Summer Travelling

I've been kinda busy the last weeks - long time no post. This will be changed now... I had one day to pack all my stuff together, including a little detour via Erlangen, then hitting the road going north, cruising through Denmark and Sweden, appoaching Norway on the following day. Two relaxing weeks, two locations (island Atloy and Ulsteinvik) and a lot of relaxing time floating on the ocean, doing nothing, just chilling. This is how life's cool.

On the way back in Hamburg, I took the flight to Dublin, meeting Uwe and David after staying one night in the hostel in Dublin Downtown. Uwe was kinda speeding though the rain, hoping for better weather showing up after every turn :D But it didn't. We had fun anyway, climbed Europe's highest cliffs on Ireland's West Coast on day 2, enjoyed typical and traditional Irish breakfast or fresh and homemade served fish 'n' chips for dinner. The Giants Causeway at sunset wasn't missed at the third evening, before flying back to Frankfurt the following morning.

Getting started for the next highlight: Transalp 2011 - this time as a combination of two famours routes, i.e. 14 days and more intense. Rinkes, Tobi and I started in Oberstorf, passing Schroffenpass and spectecular Val d'Uina, riding though Vinschgau Valley and the Dolomites before approaching Lake Garda. The weather was more than excellent, the food delicious (Pizza, Spaghetti, Italian Ice Cream and fresh fruits, ähm wtf is bread??? :D) and the Italian language challenging. We had enough time for some sunbathing as well, reaching everyday's destination before sunset :) That will be different next time, promise.

Monster Trip

I've done it, biking home, from Brielle (NL) to Erfurt, 650 km in 4 days. Here are the stats and figures:



Day 1: Brielle - Venlo (210 km)
Day 2: Duisburg - Soest (130 km)
Day 3: Soest - Göttingen (170 km)
Day 4: Göttingen - Erfurt (140 km)

And, as a result of this, new wheels are needed. My ones broke down and were not able to handle the pressure :)

Limassol Meze Tavern

If you are in Limassol one time, starving, then try this Meze Tavern. I can highly recommend it :) Extraordinary food spiced with cool stories of the tavern owner ;)

Transcyprus 2011 Part 2

Monday morning. The alarm was set for 3 am :( A few moments later the taxi arrived on time. Miami @ Dallas Game 3 was watched on the way to the airport - the Dallas loss was a bad sign already! Then, delay of 6 hours at Hamburg airport (plane was hit by lightning and forced it to be checked completely). Tobi and me, we had plenty of time for an enjoyable breakfast after getting 2 vouchers each. The flight itself was horribly boring, and, landed, we struggled a bit to reach our destination Kalavasos in the evening. We rented the the MTBs there and started the tour through the Cyprian Troodos Mountains on the next morning.


Through the mountains
It took us 4 days to get to the other side of Cyprus. Going up, going down, stopping a couple of times in little villages to refill the water reservoirs at the bike and in the backpack, gasping for breath and taking some pictures we were coming the sun a bit closer - approx. 1500 meters of height was the maximum. It was hot and the sun was burning, no cloud, no drop of rain, 35°C. Some light winds and trees giving shade were more than welcome. Almost dead, we reached our ahead booked hotel in Agros on the second day (That was a bit too much under those conditions!). Day 3 was finished in Lemithou, relaxing and sunbathing at our pool :-P And all the way to Polis in the west on the forth day, seeing the sea the first time and jumping in without even taking off the biking cloths :D


Along the coastline
After spending an easy-going day on the Akamas peninsula, we had some excellent rides along the coast, to Kato Paphos, Pissouri, Limassol and back to Kalavasos. Beaches were completely unpeopled, no tourist, only some turtles were supposed to be there (but we haven't seen one). Crystal clear water was inviting us to stay a bit longer. In the evening, when the sun was going down, snakes were sneaking around and disappeared in the bushes infront of us. Pretty impressive. We finished the days with Cyprians delights: Greek Salads, Seafood, Lamb, Tahini, Houmous and Haloumi ... Simply nice!!! :)

Transcyprus 2011 Part 1

I am off now, for a little bike riding adventure. The Transcyprus 2011, starting in Kalavasos, going up and down through the Troodos Mountains and back again along the coast line in the south, finishing with a two days round trip by rented car in the north turkish part of Cyprus. I'll keep you informed later on. Cya!

In Contrast

On one day, it looks like this - the sun sets as if the earth has swallowed it up. Just lay down and relax...

On the next day, it looks like this. Heavy sand storms are pushing you from one side to another. You can hardly walk, almost no visibility and the grains of sand are finding its way to everywhere. Just get the hell outta there!

Harlem Globetrotters

Last Tuesday, there was another big event coming up - the Harlem Globetrotters in Rotterdam. I went there right after work and was faced the queue waiting to get in the "Topsportcentrum". Though, no other chance than queueing up!!!


The show was terrific, those men can ball!!! Every offensive play was finished with a dunk, big defensive blocks and 4-point shots. Even the "penalty box" as punishment (comparable with ice hockey) was fun. Sometimes the show aspects were a bit too obvious, but it was worth it anyway.