Danneaux's Tour de Yerrup

[Danneaux]

Hi All!

I'm in Sofia,  Bulgaria tonight and will fly to Bodrum, Turkey in the morning and will spend a week there before returning to Andy's in Northeast Bulgaria for a couple days before heading for EuroVelo6.

All's well. Headed to bed and sleep as it is an early flight tomorrow.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

have a good one dan.
 

[Neil Jones]

By coincidence I've just read the chapter in Tom Fords book Every Inch of the Way where he's just entered Turkey via Bulgaria, sounds amazing Dan. Hope you enjoy your trip, safe travels,
Neil.

[Danneaux]

Many thanks for the good wishes, Neil. I'm sitting in the airport terminal. I always get pulled for security screening. This is what happens when you smile for your passport photo.  

Sofia now, then Istanbul followed by Bodrum. Should pull in the about dinnertime.

Best,

Dan.

[John Saxby]

Take care with the flooding, Dan. Best as I can determine from the Beeb website, the most serious flooding is SW of Belgrade, away from the Danube Valley.  This is the second year running that Central Europe has had such severe floods, though the rains last year were further N and W. Trust that you and Andy will be able to figure out where you can & cannot go. - John

[Danneaux]

Thanks, John. The video and stories on European news outlets are very concerning,  but I'm hoping the floodwaters will have receded by the time I set off. I'm just there for a bike ride but I really feel for those who have lost their homes and loved ones and now must live amidst the devastation.

All the best,

Dan.

[IanW]

We have just returned from a Passau-to-Vienna cycle trip cycling down the Danube 11-May-2014 to 16-May-2014.

It was a very wet trip (but waterproofs worked mostly ok)

We were due to return from Vienna to Passau on a boat/ship/cruise from 16-May-2014 to 18-May-2014

But first the boat was delayed because of the water height further down the Danube causing bridge clearance problems

Then the down-stream (towards Vienna) current (+ water-borne debris) meant we made slow progress upstream such that we ended up being transported by coach rather than by boat between Linz and Passau.

However as we reached Linz (by boat) and then Passau (by coach) the Danube had calmed-down and reduced in water level.

So the environmental conditions / hazards may be easing up.

And on the further plus side the cycle paths between Vienna and Passau are very good quality and are well sign-posted.

[Danneaux]

Most encouraging, Ian!  Sounds like you've just completed a dream of a trip yourself, full of adventure and magnificent sights. I'm encouraged the river levels seem to be dropping a bit... All good news going forward for many. Fingers crossed things dry out a bit soon for the displaced residents. I wouldn't mind it either!

All the best,

Dan.

[PrettyJan]

Dan - So enjoy following you on your cycle tour.  Trip of a lifetime for sure.  Cheering you on - Don and Jan (Delta flight to Atlanta)

[Danneaux]

Hi Don and Jan!

So very pleased to hear from you both. I surely enjoyed our conversations en flight.

I'll soon be embarking on my bike tour proper. Tomorrow I fly back from beautiful Bodrum, Turkey through Istanbul then on to Sofia to start my trek from NE Bulgaria. I've been closely following the news of the severe flooding along my route through Croatia and Slovenia and things don't yet look good.

Last night's European television news coverage indicated many of those displaced remain lodged in emergency shelters and the bloated bodies of many dead animals are now presenting a real risk to any remaining freshwater reservoirs. I'll be depending on my SteriPen and whatever immunity has been conferred by my two of three hepatitis A and B vaccines. Those are supposed to confer near-complete immunity after 1 month. Bottled water is no longer available in the most affected areas.

I'm not really sure what progress I will make each day but
I do know I'll embrace each day as an adventure and if Turkey is any indication,  I'll continue to meet warm, generous and genuinely nice people wherever I go. I do know that when I leave,  a part of my heart will remain in Turkey. What a beautiful country,  people,  and culture! I have a wallet full of email addresses and Facebook friends after just 10 days' here. This bodes well for the path ahead.

I'll post as I can along the way but with limited comms, Forum admin and notes to family at home will have to come first. When I return home, I'll post my daily journal and photographs to a self-hosted website.

By the way, my smart phone is proving to be the best bicycle travel computer and camera I've owned. I couldn't be more pleased with the results and it is in use constantly.

Take care! I surely enjoyed hearing about your own journeys with bicycles and without. May adventures of the best kind continue to find you.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

good stuff dan keep us posted.

anto

[Danneaux]

Hi all!

Rolled back into northeast Bulgaria about 1 AM this morning. It is now 9:30 AM and I'm laying out my touring supplies and getting packed. I'd like to take off tomorrow but might have to wait an additional day to recover from the long workdays in Turkey and the flight/travel connections. My time there was very worthwhile and I enjoyed it greatly by just need a day or two to recover before starting out so I'm making the most of it to pack and do final prep on the bicycle.

The first day in Turkey I was bitten on the knuckle by some sort of insect. It raised a pair of huge blisters that then merged and cratered. I've been putting antibiotic ointment on it and after 10 days it has flattened but is still purply red and about 1.5cm across. Dunno what caused it but I'm keeping an eye on it.

In terms of equipment,  my Shimano MO88 clipless cycling shoes worked fantastically well as everyday and work shoes and for all the walking and lifting I did in them,  they're still as new.

Best,

Dan.

[Andybg]

Danneaux set of this morning at 7 am GMT (9 am local). His first leg takes him West and North along the Danube along the Northern border of Bulgaria and then crossing the Danube and following the Southern border of Romania.

Best of luck to him from this end and we hope to see him in around 3 months on his safe return.

Andy

[jags]

ah great stuff lets hope its a cracking tour.
fair play to you and your good wife Andy you sure pulled out all the stops.


anto.

[Andybg]

A couple of pics of Dan just as he is ready to leave

Andy