June 29 - Paris

What I was waiting for! A bit of Texas on France NW coast. 

Sunday riders in France countryside. 

Amiens Cathédrale interior.

Amiens Cathédrale interior.

Amiens Cathédrale - side view

Amiens Cathédrale Interior.

 Sacre Cœur; Paris

 Panthéon, Paris

 River Seine, Paris

 St. Michelle Fontaine, Paris

Greetings from Paris

I have arrived in Paris after riding some 2,000 Km in the last 6 weeks which would be the end of the first half of my trip.  I have covered Greece, Italy (from Bari to Bologna), Holland (from the very top to West Coast, to the south), Belgium (going from east to west), and now France from top of west coast to Paris).

I will be here for another three days and then heading south to Loire, finally having a partner to ride with which is very welcomed after 6 weeks by myself.

Arriving in Paris from the windy and rainy coast has been great, I was finally in a T-shirt and shorts for the first time in two weeks!  Paris is just very special to me and having the time to just hang around and even draw a few times has been great.  I went through Le Touquet (a very French beach community and Amiens with its fantastic cathedrale).  I have added photos of both.

Miss everyone and hope you are all doing well.  Send me an email when you can, Behrooz

June 24 - Le Touquet Paris Palage

Hero of my last day in Belgium

Lunch anyone!

Bicycle Tunnel under Canal

Entrance into Brugge, Belgium

For the special Father's Day from Dynakids!

Centreville, Brugge

WWII Battlement in Normandy

View on top of Normandy Hill

Lunch in Boulogne

At the beach in La Touquet

Greetings From Le Touquet on the Normandy Coast:

I finished riding in Belgium two days ago in a hell of a wind and rain, but I had a gereat time.  The hero of the day on my last day was the 65 year old gentlemen pictured with his bicycle as he was departing.  This extremly kind gentlemen was on his way probably to market in the opposite direction I was going when I stopped him to ask for directions.  After some thought he said he would take me to make sure I would find the correct trail that run through a forrest to Brugge where I was heading.  Thinking he meant just a couple of Km out of his way by the edge of the town I thanked him and started following.  We had a great conversation about his love of bicycling.  He rode for 22 Km out of his way to make sure I got to the right trail.  He is another hero of many in Belgium. 

I arrived at the NW corner of France two days ago and rode into Calais for the night in the strongest wind I have ever had to deal with.  At times I could not get the bicycle to go in a straight line and I was not moving even though I was paddling as hard as I could.  From Calais until here I have been following the coast.  South of Calais, I think Normandy starts and with it the battle ground hills of Normandy.  The day yesterday was full of climbs up to wide vistas and back down to cute little villages.  I saw couple of WWII musiums on the way, and a WWI British Cemetry.

I am now taking one day off to rest.  I have been riding about 85 km a day for the past few days - that's a lot for the load (the bicycle and all stuff is at 100 pounds) and the wind!  I will have one more day riding on the coast and then head in land into Paris. 

Miss you all, Behrooz

June 19 - Antwerpen

My family in Holland at dinner

Leaving my cousin´s house in the first & last sunshine of the day!

Riding in the country

Directions, tea, & hostel reservations - from the best family in Belgium!

Beautiful Antwerpen

Antwerpen City Hall

Dinner is served - Salade Mista

Pizza & Wine!

Greetings From Antwrepen Belguim:

After spending three very relaxing and family filled days with my cousin and her family in Bosschenhoofd, Holland, I have started southbound again for Paris.  We had a great family dinner at my cousin´s house, Mandy, her husband Cees, and the kids Yasmin & Daniel.  They were wonderful hosts and really took care of me.  I also got to see my brother and his wife at dinner and at a concert he had in a town north. 

It has been windy and raining everyday in buckets!  But even with the rain and the wind today was just wonderful for the hospitality of the Dutch and the few people I met in Belgium.   One bicyclist took me for about 10 km to make sure I was on the right track.  Later when I was lost again and was trying to find the correct route I stopped in front of a house with a very nice man working in the yard to ask for directions.  He ended up inviting me in, his wife made me tea while he showed me on the map how to go, called the Youth Hostel in Antwrepen and made reservations for me, and had called again later to make sure I had made it!  You can´t find better people.  After I left them, I passed a man with his young son on the back of his bicycle taking him into Antwerpen for a B.D. party.  He showed me the way to the front door of the hostel probably a total of 15 km!  I can`t say enough about the hospitality of the people here.  :)  Their photos are in this posting. 

Antwerpen is just very beautiful with great old buildings.  I wish you were all here.

Love, Behrooz

June 16 - A very special day

Taking a train in Holland

Crossing the longest dike in North Holland

On to the next town!

Trails & Windmills!

Kipsalade (Chicken Salad) for lunch!

Spring is finally arriving.

Western Dune Trails

Canals in Delft

Greetings from Bosschenhoofd, Netherlands:

Today is a very special day for me, its my daughter Taraneh's birthday and I wish her a great day, and a fantastic year coming up.

I have finally arrived at my cousin's in Bosschenhoofd and after several days of riding in the rain its great to wash clothes, get dry, get cleaned up, and visit with family.

I have now started the journey south by taking the train to the top of Netherlands and then starting the southward trip on a very windy and rainy day by riding across the longest Dike in Holland - 30 Km long with the North Sea on the north side and another on the south, with a heavy wind and rain at the same time.

Holland is by far the best place for a bicyclist.  Its the one country where they have elevated bicycling to the top of transportation priority.  The trails are everywhere, they are well signed, everyone bicycles, and the country is basically flat as a pancake, and of course it rains every day!

In a few days I start heading south again with my eye on Paris.

Miss you all, Behrooz

June 11, Groningen, Holland

Greetings:

 Here I am finally in Groningen in Northern Holland.  It has taken me nearly 4 days of train rides to get here.  I was set to spend only one day taking a fast train (TGV) from Milano to Paris and then from Paris to Amsterdam.  However, this was not to be, as the rules are different now there is no luggage cart to have a bicycle on the train you need it to be packed in a bag or box! 

The result was taking very slow trains.  This inlcuded heading back south from Milano to Genova, then northwest to Ventimiglia, then west to Nice.  Spent the night in Nice, then head west again to Marseillise, then north to Lyon.  This so far had taking me two days.  But then this was the end of the road as not all bicycling roads end in Paris, without a containment.  So in Lyon, my friends Sylvain and Sandra came to my rescue and I was able to both buy a bag to pack the bicycle, get reservation all the way to Lille, on the border of Belgium, and besides putting me up for the night.  The picture of these angels are below with the rest of the family. 

So the next day I was on the move again from Lyon to Paris, to Lille Europe (French side) to a long walk with all the load to Lille in in Flounders (Belgium), then another train to Antwerpen, then another train to Amsterdam Airport Station, and one last train from there to Gronineng arriving at 2:00 a.m. the next day! 

Anyway I am exhuasted but in good hands with my uncle Freydoon, for a couple of days of resting, cleaning and sightseeing before starting my journey south across the conntinent. 

Bologna

Cherrys in Italy

My Angels in France - Sylvain, Sandra, and the kids 

A very tired traveller and the newly bagged bicycle!

On the train to Groningen

Freydoon & Jo Spaans

Freydoon at the Saturday Market

June 7 - Bologna, Italy

Greetings from rain drenched Bologna:

I am on my second and last day in Bologna, Italy where it is still raining since my arrival in pouring down rain yesterday.  I have made reservations to head north probably to Paris and then straight to Amsterdam. 

I have just completed ridding (by last count) of 1,070 Km in Greece and Italy.  The next two days are going to be spent on trains going north.  I will update again next when I get to the next Internet Cafe somewhere hopefully without rain and much north of here! 

Miss you all, Behrooz

June 5 - Ravenna Italy

Greetings from Ravenna:

I have just arrived in Ravenna and this was my last ride along the Adridica.  Tomorrow I head inland to Bologna and try to take a train heading North either to Holland or Germnay.  I just posted some photos with my last posting and I will add a few here too. 

The ride has been great.  I had my second flat tire today.  The weather has also been great until last night.  I stayed in a fantastic seaside resort town of Catholica for two night and had a day off from ridding.  It rain last night for the first time and it is now also raining which I am thankful it waited for me to finish ridding for the day.   Miss you all, Behrooz.

A small church along the way

Central North Italy

Go Dyna-Kids

Support Dynakids!

June 4 Update - Catholica Italy

Bicycle Trail along the beach road

Lunch along the way

Last Super -The New Italian Style

Small church

View from my room

Monster Hill south of Ancona

Top of the Monster Hill

Greetings from Catholica Italy:

I have ridden somewhere over 800 Km and I am on my last day on the Adriadic Sea before going inland to Bologna.  My trip is going to take me next to Germany and the Holland where I will be starting my next phase of the trip heading south.

The last two days of ridding were exciting and challenging at the same time.  The road to Ancona by the coast was 20 Km of steep uphill work, but with great views.  Ancina was large and busy.  I rode another 92 Km to Catholica just north again and about 20 Km south of Rimini, which I will stop at tomorrow and then head to Bologna. 

Catholica is a very lovely vacation community an this weeekned is full of Italian weekenders vacationing by the sea.  I am taking a day from ridding to enjoy the sea one last time before going inland. 

Will update again soon, Internet cafe's are hard to find. Behrooz.