Earlier today protestors met outside the Romanian Embassy in Berlin in Solidarity of the Sunday protest in that have been gaining momentum in Romanian, and beyond since September. There were simultaneous protest all over Romania but also in Barcelona, Paris, and parts of South America. After recently returning to Berlin from the Biketour, I took the opportunity to join the Berlin protest, that marched from the Embassy to Brandernberg Gate, chanting “United we Save Rosia Montana” and ‘Viva Revolution‘ in English and Romanian. There people lit candles, shouted popular RM slogans, and danced to live covers of adapted popular tunes,…

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Made whilst unpacking panniers from items foraged or carried along the way…this is just what would fit in the picture! (Click to enlarge). This a thankyou to all the people who cycled alongside us. For the people who cooked delicious creations – for those who built and fixed the rocket stoves (several times) –  for giving us amazing contacts – for showing us inspiring projects – for welcoming us into you community, home or garden – for joining us around the fire –  for those who lent me socks and clothes when mine were just too dirty or wet to…

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Biketour join local and International protestors at the anti mining protest at Campeni, 15km from Rosia Montana… (22nd September). Arriving into Rosia Montana… An example of the Pro mining banners that litter the town…. one reads ‘Rosia Montana only exisits because of MINING!’… Several anti mining banners were put up overnight in Rosia Montana before the arrival of an ‘illegal commission‘, that was set up by the Romanian government to assess the legitimisation of the mining project in one day! One banner reads ‘The Street Says No‘, the other comments about the illegal commission due to arrive later that morning. …

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After vising Atelier DIY in Timisoara, we made the short afternoon cycle 35km along a busy dual road, but luckily it was flat and with some kind of bikepath, of which the main features of the landscape were gigantic crucifixes in the distance. As we turned off for the last 10km it became vineyards, rolling hills, and the setting sun. We reached our sleeping place at Stanciova Farm just as it was getting dark, arriving to a warm welcome, an open fire and delicious home cooked food by Irina and Gab with vegetables from their garden and beautiful cup cakes!!!…

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In Zrenjanin we met up with some of the ex workers from a long standing worker owned factory struggle at Jugoremedija, that has been under threat of Privatization since 2000. Serbian politicians and investors fear this kind of organising, despite being sucessful, will “bring us back to the dark days of self-management”. You can read an English write up of the history of the struggle, and similar struggles in Serbia, in the above link. We spent one night hosted in the garden of a library that was donated to the council by the author of serval books about the resistance…

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On entering Belgrade (8th September) we met up with some of the local Critical Mass crew along the Danube, led by a Serbian Biketour veteran, who showed us some of the problems for cyclists that are squeezed off the roads by heavy car and summer pedestrian traffic. Our mini Critical Mass ended on the outskirts of Belgrade, at the ex cinematography factory, now a thriving squatted social center where we were to be hosted called Inex Film. The huge building at Inex was once left abandoned, and squatted by various characters, latterly artists and activists who revived it from being…

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