Histoires, tracas et becasseries d'une petite handicapée - 1. Au cinéma

Conclusions of the trip - 23rd June 2010

My bike, wrapped in the airport of Bucharest, after 1515 kms :

I am right now in Normandy, in my sweet bedroom, and here are a few conclusions of my trip :

1/ I am really glad, proud and happy of this experience I was dreaming about for a long time. Thank you to all the people I met during this trip !
2/ I really enjoy travelling by bicycle : I like the rythm (tempo) of a bike trip, being outside and feeling the wind, meeting people with no need of opening a window.
3/ Travelling alone is so less funny, even if you may sometimes meet people easier (or be more 100% with a person, maybe). Furthermore, it's more stressfull when you have to face with problems or bad people.
4/ I have really tested and discovered Couch-Surfing (and Warmshowers) during this trip and that's absolutly great to meet people and know more about countries, habits...That's also nice, sometimes, to sleep in Hostels in order to meet other travellers.
5/ I really didn't understand people who always warned me about dangers whereas I was exactly in the position of taking these risks (and I knew it, of course). That's not very kind !
6/ My "dogs counter" was completly useless because 6 dogs ran after me, but only during my first day in Romania : after that, I met only tired or nice dogs :-).
7/ My bike is great but if I wanna make a long trip (few months/year...), I'll have to buy a stronger one. But I really like my Giant Ligero RS3 !

I'll travel again by bike at some point, most probably far further, maybe longer, with 1 or 2 people...I'll see :-) !

Histoires, tracas et becasseries d'une petite handicapée - 40. La BD dont Ivanne et toi êtes les héros

Histoires, tracas et becasseries d'une petite handicapée - 39. Noël à l'I.M.E

Bucharest - 19th to 21st June 2010

Today is Monday, the 21st of June, and I'll take my flight for Paris in a few hours...

During the week-end, I spent time with Rodica, walking between the giant buildings of Calei Victorei, drinking Mojitos in the old town, meeting Romain and Celine in the Funky Chicken Hostel, listening to the International Folkloric Dance Festival in Gradina Cismigiu. and sharing stories and experiences. Bucharest is huge, but also full of trees. We left Romain and Celine "pour de bon" : that's always weird to leave people you are with for a few days during a trip !


On the Sunday, I visited the Museum of Peasant Life, which is a kind of countryside village from the 30's in Romania, gathering traditional houses from all the country !
Then, we went to drink a beer with Rodica's friends (and cyclists) and ate a Quiche Provencale that I cooked. Thank you Rodica for all !

So, it sounds like the end...I am waiting for Gheo to drive me to the airport (which is really, really kind from him) ! And I'll write the conclusion of my trip on Tuesday or Wednesday...

Carnet du parfait petit pratiquant du 22ème siècle

Open publication - Free publishing - More dessins

Bucharest - 18th June 2010

I woke up at 5 am on Friday morning to take my bus to Bucharest : the stupid drivers of the bus broke the back light of my bike (whereas I paid a bakshish...). Then, I met again Romain and Celine, the 2 french, who will take a train to Moscow on Sunday in order to catch the Trans-Siberian (you can have a look on their website http://www.a2pourmoinsdeco2.fr/). That's really nice to spend some time with them.

I met Gheo and Cosmina, a romanian couple, in their apartment, and had a delicious dinner (very spicy shawarma, cherries and ice-cream :-) and discussion with them. We talked again about a german called Heinz Stucke, who travelled for 42 years by bike all over the world : you can see the map of his travels, it's amazing : http://horizonte.free.fr/rakontoj/heinz/bildoj/heinz-vojo.jpg. But as Gheo doesn't feel good in these days, they called Rodica, a romanian girl, who can host me. She lives in a very quiet street, along a park, in the north of Bucharest. I am right now with her and that's really great !

Varna and the travellers - 15th to 18th June 2010

I stayed in Varna for 3 days and my trip changed again because, as the couch-surfer who was supposed to host me was not really available, I went to Yo-Ho Hostel, a great place, full of travellers, bag-packers and nice people.

So, I spent time drinking beers on the beach with Eddie, the Israelian guy who enjoys Balkans music, Andrew, the Canadian who travels all around Europe and went to same university and program than me in Montreal (!), Stefany, the american girl from Peacecorps and Sandra, a french girl from Toulouse. We went to a very loud "Chalga" music club along the beach...with men and women dressed as if they were in a fashion show...But that was funny, because we could dance in the sea from this club !


Then, I met Romain and Celine, two french friends, who travel by bike from France to South-Asia and India ! I was very happy to meet them and share feelings, experiences and material advices. We went together to Balchik, a nice village on the coast of the Black Sea.


I also met Elena, who organizes parties called "Save the vinyls" in Varna, and explained me many things about Bulgaria. And also Oliver and Miro, 2 serbian guys : we had a philosophical discussion about the most boring pictures in the world (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Pise Tower...) :-).
Bulgaria is on the way of many travellers, especially because it's the entrance and exit with Turkey (and the rest of the world :-). I haven't used my bike for 3 days ! I spent a nice and relaxing time in Varna, even if the city is really touristic.

Dites-le avec le Duo Badge : 2 badges, 2 personnes, 1 seul message !

Le Duo Badge, un concept tout droit venu de la Suisse Normande, qui transcende l'utilisation classique du badge ! Le Duo Badge est donc composé, comme son nom l'indique, de 2 badges, sur lesquels sont inscrites les 2 parties d'un seul et même message. Lorsque les 2 personnes sont éloignées l'une de l'autre, les convives se casseront la tête pour tenter de comprendre le satané message qui pourrait bien se cacher derrière ces mots mystérieux. Mais lorsqu'elles se trouveront côte à côte, la phrase prendra alors tout son sens et chacun rira de bon cœur de cette sacrée blague que vous leur avez faite là !

Mais trêve de discours, voyez plutôt la première série :

Duo Wesh'Badge

Duo C'est toi l'Badge

Duo Poch'Badge

Duo Crado'Badge

Duo Foot'Badge

Le Duo Badge sert en de multiples occasions :

1) Vous allez à une soirée, un cocktail, un séminaire ennuyeux ou tout simplement dans votre belle-famille, avec votre compagnon de vie, votre meilleure amie ou votre ami qui-n'est-certes-pas-le-meilleur-mais-ça-va-quand-même : munissez-vous de votre Duo Badge ! Il vous permettra d'égayer la soirée, de vous faire remarquer, de garder une contenance ou tout simplement de communiquer avec vos proches si le volume sonore est trop élevé. 

2) Si vous dirigez une agence de Speed-Dating, épinglez chacun des badges sur l'un ou l'autre des participants. Ils devront alors, en s'ébrouant gaiement et furetant partout, retrouver leur seconde moitié, celle qui complètera intelligemment le message de leur badge. 

3) Si vous n'avez pas d'amis, il suffit d'accrocher le premier badge sur votre poitrail et le second dans votre dos. Vos voisins s'amuseront à vous faire tourner, telle une toupie, et vous serez alors l'attraction de toute l'assemblée !

Alors, si vous en voulez, dites-le ! 
Le Duo Badge est à 3 euros de main à main et à 4 euros s'il faut l'envoyer par courrier. 
Vous pouvez aussi faire une commande personnalisée, qui vous correspondra à 100% !  

Veliki Preslav to....VARNA and The Black Sea - 14th June 2010

You know what ? Maya and Yvan even prepared a picnic for my lunch ! I left this very nice family with emotion and started to pedal, pedal and pedal...a little bit like a robot, I have to say. But there's a good reason, you'll see. During my lunch break, some children started to "talk" with me : they actually practised their english and asked me : "Are you german ?"-"Are you italian ?'-"Are you spanish ?"...and so on and so forth. I think they named almost all the european countries of the Football World Cup :-).

Then...I arrived in Varna, at the Black Sea !!! My final bike destination (I'll go to Bucharest either by bus or train) ! That means that the biking part of my trip is finished ! I am quite happym and surprised, actually. Here is the picture :

Veliki Preslav - 13th June 2010

I spent the day with Yordan's family : his mother, Maya, his father, Yvan, his sister, Juli and her boy-friend, Valentin. They actually hosted me as if I was their daughter and like a princess ! The temperature outside is 35 degrees. A peacegul bulgarian sunday : we went to the market, shelled walnuts, ate fried zucchini with yoghourt, watched the World Football Cup and family pictures. Maya and Yvan brought me to the ruins of the former Veliki Preslav from the 9th century and prepared delicious "kevabche" (boulettes de viande grillees).

NB : Life in Bulgaria is not easy (a doctor earns 250 euros a month...), so inhabitants make a lot of different kind of activities in order to have a better life -besides their jobs- : picking up and selling cherries, making and selling honey, cutting the wood for the winter, eating most of the vegetables and fruits from the garden...and so on. A lot of young people go abroad to earn money : in the 90's, there were 9 millions inhabitants ; today, there are only 7 millions. The government is highly corrupted and Bulgaria is quite afraid of the giant Turkey. That's a short summary, actually, but...

Voditsa-Veliki Preslav - 12th June 2010

...or how to drink 0.75 liters of Coca-Cola in 1/2 hour : take a bike, wait til the outside temperature raises til 33 degrees, ride the bike for 2-3 hours, stop it and order Coca-Colas in a Cafe ! Very simple...

I left Vodita and Yvonne early in the morning, slaloming between the cows, and I am now in Veliki Preslav, in Yordan's family (from Couch-Surfing). That's so funny and great this couch-surfing : I just jump from one atmospher to another, from nice people to great family ! Yordan is actually in Denmark but he told his family that I was coming. So, I found his mother in her office, the Lotto ("Toto" in bulgarian, as he told me) and we went to pick up cherries in the hill with his sister and her boy-friend (mmmmhhh) and had the dinner a few hours later. And now, I know why Bulgarians say Yes and No in the opposite of us with their heads :-).

As Nicolas Bouvier wrote : "On croît que l'on va faire un voyage, mais bientôt c'est le voyage qui vous fait, ou vous défait." That's what is happening with Bulgaria : this country is the one I knew the less about and had absolutly no expectations about it. Well, til now, it seems that I will have spent almost half of my journey in Bulgaria, I met and will meet many different interesting people and I learn a lot about this country. Super !

I have a dream...

I have a dream that one day, I could get rid of these cycling sun-burnt legs... :-)

Voditsa - 11th June 2010

I spend the day with Yvonne, between the market in Popovo (the nearest city), the garden and its hamac and her old car called "Moscovitch" : a nice and peaceful day !

I wanted to add a few things that I forgot to write :
1/ Varna, my final bike destination, is 200 kms from where I am right now
2/ It's getting hot in here...
3/ I am quite sad that there were no couch-surfers In Romania because it really changes my trip in a very nice and interesting way...
4/ You can buy plastic glasses filled with white or red wine in the supermarket, look !

Veliko Tarnovo-Voditsa - 10th June 2010

I cycled out of Veliko Tarnovo, fresh as a fish, and met a first big steep hill : I kind of swam in my sweat, but the landscape was really beautiful. It was 30 degres, today, and that was quite hot to climb with my bike the bulgarian hills. At the end of the afternoon, with flies sticked on my arms, I knocked at Yvonne's door, a dutch woman who enjoys life in a bulgarian rural village for a few months. She opened her door and a bottle of bier and cooked a delicious dinner.

Veliko Tarnovo - 9th June 2010

I walked in Veliko Tarnovo, a very weird (and tiring) city, as it is built on steep hills : you keep going up and down through tiny streets and stairs. But I enjoyed losing my way in these small paved alleyways and climbing at the top of the fortress.

In the evening, Hristo and I went to the bus station, under the rain, to pick up 2 french Canadian girls (also from Couch-Surfing), who are travelling for 4 months in Southern Europe. Hristo cooked his famous Banica (delicious) and we went into an empty piano-bar downtown : that was a nice multicultural evening in Veliko Tarnovo.

NB : Bulgarians do the opposite of us with their heads to say YES and NO, like in India ! Quite confusing at first.

Polsko Kosovo-Veliko Tarnovo - 8th June 2010

On the road again ! I left Miro and his family this morning to cycle til Veliko Tarnovo (on the map) through small bulgarian roads. The countryside is much more hilly than the previous days but it doesn't bother me, it's even more interesting.

I arrived in Veliko Tarnovo in the afternoon and enjoyed eating on a terrace, full of students and youngsters. It's the first big and dynamic city I visit since Belgrade. I will meet Arnie, a bulgarian guy from Couch-Surfing, after his work this evening.

I met Arnie in the evening and actually, he is absolutly not bulgarian, he is a flamish belgium :-). And he lives with 2 funny and crazy bulgarian guys at the top of the hill, in a kind of Spanish Apartment where many people from Couch-Surfing come. Very funny and interesting ! Their flat smells roses because one of the roommate brought back roses petals from the Valley of Roses in Bulgaria, where is produced a huge quantity of rose oil for all over the world.

NB : Dandelions ("pissenlits") are absolutly huge in Bulgaria !

Polsko Kosovo (Bulgaria) - 7th June 2010

For the ones who haven't really understood where Polsko Kosovo is : I am, on my map, 50 kms at the north of Veliko Tarnovo, in Bulgaria.

I spend the day in Miro's village, especially with his nice daughter, Nora, who is 9 1/2 years old, listens to ACDC, Bon Jovi and a ska version of "I'm a Barbie girl", speaks english quite well (we both run to Google Translation when we don't understand each other :-) and beat me at the Monopoly. We walked together in the village this morning and we'll go for a bike ride this afternoon :-).

In the evening, in this peaceful atmospher, I shelled peas with Netka (Nora's grand-mother) and went for a walk with Miro and Crasi above the river. Then, we discussed on the bench of their house, in the street. Nora was playing around the fire made by their neighbours, firelies were fluttering around and cars and horse-carts were going through us. Nice evening !

NB : Miro grows some mushrooms in very weird plastic bag, full of hay and other things, that he waters with a spray !

Turnu Magurele- Bjala (Bulgaria) - 6th June 2010

I pedaled on my bike faster than usually, today, to reach Miro's house and family, who lives in Polsko Kosovo (Bulgaria) and will host me tonight. Unfortunately, the ferry I wanted to take just left after I arrived in Zimnicea (Romania) and I had to wait in the city for 4 hours. This waiting was quite unpleasant because some naughty youngsters insulted me (in Romanian) and took my delicious cookies, in the park...

When I finally managed to get on the boat, the controller made a big stink because of the price of the tickets, I got scared at the border but the customs officer told me "Go, go, no problems !"...I didn't understand anything...

Then, I rode in this "dangerous" Bulgaria (as people told me...) and finally met in the evening Miro, his wife and 2 children in their village near Bjala : I felt so relieved to be hosted by such nice people and family. Their house(s) is very nice, I ate strawberries from the garden and drunk Rakja by discussing with them and slept very well !

Bechet-Turnu Magurele - 5th June 2010

Still in Romania !

I finally met, in a bakery, one romanian guy who spoke english and explained me that this area of the country is one of the poorest and that all the youngsters run away from here (and from Romania actually) because the wages are so low (he is a dentist and earns 400 euros per month, as an example).

I crossed Corabia, a former industrial city with huges abandonnned factories, which looks like as ghost city, now...and I reach Turnu Magurele in the afternoon, a quite pleasant city with green parks and a nice cathedral.
In this part of Romania, there are a lot of sedentary Romani (also called Gypsies in english).
Tomorrow, I will cross the border between Romania and Bulgaria...I'll see !

NB :
Romanian women and men do not sit at the same tables in Cafe, bar or restaurant (when there are women, which is not so common)

Calafat-Bechet - 4th June 2010

This morning, through these rural romanian villages which all look similar, one youngster followed me with his bike and loud Disco music on his mobil : quite funny !

Well, today, I think I went through this paranoia crisis, known by travellers, especially when you are on your own. Inhabitants' faces (especially in the shops) are quite unpleasant and nobody really tries to communicate with me : avoiding eyes...And all the people I meet only tell (or try to tell) me that I'm crazy to be alone, that it's very dangerous, especially in Bulgaria (it's always dangerous more far further, actually, when you travel)...in the end, it started to frighten me ! The pictures say the opposite of what I'm writing...Anyway, that's what I felt :-).

I rode til Bechet, where an old huge guy, looking like this hideous Jabba from Star Wars, rent me one apartment. I was not very reassured, among the earthenware dogs, the pictures of Jesus and the barking dogs...

Cetate - Calafat and the Horn language - 3rd June 2010

This morning, I met a very nice and funny romanian woman on the road, with her bike :

Today, I decided to relax a little bit, wash my clothes, update my blog, etc...so, I rode only 20 kms. I arrived in Calafat and I looked for a Pension or somewhere to sleep : people sent me all around the city to different hotels but it was either full, expensive or murky. So I went back to the Cafe where a guy had explained me in english the way to find some hotels. And he offered me a drink : I sat with him and his friends. And from then, the waitress called a woman who had a room in her house...Now, I know : Wait & Sit...:-) !

NB :
About the title : I think I'd rather buy a huge horn for my bike to discuss with car and truck drivers, instead of trying to learn Romanian : more efficient and easy :-)

Animals pictures for Ivanne

Drobeta Turnu Severin-Cetate and the small rural villages - 2nd June 2010

I had forgotten to mention that, from the border of Serbia, limetrees perfume the air, from time to time.

I spent the day crossing rural villages, horse and donkey-carts, old men and women on their bench, dogs...of course, gooses, former water-wells, brand new and colourful schools and churches, youngsters with their mobils : a funny feeling of being in an old magazine of rural Romania from the 70's on which someone would have pasted brand new roads or buildings, cut in a current revue. I'm not sure but I think that this part of Romania benefits from new european fundings (confirmed by all the EU symbols and signs that I can see everywhere). In the end of the afternoon, people gather to have a "rural after-work" beer and they park their vehicles in front of the bar : horses, donkeys, scooters, bikes, old cars and Mercedes, carts...!

I really get tangled up between romanian and serbian-croatian-slovenian languages. Thanks to the strong wind in my back, I reached Cetate quite quickly to sleep in a place called Angel Park, that Joelle (a french woman who made this trip 2 years ago) told me about : a kind of residence for artists where you can rent a room, along the Danube. I'm a little bit disappointed, because the place is quite empty. But a weird story illustrating inflation and deflation in Romania happened : I asked for the price of the room and one woman answered me in German that it was 10 Euros. I asked her if dinners and breakfasts were included and I understood "13 euros, alles". I agreed with her. A few hours later, she converted into Lei (the romanian current) the price and it occured to be 30 euros...which is really a lot for me and for Romania. So I started to explain that it was too expensive (I already had the dinner...). I was quite upset but she kept saying "tariff tarrif...Herr Direktor..Tarrif". Then, I suggested that I should leave the room, then. But she answered (in german) "No, no, go to sleep ; sleep well and tomorrow, it will be maybe 10 euros"....So I went to sleep and when I paid in the morning, it was indeed 10 euros...!?!

NB :

1/ I saw a very old woman, wearing wool tights, socks, a skirt, a cardigan and...a football shirt of England above it (number 07) !

2/ Have a pee-break in Romania : Find an empty small way beside the main road, look around to check whether there is somebody or not. If it looks desert, then start to do what you have to do. Stand up and prepare yourself to greet the guys who suddenly appeared from nowhere...Ride again your bicycle as if nothing embarrassing happened !

Donji Milanovac-Drobeta Turnu Severin and the Iron Gate - 1st June 2010

The weather is so cold ! I had to put 2 sweaters. I'm still riding in the Danube Gorges, between nice hills and the same scary tunnels. And after an oily lunch break (I've never seen such fat french fries and steak...), I reached the famous Iron Gate, which is actually a big water damp built in the 70's by 2 guys, one was Tito and the other one Ceaucescu. Aside from producing power, it allows cars, bikes, dogs...to cross the border between Serbia and Romania.

After I escaped from 2 crazy dogs at the serbian customs, I crossed the damp. Here I am, Romania ! The heavy traffic road til Drobeta-Turnu-Severin is awful. In this city, I desesperatly tried to change my Serbian Dinars...Nobody wants this current (and nobody told me about that at the border, of course) and the stupid women behing counters are all destestable. And, quite surprising compared to Serbia (and it will be confirmed in the next days), nobody speak english, french or german...So, at the end (and after a few tears because of...), I decided to go back to the guy who had told me to try to change my money in the street, and played the "poor little girl with Serbian Dinars". And it worked out : he called a friend, who called a friend, who called a friend...and I got my Romanian Lei.

NB :

1/ 3 ways to win a fight against a dog which decided to chase you : scream as loud as you can at him, brake suddenly and stop your bike, wisthle with your bike brakes...

2/ Romania is a counter-country : bakery, bank, exchange office, groceries...!