Cycling across Europe alone

This is my old bike. My parents gave it to me when I was just 9 years old. And no matter how hard I try, I don't think words can describe all the moments we spent together. Sadly, 17 years later, it is a bit too old to go on an adventure. So I sent an email. Well, a lot of them, to be fair. And to my surprise, I got a response. This one brand called Marine Bikes was down to give me one of their bikes. The only problem was, I would need to pick it up from their warehouse, 2,500 kilometers away. And well, let's just say I couldn't say no to that. Sunny England. We have arrived. This is John from Marine Bikes. What do you think of this trip? I like the way you don't really seem to know much about what you're going to be doing. Not at all. Not at all. We made it to the headquarters. Oh, that's a good looking bike. Do you like my bike? Even though Ned approved my bike, there were still quite a few things that needed to be tuned before he was fully ready to survive such a long trip. You're making progress. But to be honest, you would be surprised with how little you need to get through a full month on the road. So before I knew it, the bike was ready. First test drive. So far, so good. The only thing that's freaking me out is that the brakes are switched because we are in England. So I might have to swap them. I don't know if it's possible, but we'll try. I think we are ready. Tomorrow, it's time to go. And just like that, the long-awaited day was upon me. I think I'm ready. 2,500 kilometers. Here we go. Okay, let's go. And we are off. Bye-bye, Corson. Here we go. Look at these views! I can't believe I'm doing this. And the sun came out for us. Look at this. Perfect conditions. Oh, this is the first proper climb. Oh man, and this bike is heavy. Oh my god, this is heavy! While climbing up wasn't the easiest thing, the descents proved to be a different story. Somehow, I ended up on someone's property. But luckily, they have a button and it doesn't work. Come on, what is going on? Oh, it's moving! Thank you! After spending the first day cycling through the peaceful countryside of southern England, I was greeted with a very special view the next morning. Good morning! It's cloudy today. It didn't take me long to adapt to this new lifestyle. Honestly, it felt amazing being able to carry all my belongings on the bike. Having the tent, the stove, and everything I might ever need to survive in one of the four panniers brought me so much peace of mind. In some way, it made me rediscover a slower pace of life. One that felt very different from the hustle and bustle of the city. Spending the whole day just cycling through small towns and villages felt like the best way I could possibly use my time. In some way, it took me back to simpler times where the only thing that really mattered was the wind in your hair and the joy of being alive. But as much as I love the British countryside, it only took me two days to finish this chapter as I reached the southern coast from where I would take the ferry to get back to Europe's mainland. I'm on my way to the ferry. We're almost there. It's 7am right now and I'm wearing just a shirt. I didn't know England was this good in the summer. I think I'm the last one. I thought I was on time but maybe I'm late. Hello. Yeah, that's it. Am I the last one? Yes, okay. Okay, perfect. I thought I was on time. Bye-bye. And we're off already. Can you imagine if I had lost the ferry? Oh my god. That's France. As much as I loved England, getting to France felt like a breath of fresh air as the scenery and architecture changed so much. And as I got used to the bike, I started going faster, sometimes so fast I would surpass other cyclists on the road. But regardless of the speed, there was something truly special about seeing a new country from the seat of a bike. It felt like I was discovering a hidden part of France, one that many tourists never get to see. Well, unfortunately, we are not going that way. We are going this way. But I wonder what that is. Today's lunch is gazpacho. Gazpacho, I have no idea how to say it in English, but it's basically a cold tomato soup, which is very delicious when it's this hot outside. And then we have one baguette. As I crossed Normandy, a very special place came to my mind. So I did a quick detour to go see it. there it is. You have to pay 11 euros to go inside the church. I'm okay with this view. I tried to explore every little nook of the island, which almost felt like a movie set, to be honest. I think he's trying to laugh, but he can't. And even though the abbey was insanely pretty, the main reason for my visit wasn't the scenery itself, but the food. And not just any food, I'm talking about the world's most famous omelette. And God, was it worth it. Here it is. It's all gone. Good morning, everyone. Today is day six. We already left Le Mont Saint-Michel behind us, and we are now heading towards Rennes, which is like 65 kilometers from here. Yeah, let's keep going. I can still see it. Look at it. So beautiful. This trail along the river has been so nice to avoid the heat. There's always shade and there's this breeze. Oh, it's so nice. But I have no idea what river this is. Honestly, I still don't know what the river is called, but it didn't take me long to get to Rennes, which, by the way, really surprised me with its picturesque facades. It is way too hot right now. I think it's like 34 or 35 degrees Celsius. So I think I'm just going to park over here and just rest in the shade and wait for the weather to cool down a little bit. The next morning, I met this couple who had just got married and decided to go on a bike trip as their honeymoon. It's 8.50 in the morning and we have done 25 kilometers so far. I need to join you guys more often. This is Lee. This is Laura. Hi. Can you get closer to each other? It's too hot. So can you just explain what your plan is and what are you doing? We are trying to cycle around the world. So we left from our house in Plymouth in the south of England. When did you start? Four days ago. Way too hot already. And what are you expecting to get from this trip? Like this big trip? Abs. Laura is getting some water from someone's garden. You got it? Is it fresh? All down my top. We then cycled for a few kilometers together as it's much easier to make progress when you have company. But eventually, we had to say goodbye. And off they go. I'm alone again. Quick break. I just want to tell you about the sponsor of this video which is Quadlock. So before starting this trip, I knew I wanted to have my phone always accessible and that's why I reached out to Quadlock and I'm glad they agreed on sponsoring this video. And first of all, you might be wondering why I need my phone here if I have this GPS computer right under it. So let me just explain my point. I use the GPS to have my route always on display mainly because my phone could never last more than like three hours if I was using it as my main navigation device. But if during the day I want to find like a specific place for example a grocery store or a campsite or a viewpoint that's when the phone comes into play and I can just use Google Maps to find those places. Besides that, it's super useful to have the phone here if I want to film something while I'm riding. Obviously, I would love to film everything with this main camera but that's just not doable. So having the phone here allows me to just quickly remove it, get the shot and then I can just put it back. It's very convenient and very reliable so far. The system itself is also super reliable. I've been through all sorts of terrain as you can imagine and I never felt like the phone was going to fall off which is very important to me. And the case itself is also very protective. I really like the way it looks. It's very sleek and obviously they offer all sorts of mounts and cases. It's not just for your bike but also for your motorbike, car, desk, your arm. Basically anything you can think of. So yeah, thank you so much Quadlock for sponsoring this video. Make sure you check the link down below to get 10% off on any case or mount of your choice. And let's get back to the story. I hanged all my clothes there. They're just getting some fresh air. I didn't wash them because there's no place to wash them here. I call this like a air wash. They just get some fresh air and then all the bad smells go away, hopefully. That's pretty much it. I also oiled the chain for the first time. I have no idea how often you need to oil your chain but I thought it was time. And now I'll just cook dinner and then I go to sleep because tomorrow I really want to wake up early so I can avoid the heat. I'm trying to get into that bridge over there to cross the river to the other side but I'm not sure if bikes are allowed because it's quite a big bridge. To my surprise bikes were indeed allowed but let's just say it might have been the sketchiest stretch of the whole trip as it felt like I was riding in the highway with cars passing right next to me at over 100 kilometers an hour. But as I got to the other side of the river I reached the west coast of France and I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and contentment as I paddled along the sea. The salty breeze on my face, the warm sun on my skin and the gentle sound of the windmills in the background created an atmosphere that's hard to beat. It's definitely low tide right now. Look at this. As I followed the coast towards the south I met new cyclists, each one in his own adventure. And no matter how brief the interaction was or how different our journeys were there was always a feeling of companionship connecting us. I would love to explore the city but it's so hot right now that I just want to get to the campsite and find some shade. We have a friend here. Hello. She's inspecting the bike. Further south I stumbled upon this weird bridge which still doesn't make much sense to me but it was cool. Let's go. It's so smooth. Most days I found myself while camping. Not only to avoid the crowds and save some money but also to just be closer to nature. This was something I had never done before and to be honest I was a bit scared at first but then that fear slowly faded away as I discovered how special it is to wake up to birds singing far from the crowded campsites. It's so hot. Okay I'm all packed up and I'm about to leave for another day and of course I'm bringing my little trash can with all the trash and bills from yesterday's dinner so no marks are left behind besides my my feet on the ground but yeah let's go. Best part of riding a bike you just avoid all the traffic. Look at this. So much better. Here we go again another day another ferry. Look at all the cyclists that are crossing the river. Taking the ferry was always a good opportunity to enjoy the views without having to work for it. It honestly felt great doing some progress without having to paddle. Anyway as I reached the other side of the river I entered the Miidok National Park which is known for its extensive pine tree forest. It felt amazing to get away from the crowded coastline to just feel surrounded by nature. Oh and I also made a new friend with whom I shared the road for a couple of days. It's very good to eat. I'm learning a bit of French here with Sylvain. You like it? There's a rainbow there. Since this region is full of cycleways I kept on meeting new people and I also came across some of the strangest bikes I had ever seen in my life. Okay so the bike lane I was following is closed because there's a high risk of fire. So I think I need to take the normal road which kind of sucks but it's the only option. I think I've gone through like four or five liters of water today. This heat is not a joke. Later that day I found out there was an actual fire going on in the forest which forced me to detour from my planned route. Okay so because of the fire I had to cycle for another 20 or 25 kilometers, I'm not sure. And it was already night time so it really sucked because I was on the main road and the cars were going really fast. Now I ended up in this forest which I found on Google Maps and I'm just trying to find a place to spend the night. But I can hear lots of people partying in the background so I'm just trying to get to this excluded beach near to a lake. But I've never been here before. This is my first time in a forest at night all alone. And I was expecting to be more scared to be honest but I'm actually doing okay. I just want to get there as soon as possible because I'm tired. It's almost midnight and I just want to sleep. And yeah I think I'll just continue my search and hopefully I'll see you tomorrow. Good night. Bye bye. Yesterday I got here pretty late. I think it was close to midnight. I don't know why but I couldn't find a good place to sleep so I just kept going. And I don't know. I think I cycled for over 20 kilometers trying to look for a good place to sleep. And once I got here I was just like I'm going to stay here no matter what. If it's a good spot, a bad spot, doesn't matter. But it turned out to be probably the coolest spot so far. So beautiful. I'm actually tempted to spend the day here because it's so nice and I can go in the water and I don't need to carry my bike over the sand which really sucks. So I think today is going to be a rest day. As much as I wanted to take a day off the road was calling me and as I kept following the coast it didn't take me long to get to the very bottom of France. I just made it to Biarritz and everything looks so fancy here. Those mountains over there, that's Spain. We're almost there. As I said goodbye to the last few towns in France and its picturesque facades, I also said goodbye to the ocean as this would be my last time seeing it until I got to the Portuguese coast. So just like that I made it to Spain. I gotta be honest here, this was one of the strangest borders I've ever been to because there was not a single sign telling you you made it to Spain. I think it's because we are in the Basque country and for them this is all part of the same thing. They want to be independent so that's probably why they don't mention Spain nor France. But yeah, welcome to Spain. Just making sure we are following the right path and look at all this uphill. We are over here and we have to get here today. Oh god. The first few kilometers were filled with tunnels which really helped avoid the heat but the uphills eventually came and let me tell you it is not fun when your bike weighs over 40 kilos. But much like in life, at the end of every long climb there's usually a reward and even though the views were nice, the best part was finding this shelter at the very top of the mountain which felt like the perfect place to cook something for dinner. It reminded me that sometimes the best things in life come when we least expect them. This bike trip had its challenges but moments and places like these made it all worth it. And as if this was not enough, a few wild horses came by to say hello. Anyway, crossing the Pyrenees meant the uphills were gone for now and there was a whole new country to explore. The landscape had changed and it felt like a new chapter was beginning. As I kept following the road, I made it to Pamplona, a beautiful city in the north of Spain and the place where I would join the famous Camino de Santiago. So, I'm officially a pilgrim of the Camino de Santiago, at least for three or four days. While walking is a beautiful way to experience the Camino, I found that biking was the perfect way to fully appreciate the surroundings at a pace that was not too slow or too fast. It allowed me to see more of the countryside, visit more towns and cover more ground than I would have been able to on foot. And since I was following the Camino, I decided to stay at my first shelter, which was nice to mix it up a little bit. They also had some of the most generous payment policies I had ever seen in my life. Have a good life. Make a few friends. Tell me there's a reason upstairs. Tell me that you've been seeing what's going on down here. Because I get to feel inside. I miss my mom and dad. Why is it so hard to tell them that? When you get to a certain age, you miss what you could have had. Don't really want it back. Hope that you ride on track. 22 ends of chain. Do you see this? So I just got my first, not one, but two flat tires. It was totally my fault. I just passed over some spiky plants. I thought it would be okay. Clearly it was not. Luckily, I have two spare inner tubes, so we should be okay. Let's swap them. Look, these are the guys. Okay, both tubes are replaced. Hopefully there are no spikes left. Otherwise, I don't know what to do because I have no more spares. The next morning, I woke up next to this guy who just had the most interesting story. Can you show me your wallet? Can I what? Show me your wallet. My wallet. Here you go. That's my wallet. There's some money inside there. That's all you have right now? Yeah, that's all I have. How much? How much is that? Well, it's like probably 12 maximum, 12 euros. So it's not a lot. So this is Steve. Hi, everyone. Can you just tell me a little bit about your story and what you're doing? Well, basically, I started in Denmark, and I did Camino, Santiago, all the way from north. And now I'm going back, and then I'm going to walk to China. And I do it, no credit cards, no bank cards, no money. So I just get donations on the way, and I live as I go. So I don't worry about a lot of things. And you told me you suffered a lot from depression. Yeah, I did. You feel like you're past that? Yeah, with this travel, I feel like I'm less into the depression than I was before. So this travel really helps a lot. Because that's why I say sometimes when people are depressed, they want to be alone. They don't want to go out of the house. They don't want to talk to anyone. And that's what makes you more depressed. So this journey helps me a lot, because you're constantly on the way. You meet new people, and you get the feeling of life back. You want to do things, and then you want to create things. And you even want to make plans for the future again. Do you manage to eat every day? Not every day. It depends. Sometimes you get food maybe once in three days, once in two days. You have to go with the mentality. Don't think about what you eat. When you eat, and where you're going to sleep. You don't think about those things. After hearing about his story, I obviously had to make my own donation. And you can do it too. The link is in the description. It was so nice to meet you. Good luck with your journey. You too. All the best. All the best to you too. Bye bye. I do believe we don't cross paths by chance. And after meeting Steve and hearing about his journey, it was pretty clear why we had met. All of a sudden, I felt so grateful for having a bike that allowed me to move faster. For being able to eat whenever and whatever I want. And for all the comforts I still had, regardless of how simple my life on the road was. All right, the time has come. If I wanted to stay on the Camino, I would turn right. I want to go towards Portugal, following the Irovelo 1. So, I'll just go straight towards the south. So, goodbye Camino. It was a pleasure. We're just having our photo taken to remember Valadolid. Hey buddy. Good morning. I'm so tired. Oh my god, I don't want to cycle for another day. Waking up to this, it's just the best feeling ever. I just made it to a town called Tordesillas. The only thing I know about this town is that it was rare. The Portuguese and the Spanish, back in the days, signed a treaty between the two saying that half of the world belonged to the Portuguese and the other half belonged to the Spanish. Not greedy at all. But yeah, it was a long time ago. It's a pretty small village for such a big treaty. It's so hot right now. I'm just here in the shade with the bike. I've been here for three hours, I think. Just doing nothing. But it's still super hot. I think it's 38 degrees Celsius. I just want to get home. Eventually, I made it to Salamanca, which besides having the most beautiful cathedral, had the weirdest but also most efficient street cleaners. As the days went by, I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of nostalgia as the landscape began to resemble the rolling hills of my homeland. The sun-soaked fields and the clusters of olive trees that dotted the countryside brought back so many memories. But at the same time, there was a tinge of sadness as I realized this trip was slowly coming to an end. Soon, this adventure wouldn't be more than a memory. That's Portugal over there. The landscapes, the people and the food made the last few days of this trip very special. As I headed west through the valleys and mountains of the inland, I got to the famous road that spans across the country and connects the north to the south. I just found this by total accident. This is the house where the Portuguese dictator was born. By total accident. I kept on following the Mondego River with a few incidents here and there, but I was just too excited to be bothered by that. As fun as it might be to travel abroad and discover new places, there's nothing quite like the excitement of getting back home to what's familiar to us. And after following the river for a couple of days, I eventually made it back to the ocean, which felt so special after spending so many days cycling through the barren landscapes of Spain. So glad I came this way. And as I followed the Portuguese coast, I met Mohamed, with whom I shared the last few kilometers of this journey. As we headed south, we made it to the world-famous Nazaré to go see the biggest waves in the world. I think today is the flattest day of the year. There's not a single wave. What do you think of the biggest waves in the world? As the sun set on the final day of this journey, I looked back on the 38 days of unforgettable experiences and the incredible feeling of freedom that comes with traveling on two wheels. From the rolling hills of the English countryside to the rugged coastline of Portugal, I still can't really comprehend how I did it all by bike. I'll definitely miss the simple life of camping outside every day, cooking my own food, and relying solely on my legs to get anywhere. There's something really beautiful about having such a simple life. But perhaps the most memorable part of this trip has been the people I've met along the way. From the friendly locals who helped me find my way when I got lost to the fellow travelers who shared the road with me for a few days, they all reminded me that we are all part of something much bigger than ourselves. So as I say goodbye to this incredible adventure, I take with me a newfound appreciation for the world we live in and a sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving something truly extraordinary. This journey may have come to an end, but the memories and the lessons I have learned along the way will stay with me forever. And I'm truly grateful for that. Follow your memory and drown.