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boys are chasing me. it's not easy to blog on free WIFI at the hotel in limited places. and everything is not exactly broadband speed I am used to at home. so much to share, so much to write/summarise. but it's time we set off for Day 3 adventure. Auvoir!

riding out of Strasbourg

Day 2 - we leave the comfy 2 star Hotel Gutenberg for our ride! Air is chilly in the morning about 21C. Boys are all smiles and excited at what lies ahead (getting lost, going in circles, and trying to make sense of small paper maps, and a not-so-cooperative GPS device)

Strasbourg the island

Strasbourg is an island surrounded by a river around it. the place has bridges everywhere. we are standing on one that could be moved to one side to allow boats to pass. Amazing to have seen it in action!

inside notre dame

using the gorilla, we managed to snap a group shot inside the catherdral. being inside was an amazing feeling. so calming, so humbling.

espresso bar

we took time to explore the city. Strasbourg is considered a big town and all the major brands are there. Lingerie shops are everywhere we go. The French love their undies! We headed into an expresso bar for some coffee, and some posing at the 'bar'. wei ordered a macchiato and was served latte with a straw. case of miscommunication - he did not pronounced it with ze french accent...

Strasbourg - Notre Dame Cathedral

arriving in Strasbourg, we headed straight to the town center which is occupied by the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral. No hunchback, but seeing the historic building up close was an awesome experience. We have taken so many beautiful pictures of the place (inside and out) I have decided to post them to Flickr. You have my invitation previously, or will receive one. if not, please let me know.

the train journey

the train journey took a total of 3.5 hours, and other than chatting, taking pictures of the passing scenery, we also took time to write in our little journals for the families back home... Vince's handwriting is a bit like chicken scratchings. we all think he should have been a doctor.

crossing the border to France

after arriving at Basel from Zurich, we cross into France to take the next train at 1218 to Strasbourg, where we start our cycling journey.

fixing up the bikes

We saw bikes everywhere at the Airport and Railway Station. It is a way of life and no one batted an eyelid when we took over a corner of the airport and started fixing up the bikes. Can you imagine at Changi Airport? We would have been kicked out in 2 minutes...

arriving in Zurich

Day 0 (28 Aug 09) - we had dinner at Imperial Treasure at T3. other than our own families we had weena, nick and audrey join us as well. Thank you! Our families left about 2230 and kids were tired. jewel had to be carried to the car...

We took some pictures of the fans who came to send us off, but unfortunately wei decided to format his SD card... :)

The boys spent next 2 hours shopping in T3. YES WE DID. led by our fearless leader into Shanghai Tang, vince almost bought
a leather jacket..., and after wei walks into Cartier, I was so tempted to buy a Santos 100 watch. Fantastic deal, Robin the
ah beng watch seller says, at 6681 dolla. Fortunately, sense prevailed and we all saved a few thousand dollars.

Day 1 (29 Aug 09) - after 12 hours on SQ346, we arrived in Zurich Airport at 0730, feeling somewhat refreshed. The flight was extremely full and there were no empty seats to stretch out on. I watched The Proposal with Sandra Bollock and what's his name. Fairly entertaining, but they lost out to Jeremy and gang on Top Gear. These British chaps are hilarious.

I checked in with 36 kg of gear (bike 19; rest 17). Thankfully with wei's PPS we had no problems whatsoever. Going home will be a different story.

Weighed myself before the trip - 77kg and 13.7% body fat. Let's hope I can improve these figures (and my own) on my return. :)

the journey

We arrive in Zurich on Sat (29 Aug) morning, and will take a train to Strasbourg, before heading to Freudenstandt, Friedburg, Basel, Schaffhausen, Konstanz, Friedrichshafen, Lindau, and heading back to
Zurich for the flight home on 6 Sep. Wei and Vince will head to Munich after Lindau before coming home. Unfortunately I do not have as many days of leave.
 
Check out these places on Google Earth.
 
Chris has kindly lent us his Garmin Edge705 - we will be using it to map our journey ;)

The Surly Long Haul Trucker

my surly long haul trucker. all 19kg of it (without the panniers). total weight is about 40kg fully loaded. It will be an experience riding 80 to 100km a day, especially on a leather Brooks saddle that has not been broken in... ouch

bike in a bag

size of bag is 130x100x30 so the bike, the wheels, front and rear surly racks all fitted in perfectly.

would have preferred to bring the hard case but i would not have been able to fold in and bring along on the touring bike. :)

packing the bike

bought a Cinelli bike bag (non-padded) so some additional packing and protection needed to protect the bike from transport woes. hopefully the bike will arrive in one piece. re-used packing materials from the TV that was recently delivered. doing my part for GAIA - never knew what it means - just associate it with saving the planet, and recycling. :)

the beginning

cycling in Europe was a dream. thanks to buddies wei and vince this is becoming a reality. 3 more days before we board the red eye to Zurich!