Long Distance Tandem Cyclocross

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the weather while cycling recently because things can change very quickly from beautiful sunny autumn conditions to cold and wet winter storms. We know that our days are getting numbered for enjoying cycling in northern Europe and we will have to soon head south for warmer weather. Recently we’ve talking about making plans for Southern France, Barcelona and Tuscany to end our cycle tour.

But the weather has been certainly on our side lately so we’ve been soaking up the cycling time. Our last couple of days riding in Southern Holland were beautiful and we quickly made our way across the Belgium border to arrive at our first destination called Merksplas. The forecast was calling for a few days of heavy rain, so we rented a flat that was owned by a retired couple named Chris and Jos who welcomed us with such amazing warmth and hospitality! We settled in easily with homemade Belgium waffles served by Chris and Jos as a mid-afternoon rainy day treat.  Next came a personal tour around the area from Jos which was filled with so much history and insight from his personal stories about growing up as a young boy in Merksplas. He showed us lots of interesting historical sights such as a section of ‘the wire of death’ which was constructed during the war by the Germans, and which ran right thought Merksplas.

Autumn landscape

A fun night with Jos and Chris and the dogs

Wire of Death – Merksplas Belgium

Poppy monument on the Wire of Death

Captain Kai

This is how you pour a Belgian Beer

It’s cold enough to wear gloves!

After the tour came Norrie’s introduction to Belgium beer. Jos and Chris were previous owners of a local pub – so they had an amazing array of rare Trapiste Belgium brews which were followed by sharing a few drams of smooth 20 year old scotch. Kai and Vea loved the conversation and the constant treats from Chris that kept appearing at their dining room table throughout the night!

Once the weather cleared up we were anxious to get back on our bikes so we cycled on towards Antwerp where we caught a regional train to the southern part of Belgium. Before leaving we quickly stocked up on some incredible Belgium Praline Chocolates for the train ride.

Taking regional trains has become a great way to advance on our cycle trip – but also a necessity to get close to the borders. After much research and frustration we’ve learned that it’s not easy or cheap to transport a bike on trains across borders between EU countries. So instead we travel by train to border towns and then cycle across the borders on our own. It’s always interesting to see the change in signage, language and architecture when crossing the border. Even the people seem to change looks somehow. It’s also fun to experience the regional cuisine – so when we cycled into northern France the first stop we had was at a Boulangerie to buy a fresh baguette and croissant. Yumith Maximus!

We only spent one night in Northern France in the city of Lille – where a funny thing happened with Vea. She woke early at the budget hotel we were staying at, and she surprised us by bringing back fresh cups of coffee from the lobby. She came back to our room proudly with coffee and also a full armful of freshly baked chocolate croissants. She told us there was a free continental breakfast that was available to everyone downstairs! Later that morning we all went down for seconds at the ‘free buffet’ and Kai started to make his hot chocolate while Vea prepared another plate full of chocolate dipped strawberries and croissants. We thought to ourselves ‘best budget hotel ever!’ but we were soon greeted by the hotel manager who came in and asked if we were part of the corporate breakfast meeting that was taking place in the adjacent conference room. We were busted!! How embarrassing. But also how fortunate for us to have a free breakfast!!

The next morning we took a train south from Lille so we could meet up with Malia in Paris for the weekend. It was so amazing to see her again and hear all about her past few months studying in England. We all had a great weekend and enjoyed beautiful sunny weather which was perfect for seeing the many sights of Paris. Vea was so excited to see the Eiffel Tower and she had a special time reconnecting with Malia!

Leaving Paris on our bikes was quite an experience! We had booked a morning train to Southern France which was leaving from a station on the other side of the city from where we were staying. It was an early morning with crisp air and we could see our breath when we cycled. This made us realize we had made a good decision about heading further south. Our ride took us through rush hour traffic in the centre of Paris where we certainly received many strange looks from people – especially with Vea singing from the back of the Tandem! Kai had a difficult time to cycle past all of the Parisien Boulangeries which were just opening with fresh smelling pastries and breads lofting out onto the street!

Biking through central Paris

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel selfie!

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Kai!

Cousins reconnected

Pyramide du Louvre

We arrived at the station in Paris with minutes to spare and a sense of urgency about getting our bikes ready for the ‘transition’ to our platform. Arriving with the tandems at a train station is always a bit stressful – but we seem to make it through OK with a bit of team effort and luck! The first train conductor we came across at the station saw our bikes and said ‘Oh la la – c’est un grande problem – ne ils se plient en deux?’ (translation – you’re not getting on this train unless those tandems fold in half!)  Luckily we had made space reservations for our bikes and we made it onboard with a squeeze of only inches to spare. This desperate scene made for a few more strange looks from people. We’re certainly not in Denmark or Holland anymore where bikes are considered common place! Sometimes it feels like we’re on a long distance cyclocross race carrying our tandems up stairs, over train platforms and through turnstiles.

A boarding with difficulty and stress!

A successful boarding with ease

Paris Gar Du Nord

Our train from Paris took us south to Toulouse where we had plans to put our bikes in storage for a week while we rented a car and drove to Barcelona. Kai has talked constantly about his dream of seeing a FC Barcelona game ever since we left home. We were lucky to find tickets that worked out for our dates and we ended up finding a fabulous apartment in the Gracia District of Barcelona that was close to everything yet also very local and family oriented. It was an incredible experience seeing a FCB football game in the largest stadium in Europe with over 99,000 crazy fans! We had a great time seeing all of the sights of Barcelona and even got some beach time in during a warm and sunny afternoon.

Enjoying some Barcelona sun at the beach

Strolling and strutting!

Barceloneta Beach walk

Barcelona waterfront

Barceloneta Beach

Park Güell exterior

Representing Messi

FC Barcelona Camp Nou Stadium

It’s been a couple of weeks now that we’ve been travelling with our bikes, but not really cycling very much. we’re getting very anxious to get back on the road again. It felt great to return our rental car in Toulouse after driving back from Barcelona. Being on the bikes is so much more enjoyable and stress-free than driving in the big city. Soon we’ll be making our way by train from Toulouse to the Cote D’Azur and will continue our cycle trip along the French Riviera towards Italy. Let’s hope that the weather continues to be on our side!

Here’s some more photos from our travels in Belgium, Northern France and Spain …

Tout pour le moment!