Track my Tour

Neat little app here: www.trackmytour.com/5944

Freedom is a bicycle (and having no idea if I am breaking the law)

My first day of proper touring! Remember when you were 14, and your bike was your independence? You could ride over to your friend's house, go to the movies, buy candy bars that your mother didn't approve of? Well, I am getting that same feeling now. My bike is freedom from being stuck on some bus schedule, or limited to only where a train stops. I can ride up many of the narrow streets that are prohibitive to cars, and take advantage of both the roads and the cycle routes.
Of course, I have no idea what the road signs say (I keep getting confused by the weird turning lights for cyclists...and the crazy flashing white bar that I think has something to do with the train?) But I haven't been arrested yet, or even sworn at by drivers, so I will take that as a good start.

Friday Night in Geneva (and adventures in typing on a french keyboard)

It is now Saturday the 25th here, and my lesson of the day is "take cues from everyone else". While Geneva is a VERY international city, and it seems english is spoken almost universally, French is the language of choice. I had the nice lady at the lost baggage couter teach me how to say "I do not speak french"....which is all I know how to say. But even just saying "bonjour" gets me far. People have been extremely friendly, and I àm doing my best not to look too garishly american.
Hence the taking cues from everyone else. Like yesterday when I ordered what was actually the only thing in the menu at the awesome little restaurant on a breakwall in Lake Geneva. Not that I knew it was the only thing on the menu until later....I was just copying what the guy before me had done. It struck me then that life is much more interesting when you allow yourself to follow the flow rather than attempting to dictate everything.
Oh, and my friday night? I had a beer with an Irishwoman who works in Saudi Arabia whom I met at the hostel.

Geneva at last!

Brief out of necessity. So I will just me and my bike made it and I am off to go check out the UN!

Welcome!

A hoy, Lianna Miller here. I'm taking off early tomorrow morning for Europe. I've got 56 days, a bicycle, and I've done approximately zero planning (doh!). I'll arrive in Geneva, Switzerland, and will either be making a beeline for Les Gets or Cortina D'Ampezzo to do some sweet trail riding. Want to see how all this lack of planning turns out? My goal is to post short and post often, so keep checking in!