We’ve completed our cross-Europe trek.
The day started relatively early, with my alarm ringing out at seven o’clock.
We knew that there was about 120 kilometers in front of us; it was important to just pace it out and soak it up.
We stopped in several small towns for food and cold drinks along the way. I particularly appreciated the scenery on this last day. Several times we climbed, then plunged into agricultural fields. I love this kind of riding.
The most difficult, and unnerving, part of the day was certainly our cycle into Constanta. We had to ride on the inside of a shoulderless, two-lane highway for about twenty kilometers. At one point, we abandoned the road to ride on a grassy path along side of it. As we entered the more urban area, the vehicles slowed down enough to make it feel safe back on the pavement.
The Romanian government should certainly consider supporting bicycles entering Constanta.
We officially ended the trip at the abandoned Constanta Casino on the Black Sea Coast. The view was breathtaking. I had fun posing for several pictures.
We ordered a bottle of champagne and ate dinner right on the water, soaking up the special moment. I fired off a few messages to friends and family.
Big trips end with little fanfare. It’s mostly a fun secret to hold.
I’m looking forward to a couple more weeks in Europe. It’s likely that I’ll, at some near-future date, continue south from Constanta into Turkey and Iran. It seems reasonable to cycle across Asia to the Pacific.
My eyes are also on a 750 mile pilgrimage hike in Japan. It’ll be fun thinking about what next summer will bring.
I want to thank both Kelley and Isaac for being such wonderful human beings. I’ll forever remember this time together.
Update (August 3): I purchased my Batavus bicycle for 210€ in Paris last summer. I took it, by train, to the Atlantic Coast of France and pedaled it all the way across Europe over the last two summers (I was lucky enough to store it at Hostel Ruthensteiner in Vienna over the winter).
Today, I sold her for 85€ at a Hara Bike, a local shop here in Constanta. As you would imagine, I’m a little sad about it, but hope that there will be many more adventures for her. My Brooks saddle will be brought back to the States along with my German bike pump "Joy".
Update (August 9 - 10): Wanting to visit Christian and Cat in the Netherlands, I flew from Bucharest to London with no problem.
Getting through customs at London Luton was a real test in patience due to the fact that there was flooding in the airport. Huge backups ensued. Many were agitated, including myself.
I soldiered on, and worked my way through security, only to find out over dinner that my flight to Amsterdam was canceled.
I headed downstairs to get my previously checked bike pannier (which took time), then headed up to the Vueling Airlines checkin desk.
Nobody from Vueling was there, but a bunch of passengers whose flights had been canceled were.
I found out that I was rescheduled for a flight leaving two days later. Uninterested in waiting that long, I started talking to a couple female travelers who were rescheduled in the morning to backtrack to Barcelona, Spain, then north to Amsterdam. I decided to give that a shot. It would mean that I would have to leave London Luton Airport for London Gatwick Airport.
With the girls, I purchased a bus ticket for London Victoria Train Station. Seats were booked, so we waited for two hours for the arrival of our bus. The ride was forty-five minutes.
After arriving at London Victoria, train tickets were purchased for London Gatwick Airport. This ride amounted to another forty-five minutes.
Our group arrived at Gatwick and found not a soul at the Vueling desk. We took a break in a rest area at approximately five o’clock in the morning. I blew up my pad and pillow, pulled out my sleeping bag and slept for about ninety minutes.
At six thirty, I checked with the airline and they directed me to a help desk where I was able to get the booking for Barcelona to Amsterdam. Small miracle.
The flight to Barcelona left nearly three hours late which later promoted a full-blown sprint though the airport to the connecting gate. The heat in Spain was breaking records and, quite frankly, my mind.
After arriving in Amsterdam, our group worked our way through with little problems. We said goodbye near the train station.
Having missed Christian and Cat, due to my coming in twenty-one hours late, I purchased a train ticket to Meppel - a place near where a birthday celebration was happening for Cat’s father.
I compose this mini adventure on the train. Travel isn’t always like this.
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