Wow, I don't know where to start; I have been seriously slacking on my blog writing. First a quick summary of where I have been, then an overview of what is next.
From Caen in France I rode to Paris, then up through Northern France, through Wallonia in Belgium, and into Flanders. From Flanders I rode along the coast of Holland until Amsterdam, where I turned inland and rode along the Rhine to Dusseldorf in Germany. From Dusseldorf I took a train to Frankfurt, rode from Frankfurt to Schweinfurt (mostly along the Rhine River) and from there to a train to the German border town of Passau. From Passau I rode along the Danube River, going through Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. In Budapest I departed the Danube and rode nearly due east across the Great Hungarian Plain into Romania. I am now in Cluj-Napoca, the unofficial capitol of Transylvania.
The Next Fourteen Days
For the next two weeks I will be riding with a group of students from the
Janos Zsigmond Unitarius Kollegium (Unitarian High School). Every year the students embark on a long ride somewhere in Romania. This year we will ride to the Danube River Delta, spend four days exploring that region, and ride back. We will be in rural areas without landline internet access, but the group will use a laptop computer with a mobile data card to maintain a blog. If you want to follow the group's progress over the next few weeks, the blog is
bicajzsuk.blogspot.com. The site is in Hungarian, but I have been asked to post a few entries in english! (English is widely spoken in Cluj-Napoca; today I was interviewed - in English - by the local TV station).
It is getting late, and I have to have my things packed by 7am tomorrow. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past week.
Karl and I met up in Budapest. Here he is, looking dapper in his sports coat, contemplating.
The ride across the Great Hungarian Plain was stunningly beautiful, and hot. I got a late start from Budapest and found myself still riding at around 8pm, which is when I took this picture.
Riding in the evening: My body appears emaciated, my bike huge and heavy. That is pretty much how I feel after riding 100 km.
Transylvania.
Transylvania. From the top of one of the several long climbs necessary to reach Cluj-Napoca.
Cluj-Napoca has a world-famous botanical garden. This picture was taken in the tropical green house. The diameter of the plants is at least three feet.
My favorite tour guides: Anita and Emese. They are alums of the Kolozsvar Unitarian High School and will be joining this year's bicycle expedition.
Karl and I met up in Budapest. Here he is, looking dapper in his sports coat, contemplating. 
The ride across the Great Hungarian Plain was stunningly beautiful, and hot. I got a late start from Budapest and found myself still riding at around 8pm, which is when I took this picture.
Transylvania.
Transylvania. From the top of one of the several long climbs necessary to reach Cluj-Napoca. 
Cluj-Napoca has a world-famous botanical garden. This picture was taken in the tropical green house. The diameter of the plants is at least three feet.
