November 24, 2010

pics #166 - #189

 

Monday November 22nd - Yellow Resonant Seed

This is a day of rest and hunting stuff in the Neu Stadt,  following Steffen's indication who accurately indicate me where are outdoor shops, bicycle shops, organic food stores. Besides he handed me the handy map-guide 'Dresden made by locals' which exists for many cities in Europe. Bicyle shope still don't have the stand I need, and I am horrified as seeing that the MSR pump that I broke costing €40 and having the pretentious mention saying something like "most sturdy fuel pump". Anyway, I lunch with a curryworst-frite and a bagel titled "Luciano Pavarotti Backstage Break", delicious, home-made bread, generously garnished, little waiting time and less than €4. A place that would justify Yoga Moves teachers to give a workshop in Dresden.

         Baroque buildings near Blaues Wunder bridge

I am back in the house in early evening and I enjoy its quietness to practice the Primary Series. When rolling back, between Pindasana and Kukkutasana, I get stuck on the floor,  while getting myself back straight and releasing my hands, my right wrist hurts. Shooting pain if I intend to flex it or take support with it. I have to modify all the vinyasas, forget about jumping, drop Urdhva Dhanurasana... It's bad. Fortunately my host arrive and we bandage the wrist. The rest of the evening is spent discovering how the left hand doesn't have the same strength, flexibility or precision than the right.

 

Tuesday November 23rd - Red Galactic Moon

We go to the doctor, and wait at the hospital. The X-rays shows that nothing is broken and I am prescribed painkillers - Hail modern medicine- and physio-therapie. Good idea ot subscribing to a health insurance, I can go to the pharmacy to buy the painkiller, the could be useful later, or get me high. Now I can reproduce the nurse-made bandage, allied with good rest it should improve.

A last attempt to get the bicycle stand gets me in the big outdoor shop GlobeTrotter where they don't have it either. But in anticipation of the temperatures drop, I get out out with a pair of warm over-shoes. Back home for a relaxed time, cooking, reading, journal updating.

         Wrist bandage

 

Wednesday November 24th - White Solar Dog

An extra day of rest for my suffering joints. Only mission: a new pair of trousers, the current one got hole which widened when the tip of the saddle gripped in it. Direction Altmarkt Galerie in the old town and its quantity of old monuments. The photo camera has to be out while it is softly snowing, until my finger start freezing.

          Facade of the Art Academy

          Detail of the Saxony Ministry of Finances, notice the snow

          View of the Brülsche Terrasse, nicknamed as  "Balcony of Europe"

          Christmas market shops in  Altmarkt

On  the Altmarkt place workers are building the Christmas market. the smell of unhealthy delicacies is appetizing, but the abusive prices got me crossing the river to another bagel, one with salmon this time. We have a nice talk with the bagel-man who is impressed by my trip and finally offers me a chocolate tablet, it's a way to wish a good travel that I warmly recommend .

            Delicious artwork from Bagel's, Louisenstraße 77

Back home to cook in quantities so it's only needed to re heat the meal tomorrow. The only two persons in the kitchen are ... the two French of the house! Caroline is baking a quiche and a tart. I consider it as the best answer to the last English written article I read about how French cuisine was outdated and other laughable remarks pretending the superiority of a "modern English kitchen", three words that do not mean anything together. It is my last night in this apartment, having a last German beer with Steffen and Stefan around the warm stove. Next time I have a warm shelter will be in Prague.

Dresden is a great city I already feel like coming back to. For example in summer to enjoy the banks of the Elbe, forming a green oasis and dividing the city between the classical and historical side and the alternative and active one with its "new made with old" style.

 

Thoughts

Routine: It is now three weeks that I am on the road. A routine was soon established, a day of cycling starts with breakfast, packing the tent and charging the bicycle. It stops with setting the camp, preferably before night falls. Usually I have a quick wash and change to warm and dry clothes before practicing yin yoga in the tent. Diner follows, some reading and planning for the next day,then  meditation and it's sleeping time. Early due to the absence of light, it gives me a good night of sleep, which have me waking up ready for the day.

 

Hosts: This rhythm is broken each time I am hosted. Artificial light gets me later to bed. The good sides of having a host are a warm shower, a good meal, often offered, the possibility of washing clothes, most important being human contact.

I didn't asked too much about planting my tent in garden because I simply like being on my own for a few days between two hosts. The times ahead will probably change that if I don't want to test further my resistance in negative temperatures.

 

Weather : it was not ideal. A lot of rain, a discrete sun. Which is a truly a good signs from the heavens. I experienced that bad weather allows me longer distances and I support rainy days well, besides my rainy equipment is newly waterproofed: it didn't rained since ! The drag is when wet days follow each other, wearing partially wet stuff from the morning on with no hope of drying.

 

Yoga: I managed to keep practising even in the wild. But finding a good place in these weather conditions is not easy, and flat ground is rare. Of course my wrist injury is taking me away of the full primaryu series, I take that as an opportunity to learn to modify. It will be usefiull when i meet students with such issues. When my wrist and knee get better, I will damage my neck or my anckle to see the new limitations !!

 

Money : expenses < €450 for 4 weeks, Germany and Netherlands are certainly the most expensive countries of the trip. It's promising a long journey.

 

Injuries : the point that needs my attention the most. Issues on knee and wrist warn me of being softer with my body. To leave it time to adapt to this demanding task. I plan time to recover in Prague, no matter how long it takes, the way to it is flat along the river and I feel  the urge to get there before Winter advances too much.

 

Gear : there are a few items I am very satisfied of:

- the side view mirror, from Zefal, my third one is the good one!

- the thermo, good to have a warm glass of water in cold mornings, and to clean myself with hot water and soap when I wild camp. 

- the waterproof shoes that keep my feet dry in the most rainy days.

A very bad mark on the MSR Whisperlite stove pump which I had to service early, even if the damage is partially my fault. When the day comes, I will choose a more stable brand stove from another brand. I think about either Trangia or Primus.

 

Cycling : Already I am over my previous longest distance and longest time on the road in solo, that's for the numbers. I am most excited to be at the gate of an unknown country, with a different currency, and a language from another family than Germanic and Romanic.