Over Easter weekend, Florianne and I planned to go on a three day bicycle tour. It was going to be Florianne’s first tour on her new bike, having put ~250 km on it since its arrival in early February. Understandably, she was a bit apprehensive about the trip but proper planning and a bit of […]
Europe
Seven days in Austria
Leaving Passau on the fourth of March, I left Bavaria behind and entered Austria (the fourth country on this trip). This is probably the most popular section of the Danube bicycle trail with thousands of cyclists traveling from Passau via Linz to Wien every summer. I decided to make a small detour to Salzburg instead, […]
Die deutsche Gemütlichkeit
Despite the cold winter conditions during the last week, I have been surprised by the friendly people I encountered in Germany. One illustration is the multitude of generous warmshowers hosts that have invited me into their homes over the last two weeks. Another is when random strangers stop and ask if I need any directions […]
Reflections on seven weeks of cycling through France, Spain and Portugal – Part 2: Portugal
From Santiago de Compostela to Caminha, Portugal After spending two nights in Santiago de Compostela, I continued south through Galicia. I had made a route that follows paved roads while avoiding busy main roads. As I passed through many smaller villages in Galicia, the route often had me climbing away from the valley floor and […]
Reflections on seven weeks of cycling through France, Spain and Portugal – Part 1
While I am waiting for my Belgian passport to arrive in Torremolinos, so I can continue on to Morocco, I thought I’d share some reflections from the last seven weeks of life on and off the bicycle. First some numbers: I covered just over 4 000kms in 50 days (45 days on the bicycle) and […]
Leaving home
Tomorrow morning I am setting off on my first multi-month bicycle tour. Tonight I am sleeping in my own bed for the last time in the next two months. Tomorrow this time I will be lying in my tent somewhere along the Belgian-French border as I make my way south. The last week has been […]