Portugal - Last Chapter

SHITTY BEGINNINGS

After taking almost 2 months off I was concerned with how my body would react to being back on the road. The constant rain surely cooled down my enthusiasm and made me question the idea of the trip. It was my BIG come back and I just wasn’t feeling it. Friends and family would forward pictures of snow and enviously ask about the weather in Portugal, meanwhile, I would be pouring water out of my shoes… I had to bring myself back to the idea of staying with strangers, cycling for long hours, sustaining the tough weather conditions, and being in new places on a daily basis.

BIRTHDAY ON THE ROAD

Then on February 4th, I turned 30! The day was spent in beautiful nature, accompanied by great conversations and even greater food. I was humbled to receive so many beautiful messages showing me Love, however, the next day I hit low… The energy came down, the weather was shitty, and instead of feeling motivated, I’d get teary eyes reading all the positive comments and messages I’ve gotten the day before. 

FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY 

But this is what happens whenever things go south. At first, you may feel terrible, and then the darkness passes. The Sun always hides behind the clouds, whether we choose to acknowledge that, or not. 

Soon enough, I met new people, had great conversations, and started to see things differently. A few days later the Sun came back, and I was back to normal. Inspiration returned. And so, once again I was reminded of why I’m doing what I’m doing- this journey is all about improving myself-  as an artist, as a human being, and as a source of spiritual energy. Everything that happens is a lesson, and these are the lessons from the past two weeks. 

LOSING THE DRONE

Have you ever ignored the low battery on your drone while flying it over the wetlands, just so that you can run for your life to save it and faceplant yourself in the mud twice when it decides to pull the emergency landing on you? Sounds like something Ola would do… :)

Thankfully the drone was salvaged and the pictures were absolutely worth the unnerving experience! 

GARBAGE GIRL

One thing about cycling is that you have the time to take in the landscape. Whereas most of the time the scenery is simply breathtaking, there are moments where your heart starts to ache because you see how disrespectful people get towards Nature. The amount of garbage that I see on the side of the roads has troubled me from day one of the trip. So I finally decided to do something about it and started to pick it up. I created a hashtag on Instagram #europecleanup & #garbagegirl in the hope to encourage people to take action against the problem. Even though cleaning the plastic isn’t going to make it disappear from the face of the Earth, it creates a sense of responsibility and ownership that will allow us to take care of our Planet. Maybe next time you see some trash, you can also pick it up? 

KILOMETRY DLA OLECZKA

Over the past week I’ve noticed an ongoing series of posts with a hashtag #kilometrydlaoleczka #OSiRdlaOleczka and got interested in the story of a little boy who’s suffering from SMA (spinal muscle atrophy). People who are trying to help, organized a fundraising to get money for the treatment. The idea is that for every kilometer you cover, make it walking, biking, running, swimming- a sponsor donates 0.5 zł

It is a great way to get people moving and have them help a cause. If you wish to support Olek, click HERE

IT’S SPRING HERE!

For the first time in my Life I am spending  winter in a country that doesn’t experience severe weather conditions. The idea of not going through months of misery and cold is extremely refreshing. Just take a look at those pictures.  

THEY TOLD ME ‘YOU CAN’T’

On the morning of February 11th, I tried to get over to Spain through Vila Real de Santo António. The police officer sent me away, saying it was not possible to cross on the bike. I looked him in the eye, smiled, and replied: Nothing is impossible.

And so my plans had to readjust. All of the sudden I was left without a place to stay, with little if no chances of finding a place for the night, and absolutely no guarantee that I will be able to get to Spain. 

I biked  over 100 kilometers to the north, along the Guadiana river, hoping for the best.  

A PLACE FOR THE NIGHT 

The landscape around the border is empty, with barely any houses around, and surely more goats, cows and sheep than people!  As I was biking along the road, I saw a broken wall of somebody’s property and knew right away that it was my opportunity. I figured it was too late for anyone to come and check on the land so I took the bags off, threw the bike over the wall, and got in. 

CROSSING THE BORDER

The last day in Portugal was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was high, the landscape breathtaking, I took my time and flew the drone in the most beautiful areas, having a difficult time believing that I was surrounded by such a dreamy landscape. 

These past two weeks, I had to make risky decisions and go against the seemingly impossible. I broke many rules and pushed my body to the limits, but the intuition was guiding me along the way and I never question it.

On February 12th I arrived in Huelva, Spain. Now, I will be making my way towards Barcelona.

This is my trip progress so far.