Farewell European Phantom Trekkers!

It has been a fantastic 28 days for our European Trekkers.  And today, the Trek returned to London's Heathrow airport to bid farewell to out well traveled Trekkers.  From castles to beaches, city streets and quiet pastures the Trekkers have toured England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium in two wheeled style.  We wish all of the Trekkers the best as they safely Travel to the countries of Canada, Germany and the USA.

London

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England

Normandy region, France

Rouen, France

Paris

Bruges, NL

Ghent, Belgium

Ghent,Belgium

Amsterdam

Rural Holland

Rural England

Along the River Cam, England

European Phantom 2013

Oh, the places you've gone!  Teen Treks hopes the rest of your summer is as exciting as the past five weeks.  Bon voyage, merci and cheers!

European Phantom's Weekend in Cambridge and London

Kings College, Cambridge

A weekend recap from Taylor (Leader):

The European Phantom trekkers are in London! After three great cycling days through England, the group has arrived at its final destination.

After getting off our ferry from the Netherlands to England on Wednesday, we biked the 30 miles from Harwich to Sudbury before lunch, arriving earlier than planned. We passed a bowling alley on the way into town and the group enthusiastically decided to stop and bowl a few games. (Jordan and Sean were the winners. Their prize was a jacket potato.) That night at our campsite we had a tasty soup-and-salad dinner and then played a few rounds of cards before bed. The next morning we woke up to our first rain of the trip, which fortunately stopped by the time we'd finished breakfast. The day turned hot and sunny as we rode to Cambridge. We arrived late afternoon, settled in to our hotel, then cooked burgers in a nearby park. 

Friday was dedicated to exploring Cambridge. After an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the hotel, we went downtown to walk the winding, narrow streets and see the beautiful old stone buildings of the 31 colleges that make up Cambridge University. We stopped into the gorgeous King's College Chapel, built in the 15th Century. Next to the chapel itself was an exhibit on its construction, showing the mathematics behind its vaulted ceilings and the process of making stained glass windows. Pretty incredible. From there, we had a picnic lunch, and headed to the river to check out the local past-time: punting. (Punting is a style of boating in which a person stands at the back of a low 12-passenger boat and pushes the boat down a shallow canal with a long stick.) After laughing at the other tourists struggling to move their punting boats, we opted for a guided punting tour of the city. Unfortunately, just as we were leaving the docks, our guide dropped his punting stick and hit leader Kate on the head. We had to stop the tour to get Kate checked out, but fortunately she was OK (though it sure looked like it hurt). After our punting misadventure, we went to a play of Cymbeline at the Downing College Gardens, part of the annual outdoor summer Shakespeare Festival. The show was really entertaining and well-done.

In front of Trinity College

Punting guides and novices along the River Cam

This morning we biked about 20 miles toward London, before stopping for lunch and catching a train the rest of the way into the city. When we arrived, a friendly cyclist helped us find our hostel in the drizzle, riding through traffic on bike/bus lanes shared with iconic red double-decker buses. Tonight we took advantage of the hostel's kitchen and cooked ourselves a hearty pesto pasta. And now we're getting ready to hit the streets tomorrow, as we conclude our trip with two days of London site-seeing.

European Phantom Taking Ferry from the Netherlands to England

The European Phantom Trekkers are on board for a night at sea as they float over to the rural town of Harwich, England. The group has spent the last few days cycling and going to the Dutch's variety of museums:windmills, houses, galleries-they've sampled it all!  Today the group explored Den Hague and took a short ride to the ferry port in Hook van Holland.

Tiny Trekkers next to the windmill

On the grain scale inside the windmill

Den Hague mixes modern and traditional Dutch life well, and is seen as a welcoming place to live

The Het Binnenhof functions as the central government building

The MC Escher Museum

Today the group enjoyed the M.C. Escher Museum located in the very modern city of Den Haag (also functions as the city of Dutch government), and after an overload of the graphic designer's work, they grabbed some frozen yogurt-still somewhat of a new treat to the Dutch compared to its popularity in North America.

Summer in Den Hague

Catching some early zzz's on a canal boat.

So, what does the group think of the Netherlands?  They have enjoyed the vast diversity of the country-everyone adored Amsterdam although they conclude that the rest of the country has a different personality (in a good way).  The Dutch have offered them more culture and history than anticipated, and when combined with the good eats and endless bike paths, it has been a great visit.  Still undecided if it beats the groups' beloved Belgium...

Farewell to Holland (this is as serious as this bunch of goof balls get)!

The Trekkers are pooped from all of the sightseeing and looking forward to spending time without lines and tourist crowds.  The group will get just that for the next few days as they bike through the villages, farms and estates of Essex and Cambridgeshire, with a stop to visit the picturesque town of Cambridge. 

Harwich, located in the coastal county of Essex and used as a port for cruise ships, ferries and fisherman.

Trekkers are looking forward to thatched roofs, rolling farm land and sheep for the next few days

European Phantom Leaves Portsmouth and Arrives in France

The Europan Phantom Trekkers are saying goodbye to England for a while, and spent last night on a ferry to France!

Here's what one of the Leaders, Taylor has to say:
"After six days in England, the European Phantom crew is on its way to France. Our last few days in England have been great. As we headed out of Salisbury on Sunday, we stopped to tour its 14th century cathedral. So beautiful! (And built without any electrical machines! Amazing!)

Salisbury Cathedral

Later that afternoon we rode along winding wooded back roads toward South Hampton until we arrived at a nice campground. The next day, after a good night's sleep and a delicious curry cooked on our camp stove, we rode along the coast toward Portsmouth, stopping for a picnic lunch on the beach and an afternoon swim. We arrived in our destination just in time to check out the the old ships in the city's historic dockyard, then had a tasty dinner out at a pub before riding over to the ferry terminal. England has been a blast, and we're all very excited for the next leg of our trip in France."

The HMS Victory at Portsmouth's Naval Park

Portsmouth

Portsmouth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group floated the night away and arrived in Le Havre, France, located in the Haute-Normandy region of the country.

Le Havre

 Off to mainland Europe! Au revoir!

European Phantom Bikes to Salisbury and Stonehenge by Jordan

At Salisbury Cathedral

Hey! I'm writing this from a hostel in Salisbury.
Everyone is tired after a fun day of biking and Stonehenge.
Let me start from the beginning.
Pre- trip I was worried about the intense physical exertion that comes with a full day of cycling.
What I have learned four days in is that biking is REALLY tough. I consider myself a pretty solid athlete, but I have never been so sore and exhausted in my life. Despite the fatigue (which I know will go away with more practice), I am really enjoying the trip. Beautiful sights, beautiful people (Oscar), and very responsible counselors. I have never eaten so well in my life and the other kids are nice and just as driven to bike as me.
Shoutouts to New York- Mom, Dad, Hailey, and Jess, hope everyone is keeping it real in Emont. Ill be back home soon jacked, self-reliant, and with a full beard.

- Jordan

European Phantom Starts in England!

This morning the European Phantom Leaders, Kate and Taylor, met the Trekkers at London's Heathrow Airport.  Pick-up was  success, and after building bikes and munching on some lunch, the group started the short ride to Windsor Castle, one of the Royal Family's homes.  Afterwards, the group ate dinner at a pub and got their grub on! 

Trekker shot!

Airport bike assembly

Taylor (Leader) and the Trekkers have a bite at the airport

Day 1's destination-Windor Castle!

Tonight the group will be staying in a hotel in the town of Slough, and will move to the town of Basingstoke tomorrow. 

That's all for now! Cheers from England!