Steve and Dodie, Your journals continue to be treat to read! Thanks for including the tip about GPSMyCity. That looks very useful. Two questions: Do you plan out all accommodations ahead of time and make bookings, or do that each evening for the next day while on the road? And second, then searching for good fares, airlines and terminals, do you do this entirely on your own through websites, or have you used the services of a travel agent? (If websites on your own, what is your typical approach when planning your next tour?)

We are looking hard at options in Norway as I have deep roots there, but have never visited. It's apparently expensive there to eat and stay, but we're doing some research nevertheless.

Thanks for posting your expenses! It's very useful. Our costs are similar but restaurants every night really add to the total. Good on you for being so disciplined. Look forward to your next trip!

Your daily breakdown of costs is to be commended. We are noting that our hotel costs are creeping up and also had a couple of 200 euro a night stays this last trip. Evening restaurant meals (when you can wait long enough for them to open) can get pretty expensive relative to our lifestyle at home too. When could you do Europe on $10 per day anyway? Well, in 1973 Authur Fromer provided, “The 1973-74 Edition of Europe on 5 and 10 dollars a day” So fifty years ago. How time (and costs) fly!

Keeping track of your expenses in such accurate detail is quite a feat, equal to riding your bicycles 3,450 km! Good your piggy bank is fed regularly, enabling future trips!

We see you have already done most of that Iberian/French itinerary - so it's old hat. But oh, we have also sort of done it already. No matter, it's always new.

There is kind of a chute on the side of the piggy bank, and pension money slowly slides in there. Then while we are not watching, it fills up! We have the bikes in Valencia in a storage that expects to see us back in February. So we'll pick them up then and spin around Iberia, through Portugal to Santiago de Compostella, backwards on the French Camino to Bayonne, and up the coast to Nantes.

But also our forecast here coming up is for rain and temps from 2 to 8. Yucch. Depending on some family obligations, we could bolt for Yucatan on the Fridays in December!

Always look forward to the post-trip cost breakdown? So, is there money for trips left in the piggy bank or not? Are we getting more Grampies' adventures?

I just read a comment elsewhere about how much they spent per mile on their tour, which was the Great Divide MTB route. He said pre COVID he spent $1. a mile , post COVID, $3. Per mile.

I’ve never figured it by the mile before, only by the day.

I second Kelly's thoughts, on pillows and your excellent journal. I enjoyed following your trip.

Wow, you did pick up a lot of interesting backstory on Turia Park and the City of Arts and Sciences. I never regret springing for a guided tour.

Enjoy sleeping in your own bed and your own pillow. Two of my favorite at home activities!

Thank you for the informative journaling. I frequently reference you when planning our next tour.

Lotus might be a better deal here than oranges. I just nostalgically made 1 liter of fresh juice and the oranges cost $9!

Welcome back to the land of the lotus eaters. Great journal. Enjoyed following along.

Glad to read you arrived back in the safety zone of HOME…for now..
Thank you for your adventures in print and photos which were greatly enjoyed by those of us in the seating area of our own homes.( mostly).

We had a somewhat similar expulsion at CDG even though We weren’t changing flight. I was dropped off at the Emirates lounge every one was told to go to the gate and the lounge was now empty but my man hadn’t come to pick me up We kept getting reassured but were beginning to panic and thought I would have to try and walk ( almost impossible). Then he arrived telling us the wheelchair had broken down! Luckily the flight had been delayed so we made it