May 25, 2023
And in summation…..
From Paris to Vienna by bike and train
I’m writing this as I sit at Vienna airport waiting for the first of 4 flights to get me back to Canberra by Saturday morning. It’s been another great trip, but before I launch into that I must report on the Michelin star restaurant incident. As promised I wrote my first ever restaurant review on google.
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After I wrote that I looked at some other reviews that mostly were pretty bad as well. Gianni, the owner responded to them in his unique style so I was eagerly anticipating his response.
I’m not expecting a Xmas card from Gianni any time soon.
Back to the last 5 weeks. This has been a very different trip to the other longer tours I’ve done. I’ve had more rain on this one than all the others combined. I’d planned on camping for at least half the time but that didn’t happen. I’ve never had to change a trip on the fly like I have on this one. And I’ve never caught so many trains as well.
Here’s the salient statistics
Distance ridden 1766 kilometres
Trains caught 18 (16 more than intended)
Flats 1 (John on the last day 15 kilometres from Verona)
Exploding tyres 1 (I still blame Steve)
Nights camping 1
Bad meals 1 (Falafal at Verona train station. What were we thinking?)
Best meal A simple but beautiful bowl of fresh pasta for lunch on a Sunday between Mantova and Parma.
I wisely left a full day in Vienna to pack up my bike, get a bag for my gear and generally scrub up so I look at least half respectable for the long trip home. It’s typically the most painful day of the trip. I’ve always found it easier to book it in with a bike shop and pay them to do it. So when I turn up at the shop the guy immediately says he’s too busy to do it. The conversation went like this.
“But I rang you 2 weeks ago and booked it in.” “Who did you speak to?”. “Marcus”. “Which one?” “There’s 2 Marcuses?”. “Yes my business partner is also Marcus.” “Well bugger me, I didn’t think of that possibility. I’m not sure, but I guess it was your partner”. He calmed down and said he’d do it and text me when it’s done.
I spent the next four hours walking the streets of Vienna. It is a beautiful city especially in the sunshine. After finding no inspiration whatsoever in the present buying department I managed to find a cheap bag to pack my gear in.
Then my phone died. I wandered around a bit more and found a nice guy in a phone shop who put it on a charger. A quick beer in the pub across the road and I’ve got my phone back. I’ve heard nothing from either Marcus and it’s now 4pm so I jump in a cab to see how it’s going. Not good news. He’s really busy but says he’ll do it by 7pm. I’m really getting worried now, especially when he shows me the box he’ll use. It’s massive. I’m sure that’s way too big. I then suddenly realise I haven’t got the bag I bought. Shit I left it in the pub miles away.
I’ve just checked the regulations for a bike box and maximum length is 140cm. This box is miles over limit. I go back and see Marcus and suggest he just give me the box and packing materials and I’ll do it at the hotel. Marcus is relieved and I am as well. John helps me lug the box and my bike back to the disgustingly dirty hotel basement.
I cycle back to the pub and retrieve my bag, I find a shop that sells packing tape and get a knife, tape measure and marking pen from the hotel and set about constructing a new box. It’s not just too long but also too high so I need to make a few cuts. I remember the old adage ‘ measure twice cut once..or is it ‘Cut twice measure once? I’m flustered and confused and it’s now 7.30 and I’ve barely started and I’m stuffed. It’s time for a break to have dinner and gather my thoughts although I’m secretly hoping the box will miraculously shrink whilst we eat at a really good Asian restaurant next to the hotel.
John is a bit under the weather with a cold but he’s been a great help in making a new box. Craft was not my strong point at school so I let him do the cuts. With the box done, the handle bars off and a quick check to ensure the bike fits, all I need to do is remove the seat and I’m done. The Allen key just will not budge. I can’t believe this. I loosened and readjusted the seat 2 weeks ago and it was fine. Now it’s frozen. Strangely I can twist the seat so it’s not over-tight it’s just not budging. John, being ‘strong like bull’ manages to twist and pull the bike seat and after 10 minutes it is out. He’s in a ball of sweat.
Finally, just after 11pm the job is done. I am black with grime but mightily relieved. I leave the packing until tomorrow morning. I really need a shower!
So, despite the weather we’ve had a great time. Many thanks to the guys that joined me; John for guiding me around Europe and being great company and Franklin for his grooming advice, sensible dress wear and deeply held desire never to venture out if it looks like raining or if windy predicts rain in the next 48 hours. His company wasn’t bad either! We found out a lot about each other (and perhaps too much) via story of the day. That’s out of bounds for the blog!
My disappointment was not cycling in Slovenia but there’s always next time. The Dolomites and Italy more than made up for it.
Anyhoo, thanks for reading !
Dennis
Today's ride: 10 km (6 miles)
Total: 1,766 km (1,097 miles)
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