Today we left the Schengen area and showed our passports for the first time as we entered Romania which is the 5th country we cycle in if we count Sweden where we started. The borders between Schengen states are internal borders and very often there are not even immigration officers present and crossing such a border is usually as easy as crossing between two provinces in a country.

50 meters inside Romania

The border guards gave us thumbs up when we said we had cycled from Sweden. They raised their eyebrows when we said we were going to Istanbul next. And when we said we will end in Bangkok in December they said we are crazy, which probably is a statement that is not too far from the truth.

Although a bit cold in the air, yesterday offered sunshine from a clear blue sky. We had tailwind, stunning views and the cycling between small back country villages were easy and without any problems.

The grass is obviously greener on the other side 🙂

Today the conditions were the opposite. The sky was grey, the wind was on our faces and the road was extremely boring. We went on a section of straight road that was so long that we couldn’t see the other end of it. All this made me very demotivated and I chose to cycle in front of Wej to take the wind for her. When things get boring and I lack motivation, I can get some relief in focusing on the physical work and being first in a line of cyclists always require harder work. Wej seemed not to be having any motivation problems and was singing like a bird behind me.

All was not bad today though. We lost our wire lock in Krakow and without it we can’t camp in our tent. The weather hasn’t allowed it anyway but soon we hope that it will be good enough to allow us to start camping.

Has anybody seen Vodka tyres before?

When we passed the town of Nyibator we found a little local bike shop. We stopped and went in to the shop that was heated by a stove in the corner. The shop had some bikes of brands we have never seen before. The owner spoke no English and even worse German than myself but by pointing and using sign language we could understand each other. He had a couple of different locks to choose among and we bought one of them and continued cycling.

When we were standing at the exit of one little town to change batteries to our electrically heated inner soles (not many batteries left now), a car pulled up behind us and a guy came out. He spoke some English and presented himself as Zorik. Besides being interested in cycling Zorik said he is a singer in a wellknown rock band in Hungary. We had no pen, but if we had one we would have let him sign his autograph on our panniers. It is not every day you meet a Hungarian rock star.

With Zorik the rock star 🙂

Two hours later when we approached another town, a car came towards us flashing its head lights. It stopped in the middle of the road and there he was again. Zorik the rock singer had been doing some business in the neighbouring town and was on his way home. He said he will write something in the commentary field in this blog. If your read this Zorik – then please tell us how to spell your name, because spelling it Z-o-r-i-k is just how I guess it is spelt.

We had planned to cycle 90 km today and we had researched accomodation in the Romanian town we were aiming for. When we had passed the border by 500 meters there was a motel. My motivation level was below zero and I said to Wej that I had got enough and wanted to check in at that motel. Wej didn’t resist and now we sit in our room overlooking the border control area between Romania and Hungary.

Border passage seen form our window.

I feel a bit better now. Tomorrow it is going to be warmer and it will stay like that for a few days but then it will get colder again. I am starting to get sick of this weather and I wonder:

– Will there ever be a spring in central Europe 2013 ????