Last night our bikes got their best accomodation this far during this trip. We were allowed to park them in the hotel’s conference room. The bikes didn’t say if they liked it or not, but they are indeed very silent creatures. Wej’s bike is a lot older and wiser than mine and has stayed in conference rooms before, so we intepreted the silence simply as lack of excitement.

We got headwind today. It was tough and when we rode along over some flat areas with open fields on both sides, we felt the full power of the wind. We didn’t complain though, since we had the wind on our backs a few days ago, and we know it will come back our way later.

We are a bit ambivalent about the direction of the wind. If it comes from the north it is on our backs, but it means cold air is coming and spring is delayed. If it comes from the south it is straight into our faces and delays us instead, but it brings up warm air and spring. So we can’t decide what we want most, tailwind or spring.

We passed a local library today and we stick to our traditions of taking photos of Wej in front of libraries. Unfortunately there was no time for a visit this time either.

We usually have a coffee break in the afternoon at some gas station or cafe. When we felt it was time for coffee we almost rode past a little place with the sign BAR on it. We quickly turned around, Wej went in to buy coffee while I watched the bikes outside. Soon I understood what kind of visitors that frequented this place – the local drinking team.

One of the guys was trying to talk to me non-stop and I must say that I admire his willingness to never give up his attempts to make me understand. Another man in the group showed how to run a conversation with a foreigner whom you have no common language with. He walked up to Wej, pointed at her and their conversation was as follows:

Man:  – Japan?
Wej: – Thailand
Man:  – Bangkok?
Wej:  – Tak (yes in Polish)

When it was time to go, the guy who first talked to me disappeared into the shop and came back with a piece of paper and a pen. I think he tried to make a map for us how to get out of the village. We knew the way but let him make his map anyway. He seemed to be a nice guy and it is a pity we coudln’t figure out what he was trying to say.

Later in the afternoon Wej’s bike broke the silence. It started to make a clicking sound for every turn of her cranks. We tried to eliminate all possible sources, but the sound was still there. Then I suspected that the crank arms could be loose and tightened the bolt even further. The crankset is tight so it couldn’t be that and I have removed the pedal and re-attached it again, but the sound is still there. There is no play anywhere and we can’t understand where the sound comes from so there is nothing to do other than tolerate a click for every rotation and then have a professional mechanic in Krakow have a look at it when we get there.