We're back!

Jeff and I returned from the Great Cycling Adventure last night. I managed to stay up until 10 pm last night (Eastern Europe time of 7 am), but still couldn't stay in bed past 3:30 this morning. I was smart, however, and took today off, so I might manage to fit a nap into my busy schedule (which consists of lying in the sun, gardening, reading, watching DVD's, and catching up on my email / internet browsing).

The trip was fantastic; once again, I'll highly recommend REI Adventures for anyone who wants a well-planned, active vacation. We're going to try to set up a page with photos and more detailed notes (this weekend maybe?) on Jeff's site, but here are a few of my takeaways:

- I must return to Budapest (pronounce Budapesht) and spend some serious time there
- I'm a better cyclist than I thought, especially on hills
- I can ride a bike all day, almost every day, and still gain a few pounds if I drink enough beer and eat enough (ice cream, bread, cheese, pork stew, cookies, dumplings....)
- I can get a couple litres of very good beer in Czech for what a pint costs at home
- A 4 hour layover is enough time to visit Copenhagen
- German will get you much farther in Hungary than English will
- I'm a road cyclist, not an off-road rider (at least not when I'm still getting used to clip-in pedals)
- 60 km = 37 miles
- 37 degrees C = 99 F
- People from Colorado and the SW cry at the slightest bit of humidity (I thought Jeff was the only one)
- Sometimes, reapplying sunscreen every three hours is not enough
- People who take REI vacations are very cool
- You can watch a lot of movies on a 10+ hour flight