Well here I am reading your tale considerably after the fact. Dodie must have read it long ago, since whenever I tried to give a "like" I found that "we" had already liked the thing. Here are a few comments or observations that came to my mind as I ran through this:

I could not figure how a headset could break in the way shown. Would have loved to follow the details of the repair.
How or when did the lost pannier get restored?
Why was the bike shop guy crying to you about ebikes, since you were using push bikes?
Sorry to say a lot of the food did not quite look like food to me. I would need schnitzel and fries!
Your cost came in at a level that you were happy with, but still much higher than we would spend. A lot could be in the food, where we tend to take big advantage of all you can eat breakfasts, followed by grocery stores.
We received the Mosel guide book back from you today. Actually we had not looked in the mailbox for some time, because Canada Post has been on strike. We are sorry it cost so much to mail it, no doubt it would have been cheaper for you to buy one through Amazon! Thanks for the shout outs in the blog text, though!

Best wishes for the New Year. Watch for our own next blog coming up, as we will leave for Valencia to Leipzig in February. Did you catch us spending even more than you did for two weeks last month, in Costa Rica? see shelduck@blogspot.com !

Ah the German duvets! Plus a large room with a desk. Terrific.

I was kind of surprised at the cost myself, especially when compared to the tour companies. They cost more than twice as much, and the only significant difference was that we carried our own stuff, which is something I kind of like doing anyway.

I appreciate the comments, Tom! Thanks for following along, and I'm looking forward to reading about your GAP/C&O, East coast, and Southern Tier rides!

Under seven grand for two people for two weeks is a bargain in this day and age, and you had first class accommodations and meals. Your one-client travel agency did a great job, and your journey was epic and inspiring.

And going with yout favorite riding partner is an irreplaceable experience. Plus you got to see Klaus!

Thanks for this journal.

Thank you for this. My wife and I strode that section of the path when we visited Koblenz ten years ago, and your journal is reminding me of that great trip.

Ouch! I would have mistaken that plant for mint.

Greg & I really like maps. He was looking for Bitburg, Germany (northwest of Trier) to see if it was near your route. He lived in Bitburg in his preteen years.

What a beautiful beginning. Love all the green!

Thanks, Rich! Of course, I got help from other Cycleblazers from the Forum and elsewhere, so it was sort of a group effort. If you decide to do this one, I can send you the .gpx file we used.

He's an indelible impression kind of guy. It was a trip full of memories, and one of my most memorable experiences was 11 October 2008, the point at which I knew we'd be friends a long time:
https://tinyurl.com/5br5ctsd
Thanks for reading!

Thank you, Mike! I appreciate you spending the time to read it, and to look at all of the food pictures. :-)

Thanks, Buddy! Maybe someday you could both make it over there and she could hang out in Paris (or Berlin or London) to do some shopping and visiting museums while you tour. A reasonable compromise?

Can't blame a guy for a little luxury while on a bike tour. Your luxuries provided some of the finest photos and commentary on this fine journal. The food looked amazing. I'll be watching to see how you re-adapt to sleeping on the ground in a tent on your next tour, which you alluded to on the previous page.

Lol, I've watched this as a joke on a candy camera show on German TV.

My memory is otherwise not so great! but your description of your time with Klaus made an indelible impression.