Tour diary

Wow. That's about all i can say. It was more than just a festival. Like Ecotopia 2003, somehow it has changed me a bit, in some kind of subtle but profound way. I am leaving with a warm glow inside that feels like it will carry me through the next year and beyond.

For those who weren't there, i guess i should say a bit more about what Ecotopia is. Ecotopia is building an alternative world for two weeks. Like the rainbow gathering, we change the rules,... [more]   Comments (1)

that was the next day - still no contact to radu. We reached Resita - Civilasation had us back in this 80.000 people town. On the photo you see the main square - left of it a big supermarket *shame on us* right a fast internet cafe, where some of us spend the whole afternoon. Some others where making a tour through the bikeshops and made contat with bike atack, a local group which hosted us in their new youth center space. KUDOS to Julian and the rest, you arte great!!! ... [more]   Comments (2)

Our greatest sleepingplace so far was in Steierdorf/Anima. As we could not get contact to Radu, our Romanian organiser, we had to find sleepingplaces ourselves. And this day, when we reached Steierdorf, it was raining cats and dogs. and Hans just invited us into his house. THANK YOU SO MUCH, HANS!!!

You see the village and his house on the pics.

One of more than 30 tunnel has electric light - unnesessary luxury

The first one took me completely by surprise. I just rode in. It took a

minute to realize what was wrong. The light from the entrance faded and i

found myself riding slower and slower, until we were in complete

blackness. I was still riding. Was this a good idea? Shouldnâ??t i stop?

Donâ??t you need to see to ride a bicycle? Right. You do.

I stop.

After leaving Banja Luka we headed to a great camping site next to the river (which I really didn't get the name) where we put up our tents next to the Croatian group that came the day before (like Barry mentioned) especially for the rafting experience on the beautiful Vrbas...

There, at the camp fire, once again we shared stories from last year biketour an... [more]   Comments (2)

whow, that was a harsh wake up. i tend to fall into this biketour dream quite soon after i joined - so many nice people you meet, so many nice places, everything friendly and sunshine ... even the mine workshop did not destroy that dream - you just look on the mines map to know, where not to leave the road.

but then, after a great stay in zelenkovac (www.zelenkovac.net), a small refugium in a fo... [more]   Comments (0)

The first day was uphill, the second day was down, it all went a bit downhill from there...

 Biketour loves hills, but only those that point downwards. Following a day of relentless climbing to the beautiful Zelencovac, we awoke to the even more beautiful thought of 85km of downhill! :) Shame then that our wake up call was to be provided by the not so harmonius singing of Tiho (sorry bud!) Once our nerves were settled by a quick tour around the p... [more]   Comments (1)

Another day in Sunny Banja Luka! We woke this morning with sore heads after a pretty wild party at the castle. I've never climbed a castle wall before but the local girls made it look easy. Up they went and into the concert for free! :) Our fuzzy heads arrived back at the sleeping place and were shocked to see that the place had somehow become a colony of Croatian girls! I, of course, was not complaining... After the confusion of the morning we managed to make our way to an a... [more]   Comments (5)

Hi BT people! We left Zagreb Wednesday afternoon, slept near the Sava with bees and mosquitoes (quite more harmful) as company (but no mines, ufa!). Then today did only 170kms, crossing Sava in a train bridge sided by the line, and taking part of the highway before Banja Luka ;)

Sadly been welcomed at [more]   Comments (0)

Zagreb seems to be the biketour capital, so many bt people living here. After a warm welcome and reunion with our bros & sis we will head for Banja Luka today. That are Alex and Joao, who started in lisbon 3 months ago, Karl and me coming from Austria - well that were only 2 days of cycling and Barry from Ireland. C U in Banja Luka then, shhhhh, he flew ...