the idea
it wasn’t mine. i was couchsurfing in bremen at lisa’s. she grew up in a city-state in asia, an international trading and finance hub. in her small room was little more than a guitar, some uni stuff, a bed and panniers. on her wall was a map of the world, a route marked upon a clear sleeve on top of it. her goal was to cycle to the philippines.
one year before meeting lisa i had been to australia. I was visiting friends there and came home 10 weeks later with a bunch of new ones. australia got me. describing the feeling that it left within me is difficult and very personal. but I already knew - when I was still there - that I wanted to come back. by that time i was riding my bike to work and doing smaller tours, sometimes overnight. i had little know-how on those tours, my breaks were not working properly and i didn’t bring a pump. but it worked out, i padaled and padeled and pushed my limits. highly motivated i met lisa and her idea of traveling the world by bike to reach her destination got stuck in my head. as this idea grew like a seed to a little sprout in both my head and my heard i started to plan. bought a tent, bought a sleeping bag and listened to heaps of podcasts about bicycle touring.
the following month, it was october, i met lena, a friend of a friend. i told her of this crazy idea that was stuck in my head and she revealed her own - also some would say “crazy” - idea. travelling with her own highlining setup on a bike. one year later, after many ups and downs, doubts and other plans we finally bought our bikes: second hand, from a couple who rode them all across the american continent. flags stickered around the aluminium frames were the evidence for their travels and expieriences years ago as well as a vision for us. this purchase was a huge step and made my plans feel real for the first time. there was a bike, a proper bike, a bike i still needed to learn a lot about - but it was a start.
two weeks later lena and i met again and did a little trip through the hilly sights of the taunus in the middle part of germany. we soon found out that lena was a lot fitter than me with riding up hills and that cycling together ment differnet perspectives, plans, needs and expactations.
our first night under stars, some horses and a friendly donkey as our neighbours
after two days of cycling we went to meet friends and went highlining. sharing breakfast and laughs on a rainy and cold summer morning.
