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This is a pretty special month, not only is April 30 Days Of Biking, but it's also National Poetry Month! A beautiful combination and a lovely way to share with you some exciting news! Over the last few years I've been working hard on creating something special, something I hope will inspire you to travel deeper into your inner world and follow your heart. Yesterday I cycled my 40th heart route in Barcelona to share with you my big news... I've written a book! I'm so excited to finally be able to tell you, I'd love to invite you to join my mailing list below so I can keep you up to date with it's release date! For the whole of April I'll also be cycling my heart out in Barcelona and sharing poems along the way, two of my favourite things all rolled into one! So if you also love bikes and poetry, why don’t you join in with me? Cycle Your hearts out and I'll speak to you soon, Healed You were unplanned You kissed my open wounds Route by route You pieced me back together Pedal by pedal You kept me breathing You kept me riding Year after year Continuing to share through the pain Continuing to share despite the pain And in the end An open book because of it all
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The Fly It took six years and twenty-five heart routes to realise it Sure, it would've been nice if it had occurred overnight But it didn’t And maybe it wasn’t meant to Maybe each heartful route was a lesson to learn A blessing in disguise Maybe each one was a chapter to be told In a story that was unknowingly writing itself Maybe that alluring spider’s web Was meant to catch me Maybe I was meant to fight my way through To come out the other side As that grateful little fly All week leading up to Amsterdam I had been reading Elizabeth Gilbert's book ‘Big Magic’. Having been on my reading list for ages, it more or less jumped off the bookshelf into my hands at the Airport. The more I read, the more it made me realise I write because I freaking love it. I understand not everyone will enjoy reading what I have to say, but that's OK too. I'd rather write for the rest of my life than live in a criticism-free bubble. My favourite part was when she wrote about how we should have more fun with our creativity. For many years I would stress myself silly about writing up my heart routes, I would try and force myself to write, even if I didn't have a creative cell in my body that day. I would then get burnt out, lose my words, conclude I was a terrible writer and keep it only for myself. I now whisk myself off to romantic locations on my own to allow myself no time limit, just the sheer luxury of being able to write, zero interruptions, other than my wine and olives arriving. So why Amsterdam?
One of the top cities to cycle in, and it took me until now to get round to it. In 2015 it was my 1st trip to Holland, and was where I created my heart route in the tiny coastal town of Westkapelle. That was just a small taste I discovered of how much the Dutch love cycling, and how super flat this country really is. Having returned to Holland for the 2nd time to spend time with family at the beautiful beach Callantsoog, I managed to arrange a 1 night stay in Amsterdam on my way back to Barcelona. As I left Callanstoog I smiled to myself after having spent the last 2 weeks with family and friends. As we live all spread out all around the world, I’m always so grateful for any time I can spend with them. Bike rental: On the train ride to Amsterdam I looked up bike rental and straight away found MacBike. Conveniently located just off the canal, a short walking distance from the famous Rijksmuseum museum and my hostel. I hired my beautiful red bike and was given a detailed map of the city. The girl in the shop was really helpful in telling me all the best canal and paths to ride, as well as nice spots to relax and enjoy the open markets and cafe scene. The Heartful Route Rolling down the canal I loved that I had no expectations, I really hadn't researched Amsterdam as I’d wanted to be surprised by it all. I think along the route I developed an addiction for canals, each one I passed I couldn’t stop myself from stopping and taking a quick photo. Having been up since 6 am my stomach started to protest at being neglected. A few metres away I found a inviting canal boat, a perfect spot for filling my stomach on some Dutch cuisine. I sat and ate as dozens of touristic boats passed, I felt a little bit like a lion in a safari park as they whipped out their cameras ready to capture the beautiful picturesque canals, with myself modelling a mouthful of food. As I sipped on my cappuccino I took out my map again to figure out my heart route, I then slowly realised it had created itself organically. The more I studied my map and all the canals, the more a heart shape emerged. The best thing was that is was mostly made up of canal paths, the closer to water the better I thought! I was about to jump back on my bike when I looked across the road and saw the Cheese Museum, I remembered a fellow cheese fanatic friend of mine had mentioned it to me last year. My taste buds melted as my eyes feasted on all the different flavours... truffles, pesto, a rainbow of colours from blue, purple and even green! After trying nearly every cheese sample in sight, I then realised a belly full of breakfast, combined with with multiple flavours of cheese was probably not the best breakfast combination. As I wandered along the canals to walk off my satisfied stomach I came across a large group of people all staring up at a house, curious to know what it was I then saw a small sign, “Anne Frank Huis”. Memories came flooding back to me as a child, reading the book in my bedroom, wiping away the tears. In that moment I immediately dedicated a piece of my heart route to Anne. After gliding along the scenic streets and canals of Prinsengracht Joordan I noticed how quickly the vibe changed. Arriving at the centre of my heart route, I had also reached the HEART of Amsterdam. I came face to face with the grim reaper at the Dam Square Royal palace, dead bodies at The Body Worlds museum. Cycling through the craziness of it all, one thing remained the same, it was still full of bike lanes, and easy to ride through despite the masses of tourists. I looked at my map, and noticed I needed to head towards the canal in order to start the other half of my heart route. As I stopped at a canal after the Dam Square to check where I was I noticed a bicycle taxi on the look-out for clients. He must know every single path in Amsterdam I thought, so decided to ask him for some directions. He happily pointed me in the right direction so I could find the canal, and continue the rest of my heart route. Before I knew it, the lines had joined again, heartful route 25, complete! After waking up so early and cycling the whole city until 8pm I was on the verge of passing out in hunger and exhaustion. Thank you Lorenzo restaurant... I didn't get the waiter's name, but I'm grateful for his kindness. I'm surprised I could even get my words out, I just mumbled something along the lines of, "I'm hungry". Not only did he give me a generous size portion of tasty pasta , he cracked some jokes, then took my bike basket off the table to make my meal feel more homely. I pretty much passed out afterwards back at my hostel! I'll have to return again soon to see Amsterdam by night... The following morning it was time head back to Barcelona and press pause on my Dutch adventures. Before saying goodbye I sat in a cafe called Back to Black that I’d luckily discovered along my heart route, directly overlooking the bicycle filled canals. Billie Holiday played in the background while I stared out the window searching for the right words to write up about Amsterdam. A heart shaped foam smiled up at me from the cappuccino reminding me of all the kind people I’d met along the route, and helped me make route 25 possible. No longer had I just finished Route 25, I was already starting to dream of my next heart route, and all the adventures yet to come. 3/11/2016 0 Comments Cycle Your Heart Out in Toulouse!Today woke up in Toulouse with some incredible news, my sister Helen had finally completed her mammoth 3007km trek across New Zealand with her boyfriend Alex! Their Te Aroa Charity walk was complete after 4 months of adventuring. Smiling from ear to ear I couldn't explain in words how proud I was of her... So I decided to show her instead. Map: To see the 6.8km route click here - no live gps route due to little bit of a battery fight ;-) Bike rental: Pierre Qui Roule www.pierrequiroule.fr Highlights: great views along the La Garonne river, including Dôme de la Grave, Ecole des Beaux Arts. Cycling along Canal du Midi, Jardin Compans Caffarelli, the tasty food market on Boulevard D'Arcole Hostel: La Petite Auberge de Saint Sernin Grateful to: All the kind people I met along my route, who showed me the best bicycle paths, great tips & good tea! Flavien at Pierre Qui Roule bike shop Marieke & François in the L'Impro Bernardo de Jeurissen at L'appart cafe Manual at Le bonheur est dans le for my cup of Yogi tea, the quote said "Il n'y a rien de plus precieux que la confiance en soi" which means There is nothing more precious than self confidence, so true love it! Tips: You can also use the city's hire bike system called Vélô Toulouse Food: Amazing traditional food at La P'tite Gouaille Music: St Germain - Flute (Mozambo Remix) Want to Create Your Own Route?
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Hi I'm Sarah the Heartful Cyclist
For the last decade I've been travelling the world creating heart shaped bicycle routes, poetry and art. I’m so glad you found me, I hope my routes inspire you to live life more heartfully on top of two wheels, so that you too can travel inwards, and follow your heart.
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No past no future, only the spinning of your wheels The rhythm of your breath and the beat of your heart Cycling your heart out, each route a reminder Digging deep into your soul, and the end destination? Your true self |
Your Wheels Are Your Paint, The World Is Your Canvas
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