The daily news

Mon 13-Jul-1998

A lazy day, forced by external circumstances. Because we could choose between a ferry too early and one a bit late (3 PM) we decided to do first some shopping, banking, posting, etc. and then take the afternoon ferry with a not too difficult ride afterwards. We ended at the point of some islands at the beach on a small and beautiful camping. The shopping had supplied us with steak and mustard/cream-sauce. And from Bodø we still had a bottle of Chili wine. With a nice evening sun, what can then got wrong? The mosquitoes .... BZZZzzzz !!!

Tue 14-Jul-1998

Today was a real Norwegian ferry day. The coastal route (RV17) that we are doing at this moment, contains a lot of ferries. And today was such a day. So to catch the first one, we woke up at 6 (ehhh, Fiona at 5.15) and at 8 am we had done already 10 km. The first ferry we got with ample spare time, but when we arrived at the second, it departed 5 min after we arrived. What happened was that the ferry was late and that we had made a big miscalculation with the time-table ;-). All in all, everything worked out very well for us and we arrived at our camping quite early, having done a heavy 66 km. The important event of the day was that we passed the Arctic (Polar) Circle in southwards direction.

Wed 15-Jul-1998

Again a day dominated by ferry schedules. Which is not bad, because it results in plenty of time on terraces and not too many kilometers. Between Kilboghamn and the ferry in Stokkvågen we passed by the Omega navigational system. I had never heard about it, but it consists of eight low-frequency (10-14 kHz) transmitters, located all around the globe. The aerials, which were the parts that got our focus, consist of long cables crossing the fjord from one mountaintop to another. Very interesting. And have a look at capemaps.html for some maps I have added on request. But a good World Atlas will help you probably more.

Thu 16-Jul-1998

"I'm singing in the rain" ... at least that's what we tried. Wind-force 6 (head-wind of course), cold (10 degrees Celsius) and lots of rain. The weather at this moment is good up north and bad in the south and we are naturally going south. But still we did 67 km including two ferries in one day. And it was the first day we had to set up our tent in the rain. Which is a completely new exercise. Enough to treat ourselves to a good dinner with bottle of Portuguese wine (more about that in 3-4 month time). And this day included a morning break next to a nice church, called "Alstahaug krk".

Fri 17-Jul-1998

A day with a not to big stage. First we had planned to make it a rest-day at Brønnøysund, but the weather was still very, very gray, so we only did shopping (gin, wine, beer :-) and hit the road. Which the weather gods apparently appreciated, because halfway the sun came through. After 50 km we called it a day at a camping next to the ferry dock. Nice to see all the activity at such a short distance, while sitting in front of your tent. But if you like 100% silence, than better go somewhere else. The large diesels will be our 6.15 wake-up call of tomorrow morning.

Sat 18-Jul-1998

"Long and winding road ..." or better "Long and climbing road ...". With that sound in our ears we did a long trip today: 90 km going up and down, and ending in a climax of the last 10 km consisting of grid-road, which wasn't indicated on the map. But under a sky full of cumuli and a landscape of mountains, forests and farmland, a trip very worth while doing. Last couple of days, our tracks coincide with that of an English couple from Lancaster, that are making a similar trip as us. The only difference is that they are 30 years older, or as they call it: 70 years young. And with probably half the luggage we are carrying along. Let's hope that in 2030 we also haven't stopped doing as we are doing now.

Sun 19-Jul-1998

After arriving at Namsos, it was time for dining out. Finally in a "major" town, so take your chances. The Irish pub was used for stout and writing e-mails, followed by the "Big Buffalo" for fish soup, spare ribs, potatoes, salad and Argentine wine. This was so far one of the few times in Norway, where eating out also meant that you leave the place with a satisfied feeling and a full stomach. Often you just have to order (and pay !) double portions to get enough. Well, this time it was different. Very good food, perfect service and a view over the fjord. We really rolled back to our tent.

Mon 20-Jul-1998

A rainy day of rest at Namsos. Also rest for me !!!

Tue 21-Jul-1998

The region we are passing through at this moment, is a typical farmers country. Some wheat, but mostly grass. Rolling fields, nice typical red colored farms and everybody busy with getting the grass from the land. The way they do it here is by making rolls, which are than neatly "shrink-wrapped" into nice white packages, that are lying around everywhere. So far so good. But only one small problem. Not a cow in sight :-). Also hardly any fences and on top of that no large barns, where you can expect all those grass eaters. So is this grass for export, or what ... It is clear that something we are still missing here. I'll try to find out what in the coming days. Intriguing.

Wed 22-Jul-1998

Often, this is the most appreciated signboard of the day. After a long, long ride, this means rest, drinks, food, etc. Especially today this was true, because we were avoiding the E6 and took the 755 to Trondheim. With the consequence that the campings are far apart, if they are even there. The camping we were aiming for today, was indicated on one map only, which we saw in the bookstore. Not on any other. So, when it finally really exists (and even comes 5 km early), that's a great relief. On top of that it is again a good candidate for our "Camping of the week".

Thu 23-Jul-1998

Tomorrow again a rest-day. Sometimes they come two weeks apart and sometimes short after each other. As this time, because we thought that the possibility to spend two nights and a day in Trondheim would be an opportunity not to be missed. So we reserved a room in the top hotel of town, the very classic "Britannia", with old grandeur. After 4 weeks of sleeping bags and too much stuff in the tent to stretch your legs completely, this is luxury. But, still busy, busy, busy, because such a town is the only place in weeks where you can buy those special items, like maps, English books, bicycle parts, birthday presents, etc. The "image of the day" is a self-portrait of the digital camera I use to make all the photo's on this web-site.

Fri 24-Jul-1998

Last night we had once again one of our typical Norwegian dinner experiences. To summarize, at the moment the food is served, you can start asking for side-orders and again and again, because otherwise you are starving. And they put that all on the bill as well. Nothing like a waiter coming at your table with "everything fine, some more potatoes maybe?". It can be that we eat so much more because of the cycling, but I don't believe so. After so many years of too expensive food, Norwegians don't really enjoy their food anymore. Anyway, this night we decided to take matters in our own hands. So that was Burger King with own made salad in our own Hotel Room. Including the family-size bottles of mustard and tomato ketchup that Fiona loves so much. Well, we finally had our stomach's filled after 4 double whoppers and 5 large French fries....

Sat 25-Jul-1998

Is Norway bicycle-friendly? Good question. At first it seams very much. Even at smaller towns, the main road suddenly is accompanied by a special path for pedestrians and cyclers. And around a major town like Trondheim, there are plenty special signs to direct cyclers. But in practice bikers life is not so easy. Those bicycle paths always stop just when it would be important. Or they bend around the corner, forcing you to leave the main road you were following. So after a short while, you start to ignore them all and just stay on the same road as the cars. What they don't like of course. With those signs, similar problems. Leaving Trondheim by the E6, suddenly puts you on an expressway. Which is forbidden territory. Luckily you find after a while those special signs. But also those suddenly stop to be there when it becomes difficult and important. Asking local people how to get around a piece of road forbidden for us, the answer is: there is no other road. So what do you do, well, you just ignore it and take the expressway. In general, lots of things are done for bikers, but someone should check if it really brings you from A to B.

Mon 27-Jul-1998

I call this stage of our trip "The Norwegian Heights". And that's what it really is ("Long and Climbing Road ... poom, poom ..." [Beatles] :-). We passed today through the Dovre National park. A small canyon through huge mountains, where that small pass is used for the river, the road (us) and also the train. In my opinion, we should swap. I mean, let's bike on the railroad, because that has maximum percentages of 3%. Maybe a good marketing idea for the railroad companies? Tracks for toll paying bikers next to the rails ;-). Because we get so much higher, also the temperature is getting much lower. The evenings are really cold. And very strange for us also dark. Today we bought batteries for our flashlight, to be able to read a book at night.

Tue 28-Jul-1998

You know Brian Ferry's song with "It's my party and I cry if I want to ..."? Well, today both were true. First of all: "Happy Birthday to me !". The second part was more luck. To start of it was real birthday weather. We went from Dombås to Vågåmo with sun, little clouds and a nice temperature. But on top of that the first 30 km were down, down, down. There come the tears ... but in this case caused by the 40-50 km/h wind. However, to make it a real celebration day, after that we got both a 16% ascend as well as a 16% descend. Both were done with not more than 6 km/h. And both were very tiring. The first for the legs, the second for the hands. But the brakes kept well. And at the end there was an old lady with a kiosk with CHOCOLATE ICECREAM !!!

Wed 29-Jul-1998

Today, we entered the region of the Jotunheimen National park. On the negative side this area is much more touristic and crowded than the north, but the views are indeed spectacular. Yesterday we left the E6 to take the 51 and later on the 40 for our journey south. No fjords anymore, just mountains, mountains and mountains. With the associated climbing. This morning after half an hour, we immediately had to go from 300 to 800 meters in 4 km distance. A real steep one, that has lots of resemblance with the exercises in the fitness rooms: 5 min cycling, 2 min rest. But at the top, waited this beautiful lake, also with the dark clouds, that of course later gave lots of rain. Let's hope our theory still stands that after one day of rain, the next is a beautiful one. Helas, the contrary appears also to be the case.

Thu 30-Jul-1998

Last night we slept in a nice hotel. This is how in our case we often end up in hotels instead of campings: The tent in our bag is wet (from the previous night), the weather is gray and drizzling and we stop for a break with coffee or soup at some hotel / motel / restaurant. Often, those are non-inspiring places but once in a while you encounter a surprise. In that case, of course helped when the mileage of the day is already over 40 km, we suddenly look at each other and show similar flexibility. Or in other words "let's call it a day". Which means booking a room, taking an early shower and ample time left to sit in the nice lounge with my computer to write all these reports. Yesterday was exactly like that. A hotel like a hunters lodge, with a good restaurant with reindeer on the menu and one single room still available. The result: more web-pages for you and a nice soft bed where you can stretch your legs for us. Oh yes, we deserved this treat, because today we did 90 km through the Jotunheimen National Park. Spectacular views, but also climbs up to 1400 meters. The proof that we were above snow level, you can find by clicking on the image on the left.

Fri 31-Jul-1998

Menu of the day. Enough for two hungry bikers. Can be cooked on two stoves with limited ingredients and tools. Filling and well tasting. 500 gram smoked salmon (the only food that is really cheap in Norway: US$10) 1 onion 350 gram tagliatelli (or penne, or ...) salad as available in the supermarket Boil the water for the pasta. Put the salmon 30 secs in the water and peel off the skin. Cook the pasta al dente. In the second pan fry the onion. Add pepper and thyme. Cut the salmon in cubes and add to the onion. Serve with a fresh green salad (that's how the newspaper recipe always calls it :-). Dig in! (that's how we eat after a day of biking).

Sat 01-Aug-1998

Mice!!! One of those campers delights. Waking up in the night, because some plastic bags outside the tent are making strange noises. You give it a look, you shake the tent-cloth, but nothing to be seen. Must have been the wind. You try to sleep. Two minutes later, similar sound. Also some tingling of the pans. That can't be the wind. You look again and a dark shadow jumps away. Yesssss, mice!!! Only one thing to do. Leave your tent and hang it all on the bike. The nights are cold in your underpants.

Sun 02-Aug-1998

Couple of days or weeks back I mentioned on this page that the railway companies could better exploit their railroads for bikers. Today we encountered the ultimate example. What do you want more: maximum 3% ascend, much lower resistance with the road than with rubber tires and no need to check the map. Immer gerade aus. On top of that no problems for extra bags or other stuff. What other desires can a long distance cycler have??? See the special trip report.

Mon 03-Aug-1998

Something about youth hostels in Norway. Our experiences are really bad. First of all there are hardly any at all. And when your route coincides with the location of the Vandrerhjem's (that's what they are called) and you need them, they are always full. Which is understandable in summer-time, but the problem is that there are no vacancies because they are booked by groups coming in large buses. And because of that no place anymore for individual trekkers. Again this happened to us today in Kongsberg: youth hostel full, camping recently closed, etc. etc. Not a very good day. Time to leave this country and to go on to the next.

Tue 04-Aug-1998

Life isn't always easy. Last days are of that type. Campings are too far apart, recently closed or with staff such that you have to cycle on. The daily miles are through nice agricultural landscape, but containing more kilometers than planned and wanted. And on top of that, the fast ferry to Skagen is canceled caused by too much wind. So, we are now in Larvik waiting for our crossing to Denmark. Norway done in 6 weeks, in total 2500 kilometers. Depending on the wind tomorrow, we can make our desired crossing to Skagen or we have to take the normal ferry to the undesirable Frederikshavn. We'll see. And if you need nice accommodation in Larvik, try Lysko Gjestegaard, next to the ferry terminal and with so much charm you'll drown in it.

Wed 05-Aug-1998

I hate large ferries. And the Color Line from Larvik to Frederikshavn is one of those. Too many gambling machines, too many people, too long queues for coffee or toilet and too long waiting times for boarding and un-boarding. It's similar to 747s, the larger the thing, the longer the wait. And we were staying seven long hours on this dreadful floating box. Well, you hope it remains floating at least. But OK, we survived and arrived in the place we didn't want to go to (see yesterday), but that was not too bad after all. Good camping. Real big, you lost your way even in the toilet building. Over organized, but with good hamburgers and chips around the corner. Hopefully in Denmark they understand again what enjoying food means.

Thu 06-Aug-1998

Wind, wind, wind !!! A dreadful lot of it here in Jutland. Not without reason the catamaran ferry was canceled. And unlucky for us, the wind is north-west and our direction is west. So, we are progressing slower than through the mountains of Norway. There, after going up at least there are some minutes of going down. Wind is different, it is always against you. The only time it stops a bit is when it starts raining. Pick your choice.

Fri 07-Aug-1998

The "Marguerite Route" is a very nice Danish network of roads suitable for bikers and leading through the most beautiful parts of the country. There are a couple of them going all the way north to south, with the only disadvantage for us that they are not really following the "shortest path between A and B". So, we try to make a mix of following this route and taking some shortcuts to gain some kilometers. But if your sole holiday would consist of cycling through Denmark, this network of well indicated routes are a perfect guide to see some of the best parts of the country. Recommendable.

Sat 08-Aug-1998

After too long, we decided that today should be a rest-day again. Yesterday, although very windy, it was also very sunny and a good moment to dry some sleeping bags (the photo was taken then). Therefore the good intentions to continue that today, including washing clothes, etc. But the weather-gods decided differently, the result a very gray, very wet day. Still good for a day of rest. Books to read, web-pages to be written and such.

Sun 09-Aug-1998

Yes, it happened. The first flat tire. And not while making our miles, but after all that while going into town for some diner. Quite remarkable I must say that after more than 2500 kilometers with the four tires we have, it took so long to get the first puncture. Today's tires are containing such good layers of kevlar and similar materials that the pieces of glass still get in, but don't reach the inner tube. So, after repairing the flat one, I also spent half an hour to get all those little stones out of the rubber of all our four tires. Just a precaution.

Mon 10-Aug-1998

Traffic signs are really an enjoyable thing in Denmark. It's like they are all designed in Legoland. The trains are real steamers with lots of smoke and the sign to point you at the station includes roof and clock. The deer that can cross the road for 7 km. is a real jumping miracle. All in all it comes right out of a comic book (do you recognize TinTin the dog of Kuifje) or from some other children's book. Which is in quite contrast with the so famous "Danish Design" like the watches, the kitchen equipment, etc. A big surprise after all those countries where traffic signs have already been the subject of re-styling and iconization (is this a real word?).

Tue 11-Aug-1998

Today we were at Billund. What is Billund, or better where is Billund. Well, for us it was a small town halfway the day, good for a rest and especially shopping for the evening meal. Which was very successful, with entrecote, a good Bourgogne and some of the nice new potatoes. Did we know it was also the town of Legoland. But it was on the signs. Only 2 km. However we just cycled on. Which is typical for this journey. We concentrate on making miles, eating food and taking our rests. And that fills already 90% of our day. The remaining part is to create these reports :-). So, we are generating plenty of ideas for a next holiday, but as I said before, this is no holiday, but a journey. Ohhh, and the flag is the second one in my collection of flags of all the countries we come through. In two days time: Germany! Time goes fast.

Wed 12-Aug-1998

Our last full day in Denmark. Very different from Norway. Not only the prices of liquor and food :-). Also more old buildings and historic towns, which in Norway were mostly destroyed during the war. It makes a country very different. On the other hand, Denmark is much more used, crowded, populated, whatever you want to call it. I've never seen so much windmills in my life. And with that I mean the new modern types for green electricity. It's logic to find them here, because we had never so much wind on our trip. But luckily the last days the wind was moderate and from changing directions, so also in the back. Tomorrow we move on to country number three: Germany. We will cover there roughly 1000 km, before we will enter France. So, we expect it to take us little more then two weeks. We'll see.

Thu 13-Aug-1998

"Ausweise Bitte !!" So, we had crossed the border. And I was thinking that after Schengen, a Dutch person traveling from Denmark to Germany was not required to show his papers. Never mind, I got the impression that the officer preferred to have a chat with people coming by, than to sit behind his desk. He was quite friendly and impressed with our 3000 km since the North Cape. Yes, that's right. Today we passed the 3 mega-meter border. Are we now halfway?

Fri 14-Aug-1998

The positioning of tents is like churches. The door must be to the west and the "choir" to the east. Which has nothing to do with Bethlehem, Jerusalem or Mecca. Just a matter that in the evening it's nice to have your dinner in the sinking sun, but more important, that in the morning the rising sun in the east will warm the back of your tent and dry it. On top of that we like to have our tent with the back to the wind. So, the wind should be east. Which is mostly not true in Europe. Well, that's what compromises are for ...

Sat 15-Aug-1998

What is the purpose of a German bicycle path? Simple: To accommodate the get-out-of-my-way attitude of the average Mercedes-Benz driver. Not to provide a comfortable and safe path for bikers. The car is all important. When there is no cycle path, bicycles are forced too use the pedestrian walks. Which means that at every side-street and garage exit there are two more bumps that are nearly breaking your spokes. When there is a bicycle path it is so full of potholes that to keep your bike in good order, you have to go back to the main road. Which is of course forbidden. And within one minute you will have a car behind you that will sound his horn and even open his window to direct you back to bumpy part of the road where bikers belong. On top of that, in these three days in Germany there were already more broken glass bottles on the road than in the 3000 km before.

Sun 16-Aug-1998

Sometimes signboards are really funny when read with another language in mind. This one on the left (click on it to enlarge), read with a Dutch background, is a real good example, especially on a Sunday afternoon. What would Petrus answer?

Tue 18-Aug-1998

I don't know how come, but already the whole journey we are cycling exactly 400 km per week. Because our start on the North Cape was on a Tuesday, that is my "point zero" and look how we ended yesterday: after eight weeks 3200 km exactly. The only nice thing about these very accurate figures is that now we do know what our mileage is, we still don't know what the total length of our trip will be. So, when we will be back ... who knows?

Sat 22-Aug-1998

We have visitors and even on a tandem! Steven and Josine joined us for a short stretch south of Kassel in Germany. Last night they arrived after 400 km from Holland with on the roof of the car a large tandem and the boot full of stuff for a couple of days of biking with us. Today we saw the difference between a 24 gear randonneur and a 3 gear tandem. But with a bit more of pushing we made our goal for today easily and had plenty of time for a lot of chatting about our old times in Singapore. Maybe you noticed that our frequency of updating the Fra Kapp A Cabo website has dropped last couple of days. That is because here in Germany it has become much more difficult to find free power points for charging the battery of the computer and to find friendly camping owners that are willing to let us use their telephone.

Mon 24-Aug-1998

Today a national happening for two Dutch people. We ended the day in Dillenburg, the town of the roots of "Willem van Oranje". Besides that, a nice town with lots of the typical traditional German buildings. The moment we left the town for the camping 4 km further on, it really started pouring ... a person must be flexible, so we returned and inquired at the tourist information, with the result that we stayed in a nice B&B with splendid views over the town. See the picture on the left for the proof: our private balcony where we enjoyed our 5 PM drinks.

Wed 26-Aug-1998

Today we crossed the Rhein. Again a ferry and we like them. Couple of kilometers up-river we put our tent up for the night. Nothing special, everything as usual. However, just after taking the picture on the left, a kayak came into view at the other side of the river. And shortly after that it started crossing, which is a difficult task given the current and even more the heavy traffic. They managed very well and surprise, surprise, after a short chat, it appeared they were doing a similar expedition as ours. Only not north-south, but a Europe crossing west to east. And of course not by bike but by kayak. A happy encounter.

Sat 29-Aug-1998

Today we finished our third country and moved on to number four. We are quite happy about that, because firstly we really need to get south before it really gets too cold and secondly because we didn't really like our stay in Germany. The moment we entered France, very unexpectedly, we noticed a lot of difference between the two countries. Because the Vosges is a region that in the past has been interchangeably German and French, you would expect a gradual change, but it was very immediate. And for our perception in a positive way.

Wed 02-Sep-1998

A day can have extremes and today was one of those. At first, the alarm went an hour earlier, because we had a long day of cycling ahead of us. We wanted to leave before 8 o'clock. But, here it starts: A flat tire. %#@$&*)!!! OK, simple repair (see picture taken at 7.30). With that, the sequence of disasters started. Because of the omission of proper rim-belts, the inner tube had weak spots every 5 cm. That was hole number two. Lets put in a new tire. All well. Until half an hour on the road (with 3/4 hour delay) and there it goes flat again. To make a long story short, what followed were five more tube repairs and the fabrication of improvised rim-belts. We made it. But why did we have such a heavy day ahead of us? Answer: We had invited ourselves for two nights with proper beds and such with my sister and family in Magny-Lambert, near Châtillon in the Côte-d'Or. And that meant a day of 103 km, up and down and up and down. We made it and at 5 PM we arrived after a new record average speed. It was coursing like in a real "Tour de France".

Fri 04-Sep-1998

Sometimes you're in for a change. We were at least at this moment. So we stayed for two nights in a proper house, with a proper bed, with a proper washing machine and a proper telephone connection. For those who want to explore the map of France, it was in Magny-Lambert in the Cote d'Or where my sister and her family are living. But, ohhhh, what does it hurt to start cycling again after such a rest. Every muscle hurts. Therefore you can not stay too long, although it's tempting.

Sat 05-Sep-1998

While cycling through the real beautiful landscape of the Morvan, I thought of the most obvious thing, which was to call this stage the "Tour de France". Not very creative, but very applicable, even as our journey through France is more a straight line than a "Tour", never mind. The day was one more fitting the month of March than September. Rain, sun, again rain and then once more sun. Fast changing and fast blowing. Our target of the day was Autun and surprise, surprise, it was indeed our "Ville d'Etappe". Nice town and even better, there was the "Host. du Vieux Moulin". Fiona said: "Let's go for the hostel and not for the camping, we are soaked". She was right about the latter part, we really were, but this three star affair was not a hostel, but a Hostelerie. Which means, dry room, hot shower, real French x-course dinner, two bottles of Bourgogne and of course a little more money. But who cares. We suffer enough, so there are also times you should enjoy ...

Sun 06-Sep-1998

Coursing is a difficult issue. It involves a lot of concentration and synchronization. In our case the difficulty lies with different ways of balancing going up and down. On flat roads we do extremely well. I have a good steady tempo and Fiona is very good in keeping up, even if that means pushing it a little more than you really have available at that moment. But going uphill and downhill our problem lies that I want to relax while going down and then compensate that with lots of energy to go up again, while Fiona's method consists of making speed going down and using that to ease the first part of the uphill part. Today, we were cycling really concentrated, which results in Fiona's (faster) speed for going down and followed by my (faster) speed for going uphill again. The result was a daily average speed of 20 km/h. Which is rather high when you consider that there are also parts in towns and at traffic lights that force you to go slow. But I can assure you, we felt our muscles afterwards.

Tue 08-Sep-1998

A rest-day in Vichy, for us "Vichy revisited" (it was our honeymoon, 12 years ago). Nothing has changed, still only old ladies with small dogs, retired colonels, or at least people who look like that. And a crowd of young people profiting from it: Gigolo's, thieves, you name it. But for us it meant replenishing our stocks, like getting maps of Southern France, Spain and Portugal, we got them all. Or trying to find new tires for our bikes, not so easy and unfortunately unsuccessful. So we will have to try to keep our current ones in good order. This afternoon I exchanged the front and rear tires (the rear tires are more worn) and I even filled the wholes in the rubber with two-component glue. Let's pray they last till Gibraltar. However, luckily such a day also gives finally some time to have a proper French breakfast, with coffee, croissants, etc. You see the proof of it on the left.

Fri 11-Sep-1998

The last two days are wet, wet, wet. Just before, it looked like we had finally reached the more southern sunny weather. And that our hard cycling had been worth it. But just after that it changed and now it is cold, wet, dirty, etc., etc. So, we have slept two days already in proper beds in hotels. There is only one little problem with that. You must go out for dinner. Which is something we always like, but on this trip, no matter the country, dining out means too much fight to get enough food. When we cook at our tent, that's no problem, but in restaurants we have sometimes more and often less success. Tonight was very nice. In the end we had double portion tagliatelli, a large dish of French fries (real French :-), cooked potatoes and lots of bread. A very nice hotel in Argentat-sur-Dordogne, where we really enjoyed ourselves, even while we landed here involuntarily, caused by the rain.

Sun 13-Sep-1998

Ever been woken up by a large bunch of howling wolfs. Well, we were this morning. Early morning, around six. In Gramat our camping was next to the "Parc des Animaux", a simple zoo. But with plenty of strange noises during the night. Quite special. Today we went through the "Departement du Lot", once more a very nice part of France. And we are really pleased with the people we encounter. This morning, we were having our typical brunch, in this case on the staircase of the Mairie of a small town. A drizzling Sunday morning and we luckily found a nice cover in front of the porch of this Mairie. People doing their last shopping for "le dejeuner de dimanche". And everybody is wishing you a "Bon Apetit". Nobody complaining about the mess you make of it (we clear it before leaving of course, but they don't know that yet). It really makes your day. This day was also characterized by plenty of nice people and lots of lousy weather. Wow, what a rain we had, but the prediction for tomorrow is better (we read this in the bar pictured on the left, where we stopped for coffee, cognac and hot chocolate, it was that cold and wet :-). On the former, a nice couple we asked for the camping were not local but they went back to their car to dig up the right camping guide. And the camping owner who is a fanatic racing biker himself and even allowed us to put our tent on his volleyball field. What do you want more. Yes, more sunshine, but luckily this evening we got some first strikes of it. Let's hope for more.

Mon 14-Sep-1998

It is here wet and cold!!! Everyday we put on our raincoats at least five to ten times per day. Today we had some sun, but at the same time it was raining. Of course this area, next to the Atlantic coast, is weather wise not very famous, but even local people admit that this year beats it all. We are still hoping for those delightful evenings on the terrace of the village cafe, dressed in a single T-shirt. In Germany we thought that would happen in France, in northern France we pushed for the southern parts and now we are hoping for the sun in Portugal. You never know. The picture on the left proves the point. Even the berries that can be picked along the road are plentiful, but they taste sour. So I would say, go to the shop and load up your wine cellar with 1997 bottles, because those of 1998 will never be drinkable. But we keep going. Still going strong. Everyday a couple of kilometers more and Gibraltar will be there. Oh yeah, today we passed the 5000 km. So, have you looked already at the Fra Kapp A Cabo contest? For our schedule, click on the counter at the lower left corner of the home page.

Tue 15-Sep-1998

The days are shortening, the French holidays are over and campings are closing one after the other. But they pick different dates for it. In Eauze where we were going today the guidebook stated for the camping municipal "15/6 - 15/9". But what does that mean on the 15th exactly. We were to find out. It was possible to phone the "Mairie", but we thought wiser not to. When we arrived it was again pouring and a notice said that we should go for the swimming pool office. As could be expected, that was closed. But someone walking around said that the camping was open, only the facilities were already closed. Some simple tests resulted in warm water from the tap, so then he saw no problem for us. Go ahead. Two hours later the real camping keeper appeared (I was away for shopping), after which a very confusing discussion between him and Fiona followed about the issue if the 15th was or was not included. Well, the result was of course a good French solution: "as long as you are gone tomorrow, it's OK". Which resulted in a private camping for ourselves. We even didn't have to pay. No other guests, perfect facilities, we could use three washbasins for cooking our Spaghetti Bolognese, in short this place was perfect. We really love the French "campings municipals".

Wed 16-Sep-1998

Every morning after roughly 20 km cycling, we stop for what you could call our brunch. Coffee from the thermos, fresh bread from the bakery, etc., etc. And all in large quantities. We normally try to find a nice bench, can be in the park, can be in the center of the village, can be a picknick area along the road. However with the rainy weather we are having last weeks another difficulty is added: Finding a bench with a roof. Bus-stops are perfect for this purpose and often we are lucky. However not this morning, they grayest of grayest in weeks and not a bus-stop to be found. What to do? This entrance of the church was only solution. So we promised ourselves to leave no crumbs or whatever. And the only lady that came from her morning prayers, started off with "it is such a terrible weather lately". Very friendly indeed.

Fri 18-Sep-1998

What image to show on a day of rest. We planned this rest-day, because since yesterday the sun is shining again, therefore lots to wash and lots to dry. It was a lazy day, only tea and coffee to drink and books to read. Real lazy, what do you want more?

Sun 20-Sep-1998

Again we crossed a border today, always a main event. Don't ask me why. No border patrols present at all, but still it appears on our journey to be something very important. Probably because we feel the cultural differences so instantaneously. Every country is luckily differently. In this case a worsening of road conditions but much nicer and cleaner toilets. Don't know if this will stay like that. It's just a first impression. But anyway, the biggest difference is that here you get your red wine out of the fridge and you drink two bottles instead of one ......

Tue 22-Sep-1998

At this moment, our third day in Spain, we are starting to follow the Northern Coast of it. In a while it is officially called the "Costa Verde", but not yet. However, for us it is after 3 months the first time we encounter things like beach-life. In Norway there was plenty of coast, but no real beach temperatures. Here, finally, the sun is shining and we are following the coastline, until we will head south for Portugal. Spain is nice, we like it. The only pity is we don't speak a word of the language. And the Spanish people speak hardly a word of English or French. So, it is difficult to learn more about the country and conversation doesn't get much further then ordering drinks and food. But our experiences are very positive: nice campings, good food, plenty of wine. But the climbs are steep, so lots of heavy cycling to be done.

Wed 23-Sep-1998

"A bridge too far". We knew beforehand it would become a tough day. We had to round Bilbao, a big city and that's always a major task. Lots of traffic, always dusty, finding your way, that kind of thing. And campings are always far away, so you are forced to make a lot of kilometers. In the case of Bilbao, there is also a major river to cross with not that many bridges. However, we planned a clever route, taking a bridge not in the center of town. But you can guess, the moment we started with the leading slope, a big sign: forbidden for pedestrians and bicycles! And immediately a police car behind us. The cop was friendly, but spoke only Spanish, which didn't help us much further. In the end we had to go back all through the center of Bilbao, which added 15 km to what we had to do already. The good news is we now know there is a Guggenheim museum and that the center is quite nice. The bad news is that all the rest consists of derelict industry buildings and large refineries. Even our camping of tonight, 20 km out of Bilbao is enclosed between the toll-way on one side and large oil-tanks on the other. Including the smell that goes with it. As our British neighbor on the camping called it "the camping out of hell". After having traveled exactly 3 months, which means roughly 80 different campings, this was the first one that didn't provide hot water, not because it wasn't there, but because the hot shower was only available between 7 and 10 PM. Funny thing is that there exist people that even have a permanent place on a camping like this. That's what happens when you are near to the beach. Anyway, we survived and are now ready to start with the famous "Costa Verde".

Fri 25-Sep-1998

A long day of cycling and therefore a short article. The beautiful landscape of the north of Spain proofs itself on the left. And it will get better, well the landscape of course, not the cycling. We will have to cross the "Picos de Europa" in a few days time. That will be really high, but probably also spectacular. After 5400 km, we really discover that "wear and tear" are starting. As fitness people know, real weight training should be done only every other day. In our case we feel it happens every day. So after a stage of getting more trained, we reach now a stage where some parts are felt more and more. The good news is, we are starting to see the end-goal. For example, we meet people who are coming from Gibraltar. So it's only .... more miles to go. Put in the dots yourself and win a T-shirt (http://www.schaik.com/cape/capegame.html)!

Sat 26-Sep-1998

Today an easy quiet day. We needed it after yesterday's long day of cycling and a couple of very, very heavy days ahead of us. We are going to cross the "Picos de Europa", a mountain range in the North of Spain with tops over 2000 meters. And more important, also the passes are well over 1000 meters. Therefore today a Saturday to prepare ourselves, which means very little kilometers and finally time to get a cup of coffee at the local bar. In a very small coastal town with a nice port for the fishing boats. This is really a very beautiful part of Spain. Along the coast nice old historic towns, in between small white beaches and a "hinterland" of the most magnificent mountains. ¿What do you want more?

Mon 28-Sep-1998

The last two days brought us through the "Picos de Europa" mountains. Heavy cycling, today a climb to 1280 meter altitude, but one of the most beautiful parts of our journey. Also because this is for us a very unexpected surprise. Never heard about this region before and there it is. It is also temporarily a bit over with camping. Approaching the end of September, most campings are closing and anyway in Spain most of the campings are along the coast. Which gives us the luxury of nice warm hotel-beds. But in Portugal and the South of Spain, many are open the whole year round. Tonight we are staying in Riaño, a completely new town, because the old Riaño has disappeared under an artificial lake for white electricity. The old church has been taken down and reconstructed at its new site, clearly a lot of money has been gone into the construction of this new town, but it has a special atmosphere. Not a bad one, just a bit special, with everything being new.

Thu 01-Oct-1998

Today again a day of great and unforeseen beauty. Last two days we crossed the high and flat countryside around the city of León. A bare, sometimes green, sometimes red and brown colored landscape, with a very special beauty. This is not a very spectacular landscape, like the mountains we had before. But maybe because of its emptiness and bareness it gives the same pleasure. Our luck was that (because of lots of rain before) we had a sight of over 50 km. Combined with a large buildup of clouds there was enough to look around. The nice thing of biking is that you go slow enough to see the details, but you go fast enough to see the surroundings change every day. The only unpleasant thing was the real stormy wind and cold temperature of 10 degrees Celsius. Even to go downhill we had to push hard. But still we managed to do 80 km. Tomorrow we cross the border to Portugal, but in two weeks time we are back in Spain, then in the southern regions around Sevilla.

Fri 02-Oct-1998

Another border crossing, now into Portugal. What we in a way miss is that at nearly all the crossings we had, there is no real border anymore. No passport checks, no officials present, only some old deserted buildings that remain. You really feel that you move from one culture into another, but there is no real transfer point anymore. Again, we will have to switch languages, which in this case will be rather difficult with Spain and Portuguese on one hand so full of similarities, but on the other so completely different. No "gracias" anymore, but "obrigado"!

Mon 05-Oct-1998

Now we have done a few days in Portugal, we have decided not to do it all at full speed. A little more time to look around and take a break in a cafe is rather welcome. The daily mileage will of course drop a bit, but what are a couple of days more on a four month journey. See this nice typical Portuguese donkey-cart. The farmer even stopped to give us better chance for some nice pictures. Although Portugal has progressed much over the last years (hypermarkets, two-lane motorways :-), things like this are luckily still remaining. Which is unfortunately also true for the quality of the roads. It looks like tarmac, but it is bumpy as a gridroad. Let's hope our bikes (and computer ...) will withstand the vibrations.

Tue 06-Oct-1998

Tonight we had a very interesting discussion with the owner of the restaurant where we had our dinner. He himself, as well as his wife, were raised in the Portuguese colonies in Africa. And after many years living there, when those countries became independent, they came back to Portugal itself. A country, he discovered, to be the last in the European row. The lowest economy, only agriculture, hardly any industry and export, etc. Which was for him in such a strange contrast with the power and influence of Portugal in the world in former times. How can a country that built Macao and Malacca now be the poorest of all European fellows. One thing he observed was that oversees the Portuguese were helping each other, while in Portugal itself they were only competing with each other. Neither he, nor I, have an explanation for this, but indeed the current Portugal is in strange contrast with its former glory.

Sun 11-Oct-1998

This week we finally have arrived in the regions with hot summertime weather. That you have to travel 6000 km south to get that this year is a bit much, but better late than never. And now it has become really, really hot. Nearly so hot that you think of taking a siesta. But we don't do that and just bike on. So, you drink a lot of water. Both in Spain and Portugal, the water from the tap is rather ugly, because lots of chlorine has been added. But in Portugal there are plenty of small fountains along the road, where straightforward spring-water is available. Kind of aqua mineral without a plastic bottle. And those fountains are in many cases real pieces of sculpture. So pleasant for the eye as well for the mouth. What do you want more?

Mon 12-Oct-1998

Today our last day in Portugal, tomorrow back to Spain. But will it be the same Spain or a different one from the North? We'll wait and see. The weather now is sunny and hot, very hot, nearly too hot! But after all the cold we had in the previous stages, we really like the current 30 degrees. The landscape here consists of lots of olive trees. The roads are flanked with many cork-oaks and here and there you find some vineyards. The latter are very beautiful at this moment. The grapes are already picked and the leaves are a mixture of green and read. Very scenic. Even more picturesque are the little lambs that we see in the fields. Yes, it is October, but this is more spring than autumn. Tomorrow a long hot day to cross the Rio Guadiana, which is also the border between Portugal and Spain. Again, there are not many towns, so someday you do very little kilometers and someday you have to do a lot. Camping was completely impossible last days. And even finding lodging is not always that easy. But it looks that our last stage through Spain will provide us more possibilities to use our tent. We will like the freedom it gives.

Wed 14-Oct-1998

We are now cycling through Andalusia. It's October, but still temperatures are above 30 degrees. Combined with steep ascends that makes it soaring hot. But by trying not to do too much kilometers per day, we survive well. Last night we stayed in Jerez de los Caballeros. A small town with at least 5 very large churches and (surprisingly ???) a very large quantity of children. We saw the correlation, but if there is really a link I don't know. Today, after a good 50 km, it was our first possibility after (too) many days to go to a camping and pitch our tent. Well, we reached the village, found no sign for the direction of the camping and went asking. We had to go back, we had passed it, but apparently missed it. And that was all explained in 100% Spanish, of which we understand only one in a hundred words. But we got the message and went back. Having found the camping, the owner was not present and when he arrived, he told us the camping was closed. The water was not working anymore, etc. etc. It was already six and the sun was going down fast. Big problems, but finally, when we agreed that no water was no problem, we got permission to put our tent. We got a few bottles of water with the neighboring farm ("Madre Mia" said the old lady, when she heard about our bicycling journey) and we were finally able to cook our own meal. That is the biggest disadvantage of staying in hotels, each night you have to rely on a restaurant for you dinner. At this moment we are of course the only people present, which results in complete silence except for the sheep-bells and a pure clear sky with the most gorgeous amount of stars you can imagine. Wow....

Fri 16-Oct-1998

Our plans for today were to go from Aracena, one of those nice Spanish towns in Andalusia to a camping a little north of Sevilla. And then for the next day only a short distance to Sevilla itself. But checking some camping guides, it became uncertain if that camping really existed, so during lunch we decided to head straight for Sevilla. That would make it a long day, but with the advantage that the day after there would be no need to break up the tent and that we really could sleep as long as we liked. The result was 98 kilometers in 5 hours, which was only possible because we also descended from 500 to 200 meters. And not to forget the Spanish roads, they are really good. The tarmac of such quality that downhill there is no need to break. Just let it roll until the wind gives enough resistance. Approaching a big city is always difficult. Traffic systems are developed for cars and before you know it, you are suddenly on a (forbidden) highway. But this time we had planned it rather well. Only one time we had to unload all the packs from our bikes to carry them over the safeguard :-). For the rest it really worked out ... until the last kilometer, where we missed a sign for the camping. We went a bit too far and saw some caravans, but not the entrance of the camping. Also there were lots of nice ladies in short skirts and tight T-shirts, all asking for the road, ahum. To make a long story short, the caravans were not part of the camping, and served different purposes. We asked an older man on a bike for the direction and he just said "follow me". Which we did for 3 km and he guided us all the way to the real camping. Some days there are real little angels on your way to save you!

Mon 19-Oct-1998

Our trip is really nearing its end. But mother earth gives a beautiful aftermath. Andalusia is so good looking. First the part between Portugal and Sevilla. And now the last bit from Sevilla to Gibraltar. We are crossing the "Parque Natural de la Sierra" and again it combines some tough ascends and some beautiful landscapes. All in all it again makes us repeat for the 120th time: "every day it's different". We keep on saying that and it is really difficult to describe why. But with a speed of 50-80 km per day, you are fast enough to see the landscape evolve, but slow enough to take in all the details that make up that daily change. In short, we really enjoy the last three days of our journey.

Wed 21-Oct-1998

We did it! Reason for champagne. And to shoot the cork really 10 meters up. The south cape of Europe was just as windy, bare and unimpressive as its northern cousin. The North Cape made into a touristic attraction, the "Europa Point" a hardly noticed light-house at the southern point of Spain ... oops, I should say Britain, but that is in our opinion the biggest anachronism of this time. The town of Gibraltar is nothing more than a big duty free shop, with none whatsoever economic reason of existence. At least that's what it looks like to us. During the (Spanish) champagne we analyzed our journey and concluded that it really gave a satisfied and proud feeling. Nothing of the fear that it would be over to early. No, very simply: "Fra Kapp A Cabo, we made it!"

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