we were able to handle those last fine tuning bits on our bikes.
Danke!

Hello all! We have since left Amsterdam and are now writing from Bremen (West Germany)
So Amsterdam... AmsterDAYUM!

Vondel Park

For real... What a special place. We made a good choice to arrive in a city that speaks a lot of English (not just for the tourist but the people too). It made it much less stressful arriving after 16 hrs of travel.
Alex and I ended up renting bikes for a few hours and explored Vondel Park (so beautiful!) then met up with Spenser, Anna, and Daniel. We walked around endlessly (and not even the whole park), spent most of our time at the adult jungle gym then made our way out of the park due to a sudden small storm. Apparently its pretty normal for the skies to be clear then to turn stormy.

Vondel Park through my lenses

Daniel, me, and Alex at a bar in Amsterdam

We had the good fortune of showing up just in time for the Gay Pride festival and boy do they put West Hollywood to shame! Word is there were 4.3 million people in the city for that weekend, and enough party for everybody. Saturday kicked off with a BOAT parade through the canals. BOATPARADE. Floats of people in flashy clothes, colors, glitter, feathers, makeup, whatever. Everyone wearing a smile. Drag queens looking fab. And everyone full of love about it. Events went the whole day until midnight FOR FREE.

Even the tower is proud

Canal parade!

Please feel free to drop your jaw for the DJ booth on a riser with pyrotechnics.

Alex and I found ourselves pretty sleep deprived from being jet lagged and being in a city so party that there really is no good time to sleep. We hope to visit there sometime again with the hopes to connect with people from there, and get a less touristy feel for the city.
(Pictures to come)