Preparing For the Grapes

 These pictures were actually taken two weeks ago when we finally went into the basement and cleaned everything in there. As you can see there was a lot of stuff there including these massive wine demijohns which we were informed have a capacity of 50 litres.
Thankfully there was no sign of the rats who had been there previously but the smell down there wasn't the greatest. The mould on the walls was also not very good for the air down there.
Some of the wood had to be replaced as it was rotten.

Finding a wine press was a pleasing sight as we have all the tools now to prepare wine. It's been a good seasons for grapes as it's been very dry. There's just one more month until harvest time but some of the grapes are already ripe. Wine making is an art and my expectations are not so high for the first batch as I really don't know anything about how to make it but I am looking forward to trying it.

Danauradweg - Passau to Vienna

I was thinking about dividing this up into different sections but decided to condense four days into one post.

Day One

Early, early start. We (Yulia and I) had to get up at 3:30 in the morning to catch the train from Bratislava to Passau. Actually we had to catch four trains. We nearly missed the first one due to bad time management and our natural tendency to not give ourselves enough time. Every other connection went smoothly and we were in Passau, Germany.

The city is really nice with lots to admire in the hilly old city. The first thing we did was send postcard and I bought a pair of shoes, not biking ones and then it was time to bike. We were pretty tired after traveling for about six hours but we had a schedule to keep to to make it to Vienna on Sunday. The route started off pretty smoothly and having the Danube to our right was reassuring that we were on track. The route is well-signposted so there was no great fear of getting lost. Fortunately it also wasn't so hot at the beginning although that changed later on. There were quite a few other cyclists on the route but it was not overcrowded on this section. 

Only once did we have to cross the river, by ferry which was relaxing but quite short. Despite taking many breaks we were pretty exhausted in the evening and in need of cooling down. I got into the river quicker than expected in order to save the watermelon which had fallen off the bike into the Danube. Below you can see my joy at saving this precious, hydrating fruit. At night we camped next to a cornfield next to which was an ominous looking house. Yulia was convinced it was safe and that the house was abandoned but I wasn't so sure. For dinner we cooked cous cous, zuchini, beans, onions and peppers on our gas stove. Sleeping was tough as I felt so paranoid and once again every little sound at night increased the level of fear in my body. 

Day Two

The next morning I was happy to get moving before being caught by the owner of the land. We rode a bit before having breakfast at a wonderful lake area where there were free toilets and even a shower. These are precious facilities when you are camping wild. Our journey was pretty smooth and soon we were in Linz. It was hot even in the morning so a swim was necessary just outside the city. It was so refreshing as this was by far the hottest day. After falling asleep in a park in the city, we had a small beer and salad and moved on. Linz is a city of shops and parallel to it is the old part of the city which is much calmer and more attractive. 

In the evening we suddenly started getting attacked by horse flies. Yulia was especially tasty for them. It was time to find a place to stay. As you can see in the picture below, we found an idyllic spot to pitch our tent. It was a fantastic sheltered area next to the Danube but at nine o'clock the mosquitoes appeared and began their biting frenzy. The only safety was inside the tent.

Day Three

The mosquitoes were still around in the morning so we had to get out of the area quickly to avoid adding to our itchy bites. As it was cool we decided to get as many kilometres on our speedometer before the heat began to rise. We made it as far as the impressive town of Ybbs where they have a bike museum which we unfortunately didn't have time for. After breakfast we took the path to Melk and overtook a massive group of Italians before being overtaken in turn when we stopped for water. Melk has a massive Benedictine Abbey that has to be explored even though we had to climb a hill to do so. 

 After Melk we continued onwards and passed through many vineyards, and other orchards in the region of Wachau. We were just in time for apricots which were being sold or were still hanging on the trees. What was really nice was the small stall with apricots, apricot jam and nectar which was on sale with a little jar for honest people to put money into. As we are honest and we love apricots we bought a bag of them and some nectar.

In the evening we got pretty tired and this time we decided to camp on an official campsite in Krems. It was a wise move as there was a massive storm soon after we had pitched our tent. The wind raged and threatened to blow our tent away but thankfully it held firm and remained dry during the night. It was so nice to have a hot shower and enjoy the privileges of civilisation.

Day Four

Fresh from a reasonably good rest and wash, we set out on the last part of the trail. Sometimes the last section can be the toughest and in some ways this was true. It didn't help that I spotted a broken spoke on my back wheel and was scared that my wheel wouldn't be able to hold the weight of two panniers and a tent on it. 

Once again the route was perfectly picturesque with quaint Austrian towns and villages on the route. In Tulln we stopped for a rest and to look around the flea market in the centre of the city. Records tempted me but carrying them on the bike dissuaded me from buying anything. 

After a rest by the river we rode and rode. It seemed to take us an eternity to get to the end of our route. I was just waiting to see a sign 'Wien' but it never happened. We reached the city rather quietly without any fireworks or cheers and then had to navigate to the Hauptbanhof in order to take the train back to Bratislava. We cheated a little by taking a metro to the station but figured we'd earned a little bit of comfort. On the journey back all the aches and pains and bites seemed to accumulate but they couldn't match the feeling of satisfaction that we had completed what we had set out to do. The speedometer registered 389km, much more than the 320km we had anticipated. 

Harvest Time

Strawberries have come and gone but there's lots more to pick and gorge on.
Now is the time when fruits such as cherries, raspberries, currants are all ready to be picked. We also have two courgettes and I have to say that eating a barbecued one the other night was possibly one of the tastiest experiences of my life. I am really looking forward to harvesting tomatoes, peppers and grapes. The latter is going fine but we are both stressed about all the diseases we have been warned about. We are still using an ecological spray consisting of iodine, soap, milk and water. Fingers crossed ...

There's still lots of work to do especially as temperatures are now in the mid to late 30s. It's just so hard to do any work when it is so scorching hot. The shower in the picture below is a great way to cool down and what could be more natural than washing outdoors?

Watering is the main thing as the earth is extremely dry. We need some rain but not vicious storms. It's amazing how much more I focus on the weather now that plants are dependent on me and on nature.

A Follow Up On The Last Post / A Warning

After explaining my story to some people about being harassed while running, one of my students informed me that his wife spotted someone naked masturbating near a popular biking / running path in Bratislava. 

People beware. Next time I go there I am going to bring a phone and call the police if I see the guy again. It's a scary thought to imagine someone in the woods doing things like this. He has to be dealt with and I don't mean with violence but he needs help and obviously needs to be taken away from people until he gets this help.

For those who live in Bratislava it's the park near Most Apollo. It's beautiful park and I don't want to avoid it because of one sick person.

Groped - Weird, homosexual experience # 3

As the title says, this was another one of those weird experiences. The first came when an old, drunk Polish guy offered me a blowjob when all I wanted was to get to a campsite. The second came in a sauna in Georgia when an Israeli started rubbing my leg and asked if I was gay. When I replied no, he left.

The third in the series of strange encounters happened last week when I was out for a run. I'd chosen a forested area as it's a great spot for a run and far from the concrete and noise of the city. I was running along enjoying the greenery and the Danube to me left when I came across a youngish guy. I started him as he jumped when I ran towards him. He mumbled something that sounded like 'hello' so I responded and ran on. Then I heard some footsteps behind me. I ran a bit faster and the footsteps increased their tempo. I thought it must be another runner but when I slowed down I saw to my surprise that it was that strange guy. He mumbled something that sounded like 'so' and then touched me in an area that I didn't appreciate. I didn't know what 'so' was supposed to mean and didn't want to find out so I quickly ran this time, more out of fear and shock than anything leaving the groper behind.

Once I was sure he was far behind, I slowed down. Planning the way back was tricky as I'd no idea where he was. I decided to talk the bike path as there were more people there and it seemed the safer option. Once I got close to where one of the bridges was I saw a runner being dragged back by the groper. He was struggling to get his hands off him but finally succeeded in getting away. After seeing this I went back into the forest hoping that there were no other similar characters around. When it came to the point when I had to cross over the river, I looked around very carefully but didn't see him so I ran up the steps and onto the bridge. I was enjoying my run again when I looked over at the other side of the bridge and there he was. My biggest fear was that we'd meet again at the end of the bridge so I ran at a fast tempo and kept watch out of the corner of my eye for any fast movements on the other side of the bridge. Thankfully there were none and the rest of the journey home passed by without incident. I must say that it left me feeling a bit vulnerable to say the least. Beware of the groper.

The Good and the Bad

The Bad

Slugs are eating their way through lots of the things we have planted. They have eaten our pumpkins, courgettes and nearly all of our cucumbers. Desperate attempts to save one last pumpkin sadly failed despite going round at night and rounding up as many slugs as we could. Below is just one portion of snails just before they got boiled.

The Good

Flowers are blooming and it's strawberry season. I don't have a picture yet but there are so many strawberries that we are finding it hard to think of ways to eat them and preserve the ones we can't possibly eat. We are in the process of making jam and have been enjoying smoothies the last few days but there are so many there that we may have to just restrict our diet to strawberries for the next while. Radish has been picked, the salads are growing well and we have finally planted the tomatoes that we had been growing at home. The vineyard is proving to be a challenge. We have pruned the shoots and branches without grapes and are carefully monitoring them for diseases as this seems to be a big problem here. Fingers crossed.

Satisfying

The next update of life on the land, where life is never boring.

It's so satisfying to see some green coming up from the depths of the ground. All they needed was a little water and they have responded in turn.

The problem is with some areas of the land where the grass is too high. As I love old-school things, I decided to buy a scythe to cut the grass around the vines. After cycling all around the nearest town of Pezinok during which time I got a puncture, I was unsuccessful.
The next day, Saturday, I found one but the hardest part was mounting the scythe, at least I thought so anyway. After a lot of head scratching and some pointless hammering, we succeeded in fitting the blade onto the rest of the body.

The problem then became how to sharpen the blade. With a stone I spent ages going back and forth but it didn't seem to make a difference. A neighbour suggested hammering the blade to thin it out. we tried this but no joy. Now it seems that we will have to forget about being old-school and just buy a petrol garden trimmer. It's a shame but a lot of effort has yielded very little result and the grass is still high and growing. Next mission, find a garden trimmer.

Farm Update - Dealing With Pests

Digging in the soil can reveal some strange beings that you can't imagine living there. One such thing is a beetle grub. Not only does this pest eat at the roots of vegetables but it is also a pretty rancid looking thing in its larvae stage and not something I would like to see a lot of. It is known as the Cockchafer or May Bug (Melolontha melolontha) and has a four-year life cycle. It has only one month as an adult beetle. 

At the weekend, we found two of them, a couple apparently, one which was in the process of egesting whatever it had eaten. As you can see they are quite big and fat, juicy targets for birds and they explode when pressure is put on them by the sole of someone's shoe. This is exactly what happened to one of the ones we found but the other one got away. 

This was just part of the fun I had this weekend, the other involved weeding large areas of land to save the poor strawberries that were being strangled by these unwelcome invaders. If all goes well, our efforts will be rewarded soon and we can enjoy the tastier fruits of nature.

From Gardening to Farming

As a certified horticulturist I thought I knew something about how to make things grow but it turns out that beyond the basic requirements of watering, providing sun and keeping plants in reasonable conditions, I don't know so much.

It's been a long time since I studied Horticulture and there is very little I remember, however I didn't think that my skills were so lacking.

I have gathered some knowledge in recent times from helping out at a my friends' land and have learned to distinguish weeds from strawberries for one thing. Working on my girlfriend's grandparents' land has also helped but when you don't have the help of experienced people it's not so easy. My girlfriend, Yulia, has a lot of experience but there are questions that need answering when it comes to planning and preparation of certain crops.

Before all of that, we had to figure out how to obtain a piece of land to grow things on. With our limited funds we thought we would just ask as many people as we could and also search online with the unrealistic hope that someone had a piece of land that they would be willing to let us use for free or at least for a very low price. This was a very idealistic plan but it actually worked.



About 25 km from Bratislava we now have the place we envisaged for some time but never really thought was possible. It is a proper farm with a neighbour with hens. There is even a vineyard on it and we've been told that on a good year, the owner produced as much as 300 litres of wine.

There is a big patch of land and also a little cottage and basement. Absolutely perfect.


It does need some work and we've just started to realise how much of a commitment it is to plant and maintain such a large area. We've also had rat problems in the basement. These horrible creatures have made a mess of potatoes that were stored there and it seems that there are quite a few of them lurking in the depths of our cellar. Poison has been put there and we've found two dead bodies to date but suspect there will be more. The soil is also a bit stony in parts. We've been given lots of advice on how to take care of the grapes but most of them involve spraying them with chemicals which we are reluctant to use.

So far we've planted carrots, beans, onions, potatoes, radish and weeded a large area of strawberries. We've also lit a huge fire of old vine branches which probably put us first on our neighbours' hit lit with all the smoke that blew in their direction.

There's a lot to do but it's been enjoyable so far despite the aches I'm feeling in my back right now.

This Time Of The Year

I'm a big fan of spring and what has amazed me this year (I hope I don't jinx this) is how quickly temperatures have risen and how rapidly the days have become longer. By longer I mean brighter. It's a really quick change and daylight savings hasn't even kicked in yet.

What do I love about this time of the year? For me there is a sense of renewed optimism, and yes I am very influenced by the weather and by the light. The evenings have possibilities which winter hides away. There is the chance to bike after work, go for a walk and see what's around - basically the evenings have more life in them. I don't feel like I have to get home as quickly as possible and wrap myself up in blankets, secure in the knowledge that I'm protected from the harsh winter.

Life begins again, buds appear on trees and everything doesn't seem quite so grey anymore. The trees may have always been there but without leaves, they have been camouflaged, matching the grey buildings around.

Festivals begin. People want to be outdoors more often in the city instead of escaping to the mountains to ski or remaining indoors at every opportunity.

I can wear less clothing and feel more freedom. I can stretch my arms and not be bound my all the layers of items I am wearing to trap out the cold. My skin can breathe at last.

The biggest thing is the way the whole atmosphere in a city changes. People more visibly smile and seem to have more time for each other. We can see them drinking coffee, beer or whatever on the streets. We can join them or simple sit alone, read a book or people watch.

So this time of the year is a good one for me. I only hope I'm not writing this too soon.

Some Sunday Musings

The Pages

The pages are blank waiting to be destroyed, their innocence taken away. Right now, that’s only a thought, a distant idea that might or might not happen. It doesn’t really matter if it does or not. There’s no shame either way.

         This morning I woke up and had a number of powerful images in my mind from strange dreams during the night. I was living in an enormous house except that it was too big. The dimensions were so unrealistic that attempting to put it into words is a waste of time. That’s why I won’t write about it here. It will remain in my mind until it’s lost like all those other fleeting thoughts that get pushed out and replaced by the most current and engaging ideas.

         So why am I sitting in front of these blank pages? The answer to that is a mystery to me and I’d be grateful if you could enlighten me. Do I think I can produce something extraordinary which is better than anything ever written before? Do I? Of course I do but it’s not happening today and this is why I’ve chosen to write in this way than in that way.

         When I was a child I had a typewriter. Remember them? An error could not be corrected as easy as nowadays. It scarred the page. Typing was not as smooth as it is on this keyboard. Each letter punched the page and left a bruise on its white skin. It was very satisfying to see my work on a page rather than on a screen. It was something I could touch and smell. I didn’t like typing too much. It took a lot of energy to punch in these letters on the white page. Ink was more precious than it is now and the ribbon had a horrible tendency to become knotted in itself. There were some days when I spent more time trying to regulate this machine than actually getting it to perform my will.

         There is also handwriting of course. I keep my black journal at home. It’s not a moleskine unfortunately but a cheap imitation. Sometimes I think if I had a moleskine I’d write a lot more. Wishful thinking? Perhaps but it’s easier to make excuses than to take responsibility for the lack of output I produce on the lined pages in my notebook which is not a moleskine.

         Keeping a diary was always a good habit but reading back what I’d written was not an enjoyable experience. It was better to simply write what was on my mind and forget about it. It felt good to release these words onto the page and never look at them again. Occasionally I tore up the pages and threw them out into the bin. These were not words I wanted to share and besides who would even want to read them? They were confessions, outbursts of anger or frustration, records of the day and musings. They were not interesting. It was a form of therapy with a psychiatrist who was very good at listening but not so effective at giving advice. That didn’t matter though. What was important was that the words got out and didn’t remain inside where they did no good at all.

         Now where was I? Oh yes, the pages are in front of me again. I have thought about a whole range of prompts such as taking an object in the room and writing about it but I’ve done that too many times. Have you tried the one where you close your eyes, open a book on a random page, point at a word on the page and use that as your inspiration? It’s not bad but I’m not in the mood for that. There’s also the one where you think of a memory and recall it in your own words. Not a bad one that. It’s usually easier to write about what you know than you don’t. Another one I like is the one where you take a picture and use that as a prompt. It is a good one if you have a good imagination but today there’s not much going on in my mind. It’s having an off day and there’s not much I can do about that except stare at the page or just continue what I’m doing now. At least I’m writing something. I don’t have to share it or even save it. I can do what I want with it and no one need know about it. Now, that’s a very liberating thought, isn’t it?

Phone Etiquette

Why is it that some people are not aware of how to use phones in public situations? They don't put their phones on silent at the cinema, they talk loudly on public transport or prefer to communicate on their phone rather than with the person in front of them?

I often see the panic on people's faces to respond to their phone during a lesson even when I am waiting for an answer to a question I have just asked. It seems that we sometimes pay more attention to this little devices than to the people around us as if this type of 'human' contact is more important.

Another things that irritates the hell out of me is when people decide to share their taste in music in public spaces. Headphones? No? If the music was good I wouldn't mind so much but it's always the same type of Euro disco crap. I have often thought about counteracting this by blaring some Neil Young or some Simon and Garfunkle on a bus or train just to see the reaction.

The interesting thing is that mobile phones are still a relatively new piece of technology but can we spend time without them? How did we contact each other in the past? I guess it was more about planning in advance. Perhaps we were more punctual as we had no way to inform someone we were going to be late.

Of course, there are some people who don't use them. Once I heard about a manager of a language school who doesn't have a phone yet somehow she manages. Try going out without one for a day. It's a very liberating experience.

Three Christmases

This is the first time I have experienced three Christmases. One is usually enough but this season consisted of even more eating and drinking for me than in previous years.

On the 24th of December I celebrated a traditional Polish Christmas with dumplings ("pierogi"), vegetarian "bigos" (sour cabbage and mushrooms) and some wine. Perhaps the latter is not traditional but the cheesecake we had for dessert was.

On the 25th of December I had my Irish traditional Christmas meal minus the turkey and ham. This meant lots of potatoes (baked, mashed and also disguised in the form of croquettes), broccoli, carrots, roasted parsnips and best of all, stuffing. This was followed by pudding and other sweet treats.

After that, on January 6th it was time for the Ukrainian Christmas. This time I was more involved in the preparation of the food. I made dumplings stuffed with sour cabbage and potatoes ("varenyki"), cabbage leafs with buckwheat and mushroom filling ("holubtsi"), doughnuts with rose and poppy seed filling ("pampuszky") and a dessert called "kutia" which consists of poppy seeds, nuts and raisins. There was also beetroot soup ("borsch") and sour cabbage salad with beans all washed down with cognac and vodka. Fish is eaten on the 6th while meat is eaten on the 7th of January.

There are many differences between these different traditional meals. In Ireland we have a candle at the window to welcome in strangers while in Poland there is an empty space at the table reserved for a possible guest. In Ukraine bread is placed on the table as well as a candle which is a reminder of the star of Bethlehem. There were also four cloves of garlic placed at the corners of the table. In Ireland we pull crackers which doesn't happen in Poland or Ukraine. However, in these countries carol singing at dinner is common while in Ireland, it is not.

There are many more differences depending on the region of each country but this year has certainly been full of interesting opportunities to compare and contrast different traditions as well as eating and drinking more than my fair share.

Nanowrimo Winner

It's all over. I have finally managed to reach the target of 50,000 words. I am writing about this not to bask in the glory of this achievement (well perhaps a little) but to highlight what a good idea having a target is for a writer. Feeling a part of an online community is something that does help to motivate. It's also amazing how many words can accumulate when you work steadily on an idea.

It wasn't easy. There were many days when I sat in front of my computer and started falling asleep but had to wake myself up in order to complete the daily target which was around 1,600 words. For most of this month I played catch up as there were two days when I wrote nothing. Last night I felt a little possessed by some sort of writing demon and wrote ferociously until I finished it.

Now, I feel like more hours have been added to my day. A big weight has been taken off me and I no longer have to write to keep guilty thoughts at bay. The editing is next and the ironic thing is that this will involve reducing what I have written. Redundant sections will be chopped, language will be strictly scrutinised and deleted if deemed unnecessary.

The hardest part is then knowing what to do with this finished work. Do I send it to publishers, self-publish, post it here or do nothing? Writers have it harder than musicians in many ways as they have to find a way to share their work and of course it takes more effort and willingness on behalf of potential readers than listeners. If anyone has any ideas on this matter, please comment or write to me. I am thinking of taking a DIY approach but am not sure yet just how that will look.

Nanowrimo - Nearing The End

My head is sore today from writing or perhaps the change in weather which is slowly breaking down my immune system. The good news is that I have fulfilled my quota of words but the bad news is that if I keep going at this rate, I will finish on December 2nd.

I'm at 32,2116 words which I think is not bad at all and I still have some ideas to help me stretch out my story. That's the funny thing about my current writing. When I finish the 50,000 quote required to be a Nanowrimo winner, my first task will be to go back over my story again and begin the editing process where I will probably delete a good chunk of the work which took a great deal of effort to create.

I am enjoying being under pressure to write and sometimes I wonder if I could maintain this every day. The most satisfying thing is how quickly words build up when you maintain a regular writing practice. Doing this would be tough but think of all I would write. I guess this is what full-time writers do. They have their times for writing every day and their times for resting like any other job.

First things first, only another ten days to go and a little less than 18,000 words to write.

From Bratislava to Vienna

It's been a while since I have taken my steel horse and gone on a journey of any considerable distance which is why last weekend's trip to Vienna was particularly enjoyable but a bit painful. It was a very foggy day, but at least it was calm with no rain.
The logic behind just wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and a fleece was that I would sweat less. It kind of worked but it meant that when I stopped, I really felt the cold. I'm not used to cycling in such low temperatures and perhaps I was wishfully thinking that it's still summer.

 The hardest part was getting out of Bratislava but once I found the bike route, it was pretty easy to follow. Crossing the border which is so close to Bratislava was a thrill as I imagined how difficult it once used to be to enter into either country. Some of the small towns in Austria along the route are really quite nice and it would have been easy to stop there for a while if I'd had a bit more time.

Hainburg an der Donau is particulary interesting mainly because of the castle perched on a hill. You can't really see it in the picture below because of the thick fog but it's a destination I would like to return to when I have more time.

I think the hardest part mentally was the road through the Donau-Auen National Park. There was a bike path all the way but the fact that it was straight with no interesting curves or turns made it challenging. This is the reason why I ditched this path and went back onto main roads. I was in need of changes in scenery and some twists and turns. Of course I got a bit lost but with the help of some locals I soon got back on track.

My sugar levels dropped radically just before reaching Vienna and I had to binge on some chocolate to get me the rest of the way there. As expected, it took a long time to get from the edge of the city into the centre but it was a pleasant ride with bike paths most of the way. Vienna has an impressive biking infrastructure which I really enjoyed using. Unfortunately Bratislava has a far inferior system but here's hoping that this will change.

To come back I took the train as I was exhausted at the end, satisfied but tired. It's definitely possible to do a return trip in one day but it really would take a lot more energy and a higher fitness level than I currently have to do it.

Next up, (perhaps in the spring) is Budapest once again.