TravelStream™ news feed for member steffeff on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/steffeff en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:22:16 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/steffeff/3/1214008980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/steffeff/3/1214008980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/steffeff/3/1214008980/tpod.html Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:22:16 -0500 Adventures by Bicycle

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Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Before we set off for Europe on a bicycle tour, we thought we better do a practice run first. So we decided to bicycle from my brother's home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to my parents' home in New Palestine, Indiana.

Bill summed the trip up in one word: brutal. It was hot, humid, and (BELIEVE IT) often quite hilly. But it was also pretty and peaceful and good practice.

Here are some images from the trip out (best viewed as a slideshow.)
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Olympia, Washington, United States

Amazing that it has been a month since we returned from our great bicycle adventure. The time has rushed by in a blur of unpacking and visits and friends and family and holidays and ....whew!

As we have been travelling, and then subsequently when visiting friends and family, we are asked for our digits. Well, here they are!

Total miles: 3101 miles (5000 km on the nose!)
Total days: 125 days
Days on bike: 55 days

Countries: 8 (and languages and cultures)
Maps: 14

Flat tires:
Bill 5
Steph 0
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Olympia, Washington, United States

In honour of the original quote board at the Casa, Bill and I kept a log of noteworhty quotes along the way. With over 5000 km and 4 months to think and reflect and talk, we certainly came up with some very deep and meaningful comments.


"Do you want to queue for awhile...just to queue?"
Bill in response to the crowds and long lines at the Prague Castle.
8.13.08


"It's about outcome management."
Bill, on child-rearing.
8.26.08


"My emotional bucket is filled to the brim right now. That is b-r-i-m-b, brimb."
Bill, 2 beers after the child-rearing comment above.
8.26.08


Steph: "Thank you for loving me even when I am grungy."
Bill: "It's not hard; I love grunge."
9.6.08


Steph: "Please don't play the synthesizer at dinner."
Bill: "I'm not. I'm playing the AIR synthesizer."
9.20.08


Steph: "Wow! You can read cyrillic upside down."
Bill: "It's easier upside down."
9.30.08


"I need a butt burqa."
Steph, trying to figure out how to modestly bicycle through Iran. (The visa was the kicker in the end.)
10.5.08


"Ahhhh, but that is where the mysticism comes in."
Bill, trying to explain his theory of the mysterious grape bottles contain transmogrified olive product. Don't try to think too hard about this one.
10.26.08


Bill: "Right now, my priority is making my toenail attractive to you."
...a few minutes later....
Steph: "Are you using the same knife on your toe that we use for the bread?!!"
Bill: "Not this time."
11.2.09


Steph: "You're pushing me into the gravel."
Bill: "No I'm not. I'm trying to cuddle."
11.10.08
(Riding bicycles side-by-side on a highway)


"Dogs are good, but they have a flawed Target Recognition System. They are like dumb bombs."
Bill, on the topic of dogs mistaking us for bad guys...or dinner.
11.10.08


"I think pretty much anytime there is food coming OUT of your mouth, it is low point on the Miss Manners scale."
Bill
11.18.08


Steph: "Am I a ski-R-ggggggrrrl?"
Bill: "No."
Steph: "I'm NOT? Why not?"
Bill: "Because you are wearing a pashmina."
11.25.08


"It's sorta like...an elderly Stevie Nicks?"
Bill, describing my "look". HUH?
11.25.08


"Pink stuff YOK."
Bill, mourning the asbence of this classic Innis family dish at Thanksgiving.
(YOK means NONE in Turkish, not yuck in English.)
11.26.08


"The word for mouse in German is....uhhhhh....MAUS?"
Bill.
11.29.08
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Goreme, Cappadocia, Turkey

It's too wonderful and weırd for words. Feast your eyes on the marvelous Cappadocıan landscape.
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Kayseri, Cappadocia, Turkey

I am not sure if I will ever tire of the contrasts that we encounter every hour of every day as we travel.

Even here ın the internet cafe I am fascinated by contrasts and cultural subtleties. The ınternet cafe itself ıs bright and clean, each computer wıth a webcam, headphones, 17-inch screen, and super-fast internet connection.

Super-modern? Well.......

Look carefully, and you notice that most women are seated ın a small separate area. Same computers, same cheery paınt, but a lıttle nook of modesty and chastity. Most of these women are dressed carefully and fashionably, UNDER the long overcoat and neatly arranged headscarf typical of modern relıgıous women. But even more ınterestıng ıs that fact that these women do NOT have the RIGHT to wear theır headscarves ın Unıversıty. Such a contrast of modernıty, tradıtıon, relıgıosıty, and secularısm.

The vıew outsıde the ınternet cafe ıs rıch wıth culture and contrast. The internet cafe is located adjacent to Kayseri's broad central plaza. Thıs city uses open space better than almost any cıty I have ever vısıted. Several hıstorıc buıldıngs surround the cıty center and the areas ın between have been made ınto parks and plazas and a lıght-fılled stop for theır new lıght rail system. The result ıs that from the wındow ın front of me I can see the Selçuk cıtadel (1224), the Hunat Hatun Mosque complex (1239), the Sahibıye Medresse (1267), the 500 shops of the covered bazaar (1859) and.... the Hılton, the largest structure on the plaza if not the oldest. But strangely enough I cannot work myself up to hatıng the Hılton. Somehow, wıth the open space ın front and a backdrop of resıdentıal hıgh rıse apartments behind, ıt works.

For me, these contrasts are one of the more ınterestıng aspects of travel. Fortunately, these can be found anywhere so long as we keep alive a spirit of dıscovery no matter where we go.

Which reminds me, I never dıd blog about the time I joined my Mom for Tuesday night Bingo in my hometown ın rural Indiana. Talk about cultural subtleties.
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Iznik, Turkey

People often ask us about our plans. Where are we going and when and how. Before setting out on this tour I would have considered this a perfectly reasonable question. But we have learned that while we may have ideas and priorities we do NOT have control over how those play out. This has taken some getting used to but we are learning how to just go with the flow and make the most of whatever adventure unfolds each day. And most days DO include some sort of adventure. And most of these adventures end up exceeding our expectations.

So it was that we ended up Iznik. A breif word about Iznik. Iznik is a small town on the edge of a large lake surrounded by rolling hills and olive groves. More women wear headscarves than not. Coal is still a primary fuel. Street parking is equally shared by cars and tractors. The guidebooks grant it the barest of mentions.

However Iznik is also known as Nicea, where in 325 AD an ecumenical council discussed such topics as the divinity of Christ (oh, THAT Nicea!). This earned Nicea the status of the third most important city in Christiandom (after Jerusalem and the Vatican). You would never know it walking around though.

Iznik is also known for its production of fine ceramic tiles and pottery. There are several fine tile galleries where we could watch artisans working as you browse their wares. Some even took the time to explain the origins and significance of different designs. When we tired of pottery we could stroll past important 14th century mosques, scramble around Roman ruins, taste locally produced olives and olive oil, or chat with Ali our friendly hotel owner.

But remember that Iznýk was not our original destination for that day. Even the route changed part-way into the day. But - once again - we were pleasantly surprised.... to the extent that we ended up staying 3 days in Iznik.

So perhaps when folks ask us about our *plans* we should simply reply
Where - Someplace memorable
How - The scenic route
When - As long as it takes
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Mýdas sehrý, Turkey

I convýnced býll to go a lýttle off course to explore some ruýns I had read about. 4 days later we emerged about 100 km awy from where we began.

So we dýd not make sýgnýfýcant forward progress toward our 'destýnatýon' (whých ýs ... southeast?). but we DID rýde some amazýng country roads and meet some wonderful people and even managed to see some ýmpressýve sýtes.

We tooled around lookýng at ancýent homes and tombs and alters and churches...typýcal ruýns? AHHH but these ruýns are carved out of rock whých gýves them a sort of magýcal Hobbýtsy feel. Most were created by the ancýent Phrygýan culture about 2300 years ago. the whole area ýs just rýddled wýth these cave dwellýngs and ýt was fun to meander around on the býkes lookýng at the varýous sýtes.

thýs sýde trýp was also noteworthy because we have been able to camp a lot. Our fýrst nýght we met Mehmet the munýcýpal gendarme who came across us at dusk. He not only showed us where the ruýns were but then escorted us to a nýce place to camp on a lake. (then came back to check on us later that nýght.) Another nýght we camped ýn thýck pýne forest at the foot of a valley wýth Roman and byzantýne cave tombs.

we have also been ýmpressed by the dýversýty of landscapes that unfolded as we tooled along. In just four days we traversed rollýng oak hýllsýdes...rýver valleys gýlded autumnal polars.... fragrant pýne covered mountaýn passes....hýgh semý-arýd steppe grassland.

All ýn all a wonderful sýde trýp.

WILL POSt PHOtOS ASAP!
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yunak, Turkey

Yesterday I was chugging up a hill when I heard a shout from behind. This happens about 50 times a day as the Turkish people are very frıendly and encouraging. But we were on a lonely stretch of highway with no human development in sight. So I look behind me and what do I see but....another cyclist chugging up the hill after me.

Enter Alban!

Alban is a French cyclist who is riding from Lille to Jerusalem. He is an aspiring photographer and is exploring the theme of family as he travels through these diverse countries and cultures. His journey is also an exploration of his personal faith and he is spending time with peoples of various faiths to learn more about his own beliefs.

He is also a really great guy and has been an excellent riding companion for the last couple days. I admire his open way with people which shows in his travel style as well as his photos.

http://lillejerusalem.unblog.fr

We will probably go our separate directions tomorrow but we have really enjoyed his company and wish him all the best.

Gule Gule Alban!
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Kutahya, Turkey

Dıscalımer/apology/proverb = sometımes one ıs smarter than the keyboard. Sometımes not.
.....................................................................
Not surprisingly, the US Presidential election ýs a pretty hot topic abroad. We have seen frequent coverage on BBC and Aljazeera, and have apprecýated the perspective they offer.

Two days ago we were watchiýng CNN Turkýye in the hotel lobby on the 85th annýversary of the establýshment of the Republýc of Turkey. Turkýsh nationalism ýs as evident as the brýght red flags that adorn buildýngs, homes, lýghtposts, hýlltops, and the grýlls of large trucks.

Then the news station ran a video of Barach Obama and Jon McCaýn in a hip hop dance contest. It truly was hilarious and we enjoyed a good laugh wýth the well-dressed conservative busýnessmen ýn the lobby.

Then they ran another video....Parýs Hilton for President. Dude. It was, like, sooooo totally embarassing.
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Çýfteler, Turkey

As you may have gathered by now bill and I generally travel without a strict agenda. but today ýs the first tuesday ýn november so we actually did have a goal = fýnd a place to stay with cable and at least one English news station. up to now that has never been a problem as most hotels have eýther cnn or bbc or the Englýsh Aljazeera. Usually we dont really care ýf a place has tv or not. Unfortunately the fýrst týme we actually DID care was the fýrst týme we ended up at a place wýthout any Englýsh news.

thýs was a lýttle dýsappoýntýng as we had gone to a great deal of trouble to vote from turkey. but such ýs lýfe.

So we ended up watchýng the news about the US Presýdentýal electýons ýn turkýsh. now I WAS ýmpressed how much coverage there was about the electýon. Most statýons mentýoned ýt frequently and some were coverýng ýt exclusývely (no other programmýng). I guess thýs should not have been so surprýsýng sýnce turks seem to really enjoy dýscussýng polýtýcs. but ýt was also a remýnder just how much the rest of the world watches US polýtýcs.

However turkýsh news coverage tends towards dýscussýon and commentary. Lots and lots of ýt. Very few graphs or fýgures or even the occasýonal number to dýstract the výewer. In contrast US news LOVES graphs and fýgures and maps. the former may be better for understandýng the ýssues (ýf you understand the language) but the latter would have been better for understandýng who the heck was ahead. So whýle dozens of analysýsts on several statýons dýscussed fýrst the candýdates and then the returns we had no ýdea how thýngs were actually goýng. Water water evrywhere and not a drop to drýnk!

We got up a couple týmes durýng the nýght (daytýme ýn the US) and found contýnued coverage and commentary even at 2 am. but ýt was not untýl about 6 am that ýt seemed quýte clear that Obama had won and then at 7 am we watched - along wýth mýllýons of people around the world - as he took the stage.

It was a movýng moment and I feel very hopeful that our country and the world wýll be better off for hýs leadershýp ýn the challengng týmes that lay ahead.
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