Berlin 1 of 2 (Bike Gift)

Priority number one was finding the one person, in a city of over 3.5 million and the second largest city in Europe, to gift my bike to.

I made reservations at my Airbnb for an additional 2 days (total of 5) to ensure I found someone before I left. I had a little anxiety before I arrived, unsure how I was going to give Ms. Jamis away. 

I hit the streets immediately the day after arrival. I introduced myself at bike shop after bike shop, telling my story. Although I stopped by ten or so bike shops, I had one in mind, Ci Cli Berlinetta. After doing some research online, this was "the" shop in Berlin. More curated museum and lifestyle brand than anything else. It didn't disappoint. So cool inside. 

I was fortunate to talk to Alasdair, a former bike messenger, professional web designer, and friend to the shop. He helped me out in a major way by plugging a link to my site on Ci Cli's blog and FB page. I'm forever grateful, Alasdair! 

I was pretty amazed by the response rate. I wasn't really expecting to get anyone to contact me and had made plans to give my bike to bikesurf.org. It was a bike-sharing website that allowed you to rent a bike for super cheap. However, 48 hours later I received twelve responses. All of them were deserving of Ms. Jamis. 

I ended up picking Chris. An former bike messenger, traveler, cheese aficionado, and family man. He was so welcoming. Even invited me to dinner with his girlfriend Teresa, a couple friends from Berlin, and a couple from Brooklyn who visit them every year. 

I rushed to get over to his place by dinnertime (around 8 p.m.). The ride from Friedrichshain (East Berlin) to Friedenau (southwest Berlin) takes about an hour and the contrast between the neighborhoods couldn't be more different. Think city to the burbs. 

Dinner and the company were amazing, but now it was time to gift away the bike. After a few beers, wine, and, of course, cheese, I tried to explain to Chris all the little imperfections and how the bike handled in certain situations. All this while my cab was outside waiting to take me back to my apartment, and then to the train station to catch my midnight train to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. It was a little... a lot more rushed than I would have liked, but I had to roll with it. My bike tour was over and the next chapter of my trip was just starting. One final look back at Ms. Jamis and I was off. 

Ci Cli Berlinetta frames 1 of 2

Ci Cli Berlinetta frames 2 of 2

Le Tour. Armstrong, Ullrich, Leipheimer, and Basso (from front to back). Arguably the best cyclists of my generation. 

Vintage cycling gear.  

My new buddy, Chris. 

Chris, the new owner of Ms. Jamis. 

Chris already putting in work, slimming her down. For now she will be used as a commuter bike.  

Train ride to Switzerland. Miserable. 

Germany Bike Tour (rain delayed)

My rides over the last few days have been easy, beautiful, lazy, moving from small towns in the south of NL to small towns in the west of Germany. I haven't run into a "bad area" in 150 miles. Everyone's property is so well manicured. It'd be hard to keep up with the Joneses around here.  

The only drawback has been the weather. It's been a little gloomy during the day, and then it pours in the early morning around 3 a.m., just after I hit REM sleep. In a tent on some farmer's land I don't know, that's no good. With the 5-day forecast looking like much of the same, I've decided to hang in Osnabrück, then take the train to Berlin. I feel a little like I'm cheating, but riding isn't enjoyable when you have a timeline and you're getting soaked while you should be sleeping. If I had the time I wouldn't mind it as much, but unfortunately I have to move and get miles in. 

Next stop, Berlin.  

On my way out of the Netherlands.  

Typical property in S. NL/W. Germany.

Border crossing.  

Where I slept one night. It was a local park and the early risers were not amused by a groggy Justin.  

So many of these guys on the trail. And their cousins, the slugs, stick to your bags and stretch to ten times their body length. Yuck!  

Always should take a moment and thank the good lord for what I'm able to do.  

The reddest of red. I was famished from my ride, but I had to take a pic of how deeply red this strawberry was. A wonderful farmers' market in Osnabrück. Delish! 

Some gents I met during a bachelor party. If someone asks to drink Kuemmerling, pass.  

Amsterdam

I decided on Amsterdam, and this amazing city didn't disappoint. When you tell someone you're headed to Amsterdam they give you the look that says, this guy is up to no good going to a place like that. And that might have been the case in 2001 when I visited for the first time, but this time was different. I strategically rented a place outside the center and the "red light district," avoided all museums, and tried to do the opposite of what a tourist might do. Doing this allowed me to see many interesting details of the city. 

Let's start with a few quick observations backed up by stats:

- The Netherlands is consistently among the happiest countries in the world.

- 90% of the NL speaks English. In comparison, the US tops out at 94%. 

- They are the tallest people in the world with the men averaging 6 ft and the women coming in at an average 5 ft 7 in. 

- 2nd largest port in the world. 

- More bikes than people! 

- The most densely populated city in Europe, but you'd never know because of all the bikes. 

Flevoparkbad street art. 

Flevoparkbad street artist. The guy on the right (walking into the picture) is a cop. I thought he was there to write the artists a ticket, but after I saw their exchange I think it's legal in this part of town. 

Classic architecture along the canal. 

Terrible pic of the Amsterdam port, but that was as close as they would allow me to get. 

My best Jack Johnson "brushfire fairytales album" impersonation. The Dutch couldn't care less about the rain. They're still happy even when it's grey out. I'll make sure to remember this when I'm back home and it's March. 

These are actually some of the nicer bikes I found in Amsterdam. The Dutch don't seem to fuss over their transportation from A to B. 

I didn't know it when I took the picture, but I learned today from a Rick Steves podcast that these are called Stolpersteine, or "stumbling blocks," in German. They're monuments created by artist Gunter Demnig to commemorate a victim of the Holocaust. They exist throughout Europe but mainly in Germany.  

Destination Unknown.

Where to next?

Decisions. Decisions. Over the last week it was starting to sink in that St. Petersburg as a final biking destination will be a no-go. :( Sure, I could get there by train, but the financial and time cost outweigh the destination at this point.

Over the next 2 days I've decided to go to Paris and figure out the final leg of my bike tour. Instead of St. Petersburg, as the spot where I will be gifting my bike away, it will have to be someplace closer. Paris gives me the option to take a train pretty much anywhere. The direction I was going did not.

Right now I'm leaning towards Amsterdam, then on to Hamburg or Berlin, maybe Warsaw (if I have time).

My brother, Jordan, meets me on 7/25 in Zurich so I only have about 12 days of biking before I have to gift Ms. Jamis away.

Next destination, to be continued...

The most photographed monument in the world! This one, not so great because I was on my way to my Airbnb and it was getting dark. 

The view from my Airbnb in 8th arrondissement. 

Street art.  

I've wanted to try this for years, beef tartare and frites. A Parisian classic. 

Ahhh, Paris. Wait, what? Yeah, Paris has a beautiful park called Bois de Boulogne. You have to check it out if you visit.

Le Tour (stage 6)

I busted my butt to get here. Sixty-five miles and three trains. It was too much for the short amount of time I spent in Dieppe. I don't like trailblazing through a city. I need to stay for at least two days somewhere to really understand what's happening.

Dieppe harbor. 

Le tour festivities. 

Mont Saint-Michel to Villedieu-les-Poêles

Riding was easy today. Mont Saint-Michel is such a tourist destination that they even made room for us bikers.

It rained in the early morning, 5 a.m. I was so frustrated at first, but by the time I bundled up my stuff, put it in the campsite dryer, and grabbed a caffè espresso, I was actually happy. I was able to collect all my gear, dry it, and wait out the storm with Wi-Fi (pronounced WEFEE in Europe) and a cafe. The simple things matter. 

I did some work and set sail from there at noon.

Villedieu-les-Poêles église clock tower.

Typical small town in the French countryside. Église (church), bakery, tabac, and, of course, a café. I probably go through 5 of these a day when riding my bike. 

Typical lunch when I'm on the bike.