yes, you can live in a tent and go by bike with a baby
It was a special night, because the camping site was closely packed with tents and some people confused tent cloth with massive walls and were very noisy. I can fall asleep when there is noise on a steady level, but their communication was irregular, sometimes low and then nearly shouting. The second problem was my mat that lost more air than last time (and also last time there was not enough left for a complete night, so there was no big variation how to lie without touching the hard ground. And finally, it didn’t get dark, so at 3a.m., I made a first trial to finish the night, but this was too early, and I made some other turns on my flattening mat until 6.
In the evening, I had been talking to a Canadian cycling couple and they were nice and on their way from the Netherlands to the Black Sea via Vienna. So I had the idea to invite them for the night, although or maybe even because it will be my first night at home. But they had arranged a meeting with a friend in another part of the town.
They left an hour earlier than I had calculated for me to be in Korneuburg on time to meet Doron who would come from Vienna, so I sat down to read in my Uganda book. But this camping site seemed to be special, not only the Canadian couple had other good-byes besides me to do before they went off, also I had talked to a Polish guy, a Czech woman with a baby and a Dutch man, all cycling to or from Vienna. We exchanged tips for tours or cycling-related websites and so the hour until I wanted to leave was over fast.
I went faster than necessary but I thought it is better to be earlier and spend my time reading or writing than to have any problem. Normally, if there is any problem, a second comes additionally to make things more complicated. My favorite is the phone that loves to stop working when it becomes essential. And today it was near to that. Yesterday, charging on the ride worked well and today not only it didn’t work it was discharging! When I connected it to my dynamo charger it was 65% full. An hour later, 20% where left. Now, with 30kg luggage there should be a solution at hand, or two. I have a power-bank that might even charge and be charged at the same time. I have the dynamo-power-bank, where I can charge by turning (but it is not always reliable) and I have the second phone with a full battery. Without extra problems every solution could solve the problem, if I would have been late, I am sure that at least one solution would have been an additional problem. That’s the way things work…
I was fast, and whenever I saw someone in front of me, I tried to catch him, her or them. There was a couple on touring bikes that was so fast that I needed 10min to catch up but then I took a photo of the safest atomic power plant of the world, in Zwentendorf. And they were again in front of me. Another exhausting hunt started. And then, Mr.G told me to leave the route of the Eurovelo 6, because he knew something better. I risked it and this time it was not his fault, it was a detour because of construction work. When I was back on the main track, I could see that couple again. Not exactly in front of me, they stayed on the right side of th Danube, Mr.G told me to cross it. Meanwhile it was 45km and I was hungry and sat down to eat. Then I made the following 30km to Korneuburg and there the fast couple sat in the grass! I was one hour too early for the meeting with Doron and on my way looked for a bench in the shadow. But exactly on this part of the way there was no bench, not even in the sun. So, this time I sat down in the grass, a few minutes that couple passed by, we greeted each other for the most probably last time for this day and I waited for my phone to charge. At 48%, it stopped, but that should be enough until I would meet Doron. The power bank was not reliable, too. I connected the phone to the PC to get a bit more battery, because better to have it in the phone that I would probably need than in the PC that I only used for writing this here.
Doron and I met without phone, power bank etc, just like we had arranged it. And it was so natural as if I had not been away. This was good, because I feel better with less stirring emotions and it was a bit comprehensible, because not only we had met in Australia which bridged the year long separation, email and other digital communication had continued in a way like we had it before, too.
We bought some organic Indian food and went to my house where Marvin waited.
We spent some hours together and by the way I could adapt to these unusual surroundings. That was not only necessary because of my long absence, a friend had been living here and some changes made my apartment even stranger to me.
And in the same way as Marvin and Doron’s presence gave me time to adapt to my new situation while we talked to each other it will be also in the next days, because I have a long to do list and while I work on it, things will become normal for me again.
in Vienna, the loop closed on day 364
The trip is over.
The diary is nearly finished – I would like to make some things better, but I guess that other things will grow more important fast and so it can happen that this is the last text I write here…
yes, the colors of my bike shirt are bleached