Berlin to Alcobaça introduction
Across Europe by Bicycle
Introduction
An illustrated documentary told across 18 chapters, following a solo bicycle journey from Berlin, Germany, to Alcobaça, Portugal.
In May 2026, I left Berlin with a simple goal: to cycle home to Alcobaça, Portugal.
Between those two cities lay more than 3,500 kilometres, crossing Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and finally Portugal. What began as a personal challenge soon became something much greater than I had imagined.
This is not a guide on long-distance cycling, nor is it a story about athletic performance. The bicycle was simply the means that allowed me to travel slowly enough to experience Europe in a way that few other forms of travel make possible.
For twenty-two days I crossed countries, landscapes and cultures, discovering places that had long fascinated me through history books, while also finding unexpected beauty in ordinary villages, quiet roads and chance encounters. Some days were physically demanding, others surprisingly peaceful, but each one added another small piece to a journey that gradually became less about reaching a destination and more about understanding everything that existed along the way.
Photography has always been one of my ways of observing the world. Throughout the journey I stopped whenever a place, a detail or a particular light deserved to be remembered. Many of those moments are part of this book, not as illustrations, but as an essential part of the story itself.
This project is a record of that experience.
It brings together photographs, reflections, practical decisions, doubts, unexpected difficulties and the countless small moments that rarely appear on a map but often become the memories that remain.
Looking back, I realise that the journey home began long before I left Berlin.
It began the moment the idea refused to leave my mind.
Thank you for reading.
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If this chapter brought back memories, inspired you, or simply made you pause for a moment, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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Continue the Journey
The Idea
A journey always begins with an idea.
→ Read Chapter 1 of 18
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