How we got to Cycle Blaze - France and the Low Countries - CycleBlaze

October 27, 2022

How we got to Cycle Blaze

This journal started life on another website for crazy bicycle tourists that many readers may be familiar with. I posted the first two weeks of our tour from Amsterdam through Paris there, along with accounts of other tours we've done in the U.S.

Many of our plans for that first two weeks were worked out in advance and I was able to find time each day to work on the journal. Still, by the time we got to Paris I was two days behind, and slipped further that week.

After Paris our plans were looser and we were spending more time figuring out activities, train schedules and bike routes. We had a three night stay in Amboise where I hoped to catch up, but alas, we never had Wifi at that apartment and the backlog piled up.

Our arrival at Sarlat-la-Caneda in the Dordogne was pivotal.  We had a chance encounter with two other Bike Fridays parked in the Hotel Montaigne velo garage. We were so excited to see evidence of other happy BF tourists and left a note in one of the helmets, hoping to make a connection.

Now this is something we've never seen on tour before. The chance encounter that led to our dicovery of Cycle Blaze
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Success! The next morning we met Scott and Rachael Anderson in front of the hotel. This was the first time we heard about Cycle Blaze. Awed by the accounts of their bicycle journeys here, I was also struck by the clean look of the journal and wondered if it would be easier to use than the old site. After playing around with it on my phone it sure looked simpler and quicker to post and edit entries.

That was the death knell for the old journal. I let go of any notions of catching up on it and decided to move it all over here and finish the journal on my laptop once we got home.

We made notes on most days about our impressions but as we add those days to the journal, it's been a few weeks since we were there and it's harder to remember everything. My progress on catching up is rather slow as the rest of life resumes, and my recall is polluted by new information I've gathered since we got home. Still, I am enjoying the chance to go back and edit after having time to reflect on the experience. And I am really enjoying the platform, it's way easier. I'll keep plugging away until it's done.

I'm loving exploring all the interesting journals on Cycle Blaze. Many thanks to Scott and Rachael for enlightening us! I hope readers will find a bit of entertainment and useful information in this account of our journey.

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Scott AndersonThis was such a lucky encounter. We were as stunned as you must have been to go into that garage and find another pair of NWT’s there. Nothing quite like that has ever happened to us before. Welcome to the site!
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2 years ago
Steve Miller/GrampiesYou will find this platform easier to work with, for sure. Welcome to our small, but growing, friendly bike touring site
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2 years ago
Janice BranhamTo Steve Miller/GrampiesEasier and more beautiful in my opinion. Thanks for the welcome!
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2 years ago
Patrick O'HaraWelcome to CB from Patrick O'Hara and Susanna Mulligan! Looking forward to following along!
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2 years ago
Brent IrvineThanks for coming over to CB. Just today my son and I decided to resume planning our Loire tour after the covid hiatus. I'm enjoying your journal and pics of the area - opportune!
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2 years ago
Kathleen ClassenSo happy you are here. We are just home from a tour ourselves and that is my excuse for just finding your journal now. Welcome and I am settling in for a lovely read.
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2 years ago
Janice BranhamThanks for the warm welcome Kathleen! I look forward to learning from your extensive journals. Can't wait to get back and do some more poking around Europe ourselves.
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2 years ago
Janice BranhamTo Brent IrvineBrent, thanks for the welcome and motivation to get back to finishing the journal.
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2 years ago
Mike AylingWelcome to Cycle Blaze Janice.
When we toured it was only for a week at a time and we always completed the journal when we got home.
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2 years ago
Janice BranhamThat sounds more manageable Mike. I guess whether I'm doing it in the moment or weeks later there are always distractions. Gotta work on my focus.
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2 years ago