Cycling Snapshot// Chiapas, Mexico

My sister and I on our Mexibikes in May 2013.

San Juan Chamula is a 10km cycle from San Cristobal de las Casas through the mountains of the Chiapas Highlands. Most of the journey is along a quiet track where the landscape ranges from lush to almost prehistoric looking. 

Chamula is home to the largest indigenous Tzotzil Mayan population and it holds autonomous status within Mexico. It has its own police force and no outside military are allowed in the village. 

The famous church of San Juan is full of statues holding mirrors. Some say it's to ward off evil and others say it is so you look for the saint's qualities in yourself. There are no pews but people sitting in groups on the pine needle covered floor performing healing rituals. There is fabric draped from the ceiling and so many candles providing the only light. Some weird things happen in this church. They sacrifice chickens and believe burping helps expel evil spirits. To aid this, they drink a lot of Coca-Cola. The glass bottles are everywhere. Apparently, Pepsi tried to get in on it and become the preferred carbonated drink. It's also known as the Coco-Cola church, so I guess Pepsi failed.

You won't see any pictures of inside the church as photography is strictly forbidden. We were told a story about how someone had taken a few stealth pictures and when they had checked them later, they were blank. I KNOW. 

When we were back in San Cristobal de las Casas having dinner, my sister said, "That was a weird place to ride our bikes to."

Euro Tour: Esztergom to Budapest//

I woke up bruised and battered from yesterday’s falls. Thankfully I only had about 50km left so I gave myself a pep talk and packed my panniers. I put on some make up because I’d been carrying it around so thought I should wear it at least once to make sure I hadn’t forgotten how to do it. I also wore the LBD that I’d packed. You know, to celebrate my last day of cycling.

Euro Tour: Gyor to Esztergom// Being scared of dogs and referring to my bike and I as 'we'

My penultimate day cycling, almost broke me. That Hungarian man yesterday was such a lying bastard. It rained ALL fricken day and I had a head wind. ALL. FRICKEN. DAY.

Euro Tour: Bratislava to Gyor // Not checking my feast days

Leaving Bratislava, the Danube trail splits. Go left and carry on along the Slovakian side or go right  into Hungary. 

Hungarians invented the Rubix Cube, safety matches, the ball point pen, vitamin c, excel and the atomic bomb. I have high expectations.

Euro Tour: Vienna to Bratislava// Five things to do that are not 'go on a stag do'

The 40 mile ride from Vienna to Bratislava is a really easy ride but not always the most exciting. 

Euro Tour: The Austrian bit. Not the Australian bit as autocorrect likes to think

Vienna

I’m grouping my ride through Austria together because it was my favourite and if you do it, you should do this whole bit. I can’t recommend cycling this leg highly enough. From Passau to Vienna it is roughly 200 miles and I can honestly say it was the sweetest ride of my life (so far).

Euro Tour: Wörth an der Donau to Passau// My last day in Germany and probably the sunburniest

Straubing

My last full day in Germany turned out to be one of my favourite days. I was alongside the Danube most of the day so it was really peaceful and calm. The river looked exceptionally beautiful today. 

Euro Tour: Regensburg to Wörth an der Donau: Pimping my ride and hunting down chocolate

A roadside inner-tube vending machine

It was due to rain today and I had a work deadline so I only planned a short 30km jaunt.

It’s actually a very beautiful ride out of Regensburg. You are close to the Danube for a while and go through a nice bit of countryside when the river is out of sight. You also go past Walhalla, a reproduction of the Parthenon. It’s way up on a hill and looks very striking, if a little random. The cycle paths today were 

Euro Tour: Ingolstadt to Regensburg// Bike drying my hair and putting bikes on boats

Regensburg

I should probably do a post on the importance of rest days and say how you should refuel and reserve energy but I run around like a loon and try on dresses. I did, however, eat lots of vegetable because I felt like I was getting scurvy. I also had to do some actual work to justify carrying around a laptop and to pay for all this hostel high living. Seriously, being on tour is cheaper than being in London.

Euro Tour: Ulm to Ingolstadt// Bonking and trying on dresses

Der Schneider von Ulm by Johannes Pfeiffer 2012

I got told off at breakfast by a German lady in the hostel who said I was going too far and fast and not enjoying her beautiful country. She also proved that I had been hideously mispronouncing German place names and said I looked tired. THIS IS HOW I LOOK. I promised her i’d take a day off when I got to Ingolstadt and she said “Oh don’t bother stopping there.” 

I seriously can’t win.