We are back in Spokane after finishing our ride in Kobenhavn (Copenhagen).  It has taken me a while to get to writing this final blog:  jetlag (never easy for me but certainly worse with aging and wooziness) and mixed feelings about completing this ride.  It is with some sadness that I think I am unlikely to take on an adventure like this again.  Fitness-wise it wasn’t a problem for either Jim or myself.  We are slower and the fitness comes more slowly at this age but it is nice to know that it is still doable.  The problem resides in my head–literally.  While I was able to complete this ride I struggled mightily with my wonky head, particularly when jet-lagged or while in busy crowded areas:  big cities, trafficked roads, rough roads, riding on the left-side.  It made the riding so stressful as to take the fun out of it.  So after some time to wallow in self-pity I am working on an attitude adjustment:  Just where do we go from here?

 

But first, some highlights from the final days of our ride.  Riding out of the Netherlands and into northern Germany led us though obviously fertile agricultural lands that were  generally quite flat riding.  I will never think of our ride through the rural areas of these countries without recalling the rich and pungent odor of manure that is seemingly everywhere!  We spent one night in Meppen, a lovely small town near a lake district.  We spent several hours walking around seeing sights including a very old Protestant church and a reconstructed Medieval village.

 

This tour included more cities than I would have liked (big cites often have great sights but the enjoyment is diminished by crowds of tourists, traffic, noise and dirt).  Our rides into the frequent cities were often fraught with traffic (no, Germans are not like the Dutch in their treatment of cyclists…honk!, vroom!) but we traversed them safely.  The less-traveled streets of Hamburg were enjoyable with some interesting architecture.

The ride into Denmark included some lovely ocean views, one last ferry ride, and a 4 km bridge.

I found Denmark to be quite lovely.  There is an old, rich, open-minded culture but it is a very expensive place (most expensive country in Europe).  And of course, it is the land that gaves us Legos!

 

As is true with much of Northern Europe, the country is struggling with migrant issues: how does a country with an abundant social safety net–free higher education that includes a monthly living stipend and free medical care paid for with very steep taxes (>50%) handle the influx, both culturally and economically of migrants with a very different culture.  This is a struggle that we saw all along our ride where veils & chadors sharply contrast with trendy and historical cultural landmarks.

So, back to the future.  What does the future hold for us as lovers of travel and cycling?  First of all, I want to be clear that I understand that many people face health challenges, often far worse than my own.  While I know that is true intellectually, part of me is still angry that my enjoyment of life is so marred now by feeling “out-of-it” so much.  But I will adapt and get over my feelings of frustration that I can be so healthy in some ways and so limited in others.  I also realize that I have been amazingly blessed to have been able to travel to so many fabulous places and often by bike…I just thought I would be able to keep it up for a while.

What still works?  I seem to be the least “wonky” when sitting still (not in my nature!) or while riding my bike (thank goodness) in places that are quiet and the roads are reasonable.  I still savor riding in beautiful countryside and don’t mind hard work like hill climbs and headwinds (well, at least not more than before 🙂  ).  So perhaps traveling in our hemisphere (less jet lag), maybe self-supported (more freedom to adjust to bad days), and taking advantage of the incredible natural beauty here is what the future holds.  Certainly riding in the Palouse since we have been back has reminded me that we live in an incredibly beautiful place.

 

One last thing:  Our travels have been so enriched by the amazing staff and cycling companions that we have met during our travels.  This last trip had the added joy of spending time with former riding compatriots as they joined in on this trip.  Our staff, Ozgur, Peter, Vilma (who have been with us on each trip) and Doug (a great guy from South Africa) went out of their way to help us on this trip and made it much more enjoyable just by their presence.

 

 

This was a large group with individuals from many countries:  US, Canada, UK, Norway, Slovakia, Turkey, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa.  It would take many more pages to talk about all of our companions on this ride but suffice it to say that they were an interesting, well-traveled, and obviously fit bunch who we enjoyed getting to know.

 

 

Thank you so much for joining us & indulging me with my musings about where we go from here.  I was thinking that I might be announcing the end of this blog site but we’ll see….