A favourite topic as we would pedal along on this tour was the question of where we should go next time. It's not a question of the grass being greener (and the path smoother) on another route, but just the desire to keep having places to cycle.

Underlying our thinking is first that we will stick with Europe. We have had it with riding on the dangerous roads of the US, and we are not keen on anywhere that might feature wild dogs (like Southeast Asia) or crazy people (like the Middle East). Next there is the question of the season, and whether to then start in the North or in the South. Finally, and very important to us, is the question of the theme of the ride. Without some sort of theme one might almost just cycle in circles, or buy an exercise bike.

The Cheezy Tour

On every tour we love going through the weekly markets. And these markets almost always feature one or more cheese vendors. It's a great part of the fun of cycling to a region to then be able to sample local cheeses. The way it works now, we toddle in to a region, and then try to sample the cheeses.

But what about turning that around? We could deliberately tour to regions where the cheese is the thing. For example, we could travel to Camembert just to sample original Camembert. This of course is not at all a new idea, though perhaps one would think of it more in terms of wine, or maybe beer. But then again there are other categories one could do: chocolate, or bread, or seafood.

With cheese, we quickly confronted the fact that there are thousands and thousands of regional cheeses. So we thought, ok, limit it to France. But that would not only cut out important spots and cheeses, like Munster, or Parmesan, but France alone has thousands and thousands anyway.

So our final thought was to name just a dozen, perhaps, of our favourites - no matter where they might be from, and then join the dots with a cycle route.

Grampies Go on their Knees

We seem to like checking out major churches and cathedrals, despite being lifelong atheists. Yet we still have not visited major sites like Lourdes, or the Vatican, or Turin - that feature fun stuff even an atheist can enjoy. What's more, as we have travelled through Europe, we have not avoided seeing the shell symbol of the many routes to Santiago de Compostella, the premier pilgrimage route other than the one to Rome.

So this idea would be to build a route around the Jacobsweg (Germany) which is St Jacques Compostelle (France) or otherwise, the Way of St James. Rome could be in there, or not. We have been quite dismayed by the tales of huge crowds brought back by other cyclists.

Just in case, we picked up pilgrim's passports - one at the cathedral in Tours and one at Notre Dame de Paris. So we are sort of ready to go.

Back to the Source (of all Pastries)

Our first European tour was subtitled "Powered by Pastries". After that, we tried to give up on such an unhealthy motive power. But really, it is scarcely possible to do a long tour without them, and anyway, why would anyone want to tour unless it was for the pastries!

Similarly, the Danube is the acknowledged number one cycle route in Europe, and it has been 4-5 years since we travelled along it to Vienna. Vienna is the source of all pastries! So this one would be the standard Danube, from Donaueschingen to maybe Budapest, then back and up to Prague, then along the Elbe to the North Sea.

Provence and the Mediterranean

While we did travel down the Rhone in the past, stopping in Avignon and Arles, we have never really been into Provence. How about Provence, then over to Spain and Santiago, then, then.... As you can see, it does not take long to mentally spin out when thinking about the possibilities for future rides, and one may blend into another. Oh well, we have a long cold winter in British Columbia to think about it - unless, unless, we bug out to somewhere before that!