Sam and Sheena Cycle

It was this day three months ago that we ‘set sail’ from the UK… Sam, Sheena, Sputnik and Sea noodle. So far we have cycled about 5500km, passing through 15 countries! We have been sunburnt, woken up in a river, propped our tent up against storms, cowered under lightning, had 10 punctures (9 on the first day, one today!), lost 15kgs, lost 40 euros, lost one sock, lost our way, found our way, found abandoned olympic sites, found a bunker filled with old aeroplanes, found that googles maps cannot be trusted, found hospitality, have drunk a fair amount of good beer, eaten a lot of bad food and to celebrate are taking a bus into the capital of Albania with the sole intention of eating a curry. We caught a vole, squashed as many mosquitoes as pieces of pasta eaten, seen a snake eat a lizard, smelt too much roadkill, been chased by dogs, grown hairier, grown stronger, learnt, laughed, cried, had tantrums, laughed, fallen off, become stuck, swam in seas, lakes and rivers… felt joy, pain, hunger, sickness, happiness, confusion, been awestruck… all in one day. We love our bikes, hate our bikes, get hit by our bikes, hit our bikes… our home is a small tent that can be both a vital shelter in bad weather and a horrible sweatbox in good weather. We have seen mountains, valleys, emerald green rivers, icy blue lakes,  beaches, canals, plains, beautiful places,filthy places, stunning churches, burnt out churches, thousands of years of diverse European history/culture, the fading mark of communism, the enduring scars of war, crumbling industry, rapid growth, optimism, enthusiasm, despair and decay. We have met amazing people, weird people, had conversations in languages other than ours, had conversations using just hands and guesswork, been amazed by people, surprised by people and even shocked by one or two…

Fingers crossed the next three months will be as diverse and exciting! Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.

We also seem to have changed slightly….

Day one…

Last week….

The stars show where we have camped/slept in the last 6 ish weeks…