TrafficJan82

After some breakfast with coffee and mosquitoes, we get back on the bikes and drag our weary feet on down the Donau towards Bratislava. We stop for a first break in Hainburg/Donau, where we buy some supplies and meet some Australian bike tourists on the way to Belgrade. The road continues along the Donau to the former border - which is now nothing more than a few empty houses, leftovers from the past. Near Bratislava, the path crosses the Donau over a massive highway bridge and then gets lost in the city of Bratislava. After getting lost on a tiny path ending in someone's backyard, we manage to find a bikepath following the Donau back to Devin, where it apruptly merges with the main road. The path picks up a bit later again, and makes for ... read more

Last day on Iceland! We'll spend it in style: after killing ourselves cycling around the place for (almost) 2 weeks, today is going to make all of it worthwhile - especially yesterday's torture ride to get here. In the morning, again we are woken by rain. So, again, we decide to do the reasonable thing: sleep in, and wait for the weather to come to its senses, and stop the rain. And it works! At 11am, we are, once again, the last people on the campsite, but the rain has stopped, and so we can have a nice dry breakfast, pack up, and hit the road. The ride is easy: first of all, the Blue Lagoon is only 2km from Grindavík. Secondly, the wind is now truly on our side, blowing - as yesterday - from ... read more

For the first time, we our of the tent before 9 - because it's too hot! The sun is burning on the ten, and soon there is nothing to take off anymore, we have to get up. Hendrick and Carlo also soon come crawling from their tent, and starting getting some basic supplies ready for a bus tour into the interior, before heading on towards Skaftafell. We have some coffee and breakfast, then get back on the bikes, and follow the ring road back to Vík. The road first passes through rolling green hills, but soon lava fields are all we see - for the next 50 kilometers. When we take a break at a rest stop, we meet an American cyclist who is touring Iceland all summer long. Envy! Ah, to have the time... Just ... read more

After yesterday's fun day of headwind-cycling, we decide to try and use the headwind - which seems to be the predominant direction the wind here - to our advantage. Since we had planned to get to Skaftafell, and then take the bus back, why not turn this on its head, take the bus to Skaftafell, and then cycle back along the south coast with tailwind? As it turns out, the bus stop is also directly at the campsite, so we don't even have to work hard to catch the bus - simply pack up, and make sure we stand ready at 11:40 for the bus. No problem: the bus is almost empty, plenty of space for our bikes, and we get tickets to Skaftafell. The road continues straight, but soon starts climbing quite rapidly up a ... read more

After a good night's sleep, we are woken up by the lawnmower, cutting the grass all around us. When we open the tent, it turns out that we are the last ones on the campground! No need to rush though, first we have some breakfast and the ever-important cup of coffee, before we start packing up again and get ready for our first full day of cycling after the break. The road leads south along the same road the bus brought us yesterday. The scenery isn't too impressive - mostly fields, and pastures, alternating between cows, horses, and sheep. The wind isn't on our side today, and by the time we reach the ring road, we're almost out of water, but manage to push through to Hella, the next largest town on the way South - ... read more