Budapest - Isztambul - magyarul

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Slowing Down During Acceleration

I switched to the mode to first write in Hungarian, than translate it to English. I had no possibility to write for many days, so this time I gave birth to a huge, endless post in Hungarian. I won't be able to translate the whole text, instead, I try to get the essence from it in a shorter version.

I sent my last post before I, more precisely we, began to ride through the Trans-Fogaras pass. We means the german couple, Sarah and Matthias, riding their hybrid tandem, whom I met first in Debrecen, next time in Sibiu. We decided to start from Sibiu, and don't stop at the bottom, but just go up as far as we can, than we'll see. Nice idea, I said OK.

Lorenz, Matthias, Sarah

On the way we met Lorenz, my swiss skeleton brother. He is also riding through Europe with his fully packed bike. He decided to come up with us, camp with us - was happy he could use his mother tounge and discuss some stuff with Sarah and Matthias.

Curve

The climb on the first day was really nice and for me it was much easier than I thought. After about 60-70 kms warm-up from Sibiu, we got up to around 1500 m high. It was cool to camp together four of us - I had to get my warm cap, my gloves and all my warm clothes on.

Ready to cow

Next morning we woke on the sound of the river and the sound of gipsy music coming from a Dacia. As the sun get between the mountains quite late, we had a slow morning and started only about noon after our tents got dried. As it was predicted by the man in the camp near Sibiu (the owner of the dream-touring-bike, if you remember - finally I met him), there was a huge traffic jam on the mountain. OK, it was weekend, but yet, how can it be that several kms long line the cars just wait to get through?

North side

So we climbed the rest 500 meters in smell of gas, smell of clutches, in a traffic jam like we have in Budapest late Friday afternoon. It was crazy, I began to feel a bit upset. So after getting at the top I said good bye to my mates and rolled down on the other side of the mountain. I rolled and gained a momentum with I rode 120 kms on that day. I passed the safe and secure Drakula camping because at that point I made only 80-90 kms and I wanted to get further - also I thought I can sleep in Arges.

"I can't understand the drivers"

What I found in Arges was a huge festival, full of people, crazy mess around, dogs in unbeliveable amounts, shouting people - so I said, it is ok that it is getting darker, but I have to move on. Finally I found a nice couple with a tent near the road, I joined them for that day.

Fogaras Mountains in the background

Next day I had my earliest start. I was then riding through 150 kms on a boring landscape to Craiova. I landed in a hotel I didn't want to, but there are no campsites exists near bigger cities. I paid for one night as much as I paid for campings during two weeks. It hurt, but the shower felt good, as the chat with my sister and with my parents.

Pedaling to south in the sunset

I quite get far from the title of this post as telling the story of my trip. To get back to it quickly: I began to feel that more and more things happenning in an accelerating speed, and in the same time I began to feel myself more relaxed and calmed. It is strange, I don't know how it is happening, but it is happening. I make an example.

First in(and de-)pressions of Craiova

In Craiova I was just rolling with my fully loaded bike to look around the city. I bumped into a little outdoor shop where I asked if they have the map of Bulgaria. They didn't, but they were helpful, one of the guy came with me to help me find a map in the city. We were chatting, went to several shops (no maps, of course), and also went to a supermarket to fill up my food warehouse. At the POS an old lady tried to pay for all the stuff she bought. She made every little funny and nerve-wrecking trick old ladies can do at paying bills - I think everybody knows this situation. The man standing behind us began to be more and more upset, as well the guy who guided me. At that time I felt total calmness - from my point, the old lady could play with his coins for years, she couldn't make me upset. It was a nice feeling, also because I saw myself in the image of the unpatient man standing behind us. It was me before this trip.

Craiova's nicer face

I don't know if this happened because I passed through Transylvania's nicest mountain in a traffic jam, or because I had been almost regularly chased by dogs, or because I ride 6-7-8 hours a day. I just know that it is a good thing having this calmness and it means I'm on the right way, I am on the way.

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