Cycling Europe 2022

July - August 2022

Change of plans: Lisa and I are cycling 1,900 miles from Glindow (Near Berlin), Germany to 💕Mol, Belgium.💕 July 4 - August 10 ❤️🚲🚲❤️ Read more

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15.6kkilometers
13.5kkilometers

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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- May 9, 2022, 5:00pm
- ☀️ 30 °C
- Altitude: 221 m
- United States Iowa Johnson County Iowa City North Market Park 41.669556, -91.52863341°40’10” N 91°31’43” W
Testing Touring Bikes without Bags
May 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Lisa and I did a 10 mile test ride to check racks, fenders, and general overall bicycle feel. 2 weeks until departure!
Traveler What a treat seeing this pop up on my phone. Can’t wait to see where your travels take you. Hope y’all are doing great!
5/10/22Reply
Traveler Thanks Matt! Hope you are doin well! ❤️
5/12/22Reply
Traveler How exciting! Looking forward to following your trip ❤️
5/10/22Reply
Traveler Miss you guys! 💕
5/12/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- May 15, 2022, 8:00am
- ⛅ 18 °C
- Altitude: 221 m
- United States Iowa Scott Township Modern Manor Mobile Home Park 41.653583, -91.48478741°39’13” N 91°29’5” W
1 week until departure!
May 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We have spent Sunday morning packing, getting maps ready, and getting the bikes ready for a test ride.
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- May 25, 2022
- 🌧 17 °C
- Altitude: 225 m
- United States Iowa Scott Township Modern Manor Mobile Home Park 41.653848, -91.48467741°39’14” N 91°29’5” W
Disappointment! 🥲
May 25, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 17 °C
Our trip is going to have to wait until 2023! About 26 hours before we left for the trip and with all of our bags packed, Lisa and I decided to go for a little casual ride in Iowa City. Unfortunately, Lisa hit a little patch of sand when making a right hand turn, and she went directly down onto her hip. The MRI results today confirmed two fractures in the pelvic bone and one in the sacrum. Luckily these are not displacement fractures, and it will not require any pins or surgery. The estimated time for recovery is six weeks, but I’m sure there will be some strength rebuilding needed after that. Thank you all for your interest in the trip and your support! ❤️🚲Read more
Traveler Oh no! Well that just means the trip will be three years of joy…two planning/imagining and one pedaling and debriefing :) my heart goes out to her.
5/25/22Reply
Ulrich Wolff Hello Lisa, hello Jim! That's just too bad! My best wishes for a quick and full recovery for Lisa! Hope to see you next year.
5/26/22Reply
Hello future hosts....A little hello from France.... [Sauvage]
5/27/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jun 30, 2022, 2:16pm
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 221 m
- United States Iowa Scott Township Modern Manor Mobile Home Park 41.653534, -91.48485141°39’13” N 91°29’5” W
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Healed and almost ready!
June 30, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
After 6 weeks of healing and the help of a lot of family, friends, doctors, therapists, and colleagues we’re ready for our new tour! Lisa even conquered “hip-cracker turn!” We hope you enjoy following along with us. We depart Chicago on July 4, and our first day of riding will be July 7.Read more
We are so happy about Lisa’s healing. 😊 [Rusty and Tricia]
7/2/22Reply
Ulrich Wolff Yeaheya, you made it! See you in a few days in Germany!
7/2/22Reply
Looking good! [AuntJan]
7/4/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 4, 2022, 4:59pm
- ☁️ 28 °C
- Altitude: 201 m
- United States Illinois Cook County Rosemont Chicago O'Hare International Airport 41.973901, -87.88723141°58’26” N 87°53’14” W
Day 1
Day 1: Chicago O’Hare
July 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
Driving through about 2 1/2 hours of rain, we made it to O’Hare with plenty of time to spare. Thanks to our gracious Warmshower connection, Paul and his son, we got the car parked at his house, and made it through TSA with only one minor hiccup. I left my Swiss Army knife in my carry on. 😬 Unbelievably, they let me exit TSA and take it back to the bicycle box. Departure is at about 7:30 PM.Read more
Traveler Safe trip! We are looking forward to seeing you again soon 😃
7/5/22Reply
Have a great time! [Monica]
7/5/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 5, 2022
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Altitude: 39 m
- Germany Brandenburg Schönefeld Selchow Berlin Brandenburg Airport 52.361588, 13.51496752°21’42” N 13°30’54” E
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Day 2
Day 2: Icelandair to Berlin
July 5, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We tried a new airline (Icelandair). They offer a free stop over in Iceland for a maximum of seven days. We weren’t able to take advantage of it this time, but will likely next time! When we exited the baggage claim at the new Berlin airport, Ulrich was waiting for us like an angel from heaven. It finally felt real! We actually made it to Europe! We loaded the bikes on the back of his car and headed to his house where his wife, Heidi, was waiting for us with snuggly hugs and cold drinks. We took some time to begin assembling the bikes while Heidi prepared the best spaghetti dinner we’ve ever eaten . We shared stories of the past few years since the last time we saw each other. The evening ended with more stories, and some local cherry wine and Liquor in their beautifully landscaped garden. We got to bed pretty early in the hopes to quickly shake off any jet lag. A great flight, safe bikes, and seeing old friends was a perfect closure to the end of Lisa’s healing and a start of our long awaited tour.Read more
Traveler Beautiful!
7/8/22Reply
Sounds so fun! [Monica]
7/8/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 6, 2022
- ☁️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 83 m
- Germany Brandenburg Beelitz Beelitz-Heilstätten 52.263787, 12.91759752°15’50” N 12°55’3” E
Day 3
Day 3: A Day touring Glindow with Ulrich
July 6, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
We had a cozy night sleep to wake up to a homemade European breakfast (soft boiled eggs, salmon, cheese, fresh bread rolls, jams, tea and coffee). YUM! Afterward, we finished the bicycle assembly, and then headed out for a test ride. Ulrich planned an 18 mile ride around Glindow which included a walk through an outdoor museum of a hospital in a forest. It had rich history, but has since become ruins after WWII. Since then they built tree line walkways to view the different ruins. It was fascinating to see the trees growing out of the bricks, and how much vegetation and trees grew from the rooftops of the abandoned buildings. In true European fashion, they had several playful components for both children an adults alike. We tried them all! On our way back home, we stopped to have ice cream, cake, tea, and coffee at a local restaurant overlooking the lake. When we arrived home, we worked on packing our bags, had a lovely meal of chicken cordon blue with vegetables and potatoes. Lucky for us, Wednesday night is Archery club so we got to participate in a tournament. Jim won first place and Lisa second. The evening was wrapped up with local wine and liquor in the living room with stories of family and wedding memories!Read more
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 7, 2022
- 🌧 18 °C
- Altitude: 53 m
- Germany Brandenburg Baruth/Mark Paplitz 52.059128, 13.47127552°3’33” N 13°28’17” E
Day 4
Day 4: Palitz, Germany
July 7, 2022 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 18 °C
The day started out rainy and slippery and I took Lisa on a bunch of cobble, sandy trails, and steep shortcuts to some lookout towers to get her ready for the rest of the trip. 🤪 Lucky for us, some of the shortcuts led to some ripe raspberries, and a curious fox. We stopped at a roadside tourist area that specializes in local produce, especially berries, cheese, Liquor , and different salamis. We bought a couple different kinds of salami, some cherries, and a blueberry flavored beer. Since it was a cooler day, no one was occupying the beer garden, so we took a vantage of that and had a picnic with the sandwiches that were left over from breakfast and all the goodies we bought. The day was filled with many of the things we love about to rain in Germany, sunflower fields, produce stands, cobbles, Shortcuts in the forest, Bakeries that actually serve pastries that they made and coffee with cremé, beautiful steeples always gracing the horizon, and of course more than can be explained!
We arrived at Katrin and Tomas (Warmshower host) at about 5 PM enjoyed a cold beverage and wine on the patio with Katrin.
For dinner we had spietzl (potato pasta) and mixed vegetable salad. It was a perfect dinner after a perfect day of riding!
After dinner we took a mosey around their town and through the forest, The walk was concluded with a tour of their beautiful garden. We dreamed of swimming in the pool and using the sauna, but it was too cold! We shared stories and cocktails until about 11 PM We even sampled Mongolian vodka together!Read more
Traveler Perfect example of why touring is so awesome. Glad y’all are enjoying it so much!
7/9/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 8, 2022
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 63 m
- Germany Brandenburg Cottbus 51.76717, 14.33187851°46’2” N 14°19’55” E
Day 5
Day 5: Cottbus, Germany
July 8, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We woke up to the smell of fresh bread from the local bakery and coffee. We had vegetables, cheese, several home made spreads, and meats to eat with delicious rolls. We shared a few more stories with Thomas and Katrin before hitting the pavement towards Cottbus. It was a tough day of riding on gravel, single track, sand, and a few trails. But we made it to Thomas’s place just in time to pick up his wife, Negar at the train station and head to the beach for a picnic and swimming. They swim every day, even in the winter, cutting through the ice to take a plung! Jim was brave enough to get into the lake, while Lisa stayed snuggled up in her parka! It was about 55° F outside (and windy)🥶. Afterwards, we went back to the flat of Thomas and Nager’s for a night cap and more stories. Nigal entertained us with her beautiful music. We walked back to our tiny house in Thomas’ garden accommodation where our bed had a view of the stars. From the sky light in the loft. We fell asleep to the sound of the neighbors socializing and slept peacefully under the blanket of stars.Read more
Traveler Hi Lisa & Jim... i discovered just now your biketrip. GREAT! It sems that you know everybody in the WORLD. Fine. Just back from European Champioships BMX in Dessel... Now Tour de France on TV. Nice to follow your trip in Europe.. Greets, jos
7/10/22Reply
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Traveler Cycling Europe 2022
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- Jul 9, 2022, 12:32pm
- ⛅ 18 °C
- Altitude: 196 m
- Poland Lower Silesia Zgorzelec 51.155169, 15.00603351°9’19” N 15°0’22” E
Day 6
Day 6: Zgorzelec, Poland
July 9, 2022 in Poland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
They are all the best days,but today was really the best day! After sleeping under the stars, and a tiny little house in this beautiful garden, we had a wonderful breakfast (eggs with onions, avocados, berries, bread cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese (all of our favorite things!) with our hosts Thomas and Nagell.
We headed out on our 70 mile day to ride to the border of Germany and Poland. We stopped at our first German beer garden and talked to some local hunters.
Afterwards, we stopped for a relaxing lunch picnic at the beach after getting 29.95 miles before noon!
We continued on and before we got to our final destination Jim surprised me with a stay over apartment in Poland! What a treat! There is even a street festival going on that we enjoyed watching the performers having traditional Polish and German food and beer.Read more
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