Day Thirty

11/06/25 - Day Thirty


I must stay connected to some of the reasons why I am doing this. I want to live in experience for a while. I want to feel what it’s like to be lonely. I want to feel the heat of the desert. I want to shiver in my sleeping bag in the high passes of Tajikistan. I want to live. I want to meet people and see things. Europe is just the warm up. Life on the road calls my name, and who would I be to shy away from it?

Still haven’t recovered fully from my sickness. I feel more tired than normal and nauseous sometimes. My appetite still isn’t all there and I fear I am wasting away. I will have to feed big in Vienna when I rest there to try and regain some calories! I got away from camp at 8am this morning, cycling through the most gorgeous section of the Donau so far. 10 miles of quiet, mystically forested hills, rising from either bank. I stopped to eat breakfast, picking up a croissant at a bakery, then continued on to Linz. 

After taking some time so explore it streets and find the cathedral (of course), I had a mega rest in the riverside park. Linz is a beautiful city, especially in the sun so I’m glad to have the time to sit with her a while. I snoozed under a tree listening to Fontaines DC, before forcing down some lunch. I flew along with the aid of a tailwind and smooooth paths for the next 17 miles. When I’m cycling I’m fine, but as soon as I stop, a great weariness overcomes me: I feel pooped and slightly sick. Turns out long distance cycling isn’t the best recovery tool! 

Nevertheless after another welcome break to dry out my forgotten tent, I powered on the remaining miles and happened upon a lovely camp spot. Right be the river, out of view from the cycle path behind some trees and bushes and on flat grassy ground - perfection. I eat and listen to some country music thinking about my trip and feeling content. A man cycles past me looking at me and giving off a weird energy. He keeps looking back at me as he cycles on and disappears behind a bush. Not ideal as I had wanted to set up my tent before too long, but he had probably come to enjoy the fine sunset. I see him peek from behind the hedge at me a couple of times, setting me on edge a bit. Next thing, I look over and see his bottom half through the foliage and movement at hip level. “Surely not” I think to myself then get up and move to see what he doing. As I get in full view of him I see he’s pleasing himself - to the sunset I hope. I shout to him to go away and shoo him with hand gestures. He promptly pulls up his trousers and hides behind the bush again. I wait a while before venturing round to make sure he’s gone. No sign of him but a bike trail through the long grass… sleep may not be so easy tonight!

 

 

 

Mmm… Lada

 

Yessssss boys
The perfect camp? So nearly hahahaha

 

Can you blame him? It was a lovely sunset!

 

 

 

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