Hello!! Now that some months have passed since my return back home to germany I feel like sharing a proper post about my trip. Maybe some of you feel like reading it!
Last year I did my first big cycling trip to sweden and after returning back home I got totally hooked on the idea of doing something bigger. So it didn't take long for the idea of cycling to the atlas mountain range in morocco to form in my head. The time of the year seemed right and I was at a point of my life where I was financially and time wise able to afford commiting to such a journey.
I started my trip solo at the end of march in Germany. Back then the weather was still fairly cold but that was soon about to change as I got closer and closer to the south of europe. Cycling through france was an absolute blast. The infrastructure is just amazing although for my taste almost a bit to monotonous. But that was about to change. When I entered spain the roads definitely turned rougher. Planning the route I dreamed about cycling along the coast line. So I was really looking forward to doing that. Unfortunately I found it to be rather disappointing. The views were super amazing but I was really not too happy about passing through the bigger cities and the touristy areas. Please don't get me wrong, I really don't wanna be an asshole about it as I am completely aware that tourism plays a big role in the economy in spain but I felt like I didn't belong there. I found the cities to overwhelming and too loud. In the end I was happy to have made the experience though!
After around 3000 Km I finally reached Algeciras where I took the ferry to Tanger Med. On the ferry I met one of the nicest human beings I have ever encountered. We immediately got along and decided to cycle together for a few days. Those few days eventually turned into two weeks eventually 🙂
We rode through several big cities such as tetouan, chefchaouen, fes and some other with the goal to get into the atlas mountain range. We did a lot of elevation along the way. After a bit more than a week we made our way up to Oukmaiden. It felt so fantastic and liberating for me to have made it all the way from germany into the atlas mountains. Just a few days before I caught a cold which really sucked as it really started hitting on the long ass upill part. So on the next day we cycled to marrakech where I took two proper rest days for my body to get better. When I was finally able to cycle again we made our way to rabat where we decided to split off and finish our journey separately. Looking back I think that meeting this guy was the best part of cycling through morocco. I really enjoyed the landscapes and the unexpected diversity but on the other hand I felt also quite overwhelmed with the noise and the in my opinion lack of boundaries there. Having someone by your side when you feel overwhelmed is such a priceless thing. All in all I did a bit more than 1500 Km in morocco.
I returned back to europe. I didn't wanna cycle back home the same way so I decided to pass through portugal. Cycling through portugal was a massive joy for me! I enjoyed the eurovelo there a lot due to its rugged nature. As I left portugal and got back to spain a massive heat wave started hitting the south of europe… I loved almost every km on the way back through spain but the heat really was scorching. Back in france it finally started cooling off again. I was so happy to be back in france again, I just love being there. I had a lot of nice encounters there and in general I experienced people to be very kind! On the way back a sense of homesickness started accompanying me. It wasn't necessarily a sad feeling but more a deep appreciation of what I have at home and what makes it worth living there. So on the last few hundred kilometers my anticipation paired the still ongoing joy of being on the road. It all felt very emotional and intense after I then returned after 82 days of being on the road.
The gratitude I am once again feeling as I am writing this report is hard to put into words. I started this journey with the main goal of feeling as much and as intense as possible and I certainly did that. Besides that I met a bunch of amazing humans, had wonderful conversations and passed every challenge that was thrown at me 🙂
by Legitimate_Leek1752
2 Comments
Oh and a little addendum! Besides the photos I took I also shot a lot of video material which I turned into a little short film. I’m almost finished and so far I think it’s quite okay:) I think it’ll be released in a couple of weeks!
Awesome man! Did you only sleep in your tent or also in hotels?