Another bird awakening, but to a much sweeter song than a rooster’s crow. My tiny forest is alive at 6:00 and so I do not wait long to wake with it. Today, I am out on the road before 9:00!
Sweet biking day. Navigation couldn’t be easier as I power full steam ahead on the no. 55, direction: Szeged. Road signs show me that it’s going to be a many-kilometer day; I simply continue sweating buckets and drinking liters of tea, water and juice and do my best to accept the intense heat.
Have also finished, with that twinge of regret that every great tale brings upon its completion, the only audiobook I’ve ever listened to: the story of Greg Mortenson’s work building schools for impoverished children in northern Pakistan. It’s entitled “3 cups of tea”, and like a quality cup of tea I’ve been savouring this book during the past few weeks, only listening to small sections at a time while cycling. This I did as much to salvage the biking experience, since I find that the audiobook distracted me from my surroundings (I enter into my own bubble in which nothing else exists aside from the white line painted on the right side of the road and the lector’s voice), as for the book itself.
Mortenson’s story is absolutely inspirational, and I highly recommend this book, audio or otherwise. I believe it’s especially important in this day and age where it feels like Islam and the Middle East are, generally speaking, misunderstood.
Otherwise, I arrive tonight at my CouchSurfing host’s place in Szeged. Ramona is a language and philosophy major, a Canadian born to Hungarian parents who was sent to Hungary at the age of 7 to learn her native tongue properly, and has remained here ever since 
We are getting to know eachother, and she the whole CS experience in general since I am her first ever couchsurfer!
Kasia – your tea-drinking cyclist
Photos:
PHOTO 1: it took this poster to remind me that former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has Hungarian background.
What does his lastname mean, you ask? There are two possibilities:
a. Someone coming from the village of Sarkoz,
b. a path in the mud
… Make what you will of that tidbit of info…
PHOTO 2: one of the only bike repairs I’ve had to make the whole trip – the luggage rack came loose. Took me a total of 10 seconds to screw it tight again! Thank you Jose, from Recircula in Barcelona, most amazing bike mechanic ever, for building me such a solid bike!!
Jose Aroca Navarro, bike enthusiast and mechanic, works in Barcelona, Spain with an organization called 
Join me in this amazing cycling adventure to support literacy around the world!
