Julianna and CJ's ~ Follow Your Bliss
PAST NEWS 2013
--- June 29th, 2013
Welcome Summer...or at least we hope!!!
Here in France, it's been very chilly at night, especially since we are camping. Sometimes warm and sunny during the day, but mostly cloudy with showers. It feels like autumn much more than these June summer days. We hope and trust that July will bring in the sun and higher temperatures.
We are pedaling and as of a few days ago, we have passed the 500km mark!
Today, we are setting route to Orleans, the city of Joan of Arc and are so
excited about taking a day to visit this older French town. On our journey thus
far up to this point, it is undescribable the beauty that we have seen so far.
We have taken our time to visit magnificent castles such as the Chateau Royale
de Chambord (right), glorious cathedrals, and so many small villages and towns
that have so much character and charm to them. It truly is and has been a
breathtaking and enriching trip on so many levels....and we've just started!!!!
We've got 7 more countries to come and we are only half way through the 1st
one, France!
We've enjoyed the city, castles, cathedrals of Saumur, Amboise, Chinon, Tours,
Langeais, Blois and so many others.... We are taking our time as there is so
much to explore. Many people along the route have told us that this is the
most beautiful part of the entire Eurovelo 6, so we are fully appreciating it and
enjoying!
Camping from town to town has been fun and we never know what adventures
will unfold from day to day. All has been working out great and all the camping spots have been good, some with wifi, most without but either way, we connect and update the website when we can. Food has been delicious, most of which we cook and prepare ourselves. Occasionally when we are too tired to cook, we splurge on a pizza, a patisserie (croissant, pain au chocolat) or even on some fries. For us anything we buy is sensational to our taste buds always.
As always, we think of you and hope that one of these days, you will join us on one of our adventures. Until then, we Love you and hope all is well with you.
May you be happy and may you all live well. Namaste ♥
--- June 11th, 2013
Hello and Bonjour from the city of Saumur deep in the Loire Valley in France.
In this beautiful rainy morning, we are writing this update lounging on our mats, in our cocoon like sleeping bags inside our tent where it is nice and cozy (our home for the next few months), connected to the camping's wifi, surrounded by the beautiful castle of Saumur overlooking the city. What a spectacular view this is, France in all its beauty surrounding us daily as we are riding deeper and deeper into the Loire Valley.
First and foremost, all is very well with us and we are doing fantastic. In the last 3 weeks we've started bicycling the Eurovelo 6 and what an adventure this has been so far.
We left Aix-Les-Bains and CJ's mother's little nest on May 23rd and boarded the train with the bikes and gear in the direction of Saint Nazaire. We had to stop and change trains in Paris, therefore we took the time and the opportunity to discover beautiful Paris together for three days!
Paris was lovely. From les Quais de la Seine, to Notre Dame Cathedral, to the Eiffel Tour, to the Arc de Triomphe, to the Champs-Élysées, to the Sacré Coeur....Paris had its charm going as usual, and never fails to please the hearts in Love. We had a lovely time, tasted the lovely Croque Monsieur et Croque Madame and went on our little merry way onto Saint Nazaire on May 26th.
We officially started cycling the Eurovelo 6 route on May 27th from Saint Nazaire / Saint Brevin Les Pins, the Atlantic Coast and we are now in Saumur along the Loire Valley. So far it has been a journey filled with adventure. Cycling from Saint-Nazaire to Orleans along the Loire Valley is the most famous and prestigious cycle tourist route in France. Two-thirds of the route covers a perimeter that is listed as a world heritage site by Unesco. This part of the ‘Cycle along the Loire’ trail is also the most royal section of the EuroVelo 6 route. The unbelievable number of Loire castles, each one more magnificent than the previous, and the flat land makes cycling particularly appropriate for visiting this region.
We have so far pedaled 250 km and it has been truly a magnificent journey. The Loire Valley is exquisite. As we are cycling with all of our gear, we are building our strength and stamina day by day. It has been a challenge at times to be as loaded as we are with our gear currently weighing over 50 lbs. per bike. As we are still 'training' and getting in shape, we are riding around 20 km a day and taking 2 days off at a time to explore castles and towns. Camping along the way has been so fun and cooking our own food is always delightful. Bread right now is our best friend, we love it!!! We never know what we are going to find around the corner but with the passion of our adventurous heart, it is always working out. Today, we are on our way to visit Saumur and its castle.
With Love to all, as always, we Love you!!!
--- August 5th, 2013
Guten Morgen!!! We are in Germany!!!
Wow, it has been over a month since we've updated the website and gave some news. So, first things first, we are doing great, all is well, we are now cycling through Germany and we've cycled over 1,700 km!!!!
We would like to update the website more often and keep up with it on a regularly but with all the cycling that we are doing and also due to the fact that the internet is not available at most campsites we are staying or it is overpriced, we find it hard to update it on a regular basis. But please know that we are taking lots of photos along the way and that one day, most of them will be up on this site for all of you to see and peruse!
So, yes, we have bicycled across France, onto Switzerland and across Switzerland onto Germany, and today, we are in Ulm, Germany enjoying a nice little hotel room, and yes, we are so excited to be sleeping in a bed tonight!!!! We are on over 70 days of camping, sleeping on Earth's lovely uneven hard ground, and a bed, an actual roof over our heads, electricity to charge all our stuff, and a couple hours of internet to catch up with you all is LOVELY!
What a beautiful Earth we roam upon! We are loving Germany and cycling along the Danube. Everyday, the scenery changes and we never know what we are going to find from one corner onto another, from one little village into another, from one field onto another, it is always ever changing and always the perfect place for us to be. After leaving France from Mulhouse, we went straight into Switzerland through Basel, cycled to Rheinfall (right) in Swiss and followed the Rhein River for awhile. For a couple days, we were cycling back and forth in between Switzerland and Germany, as the Rhein river serves as the border between the countries. All we had to do was to cycle over bridges to go to either Switzerland or Germany. That was a lot of fun! Here is a picture of us in Laufenburg, where the left side of the bank is Germany and the right side is Switzerland.
Then, we went onto following the Rhein onto Lake Constance into Germany and then, came into the source of the Danube in the town of Sigmarigen. Tomorrow, we are changing regions in Germany and from Ulm to Passau, we will be riding in the region of Bavaria.
We are so happy and excited to be continuing on this adventure and daily, we feel so blessed and thank our lucky stars for this fun filled journey through Europe!
With Love always , Namaste ♥
--- January 23rd 2013
Goodbye La France, et Bonjour India!!
Time flies they say, and it seems to be so true, especially when you are being, relaxing, enjoying life and taking your time! What a paradox! Our time in France has passed for now, and we've arrived in New Delhi this morning. We'll be here for the night and tomorrow, we are flying into Varanasi, then taking a bus into Allahabad!
Our internet access will be limited for the next couple of months while at the Kriya Yoga Research Institute, but we'll update the website with news and photos when we can.
Big Big thank you again to my Mom Roseline, for letting us be and so generously hosting and loving us in her humble apartment in France. We've had a fabulous time being, what a great start to our journey it has been so far!
Now, the adventure continues within India and her magical ways of transformation and expansion! The teaching of the day for us, let go and go with the flow. India always seems to have her own agenda.
Namaste ♥
--- March 9th 2013 -
At last, a new update!!!
Sorry, it took us so long to post an update, but the internet access in Allahabad was very limited and hard to get.
This week, we’ve set our sail from Allahabad (North India) to Puttarparthi (South India) and we are so excited to have done so!!! On March 4th, we’ve arrived at Sai Baba’s and after an intense month (40 days to be exact) in Allahabad delving deep into Kriya Yoga (6 hours of classes a day) and the Kumbh Mela, we are so so so so appreciating the quiet, the peace and the “luxury” of Swami’s ashram. Being at Sai Baba's utopia is soothing our souls and and an ultimate pleasure. Thank you Swami for all that you have ever created for all. Here, we are taking our time, singing bajans, resting and practicing our new found Kriya Yoga techniques. For I, CJ, Kriya Yoga is all I ever looked for and it is my path. Being one with all that is while in this physical body, is all I ever known to be possible and it has been a constant yearning for me in the past few years. Daily, I appreciate the communion that I experience with creator, all that is, this cosmic ever omnipresent expansion and presence. We are blessed to be on this pilgrimage and alive.
With Love for all and to all, all is well !!!!
--- August 20th, 2013
Hello lovely friends and family! We are in the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria!!!
We have been cycling incessantly, up to 65 km per day and have finally rolled into Vienna yesterday!!!
For cycle tourists, the itinerary from Passau, Germany in Bavaria to Vienna, Austria is the best-known and most popular section of the route along the Danube. The varied landscapes, the different aspects of the river, the rich cultural heritage of the towns, the vineyards around Wachau and the area’s fertile plains come together to provide a complete cycling experience
that attracts cycle tourists from all over the world. It has taken us 7 days from
Passau to Vienna. Every km and minute of the way has been filled with amazing
landscapes, charming towns and breathtaking views of mother nature. The Austrian
Danube is magnificent and we are enjoying the journey every moment of the way.
Today, we took a well deserved day off and ventured into the capital city of Vienna.
This city is full of art, culture and magestic imperial buildings. At every corner of
every street it seems that there is a picture awaiting to be taken, a museum
awaiting to be visited or a statue awaiting to be admired.
Tomorrow, we are cycling from one capital city into another and we will be setting
sail for Bratislava, Solvakia. We will be entering the 9th stage of the Eurovelo 6 and
our 5th country so far!
We are excited about this part of our journey as we embark deeper and deeper into
Eastern Europe. From Slovakia, we will be passing to Hungary and in about 8 days,
we are hoping to reach another capital city, Budapest.
As of today, we have travelled 2,453 km. Every day, we are joyful and so blessed for the life that we are living right now and we are clear that it takes something to be doing what we are doing. We are in deep gratitude to be living this adventure of a lifetime.
You are all in our thoughts, hearts and prayers as we travel from cathedral to cathedral, from country to country and offer prayers in every one of them.
With Love always, May all be happy!
--- February 1st 2013
Diving Deep
We’ve arrived in India Allahabad and holy mother of God :) what a life change!!! India is simply another realm all together. Nothing, can prepare you for her and her deep instantaneous expansion. She is to be taken as she is, in and out. We’ve delved deep into the Kriya Yoga meditation practices with 3 meditations a day, 6:30 am, 8:30 am and 14:30 pm guided by Guruji Shree Satyam. The meditations are held at both the Kriya Yoga ashram and Research Institute and the Kumbh Mela. Our 1st week has been extraordinary! The Kumbh Mela is high high high vibrations and impressive.
Sending you our Love!
--- April 27th, 2013 -
India...Thank you for your humility and beauty
Eurovelo 6...We're gearing up and getting ready to experience you in all your glory.
Bonjour lovely ones! Back in Aix-Les-Bains, France, preparing for our European exploring, bicycling adventure along the Eurovelo 6 route, beginning around May 20th. We are perusing all essential biking and camping gear and shopping for the completion of our possessions needed on the road. We are so ecstatic to be mostly camping along our journey and carrying all we need on our bikes and within our hearts. Check out our new gear updates on the "Our Gear" page. A nice new addition to our gear, a GPS - Garmin 62s to help navigate through our European adventure. Check it out...
India was amazing and awakening as always. She brings into awareness a deeper sense of who we are and sends us flowing down the eternal stream of endless love, joy and well being. We are so grateful for all of the sacred experiences mother India graciously provides and for the expansion she brings forth. We are hoping to stay for 6 months on the next trip we have planned for October.
Now, after being brought closer to who we are, we are
ready to start our next adventure, the Atlantic-Black Sea
EuroVelo 6 route. The EuroVelo 6 is one of the 14 bicycling
routes created by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF).
It runs from West to East Europe or vice versa. It aims at
running alongside three of the largest European rivers,
melting pots of European civilizations: the Loire, the Rhine
and the Danube. It therefore passes through 8 countries
in Europe including: France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria,
Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Romania.
Our plan is to be riding the entire length of the route,
starting in the lovely town of Saint-Nazaire on the French
Atlantic coast and ending in the beautiful town of Constanta bordering the Black Sea in Romania. We will be riding a total of 2,279 miles or 3,653 km. A long route and a fun journey lies ahead of us. We are therefore taking the next month or so preparing meticulously, all details of this extraordinary experience. Our Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycles will be loaded with all of our cycling equipment, camping equipment (stove, sleeping bags, mats, cooking utensils...), clothes and electronics. We will be camping most of the way and bicycling slowly but surely, giving ourselves 4 months to bicycle the whole route and enjoy ourselves and discover Europe along the way. We can't wait to be on the road and daily we are doing something to bring us closer to our departure day. We are so appreciative to be hosted once again in France by CJ's Mom and her husband Momo in the beautiful town of Aix-Les-Bains while fully aligning and preparing for this journey awaiting us.
We are so blessed to be living in this time space reality with all of the beauty that surrounds us and all that is available at our fingertips. Thank you all for your love, for being so brilliantly you and adding to the eternal consciousness of all that is.
Forever in love!
--- Sept 6th, 2013
Dear Loved Ones! We are still at it!!!
....and we are loving every moment of this crazy, amazing journey. We've enjoyed our time cycling through Hungary and one of the many highlights for us was its thermal baths. So exquisite and lovely was soaking in the hot mineral waters after days of riding and camping.
Now, we are in Serbia and have reached its lovely capital, Belgrade (Beograd). We are on our second night here exploring. We are enjoying the city immensely, as it has been a surprise to us on how cool this city is and a hidden jewel in south eastern Europe. It's definitely incomparable to Budapest or Vienna in terms of its level of tourism and commercialism but it's one of the oldest cities in Europe and full of charm. It still carries its true old nature and vibe to it as not much has been re-vamped and many buildings are standing tall in their original form. Its fortress is amazing and features a huge park within its walls where many locals come to relax with friends, lovers and dogs. Belgrade has a great bicycle path winding around the outskirts of the center that leads close to the main shopping street and many monuments. The vibe is very young, very happening, up and coming and full of hostels. It has been a delight for us to experience the city, its culture and people so full of spirit and liveliness.
We can see a difference in the ways of living, as we get deeper into Eastern Europe. Buildings around here seem more ran down, the train/bus systems more old fashion, the roads less taken care of and small to tiny villages are more abundant with less accommodations.
Tomorrow, we we will be on our way out of Belgrade and we have a couple of days left in Serbia before crossing into Romania. We will then make our way through the Danube rivers gorge and the Iron Gates, said to be one of the most dramatic and unforgettable views of the entire Eurovelo 6 route. The name Iron Gates refers not just to the hydro-electric power plant and dam built in between Serbia and Romania, but to the gorge through which the Danube crosses the Southern Carpathian Mountains. We are thrilled to be seeing this extraordinary natural and man made wonders!
We are now well over 3,000 kilometers. We have taken the time to lighten our load on both bicycles and have mailed our front panniers (bags) to CJ's mom in France. We are now riding only with our back panniers and we are able to ride faster and with more ease. As always, you are in our in our thoughts and hearts and we look forward to sharing in detail with all of you, our experiences and memories. We hope you are all well and chasing your dreams as life is short and precious!
With Love, JJ and CJ
--- August 27th, 2013
We are on our 6th country...Hungry!
We cycled into Budapest, Hungry's capital, yesterday, after a long day of riding, 88 km and the last 2 hours under the rain. We started in the small city of Esztergom, reached the Danube Bend, one of the most attractive section of the Danube, took a couple ferries to catch the roads with least amount of traffic on each side of the river, cycled through Szentendre center, little town full of shops and rode some more towards Budapest. The rain delayed us for a couple hours and made us arrive at night, which in turn was a gift. Arriving upon the city after dark as its monuments and bridges where lit up was simply magnificent and breath taking from afar and from close up as we moved into the center of the capital. We are now taking a couple days off to check out the city, rest, enjoy and rejuvenate. Then, back on the road and setting sail towards Belgrade, Serbia. With Love for all, you are in our hearts!
--- November 22nd, 2013
Happy Birthday Mom!!! ...and Happy Celebrations to our 1st year of living our dreams...
Today marks CJ's Mom's birthday, Happy Birthday Mom!!! Yeah, we are so exicted to have been able to celebrate Roseline's birthday for 2 years in a row in her company. Indeed, last year at that time we had just arrived in France as we had left Denver on November 15th and yes it's been a year since we've departed from Denver. Therefore, last week we celebrated our 1st year of traveling the world and living our dreams, how extraordinary and amazing, we are doing it!!!
Here is a quick look at our first year of living our dreams. Exciting!!! The first two months and 1/2, we spent some time in France with CJ's family and got the opportuntity to celebrate CJ's Mom's and sister's birthdays, Christmas, CJ's birthday, New Years, CJ's Dad's step Dad's birthdays all in France with CJ's family. WOW...what a start! Then, we travelled to India and attended the most intense and largest pilgrimmage on Earth, the Kumbh Mela for a month and 1/2, and while at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, we took classes from a Kriya Yoga Master and participated in Kriya Yoga training 8 hours a day the entire time. As the Kumbh Mela tappered down, we traveled South towards Bangalore and took some time to be in Sri Sathya Sai Baba's ashram in Puttaparthi for 1 month 1/2, our other home away from home. Then, we went back to France for a couple months and started to get ready for our bicycle tour of Europe from West to East via the Eurovelo 6 route. Once ready, we loaded the bikes and took the train to Paris, where we enjoyed a nice 3 days stay and visited the capital of Love and romance. We then went on to St Nazaire by train to start our bicycling tour and we officially started our tour on May 26th 2013 in St Nazaire on the French Atlantic coast. With no training whatsoever, off we went heading east, direction Romania and the Black Sea. It took us 3 months 1/2 to cross Europe, from France into Romania. We bicycled 3,677 km / 2,285 miles through 8 different countries, camping days in and days out!!! France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovekia, Hungry, Serbia and Romania we have now been and seen!!! We crossed France in 2 months and we pedaled through the Loire valley, the Burgundy river banks and Haute-Alsace. France was magnificent and enchanting, with its castles, its cathedrales, its medieval cities, full of charm, character and history. Then, we went on through Switzerland and Germany. There we loved cycling and camping along the Rhein and the Danube rivers and passing through the amazing Danube Gorge. We then bicycled through Austria, we loved visiting its capital Vienna. Then, we crossed into Slovekia Bratislava and then onto Hungary and Slovakia. We fell in Love with Budapest and loved Belgrade. In Romania we enjoyed the Iron Gates Park and we then came home to France until Now!!!
WOW....what a 1st year full of crazy adventures!!! Tonight, we celebrated CJ's Mom birthday once again and now, we are on to our next adventures, India!!! Tomorrow, we leave the coziness and warmth of CJ's Mom apartment in Aix-Les-Bains onto Geneva airport, ready for the next adventures!!! Julianna's flying to Denver for the holidays while CJ goes to India. We will unite in France in early 2014.
We are working on uploading all of our pictures of our amazing adventures here on the website, click here is to see us bicycling the Eurovelo 6 route through France.
More is to come
With Love to all always, we love you and thank you for your support!
CJ and Julianna
--- October 3rd, 2013
We are feeling victorious after bicycling 3,677 km / 2,285 miles through Europe!!!
Wow, what an amazing adventure this was!!! Two girls bicycling through Europe, camping from city to city, with no training and with now 3,677km / 2,285 miles under our belts!
We cycled from May 26th to September 15th, 2013 along the Eurovelo 6 route for nearly 4 months, from St. Nazaire in France all the way to Drobeta Turnu Severin in Romania. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to see and cycle through 8 different European countries - France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungry, Serbia and Romania - along 3 different rivers - the Loire, the Rhein and the Danube!!!
We are so happy and proud of our journey!!!
What an extraordinary time we had crossing Europe and now, we are happy to be in Aix-Les-Bains, France at CJ's Mom's, rejeuvenating, relaxing, appreciating having a real roof over our heads and an actual mattress. We are now also dedicating our time to updating the website and sifting through the thousands of photos we've taken. We will be posting the best pics on this site within the next 3 to 4 weeks on a brand new Eurovelo 6 page, country by country.
We are also working on a photo book for you all to look at and enjoy. This will take some time, but it is in the works and a definite goal!
Also, next is India for a few months, so just putting it out there, if you're feeling ultra adventurous, come and join CJ for some fun traveling abroad into the country of masters, meditation and faith! Julianna is flying back to Denver for the holidays to spend time with friends and family and frolic in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We will be reuniting in France soon thereafter to start preparing for our 2014 adventures.
Namaste and may you all follow your bliss ~:)
With Love, JJ and CJ
--- January 1st 2013
Happy New Year!!! May you be Happy!!!
Yes, the new year is here and we are so excited!!! We are wishing you and your heart an amazing
and beautiful new year 2013 full of Love, Joy, Fun, Peace, and Light! We wish you the realization
of your dreams, from the smallest ones to the biggest, unthinkable, unimaginable ones yet, may
they all realize into forms. It took us 5 years for us to think, imagine and manifest our dreams to
travel the world into this physical world, so may the spark of the Infinite Universal light within
your heart and mind be the thought form of these dreams!!! That is how creation at is finest
starts!!!!
We've been in France for over 1 and 1/2 months and wow, does the time fly! We are relaxing, loving life and each other, enjoying walking through lovely streets and villages, having so much fun riding our bicycles, exploring the towns of Aix-Les-Bains and Chambery, and the countryside, indulging in a plethora of delicious wines, cheeses, pastries, and succulent foods, and thanking our lucky stars for this experience.
We appreciate CJ's family, especially her Mom and her Mom's husband for their unconditional hospitality and kindness!!! Aussi un petit bonjour en francais a la marraine de CJ, Veronique. Merci de lire notre site marraine!!! De gros gros bisous!
Oh India, we will be there !!!
Our planes tickets are booked, from Geneva, Switzerland all the way to Allahabad, India. We will be leaving Geneva on January 22nd and getting to Allahabad on January 23rd. From there straight immersion into Kriya Yoga classes at the Kriya Yoga Research Institute and the Khumbh Mela, the biggest pilgrimage on EARTH.
It's been one of CJ's most intense precious dreams to go to India to learn and be taught Kriya Yoga by an Indian Master and this dream is about to realize!!! If you have not heard of Kriya Yoga, we encourage you to look it up, but in short, it is a Yogi Technique whereby the sensory tumult is stilled, permitting man to achieve an ever-increasing identity with cosmic consciousness ♥ in turns the name of our website All is One ♥ Also, while at the institute, the Khumbh Mela will be happening in Allahabad as well from January 14th to February 27th and we will be right there to participate and witness the 'sacred ceremony'. The Kumbh Mela is the biggest pilgrimage on Earth. Kumbh Mela is not just a mere festivity like Diwali and Holi, but holds lot of importance for people in India. People look up to Kumbh Mela with highest regard, as this event gives them a golden opportunity to liberate themselves from the miseries and sufferings of life. It enables them to take a holy dip in the sacred water of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati intersections, and wash away all the sins they have committed in the past. People come from different parts of the country to be a part of this sacred ceremony. The festival is visited by the most amazing saints from all across India.
We are so excited!!
