I headed home to Victoria via Frankfurt and Vancouver  at o-dark-30 Prague time.  I am finally on my way home to not so sunny Vancouver Island since the fall rains have started but it is still home sweet home.  Most importantly I will be reacquainted with my 5 month old puppy named Murphy.  He has spent the past month with the breeder romping around on a farm with several other miniature schnauzers.  Thanks to Beverly I have kept in touch with a few video presentations.

As for the trip itself it has been great.  Doing this ride has been on the bucket list and doing it with 3 friends from home made it even better.  I was reluctant to try riding with my own stuff but it was just fine albeit still not my first choice.  It is definitely different from guided or even self-guided where your luggage is moved for you, but nonetheless it is an interesting way to cycle tour.  Once again thanks to Ron, Carol and Patti for showing the ropes to an old rookie.

Now for some stats.  We covered 1309km/728mi in 23 days with only 1 day off.  Our average speed was about 18kph/11mph.  We had 5 flats (me-3, Patti-1, Ron-1 and Carol-0).  Ron also broke a valve stem.  Most importantly there were no injuries or incidents to bodies or bikes.

I always have some lessons learned or in this case re-learned.  Never start a tour without new tires and when carrying your stuff use wider more durable ones.  Have a basic understanding of European traffic symbols to avoid unnecessary clashes with cars and pedestrians.  If you have electronic shifting consider bringing a spare battery and never forget the charging apparatus (I did not).  When travelling with new partners allow time to find the “rhythm of the road” whether travelling by bike, car or train.  I still think is best to book hotels in advance on weekends and holidays but make sure to check the holidays for the countries you are visiting because they will likely differ from ours.  In Germany drivers and the law are in your favour no matter what stupid things cyclist do but don’t abuse the privilege.  

Finally we do these things to have adventures, see new countries, enjoy different cultures but mostly to have fun, so HAVE FUN above anything else 🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️.  That’s all for now but I am off to Australia on 23 Oct and yes I am crazy. 🚵‍♀️

Heart

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Gail JohnsonWelcome home. Loved this blog it was filled with so many incredible photos of amazing places. I truly enjoyed following along. Can hardly wait to go to Australia with you! Give Murphy a big hug from us.
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