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MIKE’S NEWS On the upper deck of the overnight ferry to Split, Croatia, we nestled into our warm sleeping bags in a corner, sheltered from the cold sea breeze. Gazing up at the stars above, as the boat rocked gently from side to side, I wondered of what was to come in this country ahead of us. Not long ago we had seen only the news of war and terror. Yet my memories of a friend’s description of this beautiful land still drew me to it. The first day rid any anxiety, with warm and open friendliness. Firstly, we were helped by a bar owner in split to store our bikes in a spare room while we walked the narrow streets of the old town and its ruins. In the market we purchased some cheese for our lunch that was cured and stored in the stomach of a sheep. The man severing us just opened the lining and scooped out the salty, tasty cheese. Croatian Tupperware! Looking for a place to camp for our first night in Croatia, we got a little lost - to our good fortune. We went down a one-way street not knowing this, only to be stopped by a man that asked in clear English “Do you need help?” We explained what we were doing, one thing lead to another and we ended up having a BBQ with them and sleeping in a spare bed in the Grandparents house. What a warm welcome! From Split we peddled north along the coast, then inland to visit some national parks. The beautiful but dry rocky coast was a contrast to the lush parks, Krka and Plitvicka Jezera. Both were centred around the river and stunning waterfalls that made a series of cascades from one lake to the next. Everywhere you looked, water poured from the lake above, all amongst the lush forest. The clear water gave view to the fish and the reeds homed ducks, frogs and a beautiful blue dragonfly. A boardwalk wound its way through this maze of falling water, giving an excellent view of this natural wonder. We chose to camp at the back of a closed camp ground in the forest so at night we could return to the park information centre to use the public phone. (the problem with time zones) Unfortunately, the security guard that was not present before we entered, did not allow us to return. We could not reason with him as we couldn’t understand each other. So we rode out and found a back way into the park, sneaking through the dark like little children playing hide and seek. Cycling northwest back towards the coast, we passed through a number of villages that showed signs of the war. Empty houses, burnt out shells and a general feel that things weren’t as they were before. In the northern city of Rijeka, we stayed with a family. Alen, a member of the WSL bicycle touring club had invited us to stay. A warm and friendly family, we had a great stay. Eating some new dishes, visiting the area, talking about Croatia and its recent history. Along with the large vegie garden, they also had a number of chickens. We were there for the kill, a group effort with a few friends over to help. They kept some of the meat and sold the rest to friends and family. Almost at the border, we couldn’t quite leave, a gentleman by th name of Gorge that had lived in America for 30 odd years, saw us preparing a simple lunch in the small town square and invited us back to eat at his place. This turned into an overnight stay and lunch the next day. Gorge and Lily also introduced us to their friend Helena, and her family. She was of Croatian parents but born in Australia. A warm welcome to Croatia and a friendly goodbye! Entering Slovenia in the early afternoon, we were surprised at the immediate changes. Another beautiful land, waiting for us to explore. At the small town of Bloška Polica, we met our guide who was to take us on a caving trip. Slovenia, being famous for caves, we had to go and explore, and this non-touristy tour seemed to be what we wanted. The two of us, with our guide Mitja, took 3 different rafts to paddle and walk our way into the depth of this underground labyrinth. A small country, it didn’t take long to ride from the border to the capital, Ljubljana and further north to the house of a cycle tourist we had met in Italy. Špela and her family welcomed us and we had a pleasant rest. Both Jodie and I tasting our first horse meat. I liked it. Now the horse races will look like fast food! In the northwest corner of Slovenia is a huge National Park, that is, in comparison to the size of the country. Here, we cycled up the steep pass, built by forced prisoner of war labour. At the pass we took advantage of the good weather to take a walk into the mountains. Still a little snow, we got cold hands and feet. It was a spectacular view from the top. The next day, we rode down the hill along side the beautiful Soca river. We also went for a short walk along the banks of this bright green river. This area of the country has so much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Unfortunately the rain came in and we stopped at a house to ask if we could put up our tent on their lawn (more comfortable than the long wet grass). Instead we got to sleep in their open barn on the hay bales. A comfortable dry nights sleep. Before we rode into Italy, we did another days walk to a narrow canyon in Tomlinska Gorge. Yet again an amazing beautiful work of art by nature. Into Italy and back to the pasta. Yeah! Our mission now was to see the Dolomite Mountains, for last summer we chose not to go because of rain, snow and poor visibility. Our first pass was not looking good. Rain and a strong wind up a 15%grade made hard work. But then…….Ahh! the blessed sun came out and we had a great experience in these sensational mountains. Hard work with all the passes and steep walks, but worth it all:- Our walk up a small canyon to the base of an impassable waterfall, where I had to swim through cold water to get near it and the walk to the top of a peak, overlooking the mountains around. This was all topped off with a campsite surrounded by the famous Dolomiti formations and then a light show put on by the afternoon sun. It was hard to leave this place. Only the thought of more scenic areas to come made it easier to leave. This area of the world (Nth Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland) has no shortage of passes to challenge the cyclist and almost kill the loaded down cycle tourist. Into the western corner of Switzerland, through the Engadin valley and then back into Italy to ride down to Lake Como and visit our friends Mauro and Francesca. The night before we arrived at our friends in Como, we asked in a small village at a large house if we could put our tent on their property. The gentleman we approached was welcoming and friendly. He spoke no english, we understood very little, but nodded and smiled. Perhaps a mistake, for he continued to speak to us for the night. Living alone, he had time, we needed to sleep! Arriving at Mauro and Francesca’s we had a good rest with some great people that helped us all they could. We left feeling refreshed and happy. Lake Como is not that high above sea level. We now had the pleasure to ride up into the Swiss Alps. Scenic for sure, but slow going. Our first stop in Switzerland was to walk to the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in Europe. We didn’t walk too far on the ice, too slippery with our old shoes. The walk wasn’t too hard, but the incredibly steep ride up was a killer. Now I know why most people go up by the gondola. Why must I learn everything the hard way? Next stop was Kandersteg and our kind friends Urs and Ingrid. We stayed here for a while, (thankyou for putting up with us Urs and Ingrid) to enjoy the spectacular Swiss Alps. The weather was good most of the time and I walked every day. So much to see and it was all inspiring. Though you have to be ready for long steep climbs and even though we had ridden so far in the last 2½ months, our legs got a shock from all the walking. The 3 day walk at the end of the week was a highlight. The weather was wet and cloudy at the start, leaving me with soaked shoes, but it fined up. I had always wanted to walk and sleep amongst the giants of Switzerland and here I was living my dream. A large herd of ibex put a nice show on for us, we first saw them in the day, resting on rocks. Then, as we sat preparing and eating dinner, with mountains on the left and right and behind, and a deep valley running away from us in front; the ibex appeared before us. They ate, sat down and fought, clashing horns, all in perfect view for us. Then they made their way up past our tent and over the ridge. Thankyou! Jodie was deeply disappointed. She had it set in her mind for most of the trip that we would visit the Lindt Chocolate Factory when we cycled to Zurich. We had been told that they did guided tours. With a little further research, this turned out not to be true anymore. Sad and chocolateless (not a good way to see a girl) we cycled to Zurich. On our way, after riding about 80km, I noticed a shop attached to a large factory that was open. Being Sunday, it was the only place open. It was a biscuit factory, so we went in to investigate…….a very high quality expensive brand of biscuit, a place you could buy in bulk. Ahh! They had free samples! Smiles immediately came to our faces and we tasted away. At the end of the circuit I did a quick mathematical count and discovered we had eaten over 50 lovely chocolate biscuits. This was probably worth over 30 Swiss francs ($30 Aus). Happy and very full, we rode to Zurich with smiles on our faces. With the help of Patrick, a member of WSL we packed our bikes and flew north. For the next 3 months, until early October, we will be working here in Norway as rafting guides in the little town of Dagali. The people here are great and the river is fun. I’ve already had a spill where I punched myself in the nose as I bailed out of the boat. Blood streaming from my nose, I climbed back aboard, much to the shock of my crew. (no damage done mum!) A good summer lays ahead. I hope you are all well and would love to hear from you. Smiles and love, Mike on the bike JODIE’S NEWS Croatia. I had never even dreamed of travelling there. All I knew was that the Croats and the Serbs had a war in the nineties. No wonder my mother was worried for me. Don’t worry mum! Now I know that it is indeed a beautiful country, with very friendly people. Our arrival in Split coincided with a glorious day. The Diocletian’s Palace, built in 1700 by the Emperor, was fascinating to explore. Tall Roman columns, arches, and fallen ruins as seats to rest on. All were part of the market place and life within the old walls of the city. To the market place. Looking after our stomachs first!! ( I know it keeps Mike happy) It was a place full of diversity and character. People from all walks of life. Little old ladies were selling their often meagre produce of vegies. Some only selling a bunch of flowers and a few potatoes. Black scarves covering their hair, and faces full of wrinkles, ready to smile and sell you their wares. All had polished brass scales, bucketed on one side, a tray for the weights on the other. We purchased some wonderful ‘tasty‘ cheese – with the texture of ricotta. The man scooped it out of the large sheep stomach skin bag that it was stored in. It was great cheese (but I do miss Australian Farmers Vintage Tasty). The market places are a favourite place for me to visit in any country. Not just to buy food, but to witness a colourful array of people and their culture, complimented by vibrant displays of fruit and vegies. Finding a camping spot after visiting a city is sometimes harder than you think. Some mountaineers we met in Split suggested we ride out about 6km to }Zrnovnica. Not a well sign posted place! We headed for what we thought was forest area. Houses. And more houses! Mike and I were both pretty tired and getting short with each other. We seemed to be going away from the forest – but he didn’t think that. ”Let’s go down here” I said, and turned down a street, not expecting him to follow. A local man started turning me back when ”Can I help you?” …….. A chance meeting turned into a lovely evening of learning about Croatia, hurdling language barriers. }Zeljko cooked a traditional grill (BBQ for us) dinner, and we were invited to stay with them. A wonderful ending to a great day and a wonderful beginning to exploring Croatia. Such a lovely family, and a good fortune for us to meet them when we did. Thankyou Zeljko, Sanda, and their family. Riding through the countryside between cities was fascination in a different way. Stone paddock walls were everywhere, on the most impossible of slopes. It seemed that the land was not farmed anymore though some of the walls still stood. Every so often, the ruins a small stone storage dome were evident. }Zeljko had mentioned to be wary of some local and not to wander too far off track up north as there were land mines. This scared me a bit, as it should (sorry mum!). but we didn’t meet any seedy locals and failed to encounter a land mine!! We did come across some locals playing ‘patonk‘ - a french game I think. Sort of like bowls. A man (unfortunately there were no women playing (and I still haven’t seen a female cyclist!!)) threw a solid iron ball down a sand pitch. Then all the others had to launch their ball as close as possible. Once they had all thrown, the closest started it off again back down the pitch the other way. It kept them entertained for hours! Men! As we rode further north, reminders of the war were clear to see. We rode past ghost towns of modern looking Croatian houses with no glass in the windows and not a soul to be seen. They had just been left. Sometimes we saw bullet holes in the walls. What horrible things happened to these poor people?? Are they Serb or Croat houses?? It was saddening to ride past them, but it made the war mean something else to me. Occasionally, we saw the beginnings of re-establishing houses and towns. People were working hard and smiling as we rode past. It was heartening to see them hang on to hope and determination in rebuilding their lives It’s not until I have travelled through the Europe, the Eastern Block states and Croatia that I truly realise exactly how lucky I am to be an Australian living in Australia. I have never been forced to learn German, I don’t have to supply 16 photos of myself to get a visa to leave my country, I have never been shot at or persecuted because of my race, I have never involuntarily been thrown into a war where the people do the fighting because of some politicians’ ideas. It is feasible for me to build a house for my new family (don’t be alarmed – I’m just here-saying! There is no new family!) without having to share a house with three generations. I can easily find a job that pays reasonably. I have never had to queue for food or ration tickets. All of these things I have taken for granted. They are normal. They, and other shocking things, were a reality for many people I met and heard about. We visited the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Plitvicka Jezera National Park. It is a string of 16 beautiful lakes and tarns of crystal blue-green colour. A series of walkways wound around and through cascading waterfalls, all spilling into each other. Breathtaking shoe-rings of waterfalls greeted us in many instances. Blue dragonflies, purple flowers, frogs and insects fascinated Michael. We definitely have our quota of bug photos! It was so relaxing to walk over running water. Surrounded by running water. (you can imagine how my bladder reacted!) We were virtually by ourselves in this wonderful nature, until a tourist bus of ‘reisen‘ walked past. All following each other, rarely stopping to really admire and soak up the beauty and atmosphere of this magnificent place. Then we were by ourselves again. I’m so glad we travel by bike and can spend the time to see as much as we want to. The ride on to Rijeka was undertaken in a variety of conditions. The beautiful forest with an old rarely used road passing a bubbling brook and abandoned houses. Downhill in the cold rain. An even longer downhill to the Croatian sea of islands. Cooking in a little stone dome looking out to sea – the soft haze of the sun shining through the dark clouds. Incredibly windy day with horror buses trying to run us off the road. I got close to a few trees, rather than the bus! Quite a horrible ride in the traffic, but we got there in one piece. Alen is a member of the WSL cycling hospitality group and we were staying with him in Rijeka. We were early to meet him and looking at a map of the town. A guy came up to us and said hi. That happens often. Then continued to say ”Jodie, Michael, Hi. I’m Alen” What a coincidence. He had noticed our Aussie flags, and we were on bikes so…. ”It must have been us!” We thoroughly enjoyed staying with Alen and his family. They are fairly self- sufficient in growing their own food: a great garden, chickens, rabbits. I thought I would be upset knowing these animals would soon be food, but I wasn’t. I understand that it is the best way to have good food and a cheap way for the family to eat and make money. Many families survive in this way, though the younger generation is not as keen to learn the ways of their parents. Now there are too many shops to make it easy. (but not healthier!) What will happen to the traditional ’old’ ways? Chicken harvest day was fascinating to watch. The parents and their friends made a social day of preparing the chickens for sale. The men guillotined and cut the chickens whilst the women cleaned and prepared them. We helped Alen deliver them to the buyers. All in a day. Organic chickens….they taste heaps better. We learnt a lot more about Croatia, particularly from a young persons point of view. They are keen to earn USD abroad. That gets them a months Croatian salary in a week! They also have a hard time finding a job in the city. At least our dollar is worth half of an American one. Again, I felt lucky to be an Australian. We spent some time driving round the bends of the lush green Croatian forest and my stomach wanted to be on the bike again! We visited many places around Rijeka with Alen and his friends and were well rested and well fed. Alens mother, Paula is an extremely good cook. We thank her for her wonderful food. I have some recipes and can only hope they turn out as well as her cooking. Thankyou Alen and your family for making us feel very welcome. We were all set to leave Croatia and head on to Slovenia. We had spent the last of our coins at the supermarket and were sitting down to lunch in town of Prezid. A gentleman approached us and insisted that we couldn’t eat there, that we must come to his house and eat at the table. Why not! Gorge had lived in America for many years and boy could he talk! We learnt an incredible amount about Croatian war time, their culture and about America too. He was so interesting to listen to. Eating at his table turned into lunch…. after visiting their museum, he and his wife Lily decided we should stay with them for the night . We met Helena, an Australian who is now living in Croatia with her husband and family. Luckily she helped us organise a caving trip in Slovenia or we would probably still be at George and Lily’s – they were sad to see us go. It’s a lovely feeling to become friends with total strangers in a foreign country. Another chance meeting that turned into a wonderful experience. Thankyou George and Lily. We rode past many farmers working, traditional looking farm houses and fields of tall haystacks into Slovenia. Our caving trip was in the Krišna Jama, a chain of 22 underground lakes of crystal clear water, separated by calcite barriers. We were there alone with our guide Mitja. This made my first caving experience so much better. We travelled in 3 different rafts and on foot along 14 of the pools. The silence enveloped me. I had never been in pitch black darkness with my eyes open before. We glided over crystal clear water, our headlamps illuminating fantastic arrays of stalactites and stalagmites. Some resembling flowers, snails, and ships. Nature is amazing. It is even more special without tourists! In between the pools, we had to walk on the calcite, but only where it had ceased to grow. I was scared to walk in the wrong places in this delicate environment. We took heaps of photos and hoped some of them worked. Photographing in the dark is something I need to practice. Four hours later we re-emerged from the cave entrance. I had enjoyed my time below but was glad to see the sunshine again. Slovenia is famous for its caves and they are all over the countryside. Water seeps out of the ground and plunges into the ground, forming a myriad of underground rivers and caves, many of which are rarely visited. We explored some caves and natural arches on the way to Ljubljana to stay with Špela and Max – whom we had met in Italy. Špela’s mother, Ana was an excellent cook. I hope our generation learns to cook as well as our mothers! More recipes for my to try and we enjoyed resting at their lovely house near the forest. It always astounds me that there is forested area so close (within a few kms) to major cities in Europe. With Špela and Max we visited caves and castles. We wound round the bends in the forest roads – much to the disgust of my stomach – exploring Rud, with its giant Lipa tree and seeing the glacial blue/turquoise lake of Most na So ci. I was looking forward to riding to the source of this lake, the So ca River. Thankyou to Špela and her family for their wonderful hospitality. From Ljubljana we rode north to explore the Triglav National Park. Sunshine and blue skies greeted us for the trek up the 14% graded Vrsic Pass. 24 hairpin bends on the way up and 26 on the other side. My first big one! We could see the jagged mountains in the distance, dusted with snow. I was excited. This is what I wanted to see. To be in. The wild flowers; pink, purple, yellow and white, were abundant. 2hrs of up to 1611m, it wasn’t really that hard. Each hairpin was signposted. There would be higher passes to come. The view from the top was stunning. Wowee! We escaped the tourists (and all the motorcyclists – they love the winding roads) and walked as high up the mountain as we could go, encountering patches of snow along the way. I took an unplanned slide on the way down which scared the crap out of me. My hands became crampons and…. I stopped. I prefer to purposely slide down! The weather came in and I was thankful we had enjoyed the marvellous mountains earlier, for now we could see only clouds. A fantastic ride down. Lucky we couldn t see much coz I was busy concentrating on the bends. At bend 49, we camped by the So a river. My legs were jelly but I was happy after a rewarding day. We explored the Soca river over the next few days. It really is a gorgeous colour. We crossed cable bridges, watched kayakers, hunted for camping spots, got totally soaked, slept in a great barn on haystacks and walked to waterfalls. Tomlinska Gorge was exceptionally beautiful, even in the rain. The Dolomiti Mountains were absolutely brilliant. Hard work for the poor old legs but worth every push and pedal. We explored a canyon, climbing up ledges, discovering refreshing waterfalls, glimpsing chamoix and Mike donned his ”birthday suit” to get to the end waterfall – how chilly! But he loved it. We were constantly surrounded by awesome towering peaks. Passo di Fedaia, Passo di Sella, Passo Gardena - all above 2000m and 2 of them were in one day! We camped on a ski run at Passo Gardena, beneath the magnificent jagged peaks of the Pizes da Cir. We walked to the top during the day for some spectacular 360° views and Mike always manages to produce a bar of chocolate at the top! It is one of the most beautiful places I have been. Down, down, down from the Dolomiti into the valley. Giving those legs a rest. Back to the SS12, a road we travelled last time though I didn’t recognise anything because I only saw clouds and rain before. And then we went up again! Passo Giovo another above 2000m. The spa town of Merano welcomed us down the bottom. A relaxing place and just to make it more memorable, I fell off my bike again!!! Mike made sure he laughed and took photos before helping me up. Fair enough! I have been lucky not to hurt myself. The ride out of Merano was less than relaxing. I have never seen so many motorcycles in my life and a big traffic jam, complete with huge trucks trying to squash us. Passo Stelvio. We had seen pictures of it and were keen to ride it but whilst riding towards it: ”chiuso, closed, ferme, geschlossen” said the signs. Disappointment. But don’t worry legs, there is Offenbach Pass to climb instead, another above 2000m. The thing I love about passes is that not only to you get to see where you’ve come from but you also see where you’re going to- and it’s all breathtakingly magnificent! I have always wanted to go to the Engadin valley in Switzerland. It is where they have the huge XC ski marathon. We travelled along the beautiful valley, mountains peeping between the clouds, the weather swapping from sun to rain and back again. I shall return to ski one day. St. Moritz had always conjured up a glitzy image in my mind. Not so the back way into town, past the sled run. We certainly met some ”snobs” there though, who didn’t appreciate us eating there. I knew I should have worn my suit that day!!!! – a fitting encounter for such a place. Return to Italy, for the 4th time! We visited our friends Mauro and Francesca near Lake Como again. Lovely to see them in the sunshine. Francesca’s family runs a tie design business. I never realised so much work went into them. We saw some fantastic photos of Burma and Cambodia. Sorry Mum and Dad, I want to go there too now. We were made to feel very welcome and had a well deserved rest after all those passes. Thankyou to Mauro, Francesca, and her parents Elisabetta and Giovanni for helping us so much. But wait!!!! Back to the Swiss Alps. No rest for those legs! We walked to the Aletsch Glacier from Riederalp. I cheated (so did my bike) and took the cable car up some of the way. It put me in a much better mood for when Mike arrived. Apparently it was a really steep ride(push and walk!) I went to the top of the glacier in April on top of the Jungfraujoch so it was vastly different to see it from the bottom. Finally up to Goppenstein to catch the train through the mountain tunnel to Kandersteg. We stayed with Urs and Ingrid again. We enjoyed seeing them and Kandersteg in the sunshine. We hiked almost everywhere seeing beautiful flowers, mountains, soaring paragliders. We started out on our 3 day hike in the rain. Luckily the weather changed. Creeping along cliff faces, sliding down snow, clambering up and down fields of flowers and cows. We were treated to the pleasure of watching a group of ibex play and frollic on the steep valley slope until they proceeded to pass by our tent on their way up. Magic to watch, their long horns clashing, almost falling off the mountain. A very special experience for us. I had been looking forward to visiting the Lindt chocolate factory in Zurich, but to my dismay, they no longer had tours. Fortunately, along the way in the Emmental valley, Mike discovered the Kambly biscuit factory. Samples! Heaps of them! And all yummy chocolate covered and filled biscuits. 50 – 60 samples later, we emerged very full but happy and ready to cycle more. 144km that day, not so hard as I thought it would be. That night we camped in the field of a lovely family who welcomed us in for a shower and a cuppa. What a lucky day! We finally made it to Zurich and I thought it would be flatish. But no! Patrick lived on top of a hill – a big one! I was tired and not ready to climb at the end of our cycle trip. Patrick was very kind, another member of the cycle hospitality group. Thankyou Patrick for your hospitalityWe packed our bikes in boxes, lugged them (uphill) to the train station and off to the airport the next morning to Norway. Dagali is a very small town in Norway. Our friend Eivind owns a rafting company and we are working for him. I also work at the Dagali Hotel – an interesting experience to serve, when my Norwegian is far from good. It is fun though and there are lots of beautiful places to see. We should enjoy our time here whilst preparing for the next part of our journey. Happy cycling, love from Jodie We would like to thank the following companies for their help in preparing for our journey: Lexar Media Hewlett Packard City Bicycle Works