Sister time in Slovakia

Slovakia won our hearts with its natural beauty during our first 2km after boarder crossing. We found a fast river flowing in between the mountains, and decided to set our camp there. After cycling in 35 degrees heat in Poland through the first mountain passes the cold, fast mountain river was just like answer to our dreams. While we were swimming the river gave us a frisbee, which was floating in the water. So there we were playing frisbee in the river over 2 hours. Next morning the mist was so thick, that we were not able to see the river anymore, even though our camp was just next to it.






The next day we fast found out that there is no flat spot in Slovakia. Either we were rolling fast down (in the beginning it was frightening to let the bike roll fast, but soon we learned how to handle the heavy bikes in the turns of the roads) or trying to make our way up on the mountains. In Poland we were almost dead after our first hill which lasted 3 kilometers, but surprisingly fast we got used to the mountains and just accepted that the spiral roads have always at least 10 more turns, than hopped. We were our own superheros after each uphill. It is amazing feeling to know, that the hight of the mountain would not kill us, but the speed. Of course, there were moments, that either one of us or both of us got tired. During this times we made stops more often. The heat that we had was normally 38 degrees in shadow, so we were soaked with our own sweat. The heat also takes big part of the energy and the amount of water we were drinking was bigger than I have drank ever before. During our normally day, we drunk at least 10litres of water per person.







Because of the heat, we started to woke up before sunrise and cycle until Midday, have a brake and continue in the evening. This worked with us, since both of us are morning persons. How refreshing it is to have morning coffee with the rising sun on the mountainside. And how luxorious it was to feel chilly while rolling down the mountains without any traffic or people in the villages.







I wanted to see Tatra mountains, so we headed towards the high peaks on the horizon. During our first day in Slovakia we cycled over 70km, even though the first 30km was uphill. In the beginning we we were both checking our bikes to see, if there was something wrong, because it felt that the bikes did not more as they used to. When we looked behind, we found out that we had been climbing up slowly but surely since the morning (or since we crossed the boarder into Slovakia). So the slow speed was not because of bikes but becouse of the foot of the mountain.




We got to east side of Tatra mountains, found another beautifull mountain natural pool river (it was giving even massage) and put our tent there. We enjoyed amazing homemade strawberry jam in the evening. I had gotten the jar from Poland from beautiful family, and had saved it for special moment. Thank you, it was so good! :) We had heard that there were lot of bears roaming around, so we decided to "hide" our food away from us in the evening and hang them on the tree.



We found our food in the morning untouched and after heavy breakfast, we pushed our bikes out from the forest and continued biking. After 2 min of cycling, I asked Lauriina if she would like to hide the bikes, and have a short walk up to the closest peak. I love my sister and her flexibility and
willingness to jump to destiny unknown without having second thought, so before we realised we were climbing the Tatra mountain. What a create decicion. No words to describe the beauty of high Tatras. It has been one year, since I have been on the mountains last time and how happy i was to share the special moment with my sister! The climbing was not easy and we were stupid not taking food with us, so after 5 hours, we had to turn and go down.









From High Tatras we continued to another national park with our sour muscles (first time during the trip) . We decided to have a day of there and go to walk into the park called Solvenki Raj for one day, and leave our stuff into the camping site. After spending a week wild camping, we got shocked with huge busy camping site and regretted our decision. The next day, after we got back from our 9 hour hike on the national park, we were wordless. For nothing does the place carry out the name of paradise of Slovakian paradise. Just stunning canyons, beautiful forest and happy sister times. Just to mention, lesson learned and we had enough food :)












We were both stunned with the beauty of Slovakians nature, but we had had not that much interaction with the locals. While traveling alone, I got used to meet and make friends with local people everywhere. Either it is easier to approach to traveller who is alone, or we were so happy together that we made kind of closed circle. Eventually in Brenzo, we met group of super friendly guys. We got to see the night of meteorite showers with them at the hillside of Brenzo, and went to stay at Martins place. The next day we continued with Martin to Polena National park.








Just pure gratitude towards Martin, not only to plan, but also to show us such amazing national park. We were both with my sister pushing the bikes up the steepest parts of the mountains as read faced as possible. There was no way we would have managed to cycle the rocky super steep uphills, but once again we made our way as superwomen. We were not allowed to camp at the place where we had planned, so we cycled through the forest in a tiny path, with our headlamps towards plan b. Two words: adventure and happiness. With big smiles on our faces we got to the tiny hut, and we made the bed comfortable with the brunches of spruce. The next day it was time to say sad good byes to Martin and continue towards Hungary.

Thank you to Martin (who planned our way all the way to Hungary), we had beautiful ride to the boarder. We stayed the last night at the mountain side, where we saw both the sunset and sunrise. What a way to say good bye to Slovakia. In Slovakia, I could had stayed longer just to discover the beauty of its nature. Unfortunately, I was in rush to go to Budapest and reach my plain to Finland. This is also reason, why I have not updated the blog. I had to prepare myself for a conference, where I had an honor to speak. During my last days or week of the trip it took all the extra time in the evenings, so I had no time to write the blog.

Currently I am in Hungary and my sister is back home. Learning to cycle alone again, feeling lonely, knowing this feeling will pass, being happy at the same time to be on the road again. Feeling so grateful to have a such a wonderful sister and being able to share a road with her. She is absolutely light of life. How grate it is to miss such special person and to be able to share such special memories.

Here is taste of Slovakian music: http://youtu.be/2oZKgddmJAQ 



And this song for today: http://youtu.be/Qtb11P1FWnc

Story of mountains in Poland, my first mountain passes

My sister has arrived safely, and we headed straight to Krakow. Krakow was the opposite to Warzav. Warsaw is the business capital of Poland and Krakow is the cultural capital. In Krakow, the architechture and different areas of the city makes it good place for exploring, and for a city break. Of course my own physical tiredness effected to my the general feeling about Warsaw, but still I believe, Krakow was more my kind of a place. From Krakow we also bought some watermelon and other fruits, which are normally hard to carry while bicycling around. Yammy!




In Krakow  we decided to pass the Tatra mountains from east side, since there was some interesting national parks, which we wanted to see. We also heard, the views are better and less tourists are around. So on the road, after 5km from Kraków, it started to be more hilly and the smaller cute polish villages started to pass by. We did not expect to see so many cute houses and well kept gardens. They were absolutely adorable! It also came as a surprise, how many new houses were under construction along the way.  Five years ago, the area would have been so much less build. Anyhow, the views were stunning and we were happy about our choice of the road.




 The weather was giving us extra kick with temperature being +33 and the road temperature +45. Well, it's often said that while bicycling, it's the most important to keep the muscles warm, and I promise you, now they were warm enough.. Even if the 3km uphills were hard for sure, there was bigger climbings waiting for us.


What can I say, the southern Poland region is the first mountain pass that we have ever done with the bikes. The first 3km of 15 % uphill was shock for the legs and lungs. Half way me and Lauriina had to make a breathing brake. Honestly, our lungs did not make the squeaky sound but more like angry dog noises. Luckily this was the first shock and the uphills from that on started to feel easier the more we cycled them.



We are pretty good cyclist partners with my sister, since we know how to push each other's just little bit more. Often we are telling to each other's that two more turns on this serpentine road and we will have a break. After we have reached this two more, the other one of us says: let's do two more. As long as we remember to keep our speed slow and steady, we for sure manage to pass all the mountains.


The mountain region of Poland has been just stunning place to cycle. The roads are ok, villages are pretty close to one another, so it's easy to find a place to fill up the water bottles (which get empty pretty fast, as you can imagine). For sure this part has been physically hard, but so beautiful that we don't mind to have several brakes in the villages and on the mountain sides during the climbings. How refreshing it is to wake up in the morning on the mountain side, and see the clouds underneath spreading away, while the sun is rising. Ah, and the sunsets!


I cycled five weeks mostly alone, and to get used to my sisters company has gone smoothly. Well, it's easy to share the road with someone who knows you better than anyone else, and who likes similar experiences. It has been also mind opening to realize, how I have created my own way of organizing the day and doing basically everything. So, to realize my own routines it's good, and it's time to change them and create new once, which suites better for both us. For example slower mornings and instead of dinners drinking too many beers, which we both regret in the mornings.



Lession learned on the way: don't laugh too long and too hard while biking these long uphills, otherwise the legs get tired faster than hoped. This has been major challenge for us, since when looking one another we just see too pink pigs trying to reach the top of the mountain.


Now it is time to say good bye Poland, for the country that has surprised me big time. I am still questioning, why in the beginning I was so concern to cycle in Poland? Absolutely, Poland is not anymore only a huge country on the map, but now it brings me a big smile on my face when I think back the adventures and the people I have met along the way. Thank you everybody for making my trip through Poland so epic.

Poland

Greetings from Poland!


Before i started my journey, Poland was the country i was the most concerned.  Now, after i have been here for one week i am wondering why? The unknown is often scary, and for me Poland used to be big country on the map, that i did not know much about. Am i still afraid of Poland? No, no no :) i am surprised, how open and helpfull people are. Not many people know English, but not only once, sisters have been called to help to transalate the discussions, and lunch boxes have been packed for me.


The first days i spend in two different national parks,Wigierski and Bierbrnzki, where i saw elks and deers. One of the best mornings so far was in the first national park, where in the morning i opened my tent and saw 2 deers grazing next to my tent. They just looked at me and kept eating, what a start for the day! In bierzwalski national park, i was woken up by woving of wolfs, got up from the tent to see them, but without success. In the morning i found tracks close to my camp, so they came to say hello during the night, when i was asleep. The parks reminded me a bit about Finnish forests, since they were covered with pain and having lakes here and there.

In the last post, I told that i had some problems with the bike in the park, but once again these situations brought me to meet kind, openminded and intelligent people, with whom i could have for sure stayed for longer. After i had done some roads in bad condition in Biebrzanski national park, my back wheel had gotten some damage on it. I was not able to continue driving with it, but now the problem is solved. I also learned another usufull tip: thighten the screws once in a while.. Well, better to realised it now than on the moment when the screws are dropping one by one.. :)

I also learned (second time) that brakes are important. I have had strong headwinds ever since i got to Poland. So once i arrived to Warzsav, i was screaming from joy that i had made my way all the way here. And yes, i was screaming and laughing all by my self on the street and yes people were watching.


Now i have been basically doing nothing. Sleeping, sleeping, walking little and sleeping more. Learned that the things that we take for granted home have became such a luxury for me on the trip. To have a coffee in the cafeteria and sit there the whole day, sit more in the parks, next to the river, in the old town and just look at people, talking to strangers and having fast internet to listen some good music. Ah, and i got my laundry done in the laundry machine!! They smell just so wonderfull :) so regular small tings have become luxury.


Warsav is a city with huge roads crossing the city from here and there. Yesterday when biking back home, i saw 200+ bicyclists having a demonstration for the better bicycle roads. I Joined them and learned that every last friday of each month they are having this demonstration. What a great way to get the people together and demonstrate for the important development. After second World War, Warzav has been totally destroyed and later rebuild as it once was.


Today my sister will join me for some weeks and we will head towards Krakov and the Tatra mountains. Feeling super exceited about our reunion and it feels good to get some company to share the beautifull moments with. I have never cycled up the mountains, so i am looking forward to that. But now, before anything else its time to rest and get the energy back :)


Here is the song that was in my head while fighting against the headwind on the last streched before Warzav: http://youtu.be/9iDWTP_GC2M