Y Eolo sigue en su afan de aguarme la vida. 9 dias seguidos d lluvia incansable no solo me dificultan disfrutar el Danubio pero tajantemente me alejan d sus (ahora) anegados senderos.
Dejo Bratislava, aquella pequenha belleza gotica, para adentrarme en Austria y sus rutas de bicicleta. Magnifico. Mientras dura. Luego de un par de horas de sublime pedaleada me encuentro con caminos cerrados. Las aguas han subido en demasia e inundan los senderos. Ahora me veo forzado a compartir puesto con automobiles. Habran esporadicos goces de "soledad ciclista" en senderos de ripio pero seran solo eso: esporadicos....
mas no hay cantidad de agua que pueda cubrir la magnanimidad de Viena ni la calurosa bienvenida de Linz...



Fate will have me to stay in Linz on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the curtain wall (and the day of Michael's death) Stories of friends separating, friendships that fill up a lunch table around italian dishes with an austrian flavor. Truly unexpected hosts: the parents of some people I met over a month ago when in Croatia. Truly a small, and wonderfull, world.
A barbecue, a scout party and a no-show bus give the last bell tolls to this trip... A train takes me across at superspeeds across 1000kms in hopes we can move faster than the rain can, eheh.
llego esta noche a Ginebra y manhana solo 190kms me separan de lo incierto... serà acaso a la casa numero 7 calle melancolia?

Compostella Encounter

Its a pity so many people die with so much love inside of them.....

This phrase sticks with me as I see his orange trail vanish into the distance, half of me wanting to run and catch up to him, maybe ride a couple of days together, why not?
But our meet, i feel, wasn't the first and certainly won't be the last...

And the Universe this time calls himself Julian: a 24 yo Turk-Brit infusion, but what a delightfull one: One hello, Two kebabas and Three ice-creams and we were lost into conversation. A true sharing -an energy sharing I havent felt since Compostelle- sharing some bread, some jam (Jelly, damn it!!) sharing one or two stories, savouring the moment, criticizing world politics and finally blurring it out:
LIFE IS FUCKING BEAUTIFULL!!!

.....merci l'universe.....

Best wishes Julian on your World record, cheers mate!

El Danubio

Not my Amazon but a beauty such that even days of hard rain cannot contain...
Triumphal way to end this leg of the trip!!!!



Try to leave Belgrad and run into an incredible melange (a 7 Serb-Croat-Bosnian melange) who took me into "their" jungle, met the local heroe (Nikola!!!), danced the night away and set the way for the most beautifull day of ride so far: sunshine, perfect temperature, tail wind, nice beaches, a road that takes me away from all vehicles and close to the Danube itself... this road even leads me to one of the most precious "savauge" campings Ive done so far, just at the entrance of the delightfull city which is Budapest



Leaving Budapest will be nothing more than shower after shower but fate had me a present, an encounter.. An encounter that will bring back my smile (remember Eduardo?) A light that no amount of rain can put out, a smile that kept on screaming all the way into Bratislava....

Macedonia

Y Macedonia?
Maravillosa...
Sus verdes montañas, sus monasterios encaramados y medio perdidos en las montañas, sus lagos q cambian de colores y Skopje!!! ah, Skopje... ciudad belleza q he podido poco disfrutar... Sweet melange: mezquites, cathedrals, bazars, street vendors, pickpocketerees, fortress that speak of old powers... but like all great cities I promise to come back, next year or next life...
But the haste of a probable meeting with a friend bring me back face to face with an old love: train stations: the odor of "old" , people coming, people going, people meeting, people disputing... what a live theather!!!!
Now, unphantomed speeds will carry me in 9 hours what would take me 6 days. Serbia; its flat lands, mm, do we risk cycling a bit? maybe....

Albania

And I almost feel guilty because most of my time in Albania has been spent in bars and cafes... almost, what an incredible people the albanians!!! The language, Albanese, I didnt even tried to learn it, tooooo difficult - fidiridlizza...no se.... but that never slowed down the conversations...
Some fo them miss the good old days, some of them cant wait for more tourism to arrive into Albania but all of them, certainly remember the 1970 World Cup Peru 3 - Hungary 2...
"how do you call that black man?"
"Cubillas, Teofilo Cubillas"
"ah, dobro dobro...." Of all the things to remember....
Me? ill remember going down the mountain at full speed into Elbasan after hours of battatling up and then dead stopping to buy some wild berries "mmmm dobro dobro...

Cosas por las q sigo en el camino...

"Toi

Entendre le cri de ton corps sous mes doigts,
Sentir la caresse de tes mains sur ma peau,
Respirer deux pour deux
Les yeux prdus au coeur de ton ventre
Attendre le geste, le pretexte,
Te serrer dans le vide de ma tête,
Lire dans les pleurs de tes yeux
Sentir le frémissement de toi
Atteindre ta main pour la serrer
Ne pas te voir et te vouloir
Ne pas pouvoir boire à la source de ton cou
Se reposer,
Réapprendre à donner le plaisir
Et dans tout cela lire,
Je t'Aime"

Sounds of bliss

Grenoble,a plena vista de los Alpes...
Los VanVan de Cuba y Tito "el Bambino"
gracias Thierry

Monticello d Alba, descendiendo por 10minutos seguidos hasta casa d Fabio
Le Phare, Yan Tiersenn
Merci Kristelle

Split, bailando Sobre un monumento
Todo Neotango
thanks Marie

Atardecer a Pag
Payasin aka 12" Tango...
Mercie Marie

23kms d subida entre Budva y Pag
Orishas
Merci Lae

Recorriendo Pag a toda velocidad
Thievery Corporation
Grazie Cami

Bailando la subida a la vista panoramica d Dubrovnik
Carlos Libedinsky
Merci Sophie

Evrey night, to the knowledge that at the end of this road there will be an angel waiting for me as well
Ben Harper
Gracias a la Vida (q me ha dado tanto...

Montenegro...

Un par de dias mas de playa: Budva, bar, Kotor, pero desde ya y aunque bordee la mar se ve la siguiente etapa: estas fascinantes montañas. estas q se alzan tan rapidamente y q esconden monasterios en sus cimas, esas con una energia extrañisima (quedo a hacer luna llena aqui...
Sintiendo esa fuerza puedo tratar de entender porque Kotor, Ostrog... a proposito;



la subida a Ostrog es impresionante, 8 kms d subida desde Bogetici, la mayoria hace los ultimos 2 a pie, la mayoria de ellos ancianos, la mayoria con sus atuendos tipicos... Cabellos cubiertos, un beso en la puerta, una plegaria al santo antes de entrar, yo no oso entrar, me entretengo viendolos d aqui......

Me esperan ahora otros 60kms de regreso a Podgorica, NEMA VESSA!! esta vez es todo de bajadita ;)