Route from Athens, Greece to London, England

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Why we did this

4 reasons why we rode across Europe;

1. To make ourselves and others aware of the beauty of the continent.

2. To engage others to experience this travel through this blog.

3. To encourage others to live a communal life with the environment without the impact of an automobile.

4. To inspire others to follow their dreams and discover that an adventure motivated by self will yields unparalleled satisfaction.

The Bike-EU Presentation, This Friday

Two weeks have passed since we have returned home to Alexandria, VA, and it is with great anticipation that we invite you behind the scenes to the full story of our 2 month summer travel across Europe. Join us for the presentation this Friday as we share the maps, videos, blog entries and stories about the people and places we encountered on this extraordinary adventure.

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When: Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Where: Virginia Tech's WAAC, 1001 Prince St., Alexandria VA (map)

Trip is through : Home in Alexandria

We're home and fairly fresh on arrival to Washington, DC. I remember when I was young my father would say, ‘Coming home is the best part of travel’. At home we take account of the travel by reflecting on the higher sense of purpose realized by the journey. Looking around me I find that I return home a person inspired by the experiences of Bike-EU. John and I agree we feel like we've been out for a long weekend ride, but this can’t be true. The line between Athens and London has enriched our hearts immeasurably like a pleasant dream. This website was created in a way of intimately sharing this experience. We hope this will inspire others to join with a desire and demand to see and do things in a way only an individual can; your way, your road, for yourself and others. I got a good start by learning how to say the word, 'NOW'. It'll save me a few years down the road from wondering where all the time has gone and questioning why I hadn't chosen to do the things I could have.

Day52, 3500km: London's calling, John's End.

Friends and family, We are wearily content with what we accomplished so far- 3500 kilometers, which raised $2700.00. This does not include the contributions that were sent to us in the mail, which we will recognize on our blog when we return home. In that light, we both want to deeply thank all of you who helped us get here. You all helped, whether it was donating money or donating time, to make this unique experience possible. In the end we want to accurately convey to you all, in some way, shape or form, how this experience for us was.
Homeward bound. I suppose that this was the idea the day that both George and I landed in Athens. It is beginning to settle in a little bit- this last day of MY bicycle ride- George is leaving Friday. The ferry from Calais in France to the white cliffs of Dover on England's shore was not anticlimactic at all by any means, but George and I just gave each other an enthusiastic high five and a pat on the back, and we were off. I find my time here in London, having spent just some of it with longtime friend Amanda Jones, already short and busy. Wanting to see the historical center, which is all of the city I can afford the time to see with this visit, should prove to be a whirlwind experience. London is huge and interesting, however, so this cannot be my last time here. The European continent is already calling again as well. There is lots to do when I return. With tasks at hand, we all sustain ourselves with thoughts of faraway places. To what end they lead us is anyone's guess. But for me in particular, this was an incredible end to which I have been lead. Warmest regards to all, John

Planned (L) and Final (R) Routes

DAY51, 3480km. LONDON, ENGLAND

ROAD BEHIND AND AHEAD. Ahead of us to the West the sun sets over London. I look South East and Europe as I remember it two months ago suddenly feels much smaller. We've left the European mainland crossing the English Channel at Calais, France and now pedal on the left hand side of the road through Dover, England. Somewhere behind us over the Alps we have traced a two month memory from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. Beginning with my sister's wedding in Greece, the tour continued through nine countries and seven languages. In one week, I'll be out of the familiar bicycle saddle I have come to know for so long. The effort to cross Europe has prooved to be a summer of suprises and risk taking. We're here in London, we've made it safely. I remember the past two months and give thanks to those who made it possible.

Day45, 3016km: Brussels, Belgium.

AN APPRECIATION OF SCALE : Sizes of countries matters. It is a fact. It is not because of wars, not because of ethnic histories, not because of economies or even because of population sizes. The size of a country matters because of scale. We crossed into Belgium on a Thursday afternoon, having learned that Dutch is spoken in the north- the Belgians prefer to call it Flanders- and that French is spoken in the south. In a small town north of Antwerp, as we set up our tents we had been encountering the Dutch language. The next evening in Brussels with Jean Francois Kalka, an old friend from Alexandria who lives here now with another friend and wife Jaycee, French was what our ears heard most. As we were treated to a dinner of North Sea mussels Friday night and ventured Saturday morning to one of the city's morning markets for 1 Euro coffees and equally inexpensive [Belgian] waffles, it has been the predominant language heard today in the de jur capital of Europe. We are here for the experience, and with 370 kilometers to London, we have a week to travel through a few more urban centers and along some beaches where, in the greatest cataclysm of modern war, the fate of the world once hung in the balance. We are surrounded by history, and it makes us yearn to see it back home as such a typical aspect of the daily lives by whose routines we are merely passing. The Hague in the Netherlands was a wonderful visit with John's friend Irold and family and allowed for a day of sightseeing and rest, but Brussels here has allowed us to stop and to follow one of its own on his routine through the weekend. We have therefore become citizens for a moment of this city. For all of the political and legislative importance that this capital of Europe possesses, Belgium, like its Dutch neighbor to its north and Luxembourg and Lichtenstein to the southeast, is almost provincial in size. We can cross it in just two days; and that we can do so would be just another anecdotal fact if we did not simply come from the United States. It is because of our own country’s immensity through which we find Europe so wonderful to travel. More specifically, it is the number of different cultures that we have encountered over this land mass in such close proximity to one another. For example, there are many different subcultures in the United States and its major cities; but the first language encountered anywhere in our own country will always be English, and a Little Italy in anywhere, USA is still not Italy of Europe. In America, other than the occasional historical building or even a particular town’s neighborhood, we will not find the millennia of history that have influenced European cities and towns, most established uncountable generations ago as ancient hubs of trade. We will not find the endless tapestry of dense urbanity or country towns that are many centuries old; and we will not be able to travel slowly among all of it and to see it all in one continuous line, one near nation after the other. The fact that this has been a realization for us has been an immense education and a great gift, both of and from our shrinking world.