Arrival, courtesy of Anna Rowlands
Also courtesy of Anna Rowlands
Courtesy of Olwen Rowlands
Friday, 24 September 2010
a few more photos
here's a few more photos for you from early on in the trip:
Canal, Woerden
Utretcht
Loading sand onto a barge
Power station
Dusseldorf
My erstwhile travelling companions
Canal, Woerden
Utretcht
Loading sand onto a barge
Power station
Dusseldorf
My erstwhile travelling companions
Pretty wedding cake church
A highly worthwhile sign....
Sunday, 5 September 2010
We're back home!
It's a very strange feeling after all the months of planning and the days of cycling to find ourselves at the end. What do we do next? Think about the trip, the good bits and the bad bits. Realise that without all of you out there to encourage us, our epic journey may never have happened.
BEST MOMENT
Coming round a corner on a river bank to find a group of stark naked youths! They had just been rafting and were in the process of stripping off their wet suits.
WORST MOMENT
Hearing a bang and looking round to see Ellie sprawled across the road. She’d been hit when a geriatric in a little red sports car opened his car door as she cycled past on our very first day.
THANKS!
Thanks to all of you who followed our blog and posted your comments, and to friends who sent text messages. They kept us pushing those pedals when we were wet, cold, tired, hungry and lost in the industrial wasteland of Mannheim! I think my favourite message was “Your mum would have been proud of you”. It brought a lump to my throat.
Our warmest thanks to all of you who have sponsored us so generously. We have now raised an amazing £1600 to help men and women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. (Bet you didn't know that 4% of breast cancer cases are in men!) Together we have made a difference to help people who are suffering from this horrible disease.
My thanks to Colin who never once said “You must be mad – don’t even think about it!”
Our thanks to Sten Haastrup who cycled part of the route with us and kept us laughing even when every part of us ached.
And most of all, my heartfelt thanks to Ellie who was the perfect travelling companion. She never once said “Are we nearly there yet?” She never complained. Not even when a cheeky mouse got into her pannier one night and ate her chocolate. And without Ellie, there might not have been a trip at all. Right at the very beginning, before we’d even started cycling, we met up at King’s Cross Station in London. I’d flown in from Italy; Ellie had taken the train down from Edinburgh. I said to her “Gosh, I’m terrified. Whatever possessed me to think that we could cycle across Europe? Let’s just call the whole thing off.” Ellie just looked and me and said “But mum, you can do anything!”
And she was right. We can. And we have.
Alison
BEST MOMENT
Coming round a corner on a river bank to find a group of stark naked youths! They had just been rafting and were in the process of stripping off their wet suits.
WORST MOMENT
Hearing a bang and looking round to see Ellie sprawled across the road. She’d been hit when a geriatric in a little red sports car opened his car door as she cycled past on our very first day.
THANKS!
Thanks to all of you who followed our blog and posted your comments, and to friends who sent text messages. They kept us pushing those pedals when we were wet, cold, tired, hungry and lost in the industrial wasteland of Mannheim! I think my favourite message was “Your mum would have been proud of you”. It brought a lump to my throat.
Our warmest thanks to all of you who have sponsored us so generously. We have now raised an amazing £1600 to help men and women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. (Bet you didn't know that 4% of breast cancer cases are in men!) Together we have made a difference to help people who are suffering from this horrible disease.
My thanks to Colin who never once said “You must be mad – don’t even think about it!”
Our thanks to Sten Haastrup who cycled part of the route with us and kept us laughing even when every part of us ached.
And most of all, my heartfelt thanks to Ellie who was the perfect travelling companion. She never once said “Are we nearly there yet?” She never complained. Not even when a cheeky mouse got into her pannier one night and ate her chocolate. And without Ellie, there might not have been a trip at all. Right at the very beginning, before we’d even started cycling, we met up at King’s Cross Station in London. I’d flown in from Italy; Ellie had taken the train down from Edinburgh. I said to her “Gosh, I’m terrified. Whatever possessed me to think that we could cycle across Europe? Let’s just call the whole thing off.” Ellie just looked and me and said “But mum, you can do anything!”
And she was right. We can. And we have.
Alison
Friday, 3 September 2010
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
slight change of plan...
Well folks, the weather has defeated us, I'm afraid. We've decided we're not going to go over the top of the pass, as it seems to be lying under large heaps of fresh snow. Yes, in August! We've still got a good solid day of climbing tomorrow, but we will be skipping out the highest bit and taking the train. We don't like doing this, but there's no point being silly and risking our necks on icy mountain roads, with no cold weather gear.
We had a very pleasant rest day in Basel, with my good friend Matt as our guide/taxi driver (thank you!) and saw some very pretty stuff, despite all three of us being very tired. Today was a very nice day as well, with a nice ride round lake Luzern. It's a lovely place. Definitely the prettiest day so far! The only downside is that mum seems to have come down with a nasty cold/asthma. Adds to the challenge! Hope she's better very soon. Even if she isn't I highly doubt it'll stop her! Wish us luck!
Ellie
We had a very pleasant rest day in Basel, with my good friend Matt as our guide/taxi driver (thank you!) and saw some very pretty stuff, despite all three of us being very tired. Today was a very nice day as well, with a nice ride round lake Luzern. It's a lovely place. Definitely the prettiest day so far! The only downside is that mum seems to have come down with a nasty cold/asthma. Adds to the challenge! Hope she's better very soon. Even if she isn't I highly doubt it'll stop her! Wish us luck!
Ellie
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