We didn't let our heads down and didn't want to cancel the journey. Fabian spoke to some doctors and got the green light to continue. Slowly, with attention, best no strong vibrations and in no way heavy lifting. Luckily we are a team and Franzi helped Fabian with the heavy bike bags and building up the tent.

So we went on, now in our 6. country Spain and we reached the last village Irurita before the pass, set up our tent for the night and mentally prepared to cross the Pyrenees. On 12km rise we had almost 1000 altimeters awaiting us. A friend, that also travels the world by bike and that has already 15.000km and 15 countries behind him, told us it was going to be hard. He had pushed his bike up the rise for four hours and there is also a bus. However, we wouldn't dream of that.

Long story short, we made it! We even made it so good, that no one had to push his bike at all! It took us five hours until we reached the top, it also took us enorme muscle strength and we were sweating like old men after going to the sauna of the finnish type- but it was all the way worth it. More than that- we actually had lots of fun! It was amazing seeing your own body so self effective. After having reached the top, we couldn't believe, that our first pass went so good. We rewarded ourselves with a wild camping place of the special kind- 1000 meters high we build up our tent for the night in the middle of the Pyrenees. A breathtaking view, no one else around us, only wild horses, cows and foxes. Foxes? Yes, we would see three of them at night. Afer having cooked our well deserved dinner on our gas cooker, we didn't have enough water left to do the dishes, because we needed the amount of water, that we had brang up to the pass to drink. So we put the pots a few meters away from our tent. Then in the night we heard a sudden rumble and clink. We were instantly awake. We peaked out the tent with our head lamps. Three pairs of eyes looked at us. A big fox instantly ran back into the night, another one hestitated at first, but then left the dishes after loud yelling and followed the other one. The last one though, the smallest one, didn't let our light, clapping and yelling bother him while grabbing a pot with his little teeth and running into the other direction with it and vanishing with it over the green hill into the dark. A little amused we thought, we could process this loss. Luckily we saw the next day, that the little fox had left the pot on the grass beneath us. The wind had increased over night, and under roaring breezes coming from everywhere, we took down our tent, packed our bikes and went on towards the valley until we reached the village Eugi. There Fabian had his first flat tire. Glad, that this didn't happen at the rise.

You can find the travel documentation of the pyrenees passing here: https://youtu.be/BCHSm0myofo 

We reached the city Pamplona and got on the pilgrimage, that so many people follow with the desitantiob of Santiago de Compostela. The Eurovelo 3 runs parallel to the way of St. James, crosses it every now and then, on a few spots they even intertwine. And so it was hardly surprising, that we were quickly intrigued by the special mood and the athmosphere and after just a bit of time Santiago de Compostela became our new stopover. We also really liked the many small pilgrim hostels alomg the way in which you can get a bed in a sleeping hall for on average 7-12€. We also got us a credential also known as a pilgrim passport and collected the famous stamps. „Buen Camino“ is probably the most common phrase of this route, you hear him every day (too) often. But it's true, during the day beautiful lonely regions and small old villages, in the evening many communicative people, everyone with a different story, most of them want to tell theirs. A big destination for all, Santiagp de Compostela, for most them the way is over then, the route is done. Not for us though. We go on to Portugal. We especially enjoyed this way of thinking, of realizing, of walking or cycling together and will never forget many acquaintances and the special mood, politeness and openness of the way of St. James.

The last day on the Camino de Frances were pretty though, daily we went 700 to 1000 alitmeters and 50 to 80 km high and wide. We reached the „Puerto de Foncebadon“ on 1504km the highest point of our trip to this point. the mountain range demanded a lot from us, but we were in good shape. We enjoyed the time in northspain on the way of St. James, even though some rises made the Pyrenees look like a little hill. 

Our drive on into country number 7, Portgual, brushed aside our last doubt, if there even were any, that we truly made a good and right decision. The decision, to free ourselves from all the unnecessary and overrated stuff and to realize and experience the true beauty of life. This country is a pearl on the Atlantic, meter high, roaring waves on wide, long, beaches that are acessable for everybody, red cliffs, secret caves. The coast of Portugal has all these and were in the middle of it every day and every night and were amazed by the breathtaking nature. The waves put us to sleep in our tent and the first sun light woke us back up. Portugal is a paradise for freedom lovers and the alternative living in their vans and campers or of course on their bikes and with their tents. So the time we spent on our route along the coast of Portugal flew by, we spent Christmas on the Algarve with new friends, that we got to know on our way.

A thrilling year passes by, maybe the most thrilling we've ever had. We'd love it to continue like this.

Unfortunatly, the pandemic goes on and so we had to change plans and cancel routes. Therefore we cannot, how had actually deeply hoped, sail through the gate of Africa and enter Morocco over Gibraltar. Because the way is completely closed, no ferries, no flights, no good connections to Germany at the moment. But we're glad to be able to go on in the first place, in that case over south spain through Andalusia, the Sierra Nevada as the highlight, to Barcelona. From there, we want to go to Sardinia with a ferry, further to Sicily, back onto the mainland over Messina to Bari, where another ferry awaits us and brings us to the balkans. Through Albania to Greece and then to Turkey.

Such a journey doesn't only change the body, it becomes more muscular and more athletic, but much more the mindset changes, it is so important to experience yourself as effective. While planning this trip we never thought of ourselves as people who just casually want to go on a world trip with their bikes. We need to admit, that we couldn't even identify with it, as were the type of kids, that never liked the Bundesjugendspiele. With a micro view, though, we could imagine ourselves cycling a little bit every day, a few kilometers daily, with a few break days inbetween as well. Small steps then go together as a whole and suddenly, you're already in the middle of it. We intentionally do not write „at the finish“, because the way is the goal. You should really let this saying affect you sometimes and not act like it's just some phrase. Nobody can take the thousands of kilometers by bike, the many countries and past months from us anymore. The time seemed like it flew by, as if it was the length of a movie, that played in a hurry. Then again, we think of our first kilometers, the first days and all that what's happened seems, like it's happened years ago. In the past months of our journey, we've experienced so much every day, like never before in many years.

Dies kannst auch Du alles mit- und nacherleben auf unserem Youtubekanal gibt es alle Radreiseepisoden vom schwierigen Start in Deutschland, über den Abstecher nach Tschechien bis zur westlichen Route kannst du alles nachverflogen.
Wir nehmen dich virtuell mit auf unser Abenteuer. Ungeschönt und ungefiltert, zeigen wir, wie wir unser neues Leben erfahren. Auf welche Schwierigkeiten wir stoßen, wie wir manche Herausforderungen meistern, wie wir vor Freude verrückt lachen oder vor Überforderung weinen. 
Sei auch du mit dabei und erlebe gemeinsam mit uns Abenteuer auf der ganzen Welt. 
Vielleicht spürst du ihn aber auch- den Drang in dein ganz eigenes Abenteuer, den Zog nach draußen, den Ruf der Freiheit.
Worauf wartest du? Wenn wir es schaffen, dann schafft du es auch! Denn- weltreisen kann jeder!
You can experience all this with us, all bike travel episodes are on our YouTube channel from the rough start in Germany, over our detour to Czechia to the western route, you can follow us through all of it.
We digitally take you with us on our adventure. Unbeautified and unfiltered, we show how we experience our new life. What burdens we face, how we master challenges, how we laugh histerically because we're happy or how we cry, because we're so overwhelmed. 
Be with us on adventures all around the world.
But maybe you feel him to- the urge to go on an adventure of your own, the pull into the outside, the call of freedom.
What are you waiting for? If we can do it, you can do it too! Because- everybody can travel the world!


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