A homecoming via the Iron Curtain Trail

The Berlin Wall coming down is one of the most significant events in recent times. The Iron Curtain divided East and West when the world was on the brink of a nuclear war. Its fall marked the reunification of Germany, the end of the Cold War and return of freedom for millions.

For us it was the first time we could visit our family after almost two decades of exile. My journey through Europe, exploring Cold War sites and talking to witnesses of history is a tribute to my parents for escaping communist oppression in Poland 50 years ago. Their decision to leave everything and start anew in Canada allowed me to grow up in the free world.

Once a divide marking the limits of the free world, the former Iron Curtain is now a 10,550 km cycling trail along 20 countries from the Barents Sea in Norway to the Black Sea coast in northern Turkey. It is Michael Cramer, former member of the European Parliament, who mobilized all political groups to turn it into the longest cycling trail on the continent. An amazing voyage on two wheels through history, politics, culture and nature that got endorsements from such giants as Havel, Walesa and Gorbachev.

I started my journey from Geneva - 1,400 km from the Iron Curtain. Why? It is here that Reagan and Gorbachev first met for talks that marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Geneva was my obvious starting point.

For years I had wanted to ride the Grande Traversée du Jura with its hills and stunning views. This was the perfect occasion. I warmed up climbing the Col de la Combe Blanche for a postcard view of Geneva and the French Alps. The Jura was the most challenging part of the trip with over a thousand meters of climbing daily. It got so steep that I even had to push my bike once!

After descending on Basel, I continued to the source of the Danube in Donaueschingen. On the flats, the only obstacles were occasional face winds but overall EuroVelo 6 – Atlantic – Black Sea, through Germany and Austria to Vienna and Bratislava (Slovakia) was pleasant and easy. Great infrastructure, well-marked dedicated paths and breathtaking scenery guarantee a satisfying ride that is accessible to all. Still, I was happy to finally reach the Iron Curtain in Bratislava – a short-lived joy as I would soon hit my first hiccup…

My front wheel dynamo started squeaking to the point of annoying other cyclists. Unable to find a spare part, I had to concede and stop until my bike was fixed. I would have to wait some more before I could finally ride the Iron Curtain… still, filled with excitement, I was eager to visit another exotic location: Malta!

Why Malta? Even the Maltese were surprised to see me. Few remember the Cold War officially ended in Malta on 3 December 1989. The historic handshake between George Bush and Gorbachev took place aboard a ship in stormy waters in what became the “Seasick Summit”. The Maltese liked my “Cold War journey” so much that they wrote about it in the Times of Malta and I was also a guest on the evening news!

It is here that I mounted on an e-bike for the first time. With local riders as my guides, we went off the beaten path on challenging trails with steep climbs and technical terrain not suited for a gravel. Luckily, I got a bike from one of the great local bike shops.

Riding Malta is an experience… demanding - even with electric assistance - but rewarding with unmatched sceneries of cliffs falling into the ocean. Here you want to avoid the heavy traffic of the Valletta street labyrinth – no piece of cake for cyclists. It is when you get off the main roads onto trails that the real fun begins. Local knowledge is a must and preparation is key. Big thanks to my guides!

EuroVelo13 in the Baltic States and Poland

Warsaw, the Polish capital and my birthplace, is where I got my bike fixed. It became my base for a tour of the overlapping EuroVelo 13 and 10 in the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), a section of 1,300 km along the flat coast and through the wilderness of the Estonian islands (Hiiumma and Saremu) – a treat not to be missed!

I started in Tallin, the Estonian capital with visits of the Estonian Museum of History and the TV Tower – where famous protests against the communist regime took place.

When I told Yvo Lille, newly appointed director of the Vabamu Museum of Freedom about my ride to Berlin he said that in the Baltic States they celebrate the “Human Chain of Freedom”. On 23 August 1989, two million people joined hands over 690 km through the Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, in a peaceful demonstration against Soviet oppression.

Along EuroVelo 13 we see formidable differences in how the Cold War is remembered. In Poland, it is about the Gdansk Shipyard worker strikes and Lech Walesa. In Czechia and Slovakia it is Vaclav Havel and the Velvet Revolution. In Germany, the Fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. In the Baltics, the Human Chain of Freedom. It is this shared heritage, with its commonalities and differences that makes this trip so unique. EuroVelo 13 gives us access to this fascinating and enriching heritage.

I hope to ride the Russian enclave someday but for now it is not recommended, so I skipped this part and continued my journey from the city of freedom: Gdansk. I was delighted to meet and discuss world affairs with no other than Lech Walesa who was both intrigued and impressed by my journey.

From there, the scenic ride west along the seaside was easy and peaceful, often through parks and forests. I could smell the Baltic waters when the wind was blowing my way. Under the rain I stopped at the seaside town of Ustka, where touching the mermaid is supposed to bring you luck. Well… my rear shifter broke immediately after this magic encounter. I struggled for the next 20 km to Darlowo on one gear (not on the easy one) … this put an end to this part of my ride but did not dent my determination to continue. Yet, it is also thanks to the mermaid that in Darlowo I met Leszek and his wife. They hosted me at their hotel as I tried to sort out next steps. We would meet again a few weeks later in Berlin where they came to visit me for the Fall of the Wall celebrations!

A new bike for the last stretch to Berlin!

Until then I had been riding my gravel with a trailer which gave me plenty of space and that I greatly enjoyed. My local bike shop in Geneva suggested a more traditional bikepacking setup mounted on a brand new bike they had just received. I was off for my last stretch to Berlin from where I had left off a month earlier in Bratislava but this time on a new machine with wider tires and everything, I need directly on the bike – an new experience that I quickly adopted. After a day in the Slovak capital, I was on the trail again, riding the borders of Austria and Slovakia and then Austria and Czechia.

By pure coincidence, I was diverted from the trail when looking for a refuge from heavy rains which took me to a café in Kapice. There I met Petra, a teacher at a high school in Ceske Krumlov, a fantastic medieval town and tourist hotspot. She invited me to talk with her students about my adventures. I accepted, even if it diverted me from the trail. It was a great time with both the students and the teachers who treated me with lunch and a bottle of wine for the road!

When I started, Berlin was my objective and destination. The German capital was all I hoped it would be. And yet, somewhere along these kilometres I realised that riding is all about the journey. The unexpected experiences, fantastic encounters and new friendships that I made along the way. Hence, after Berlin, the show must go on! So what next?

I’m waiting for the return of warmer days to finish the North (Norway and Finland) and South (Hungary to Greece) sections of EuroVelo 13. Before then, I’m planning to add a new chapter in the #TearTheWallTour: riding the more temperate EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route from Avignon to Greece. Starting in Switzerland, taking EuroVelo 17 – Rhone Cycle Route to reach EuroVelo 8 in the city of the popes, Avignon (France) on my way to Athens. I plan to launch the tour at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne with a symbolic arrival at Olympia, the most celebrated sacred site in Ancient Greece and birthplace of the Olympic Games.. Stay tuned!

Written by Adam Koniuszewski (https://www.adambikepacking.com/), all images courtesy of the author