European Tour – Dinner with the Green Party in Stephensplatz & Hungary (Written by George & Gala)

Written by George – July 27 
We have just left Vienna after having an incredible two days there. On our first morning,we met with Green Party officials from the 7th and 8th district in Stephensplatz for a photoshoot with local journalists and TV stations. Our friend in Vienna, Daniel, an IT journalists and speaker for the 8th District, was a huge help in getting the word out about our project. Riders were doing interviews with various radio stations throughout the day, talking about micro-credit and the challenges of our trip so far.

Check out some of the interviews:

• !Radler strampeln für Mikrokredite in Entwicklungsländern!http://blogs.ubc.ca/pedalpower/files/2009/07/ride.mp3
• Emanuele Interview with FM4 in Vienna
  

After that we raced to the United Nations center on the outskirts of town, which I was surprised to learn is not officially part of Austria, but is an extraterritorial territory existing independant of Austrian law.  We were given tours of the various buildings, mainly of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and then a presentation by the most interesting, down-to-earth UN spokesman there ever was. Did you know theres a UN agency on Outer-space affairs? It was interesting to hear that the biggest issue for them is the amount of space trash, or debris from satellite parts, collisions ect. which threaten to knock into, and destroy existing or newly launched satellites.
After the UN visit, we rode back into downtown to explore some, eating at a small market before making our way to the Museumplatz, a huge complex dedicated to various cultural centers, such as a art, architecture, and historical museums. The whole scene was vibrant and could hardly be contained. Exhausted by the days events and the heat, David and I waded into a fountain in an internal courtyard filled with street art and people. We briefly lamented that we didn’t have more time in this beautiful city.
That night we had dinner with members of the Green Party, who have a relative majority in the 7th and 8th districts, our host Priest Wolfang Unterberger as well as staff from the Canadian Embassy. Everything was really exciting for me as I was initially responsible for finding a contact/accomodation for the group in Vienna, and it ended up being so much more than that. After lots of good conversation, food, and wine, we wandered off into downtown, oblivious to a huge storm heading towards the city. We sat at a large fountain watching lightning strike in the distance at an increasingly alarming rate. Winds blew harder, and the fountain water begin to blow way out into the street, soaking crowds of people. As the wall of water blew towards us, we retreated to a large soviet statue commemorating the liberation of the city by the Red Army from the Nazis in WW2. By the time we gathered all our stuff, we were soaked, and the wind was pelting us with street debris. The rain then came hard and fast, and we pressed up against the windows of a bank for shelter. After taking pity on us, a security guard let us and others inside, where we waited out the storm, watching in disbelief as huge tree branches plummeting into the street and cars raced about disregarding traffic lights. Apparently 8 people died from storm throughout Europe.

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Written by Gala – July 29 Hold me tight Vienna, for if you don’t, i shall not stay long…

Even as I recollect romantic vienna and the musical hills of austria altogether, my memory is slightly fuzzy as I am already two countries away, having weaved my way along the danube, spending a brief yet filling 24 hours under the slovakian sun, and later coasting into the big paprika… also known as Hungary.

but vienna, my magical, mystical, romantic friend… we were torn to leave you. you inspired us, brought us in close, gave us a whirlwind tour of your finest streets while old folks with austrian outfits and bug eyes stared as we tranced around your town like a gaggle of smurfs on primitive vehicles, dressed in bright green and orange breathable tees. but honestly, we are a sight to behold.

accomodation hasn’t proved to be the easiest thing to find in the large cities we visited. a campground in amsterdam that was paid for by the generous bahai community, a centre for troubled youth on the outskirts of prague that was found upon arrival to the city, and countless communications from daniel, of the austrian green party, to find us a church parish for our stay in vienna.

daniel and the green party’s hospitality did not end there however. our day off in the city was planned around a photo shoot for local media at 9am, followed by some on camera interviews for the local tv station, a tour of the united nations complete with lecture (for which i regret my eyes would not stay open), and last but not least, an absolutely amazing dinner at a RESTAURANT called ‘lux’, which was nothing short of luxurious, hosted by the green party for us ridiculous young punks. this is where i learned to love sweet cheese strudel, maybe a little bit too much – but that stored energy would prove to come in handy for the events that followed dinner as a few of us decided to explore vienna’s nightlife after the sun went down on our cobblestoned candlelit dinner party.

a short wander brought jake, jenika, mark and myself to a nearby park where the enchanting sounds of opera music bellowed from the base of a large gothic looking church in the distance. obviously intrigued, we pushed our bicycles along a path lit with tiny lamps that shone on the faces of lovers and families and friends who were seated on the the benches listening and laughing. as we got further, the park opened up to a giant film fest where Carmen, the opera, was playing on an enourmous screen to an audience of thousands gathered at the foot of this church. beer tents and romantic purple and yellow lights set the tone for good times, while behind the church steeples flashes of lighting played tricks on our eyes and fooled everyone into thinking it was a well timed light show playing in tune with the staccato and baritone sounds of the opera.

needless to say, the four of us trekked closer, leaving the crowd and running into the windstorm that was funneling leaves into small tornados behind the church. we lay on the grass in the open, staring at the lighting storm above, until grey clouds covered it up, and then we lay there a little longer. enough to feel the first rain drop, and then the second, and then the third, and soon enough we were drenched. rain doesnt hit often in vienna, or this part of europe, but when it does, its hard and pounding and fast and furious and flooding.

our minds escaped us as we ran toward the closest wall to protect us from the harsh winds. we chose a covered space on the opposite side of the street from the subway station, and waited out the 15 minute flash storm, but not before having the opportunity to have the wind pick up my bicycle and thrash the big spiky chain poker thing into the back of my ankle for a dramatic bloody effect. so there you have us, 4 shivering kids with bikes and blood, soaked and slightly lost. trees were falling all around and branching toppling onto the cars that had quickly blocked the streets as the previous opera party goers piled into the roads to get home toute de suite. later, we would find out that this storm had killed 8 people throughout europe, and debris and cracked tree frames lined our entire route into slovakia the next day.

in those moments while we waited out the storm and met other wet and random strangers (including a very strange woman who seemed to have swept through the park after the storm to find a few treats that others had left behind … a bottle of croatian iced wine, top notch olive oil and homemade honey – to name a few)… in those moments i thought it would be impossible for us to pick up the next day and leave this city and its beauty.

but thats the nature of this tour.
we ride, we ride, we ride. each day is new. and just over 12 hours after the storm we were looking at signs notifying us that we would enter bratislava in less than 12 kilometres. mon dieu.

one day in slovakia – and a most grand reception to be had…

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Written by Gala – July 29 swimming under the slovak sun: velky biel and more…

nothing has happened int he last few days which hasn’t been magical in at least some small capacity. our last days in Austria were spent under the most gracious roof of Mr. Wolfgang, under the supervision of one extremely enthusiastic, Daniel, of the Vienna Green Party. Austria, like many of the approaching countries which I have never really taken the time out of my day to think about (properly), has exceeded any expectations I didn’t have. The friendliness, enthusiasm and generosity of strangers and new friends, the rich coating of a country whose history is so varied, and which has propelled itself to a city of romance and wild character, and the general air of delite which austria captures so well in its gorgeous landscape.

more to come on adventures in Austria at a later date. (**see below you lucky ducks!)

Goodbyes to Austria were handled with great class as sabrina, joanna, and i soaked up the white grape culture under a roof of vines and leaves in a 19th century farmhouse halfway through our ride to the border. Slovakia and its sunflowers awaited us, but our e.t.a. was not for another 3 hours , and i had a slight mission in mind.

Chris and Johanne, of sonneleiten farm in dear old metchosin, which i talk about way too often for anyones liking, had told me about the magical time of year when Austrian farmers open the barn doors to the public and signify their welcome by placing a broom on the door. The idea is you come in, enjoy their place, and drink great wine at cheap prices so they can liquidate for the new harvest season.

Realizing there were only mere hours to be spent in A-land, we set out to find such a miraculous place the Perger in Heinburg did the trick just fine. Three content girls with bratwurst, parmesan and olives… the owner gave us a bottle for the road, thinking we might need to chill once in a while along a 4000km ride. danka!

Our first sight of Bratislava came on the crest of a sea of sunflowers and forgive me if it sounds romanticized because over the last few days its been difficult to not see the beauty in everything around. Especially after experiencing the hospitality of our hosts in Velky Biel. (2okms outside of bratislava).

Velky Biel is 25kms outside of Bratislava, where we met at the National Theatre and were escorted the extra 25k by a man on a bike whose name I never learned.

We don’t often get the chance to ride en masse, twenty as one, except for the times when an enthusiastic character decides we need to be excorted in or out of town. Bt we love it. The video function of all our cameras is turned on as we marvel at the ridiculous lime and tangerine coloured parage which is us. Arms flailing, impromptu songs being sun, slower riders being able to ride with faster riders as the pressure is taken off and we are all in the “resonably moderately paced” pod. The extra 25k away from beautiful bratislava is worth it though, as we arrive at the gates to our hosts house to a banner that reads “Welcome Global Agents for Change” and in small print it tells you that we are cycling from Amsterdam to Bratislava to Istanbul – which is almost exactly on par with how I envisioned the trip going down in my mind.

… unfortunately this is where my pen died, so now i have to think back to our day in slovakia, and will give you a brief description because i am actually in budapest currently, and its a crime to be inside on a computer. isn’t it???

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basically these hosts let us stay inside because of an approaching shower, cooked us 2 dinners, and a two desserts, took us swimming at the local lake, cooked us breakfast, encouraged us to dance all night long, sang us slovakian guitar acoustic songs in their outdoor barn shed thing with an open fire that sizzled sausages at 1am and later. it was fabulous.

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and as i mentioned, we are in hungary. and i must go. to see my brother and maybe get something pierced within the next hour!

tchuss lovers and friends.