FOR someone who is not totally fond of change, this tour planning has certainly been a challenge for my wee change-shunning brain.

To bring anyone up to date, or to remind Alex down the road about the initial flipping and flopping of the trip plans... here goes with the latest change...

Not only has there been unrest across France due to the pension issues (raising the pension age by a mere two years) but now another terrible event. A young foreign-born teen was killed by a police officer with one result being unrest, protests and violence across the country in many of the major cities, including Paris. I could sit around and assume this is going to calm down, but what if it worsens or yet another event happens?

Alex and I had our discussion, and we both felt it better to switch gears at the moment. After checking flights and accommodations, and with mutual agreement, we decided on Portugal's Atlantic coast. We'll fly to Lisbon, take a train to Porto, then cycle south until we run out of time. We'll finish off with a few days in Lisbon before returning home to Canada. France, the baguettes and the soup will wait for another tour. Well, actually, we've already decided to seek out a baguette, some soup, and a few croissants to meet those criteria.

Over the last few days I cancelled our flights to France and our accommodations along our route, only to switch gears and book flights to Lisbon followed by accommodations for most days. My head is spinning but our first tour is still on track.