BERLIN 8/2 (SUN) 11:10-Just lost blog-Armand is sleeping-still can’t do pictures

Out by 8:30-just made 9:00 train-not sure what ticket we needed. Airport-had to ck bag-$30-overweight-flight loading. 1 hr flight-now we bike back-taxi to hotel. Can’t ck in-rent  bikes at hotel. Stop at Medical Museum-warning, 16 & under need parents permission due to graphic  sights-skip it. Art museum-only modern art-don’t really like modern art. Stop at Museum of Natural History-fantastic-live animals yesterday-dead ones today, including dinosaurs. Bike back to hotel-shock-luggage in room-nicest & largest room on trip-couch, tv, desk, nice bathroom-$60. Should have left  hostel sooner. Ate dinner at Vietnamese restaurant $20-wonderful. Walked down to train station-bought tickets for tomorrow-$3 each. Saw crowd-outside  violin concert at Bode Museum-stay for 2 songs. Like Berlin-much cleaner & less expensive & most people not dressed in black. 11:45-hope this works.

AUSTIN-MINNEAPOLIS-AMSTERDAM-JULY 20 (MON) AUSTIN-Jenn took us to airport @ 2:30-left @ 6:30. Met up w/OSTBY relatives (Frank & JoAnn-IA, Phyllis-MN, Troy & Christine-CO) in Minn airport-flew Delta-watched 3 movies-couldn’t sleep-Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM to OSLO, NORWAY-JULY 21 (TUES) Guide Ellen met us-bus took us to Raddison Blu-met up w/rest of group-Martha & Jim (TX), Eldora, Jack, Cindy, Julie & John-VA). Buffet for dinner-not good- very tired.

OSLO to TRYSIL-JULY 22 (WED) Tour of Oslo-Olympic ski jump from ’94-athletespracticing w/rollers on skis-Viking museum (burial ship found preserved in blue clay w/bodies of 2 women). Dinner-cooked our own meat at table on salted hot stones-3 Norwegian relatives joined us. Awake @ 3:30-trouble sleeping.

TRYSIL-July 23 (THURS) Toured town of OSTBY- visited house where great grandpa was born. Wonderful family dinner w/25 Norwegian relatives in village chuch-all could speak some English-most (including guide & bus driver) learned from watching American TV. Ministers are pd by government-church gets money depending on # of people attending-supported by country-not donations.

TRYSIL to LILLEHAMMER-(JULY 24 (FRI)

8/1 (SAT) pd $20-bkft buffet-oldest people at hostel. Met Martha & Jim @ 10:00-zoo tour 3 hrs. Polar bears swam above you-seals did dog tricks for fish-not sure I’ll go to another zoo-animals need to be free. Parted ways-they bought  bus pass -we walked for  hrs. Impressed w/so many bikers (all in reg clothes on upright, comfortable bikes), cars, buses, pedestrians all moving together w/NO accidents or police around-feel safe here. On negative side-way too many smokers & litter. Walking tour-went to top of tallest building, watched world ARCHERY Tournament-curved & compound bows-liked it. Had donuts & coke @ 7-11 & Armand had huge burrito for dinner-continued walking until 9:00 pm. Hostel is quiet-leave for Berlin in morning.

7/31 (Fri)I’m sitting in a room 8 by 15, w/bunk bed & bathroom down the hall at a hostel in Copenhagen-$185 a night.  My sister Martha is at the Tiffany Hotel!  The beautiful hotel rooms with all you can eat buffets are gone. Our tour leader Ellen & funny bus driver John-gone. Our Norwegian relatives-gone back to USA. GONE are many of the wonderful memories of our NORWEGIAN TOUR because I did not write a blog. So I’m going to do it now as the band is playing downstairs & can be heard here on the 5th floor along w/the noisy kids in the next room-10:00 pm

This morning-up by 7 to see relatives off-Armand still sleeping. Read in lobby-Armand comes in-have our last breakfast in Norway-meet Martha & Jim.  Leave 11:20 on bus for airport. Fly & take train to downtown Copenhagen. 1st impression-lots of people & bikes are parked everywhere. At dinner-ask our waiter where he’s from-KY-what are the odds-I was born in Ft Knox, KY. It’s quiet now-time for bed.

Got up early-drove to NEW IBERIA, LA-taking advantage of rest stops. Stopped at Landrys for lunch-decided to give up SWEET TEA & DESSERTS-not sure for how long. Art shop at restaurant-see book about Cajun family w/17 kids. 1 is named ARMAND who was a Christian Brother just like Armand-buy book. Stop in New Iberia-visit Armand’s sisters Regina & Alice & brother Russell. Go on to Lake Charles.  Still can’t figure out how to download pictures.

BACK TO MY ROOTS

JUNE 7 (SUN) Whitney called today-he’s in Boston-going to spend a few days there & fly back on the 10th.  Armand & I played GOLF today. One of us is very happy to be home & the other one has not given up on someday finishing the ride. Now for the rest of the story.

MAY 22  (FRI) GA to TALLAHASSEE, FL (300 m) 3:30-8:30

OR called Yellow Cab in SAVANNAH to come pick him up at McDonalds. Can’t believe he drove out here without credit card info. Took OR to Budget in Savannah-rented a Kia Sorenta-$165 a day-$60 for cab.  Still at McD w/bikes outside-decide I should order something.  Man & daughter in front of me-start talking to them.  Father says she’s trouble-I say cute trouble. What grade are you in? 1st-but I was held back a yr-father smiles & says-NO secrets in this family. Tell her my niece was held back in K & did great. Taught kids w/behavior problems-problems because they got behind-you did a very good thing for your daughter. They go out to their car-I sit outside w/ bikes. See father coming back-look at my pink monkey SI SI sitting on bike. Ask father if daughter would like to have monkey-our trip is over.  Oh, yes-I go over & ask if I can take her picture. Ask her name-can’t understand it. Mother says it’s HEAVEN spelled  backwards-NEVAEH. Tell her the monkey’s name is SI SI-YES  YES in Spanish. Which means YES YES-YOU can do anything you put your mind to. Leave her hugging Si Si-father comes over to tell me how grateful he is-she’s doing great this yr but needs all the encouragement she can get. Happy that SiSi will remain here.

NEVAEH & SI SI
SI SI was getting tired riding on the bike

OR comes back-put bikes in car & start driving. Stop at rest stops in GA & FL-very impressed-all are spacious, clean, well kept, w/all night security. Make to Tallahasse-Howard Johnsons $62-very nice. No dinner-decide I need to lose the 5lbs I gained.  OR asks if I’m disappointed-Of course not-LIFE IS WONDERFUL AS LONG AS WE’RE TOGETHER. Anyway-we were just holding Whitney back.

55.5 MILES  12.6 MPH  4 HRS 23 MIN BIKING TIME (6:15-11:30)

Breakfast at 6:00-then on 17. Same as yesterday for 40 m-cool, trees, not much traffic-listen to music. Slow 12 mph-more head wind today-still enjoyable. Pass through historic towns & sites-don’t have time to stop. Stop at PO & mail back clothes for rain & cold weather. Now very hot-10:30, no shade, lots of traffic, bumper strips again. Really have to concentrate not to go over bumps. Stop at McDonalds in Richmond Hill. OR still not feeling well-have another 15 m to Savanna. Says he’s finished-IT’S OVER! When you don’t feel well-it’s not fun. MAINE IS A LONG WAY. Rest of the story later.

END OF THE ROAD
at McDONALDS in GA

61 MILES  12.5 MPH  4:50 BTIME   5:45 to 1:00 PM

Dark-OR & wg decide to go off bike rt-dangerous because of traffic & construction-12 m on 17-now in GA-take picture-wg is gone. Stop at 1st store-7:00-for ch milk & little debbie. No bike lanes in GA, small shoulder, shaded by tall trees on each side, peaceful except for empty logging trucks going other way. OR  suggest I try music-stop & get out ipod & speaker-sister Martha downloaded over 1,000 songs for me. Like it-Abilene &  All that Jazz are favorites. 10:30 stop at Waffle House-order 2 waffles & sweet tea-waffles are too big-share w/OR. Call wg-about to cross bridge into  Brunswick-suppose to stay here but too early. Now on busy rd, BUMPS cover shoulder-forced to ride white stripe for 8 m to bridge. Long high bridge-OR stops on top-looks tired again. Find wg at Subway-order another sw tea. Next town is too far-decide to stay here-most motels are back across bridge-no way. Budget is 1/4 m-go on sidewalk-see motel-NO WAY when I see it-couldn’t stay if free. Still on sidewalk-don’t see anything-OR goes into blind/shade shop-doesn’t come out. Go in-Shelly is from here & trying to help us. I want to hire her & van to drive us to Savannah. Have to bike 4 m to hwy-Comfort Inn-$120-4th floor-elevator works-5 pillows. Love our room!😊😊😊 PS-still off rt-not sure about rds tomorrow. Dinner at steakhouse-OR not sure how far we can go-wg said he could have easily done 100 m today-still together.

OR waiting on bridge for me-not feeling well-need to stop.

69 MILES  13 MPH  5:20 BTIME  6:00-2:00 GOOD & BAD

Left at 6:00-A1A-pass several  beaches-wg setting good pace-15-16 mph. Scenic w/good bike lane-easy  biking. Donuts & ch milk again at Jacksonville Beach-40 m. Took ferry at Mayport-like boats. Leave wg to take nice bike trail w/trees-met guy out doing a century-told us about construction ahead. Now very hot-OR’s speedometer shows temp-100.  Very little shade-pull over several times-call wg-found motel. Now at fruit stand eating peaches. 18 wheeler full of watermelons shows up-overweight-tries to sell her some. Now we hit massive construction-OR goes off to sand-almost fall off bike-have to walk. Saw more big trucks today than on whole trip-back on road. Several miles of feeling like we could be run over anytime. So glad to see Nassau Holiday Motel-$50-clean. Clean up & go to family buffet-eat a lot for $9.00. Hour later thunder, lightning-massive rain storm-go out on porch to watch. I HAVE WASTED HRS & HRS TRYING TO PUT PICTURES ON BLOG😢😢😢😢

I LIKE FERRYS.
OR, SI SI & me

Construction was terrible.
Had to walk my bike-sand

WG changing my tire at 6:00 AM

61 MILES  12.8 MPH   4:48 BT   6:15-12:00 Alarm goes off 5:30-put bags on bike-OH-OH-I have FLAT TIRE!😕 WG flips bike &  starts changing tire-knows I’ll take too long. Mary Pat has snacks for us-then finds us 4 m down rd-forgot my only pair of shoes! Good ride on A1A-hot by 8:30-stop-wg goes on-see him at end again. Ride by ocean & beach-never think about walking on beach. Come into St Augustine-13 yrs later. 2002-had a police escort-dipped our tires in ocean-make life long friends. Armand & my sister Martha & Jim were there to greet me. Glad to still be on the bike. Eat lunch & check into Anastasia Inn ($60)-room is clean-take bath & rest-OR does wash & gets me tube at bike store. Go out to dinner-eat big mushroom-OR orders chocolate brownie for dessert. GOOD DAY!☺☺

2002-made it back 2015