Beautiful Bosnia

Well, we have finally left Bosnia behind, at least i think. And our final days there left us with memories i am sure none of us will ever forget.

We left Sarajevo, to make it to a place called Visoko, where apparently the largest pyramids in the world are. However, there is debate as to whether or not they are really pyramids or if they're just mountains in the shape of pyramids. Only time and digging will tell, i suppose.

We left Visoko, and continued north. Our eventual destination was to be Banja Luka, but it would take us two more days to get there. So we rode, and rode, and rode. Out of Visoko, we did a 120km day, that certainly didn't go as planned.

We got lost. Partly due to a road we couldn't find, partly due to our poor excuse for a map. We had a town point we wanted to stay at (as camping amongst land mines isn't my first choice), but we didn't get there. On the road, towards the end of the day, we found the first person in the area who didn't really like Americans, and we rode on. We eventually came to a place that pointed towards a campground. We figured it safe, and headed towards it.

The old lady there was not friendly at all, didn't speak any English, and wanted to charge us a lot of money for a room with no running water or toilet, despite the fact that there was no one else at the campground. Across the road, some people were just sitting by a small fire and eating, and came over to help us.

It was two families, one from Germany, the other from Bosnia. The wives of each were both Bosnian, and cousins. The Bosnian man was a police officer in the area, who also served in the last war, and the man from Germany was of Albanian decent. He was the one who spoke some English.

After some talking, the police officer told us that the area where they had a small fire and were eating was public land, and that we could sleep there for free if we wanted to. We jumped on it, and spent the evening with the two families. Of course, they had lots of left over food, which they cooked for us and made us eat, and while we did so, the policeman made a campfire for us, found us extra wood, and chopped some stuff for us as well. It was a graced ending to a stressful and frustrating day.

The next morning, as we were preparing to leave, some guys show up at the place where we are at. They start to get a lamb out of their car, put it on a stick, and relight our fire, which was still warm, but far from burning. As we're almost leaving, one of them offers us a beer, and though no one there at that time spoke English, we communicated a small bit.

A beer turned into a beer and a coffee, then two beers, and more people showed up. Turns out, one of the crews from a shoe factory in one of the towns we passed through the day before was having their yearly picnic, where they roast a lamb (and bring one that was recently roasted), eat a ton of food, drink beer, play football, and have a good time. We happened to be at the site, and we were invited to share in the festivities. One of the guys spoke some English, Budo, and we were set. We spent the next four to five hours drinking beer, eating some amazing food, sharing stories, and getting our butts kicked in a Team Bosnia vs. the Dream Team football match. Team Bosnia went up early, but the Dream Team came back with a couple quick goals. After that, Team Bosnia turned up the heat (they had one guy we nicknamed "Ronaldinho" because of his fancy footwork) and was pretty much toying with us as they left victorious, 6-3. The game was called after so many minutes, and all six of us went straight back to the beer (and them their cigarettes as well) and fatty meat. It was a great afternoon.

The picnic got relocated just after the lamb finished roasting, as the weather began to look ominously like rain. We all said our good-byes, and they even invited us to the public shelter area where they were going to continue the festivities, but we took the opportunity to finally get onto the road. 3pm i think was when we finally left camp.

Heavy from the beer and the lamb, i actually had my best day in the mountains. It was a bit more uphill than we anticipated, but much of the nearly 80km we road that day was down, so it wasn't too bad. Of course, the rain came back, but it was slow, without wind, and actually fairly warm outside, so it wasn't nearly as bad as before. The change in signs from the latin alphabet to the cyrillic alphabet, however, once we arrived into the Serbian Republic area of Bosnia, did throw us for a short loop. But we eventually found Banja Luka, and accomodation.

Just kind of relaxed and slept during our night in Banja Luka. The next day, we had tentative plans to explore some of the city before taking a night train to Belgrade. That was, of course, until we met our soon to be friend and personal tour guide, Nikola.

When i came down the stairs with my stuff, the guys had already met him, and were talking with him about his car, which he described as having two motors. He told us some stories about it, how he rally raced with it and street raced with it, and offered to bring it by the hotel to show us, if we were interested. We of course, were. He then offered to drive us to his house to show us, and we took him up on it. The car was pretty sweet, two 16 valve engines, one in the front and one in the back. He showed us how he connected everything, and it was quite impressive. He fired it up, and actually took Greg on quite the ride around the city, some of which he got on video.

While Greg was gone, Fitz and i talked with Nikola's son, Nikica, who is about our age and who not only races cars, but also bicycles. He had with him his mountain bike, which was incredibly light but looked more than capable of taking on the most rugged terrain.

Nikola returned with a dazed Greg, and offered to take us back to the hotel. On the way, he said he would show us around some of the city. He took us to a medical center which is on the top of a hill overlooking a city. He then took us to another overlook, then to another hotel in the city, which is actually owned by the same lady, Maria, who owned the hotel we stayed in. This hotel was along the river, very peaceful, and had a 14 hole miniature golf course. Nikola is friends with the owner, and he hooked us up with a round of putt putt, from which Fitz took home the gold. Afterwards, we had some lunch by the river, and just relaxed and talked some more with our friendly host.

The rains returned, and we left the hotel. Nikola spoke of an overlook on the other side of the city near a WWII monument, that he said was the best in the area. The problem, though, was that it was a three km hike on a road from where you could park your car. Driving up, usually, is not an option. Nikola drove us there, and worked some magic (telling the guard at the parking lot that we were Americans working on a special report), and was able to drive us up to about 500 m or so from the top. We waited a bit for the rain to cease, and walked the rest of the way up the hill. The view was spectacular, and the monument offered a very detailed picture history of the area during WWII.

On the way down, we were fortunate enough to get a very thorough and relatively objective explanation of the most recent war in the area. It was the best personal story i had heard on the issue, and was very informative.

Nikola drove us back to the hotel, after what felt like a day of VIP treatment. We thanked our host, who was to turn 63 the following day, picked up our stuff, and headed towards the train station to make our train. After pleading our case to allow our bikes on, we had to attach them above the seats in the train. We slept a little on the train, but arrived early the next morning in Belgrade, pretty tired. Fortunately, we found a hostel right away, and slept a few hours, before exploring the city.

Belgrade was a large, bustling city, particularly relative to the cities we had recently visited. Larger than probably Banja Luka and Sarajevo combined (Sarajevo really hasn't regained a lot of the population it lost during its seige), it is home of the largest Orthodox Church in the world (started in 1935 and still not anywhere near completed) and an incredibly large castle, which sits right where the Danube and the Sava rivers meet.

After exploring the city for at least half the day, we ended up eating at a less than high quality Italian restaurant. We were just finishing up our meal, prepared to make it an early night and go to bed, when someone walks up from the street and covers up Fitzy's eyes. We were all surprised to see our friend from the day before, on his birthday, with Maria, in Belgrade.

Nikola, of course, had us join him for a birthday drink. We had beers, he and Maria coffee (they were going to drive back to Banja Luka that night), all of which he paid for. The outdoor cafe we stopped at had some musicians, which we got to come to our table and play for us. It was a wonderful conclusion to an exhausting day, and it wasn't without some sentiment that we said good-bye, again, to our last link with Bosnia.

It is a truly wonderful and blessed person who can offer so much hospitality, and expect nothing in return. If there is one thing i have encountered on this trip so far that has simply caught me by surprise, it's the unassuming kindness that we've been shown by complete strangers. We're foreigners, don't know really any of the language, and yet we're treated like family.

And in that same light, Bosnian hospitality, we have found ourselves with an American family in Sophia, Bulgaria. The Sassers, John and Nancy, have been incredibly kind and hospitable to us, letting us stay in their house, hooking us up with incredibly comfortable beds, great food (Nancy's brownies are amazing), and a great place to kind of use as a base to explore Sohpia and the surrounding area (they live on a mountain that overlooks the city, which we will try to climb probably today, since it is clear).

So, yeah, that's the update. It was three days in the making, sorry it is so long. i may actually get a chance to get some pictures up while here at the Sassers, so look for that in the coming days, and as a precursor to that event, here's a video from Fitz's camera of me jumping into the Adriatic (pardon the obscenity):

(How about that tanline, eh? The midsection has definitely shrunk some (i'm down to 87 kg now) and the hair is looking short and poofy. Still don't like heights, though. )

And as usual, check Fitz's and Greg's blogs for more exciting pics and videos. Thanks for holding out this long on this incredibly extensive post. Hope all are well.

JC

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

So, that's the song we have been singing on the trip the last couple of days. Our last two days of riding -- leaving Montenegro and heading into Sarajevo, Bosnia, where we are now -- have been marked by rainy, cold weather, up and down mountains. But it hasn't been all bad.

First, a catch up, as it has been quite some time since i have had time to update this thing. We had a great time in Dubrovnik, and actually ran into some girls from Colorado, one of which i knew from as far back as high school. They were all visiting from Sarajevo, where they were each doing a different internship through DU. Unfortunately, their internships are now all finished, and they all left before we got into town.

It was hard to leave Dubrovnik, not only because we had a good time, but also because it was impossible to find a bike shop with an intertube for our bikes. We left later in the morning, planning to only have to ride about 35-40km to cross the border into Montenegro and get into the next town. The plan was to find a bike shop on the way out, get some tubes, and hit the road.

Well, we found the tubes at a bike/auto shop, but the connection didn't fit either of our pumps very well. We thought it was good enough, and headed on. Perhaps fortunately, Greg got a flat in town, and needed to replace the tube. We soon discovered that we couldn't inflate the new tube fully, and returned to the bike shop to try to get different tubes, which they didn't have.

Six hours, 12 km, and four bike shops later, we ended up with the same tubes, a new pump, and most of the day done. We left Dubrovnik at about 5pm. We camped just on the Croatian side of the border in a vineyard, and finally made it into Montenegro the next day.

After riding most of the day along the coast, we made it to the town of Kotar, which is along the coast of the largest fjord in southern Europe. It was certainly impressive, and we got a view from much higher up as we climbed out of town, and into the mountains behind the town. That night, we camped out in a spot that overlooked a harbor on the other side of the fjord. It was to be one of the many beautiful sights we would see in Montenegro.

The next couple of days consisted of more hills. We made it to a town called Nekšič, where Montenegro's best beer is brewed. We didn't stay long there, just long enough to buy some food and get some directions. The market we visited was just outside of town, and upon our arrival, some neighborhood kids stopped by to chat. They didn't speak much English, but they were very friendly and enjoyed checking out our bikes and gear. They rode their own bikes with us down the road towards town aways, almost sending us off. We left town, and when we finally stopped to camp, we had ridden our first 100 km day.

The goal the next day was a town called Zabjlik, which is a ski town near a national park. The park is home to the second largest canyon in the world, the Tara Canyon. Not as sheer as the Grand Canyon (at least from the outlook we hiked to), it is nonetheless quite impressive. It is 1.3km deep, just a shade under a mile. We spent two nights in Zabjlik, and then headed north towards Bosnia. The road we had planned consisted of crossing a pass 1907 m above sea level (the town we started in was around 1450 m or so), and then going through the hills to a campsite near the border. We crossed the pass and ran into dense fog and wind, and upon arriving into a small town for lunch, we decided to take a different route, one that followed a river, hoping it would be both warmer and less hilly. We were more than happy with what we found.

About a half an hour after leaving the town, the sun finally appeared for the first time all day, drying out our clothes and our spirits. As we continued on the road down towards the river, we discovered that the river had actually been dammed, and that we were riding towards a reservoir. The road was littered with tunnels. Never in my life had i gone through so many tunnels on the same road. There was even one tunnel with an intersection inside!

We reached the reservoir, and continued on towards the dam. We were now riding in the valley, and the views of sheer cliffs, the beautiful blue-green water, and the many more tunnels all lit by the warm sun made this the most beautiful road i have ever been on. We stopped several times to take pictures and videos along the way.

Rejuvenated, we continued on all the way across the Bosnian border, to a town called Foče. Upon arrival, we had little to no clue where to find any accomodation. We stopped at a cafe/bar and asked some young guys, none of whom really spoke any English. They understood our gestures, and one of them hopped into his car and led us to the hotel in town.

After an omlette for breakfast (included in the price of the stay, we found out), we set out on the road to Sarajevo. The rain had already started to fall, but it wasn't falling hard, so we decided just to do it. It was a slow, cold day. We stopped for lunch under a tree, finding at least some temporary relief from the rain. Tired and soaked, we continued on, finally arriving into a dry but cold Sarajevo.

We have three nights left here, and are anxious to explore this exciting city full of modern history and conflict. The apartment we are in is cozy, but nice, and the son of the family has already shown us around the town some, pointing us to good places to eat and drink.

Almost 900km in, i am certainly getting more used to the bike. The problems that arose from the big pothole seem to have been corrected, perhaps by hitting smaller subsequent potholes. All the bikes are holding fast, though the ride through the rain certainly gave them some extra designs. It's hard to believe we are almost a week into August already, and only about three and a half weeks remaining for the tour.

Sorry this was long, hope it wasn't boring. Hello, and good-bye, to all who still are reading...

JC

"Pity the Country without Bosnia in it"

Apparently, that's the gist of a phrase that used to be fairly common around this region, offering some insight into Bosnian hospitality. Our short first round in Bosnia would lead us to agree with this catchphrase, and has made us excited to return in another week or so.

We left Mostar, and headed south back to Croatia towards Dubrovnik. On our way, we made a stop in the pilgrimage town of Medjugorje. i am sure many of you know the story of Medjugorje, but basically there are six girls there who reported having aparitions of Mary. The aparitions have not been officially recognized by the Church (nor have they been deemed non-existent), and only three (and maybe even only one) of the original six girls report still seeing Mary. Nonetheless, thousands upon thousands of people flood to this small town for a pilgrimage. While small, there is certainly lots to do, and i do see how one could spend at least a few days there and in the surrounding area.

Leaving Medjugorje, we continued south. After crossing back into Croatia, i began to have some problems with my front derailer. This required some major work, actually, and we ended up having to set up camp where we stopped. We worked on the bike for about two to three hours, and got it working well. As of today, in Dubrovnik, i am having problems again with it, which is not good. We will have to do some more work on it either today or tomorrow, before we leave.

Our camping spot was perfect, though. We ended up on a public bocci ball court, that was just off the road. Flat spot, only somewhat visible from the road, fit with picnic tables and such. We still wanted to get to Dubrovnik the next day, our early camping just meant that we would have to ride a little more to do so.

So, we awoke at about 6am, trying to get on the road by 7am. i think we hit the road a bit later, but not much. We started the ride, and the morning was nice and cool. We crossed into Bosnia again (Bosnia has a very small costal section that splits Croatia), then back into Croatia. We had a route planned out that kind of cut through the hills a bit, shortening our route some as opposed to going along the coast.

Well, we get on the road, and fitzy ends up getting a flat. Just past an area where we first found signs warning of land mines. By this time the sun is high, and it is hot. Very hot. We get moving, and end up going up one of the steepest, longest hills the guys said they have climbed yet. After a small downhill, we get another shorter but still very steep hill.

We finally got off the shortcut from hell and got onto the main road. Though much busier with traffic, the hills were much more gradual. We stopped for lunch between 20 and 30 km out of Dubrovnik, and finally arrived at our destination around 5pm, after 89km of brutal hills and hot, hot weather.

Our accomodation in Dubrovnik isn't too bad. We have a two room thing to ourselves, but it is up from the city quite a bit, and requires lots of climbing to get to. Unfortunately, it is also the first place we've stayed in without A/C...

After riding both, i would have to say that coastal Croatia is extremely beautiful, while inland Croatia is like a desert wasteland. The beaches here aren't too bad, but have yet to find one with any sand. It has all been rocky beaches, which the people here don't seem to mind at all, but is very different from my typical idea of "beaches."

Our next stop is the country of Montenegro, which is no longer associated with Serbia, and is supposed to be a very beautiful country with actual sandy beaches. We shall see how it goes.

JC

Got the bike, found the boys, and the rest is makin' history

Well, it has been quite a while since my last post. i've only gotten access to the internet once or twice since, and neither warranted enough time to post, so, unfortunately, this is gonna be a long one, and probably without pictures, as i can't get my ipod to work on this computer. So, let your imagination run wild (really wild with some of this), and have some fun...

As planned (for once), my bike finally did show up on Friday, after i arrived in Prague. There was an extra bolt floating around the box, and the big heavy homemade (thanks, dad!) box had only three of its original four wheels as well as some scuff marks, but it made it, delivered right to my door. Actually, apart from the moderate stress created by not having it with me right away, it was almost easier getting it delivered. Carrying the 70lb box up the four flights of stairs to the apartment i stayed at, though, was just as brutal.

Miraculously, i got the bike together in relative working condition. The gears were a little off, and the handlebar ended up not quite as tight as it should have been (found that out later), and of course, i didn't have any air in the back tire, but other than that, it was ready to go.

So, i loaded up my bags, grabbed my bike, and caught a 22 hr train from Prague to Split, Croatia, where i would have to take another train to Šibenik. So, i left Prague at 8am, and sat, and sat, and sat. Had a six person compartment in the car to myself for much of the ride. in fact, during the stretch through Hungary (which was BRUTALLY hot), i had the entire car to myself. I tried to sleep as much as i could when this was the case, but the heat made it difficult. Evening finally came, and i was in Zagreb, Croatia, about 8hrs from my final destination, and the train kinda filled up. Slept a little, lightly, but at about 3am, the nice lady left in the car with me found out i spoke a little german and talked the rest of the way to Split. It was a good excuse to try out some more rusty german, but i was extremely tired. i also didn't pack enough water, and would have killed for a bottle. i arrived in Split at about 6am hoping to quench my thirst and get the next train by the late morning, only to find out the next train would leave shortly, and had no bike car. i didn't have a chance to exchange any money, and, consequently, didn't get any water. i loaded my bike haphazardly onto the back of the train, much to the ticket guy's dismay, and, after an hour and another train change, i finally made it to Šibenik. i started to wonder around a bit outside of the train station, looking for an ATM and massive amounts of water, when i finally saw Fitzy and Greg ride up the street. Ah, what a great sight!

So, being that i had 22hrs on the train to think about this, i painted what would be the perfect picture of my arrival: i would get off the train and find the guys almost immediately; they would have a place for us to stay for the night; we'd stash our stuff, perhaps walk about town some, drink lots and lots and lots of liquids, go to bed early, and wake up after a full night sleep ready to ride.

Well, the first step happened as dreamed, but i would not be so lucky with the rest. After saying hello and getting me some water at the station, we headed to a park, where we chatted some more, relaxed, and shared plans. We ended up going to a small bar/internet cafe for a short time, then started riding. Day one, for me. 25 total brutal km, up (and only sometimes down) hills. We made it to a national park, which was pretty cool. It was weird, because the brochure you read before going down said no swimming, yet when you got to the bottom of the falls there was a swimming area. Greg definitely enjoyed the swimming, i just chilled.

As we were leaving, we got stopped by this guy in a car who had a campsite for a good price for the three of us, so we did it. Turned out to be a good campground, with good showers and bathrooms, so my first night out wasn't too bad.

The next day, we rode 75km, again with many hills (i seem to have met the boys in the hilly part of the trip). My legs cramped many, many times, once or twice to the point where i could hardly stand. Definitely very painful. The guys have been very understanding of my 'growing pains,' and took my groaning and moaning in stride.

Because of the heat, the guys usually stop in the middle of the day for a 'siesta.' The one my first day was the national park, and the day two was to be something near the water. Well, we missed some turns and ended up behind a school, sitting on the concrete in the shade. It wasn't the most comfortable, but a place to lay was enticing to me, especially for a couple of hours.

That night was to be my first experience 'squatting.' We found a trail off the road, took it up a ways, and just made camp. Pretty area, on top of a hill that was away from the road. One could see the Adriatic Sea in the distance and mountains all around.

Woke early, to start riding again. We made it (back for me) to Split, found a place to stay, and, yes, finally put the bikes in the room, and walked around. The place even had A/C. i felt like i was in heaven.

Split was a nice town with an ancient roman-era palace made almost totally out of white marble. The palace really consists of walls surrounding an area. Much of the area inside the walls actually has been adapted to the needs and uses of people living there, which is both interesting and maybe from a historical perspective, unfortunate. However, it was amazing to see so much marble in the streets and buildings, not just in the palace area but all throughout the city. In fact, apparently the marble is mined from islands off the coast of Croatia, so many of the towns are littered with white marble, the same kind that is shipped all over the world for buildings such as the White House.

Split was also the place of my first jump into the Adriatic Sea. Very salty, but it felt really, really good.

Our comforts of home left us early the next morning, as we realized we needed to catch a 5am ferry to get to the island of Hvar. Lots of lavender fields, lots of sunshine (though not more than CO), and the greenest of the islands are the highlights of this island. It was a beautiful ride along perhaps the prettiest road i've been on, but also one of the steepest. We road 62km across the island. We started at sea level, and ended at sea level, but it seemed like we went up hill more than down, though it was likely pretty even. Beautiful views of the sea and more mountains, especially looking out to those on the mainland. Prettiest ride, and definitely brightened my spirits and gave some reprieve to my exhausted muscles.

When we reached the other end of the island, we ferried back to the mainland, a bit further south than we started. Our goal was a town called Ploće, but we ended up squatting about 7km out. We were running out of daylight and options, and ended up at this place pretty close to the sea, which was amazing. You could hear the waves as we fell asleep.

Two things, though, made this campsite sketchy. First, we found out during our siesta that the train out of Ploće to Mostar only ran at 5:40 am and 3:15pm. So, we had to wake up at 4am, again, and hike our bikes out of the place where we squatted, and then ride the rest of the way to town. Second, the house we thought was abandoned below us, turned out not to be, and we all awoke at 12:30 am to the sound of the guy talking on his cellphone, not far from where we were camping. We found out that the house was not abandoned earlier, when a family of three came walking down the trail to the house right on the ocean. We had all our stuff, not out, but with us, ready to sleep. We said hello, and they said hello back, and just walked on by. Kind of strange, but we thought it meant things were going to be okay. So, just after midnight, we're awake, not sure whether he was talking to the cops or not, and not sure of what to do. Needless to say, i was freaking out some (i am very new to the camping thing, and especially very new to the squatting thing), and the other guys were a bit unsure also. We decided that since he didn't come talk to us, we were okay, and i said Hail Marys until i fell back asleep. We woke up at 4am, again, packed up, and were on the road.

Turned out, the train didn't leave until 6:20 (not too far off, but that's what we get for using a travel book that is three years old), but it was no problem. The train also did not have a bike car, so we took up the rear entrance. The train guys were pretty nice, though we did have to pay a little more for the bikes once we got into Bosnia.

And Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina is where we are at now. We arrived into Mostar just before 8am and were actually able to find a place right away. My German came in handy again (well, just so he could tell us to follow him in his auto, to the left, 2 min away, not exactly rocket science), and we got into our room, again with A/C. Showered, chilled, planned some of our day, and then headed out.

Mostar has a very interesting history. A river splits the city into East and West. The east side consists mostly of Muslim people, the west, now, predominantly Catholic. Orthodox Christians also used to be a major population percentage.

The city is named for the 'Old Bridge' (Stari Most) that was originally built in the 16th century. However, during the conflict in the '90s, the bridge was destroyed, an almost symbolic gesture of the relations between the Muslims and the Christians. The conflict was brutal and bloody, and much work was done to try and save the bridge. However, in 1993 it was destroyed. When the fighting finally ended, work began on patching relations between the Muslims and Christians, and also on the bridge. In 2004, the bridge was fully restored, and relations between the two sects in the city have also become much more peaceful.

Walking around the city, though, there are many, many reminders of the war that ended over 10 years ago. Abandoned buildings with bullet marks and collapsed sections stand right next to newly restored apartment buildings. The rubble in the streets shown in pictures taken during and immediately after the war is gone, but there is still much rubble in the structures themselves. Some buildings that are still used have bullet marks (including the building we're staying in). Much of the east side and all of the mosques were destroyed, and today many of minerats that sit atop the mosques again stretch high into the sky. There are several old mosques, the oldest dating back to the 1400s, and one we toured today dating back to the 1600s. Atop some of the minerats were speakers, where we could hear the call to prayer.

One of the coolest things today, was just after touring the mosque, we were able to talk with a young man, probably in his 30s, asking him questions about the mosque and what some of it means. It was interesting to hear the history of the town, especially the relatively recent history, from his perspective. He seemed very happy about how things were now in the town, and hoped it could again return to some of its 'golden years' of tourism, that apparently took place in the late '80s.

So, yeah, that's all for now. We're headed to Medjugorje tomorrow (for our siesta) and onwards back towards the Croatian coast, towards Dubrovnik.

Check out the other guys' blogs for other accounts, videos, and cool pics, as well as Fitzy's for a map of our route, which he links at the end of his entry.

JC

Back in Europe

Well, after some months digging ditches and fixing sprinklers, i am now fortunate enough to return to Europe and continue my travels.

Getting back to Prague was an adventure in and of itself, one that my bike has yet to complete. The craziness started in Denver, where my flight was extremely late. Fortunately, bad weather made my flight from Chicago to Frankfurt delayed. However, the weather was so bad, we ended up leaving three hours later than scheduled, and i missed my next flight to Prague. Fortunately, i was able to catch a later flight, and one of my three checked bags made the entire journey with me. The second bag (well, actually it was a cardboard box) followed not too far behind, and was just dropped off at the apartment i'm staying at about a half an hour ago. Hopefully, the big box (the one with most of my bike in it) will arrive tomorrow.

My former neighbors (who are in the apartment below where i used to live) have been very hospitable to me so far. It's great to be back in Prague, in a foreign country that yet in some ways feels a bit familiar. i haven't gotten to do any exploring. Hopefully i'll have some time to do that tomorrow.

For now, it's off to bed, after a very, very long day.

JC

Sometimes, Things Don’t Go as Planned

Perhaps one of the most important things about taking adventures is being flexible and knowing when it is time to make a change. Last weekend, i came to a point where i needed to make a decision that would have a major impact on the rest of my time in the Czech Republic.

It’s time for me to go home. Yes, it’s early. Much earlier than i had both planned and hoped. But right now, i think it’s the correct decision, and on Feb. 13^th, i’m flying back to the states.

Probably the biggest reason for my early departure is money. It seems to be an almost universal fact that there isn’t much money in teaching. What little savings i did have got sucked dry by essentially four months rent before my first paycheck. My first paycheck, which i didn't even get until today, is certainly nothing to write home about. I have had to borrow money from my roommate for a couple of things this month, one of them being next months rent, and after doing the math last weekend, i discovered it would be March before i’m out of the red, and actually saving money. However, the amount i could save would be miniscule, and traveling in the summer would almost be impossible. I told myself before i left that if i ran out of money, it meant it was time to go home. I have reached that point, and therefore, it’s time to go home.

However, the travel bug hasn’t left me. The whole purpose for this trip was to travel, and that is still the goal. Working was simply something that we tried to add on, and only one of us has been able to find a job in Europe that covers the time period until summer. Fitz had to head off to New Zealand, and i have to go home. But the three of us are certainly still planning to travel in the summer.

And so, my ticket home is round trip, meaning i’m coming back, in July, to bicycle around southeastern Europe with my boys. After that, i’m planning to see a few other things that i really want to see, before i return home. While it is of course a possibility, teaching English after our travels is likely not in my future. I honestly have no idea what i’ll do after i travel, and that’s okay. I’ll deal with that when i need to.

So, yeah, i want to thank everyone for all of the support while i’ve been over here. The e-mails, letters, and packages have all been great, and i apologize to the many of you i haven’t gotten back to. While i am sad to leave this beautiful city and wonderful country filled with the best and cheapest beer and some of the prettiest girls in the world, i am really looking forward to coming back home.

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. And that’s okay.

JC

February? Already? And the Bears are in the Superbowl??

Well, i was doing well posting on this thing. Then i realized i only updated this twice in the month of January. As the Czechs would say... "pity."

There is lots to tell. Lots to tell indeed. For the sake of time and length, i will start with some stuff that has already happened, and get to some more recent news in a later post.

First, i must say that the weekend following my previous post was highlighted exceptionally by the Bears' entrance into the Super Bowl. Twenty-one years in the making, and i'm out of the country. Fortunately, there are sports bars that will be showing the game. Unfortunately, i have to wait until midnight for it to begin. Good thing i didn't take a monday morning class!!

Speaking of classes, i must say that the teaching thing actually has gotten better. Much better, in fact. My students are all great people to work with, and i'm having a good bit of fun. Haven't had any plum liquor for a while, but that's bound to change, i'm sure. I have another class that seems to perpetually involve drinking, which is with a couple of computer guys. It's a night class, 7pm to 9pm, and the last thing they want to do is sit in a room and read through a book, or do much of anything that requires a lot of thought (they've put in a rough 10 hour day, you know?). So, last week, to my enjoyment, they declared that it was going to be a "special class," and they took me to a nearby pub where we had a few drinks and spoke for two hours. i'm not sure if it's what my employers have in mind for a class, but it's what the students want, so i'm not going to argue. This week was also a "special class," and i'm sure next week will be as well.

Fitzy left this week, and as a good-bye, we took a weekend trip to a town three hours outside of Prague called Olomouc (pronounced Oh-la-moats). College town. Cool place, not too large, but not tiny (they use the word 'villages; quite a bit here, but not in reference to a place like Olomouc). Found a pretty nice hostel, and also met some good local folks. On the train, we shared a cabin with a young man who was from Olomouc. We spoke with him, and he pointed us in the right direction of good pubs and places to see. We ended up meeting with him later that night at one of the pubs. On our way out, Fitzy asked him where we might find some good food. He mentioned this place that he said was really good, and that he enjoyed a lot, that had some burgers, fries, and other good stuff. In asking more about it, we finally realized he was sending us to McDonald's, though he pronounced it "Mac-Doh-nads." "McDonald's?" we asked. "Oh, yeah, McDonald's. You like, don't you?" We laughed, and said sure, but ended up somewhere with a bit more local flavor.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for another update, which i promise will not be far behind. Hope all is well with everyone who is reading this. Also, i will be moving soon, so if you were inclined to send some mail, please hold off, as i may not get it!

JC