Although I had all that space to move around in, I could go outside, I have a forest around my home but it felt like someone pushed a brick against my heart. You needed permission to go somewhere, even if you were just going to buy bread. Corona hadn’t even arrived yet in my little world but we were all afraid of each other, we were afraid to live. I even cleaned the whole house with disinfectant. THAT shows how this lockdown got to me.
I snuck out at times specially in the 3rd lockdown, I just didn’t believe in the media anymore .I went to see friends. I had a coffee with them, I even stayed the night with friends that didn’t believe in reasons of the corona either anymore (that doesn't mean we tought there was a complot) but we felt like criminals.
So when the 3rd lockdown got extended ; I just had had enough. I decided that that was it !! I was going to go. As soon as it was finished I would go. Most just smiled at me. As I am someone that rants and raves alott they just took it as « one of my moods ». When the question came : »where will you go ? » I answered « east ». THAT really got them smiling. Then « how ». Now there was a problem. Over the years I had the feeling that with flying your head doesn't follow. Within hours you are in a completely different country /culture but your head is still in the clouds.
So I decided I would travel slowly. Travel by my own means… travel by bike. You have to know that my bike is a very old bike. I got it when I was 18. It had been 30 years in my possession but I haven’t ridden a bike for years.
The last time I had ridden a bike was when the boys were seven or eight ; we did the canal Nantes to Brest, it was quite hard going but they had fun and I had all the luggage. So this became the idea : I was going to cycle east. My first goal would be to meet up with my son who lives near Nantes. His 21 birthday was coming up. So that gave me a time limit to get there.
Slowly plans were taking form. I didn't dare to tell anyone I wanted (secretly hoping) to get to Bulgaria. Where I wanted to hike the Kom Emine
Now starting my research , it is amazing how much information is out there. So many cycling paths, hiking paths… youngsters have somany options to get out there and live adventures on trodden paths. I feel yealouse. I never knew about these things. My parents loved beach/sun holidays. I got bored after half an hour being quiet. If nobody wanted to go in the water with me. Sunbathing is something I do not appreciate.
So lists of paths, dreams that i won't be able to make true were glued to my wall. But as someone said : « planning/dreaming is half the fun but without the hardships «
I love making lists, dreaming of where I want to go ,searching information, getting lost on my travel trips with google. Hours can be spend just doing research, writing it all down. And so I ended up with 39 little pieces of paper with country names on them and lists of things I wanted to see. 39 seemed alott.
Then I cut out atlas pages and glued them together ; my bikeroute. That was an eye opener. It looked daunting.
My mind is strong and I told myself : « every bitt you do, other people do in daily life. Nothing is non explored. People are the same everywhere.
Half of me didn't believe in the whole expedition but I gave it a name : Kyoso tour. (The bike being a kyoso) Now I am silly with this, I get attached to the vehicles I give names. The moped (Berlin to France) was called : Broomi. My van : Galouper. The 4x4 (southern Africa) : Tembi. (Which means hope and I needed out of that as the car broke down atleast once a day.)
So Kyose got the old bikebags from my dad, he cycled every day to work with his lunchbox and raingear in those bags. Then not entirely convinced I would make it , I didn't want to put much money into the tour so we made a frontbasket out of a freezer basket. I started to sort out things I would need. Bought a little inflating mattress and a lightweight 1 person tent. Packed in my snorkling gear (that shows how positive I did feel)
The lockdown finished at 6am. My room looked like a bomb had hit it but by 9am I was almost packed and by 11am I was peddling towards the canal. It was cold but sunny. Almost no wind. Perfect except that my butt was hurting after 10 minutes. Now everyone kept saying ; don't worry it will become like leather. » LIES. My butt still hurt in Bulgaria !!!!!
Even with a new cylicon saddle😲
That first night it was freezing and everything hurt. I ran out of water so boiled canal water only to see the next day a farmer just spilling cowshit into it… lovely.