A Ribbon On A Map

We’ve been riding our bikes for years, making lines on a map. But what are maps but a collection of lines: contours, roads, tracks, trails and borders. We add our own line to the map in a somewhat random fashion.

I like to think of our line as a ribbon, tying together people, places, events and experiences. Some of them fleeting but others have stayed with us and have become part of our lives, inextricably tied to us with this ribbon.

We’ve just laid down a new ribbon in Romania, a country we haven’t travelled in before. For three weeks we’ve cycled 900 kilometres through only a small part of this country but we saw and experienced a lot.

We met many people along the way whose gregarious nature will stay with me. We struggled with the language but with a quick “buna ziua” and a smile (and the help of translation apps) we always managed to communicate.

We found great hospitality and always a good meal, no matter how small the town. There was always a store or a restaurant or a host who was more than happy to feed us.

It will all take some time to congeal in my mind as we are still on the move, pulling our ribbon across Serbia and figuring out which way to go.

I will remember the roof dormers staring out over cities and towns like watchful eyes.