From the Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul to the Bazaar of Tabriz, my visits to these places sometimes made me feel like a kid in a candy store.

If I think back of the architectural highlights of my Journey to the East, The Soltaniyeh Dome in Zanjan province, Iran, is definitely among them.

Finally, I arrived in Tabriz, a city that, for reasons I don’t fully understand, had been on my mind for a long time.

Where Türkiye, Armenia, and Iran meet, I finally reached the Great Ararat, a mountain of majestic shape and proportions—a legacy of volcanic activity from ages past.

From a caravanserai at Tercan, Türkiye

I had tried, more than once, to find companions for the ride to China.

At Zara, Türkiye

If I look back at my photo’s, taken along the roads of the countries I crossed, the most obvious sight is the synthetical packaging and wrappers from fast food and drinks, with a dominant presence of ...

at Ankara, Türkiye

Journey to the East Blog Video

At Edirne, Türkiye

At Istanbul, Türkiye

At Marasia, Greece, near Türkiye

At Bregovo, Bulgaria

At Yugoslavia Historical Museum, Serbia

at Dunaújváros, Hungary

At Budapest, Hungary

At Bratislava, Slovakia

In my life, I have been traversing the Ardennes a number of times, and if you know anything about cycling sports, this is the setting of intrepid cyclists, braving the cold and steep roads during Lièg...

On the fourth day of my Journey to the East, it struck me: I was entirely on my own.

I arrived at the little village of Waterloo, 209 years after it offered the theater of the last battle of Napoleon Bonaparte, who might be considered one of the boldest, and at the same time one of th...

Continuing past Den Bosch, I expected this cultural pattern to persist for many days, perhaps all the way to Vienna, another bastion of Catholicism.

Continuing past Den Bosch, I expected this cultural pattern to persist for many days, perhaps all the way to Vienna, another bastion of Catholicism.

How I ran into hell on the first day of Journey to the East

Architecture and writing, two of the longest-standing expressions of human civilization, have been intertwined since their inception.

I came to see the birthplace of arguably the most famous person in Amsterdam’s history: Johan Cruyff.

Amsterdam and Beyond

Journey to the East. One year since departure: Amsterdam and beyond. One year ago, an idworx bicycle rolled out of Amsterdam — not just to cover distance, but to discover connections. No grand send-...

Cycling Map of Journey to the East

A Year of Encounters, Reflections, and Roads Still Unfolding

Dear readers of my Substack, today it's Chinese New Year of the Snake. A time for new beginnings. It is almost February 1, 2025. Exactly one year ago, I embarked on a bicycle Journey to the East. It ...

My personal Substack. Click to read Ole’s Substack, by Ole Bouman, a Substack publication. Launched 15 days ago.