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• 20251001 – 3. London for 2-1/2 days then home! The end of Fall 2025’s trip.
  Tip: if you hover your cursor over the photos in the galley at the bottom of the page, you will see the captions. Wednesday October 1st. We left the not-so-premier Premier Inn in St. Albans (not recommended), panniers (and John’s coccyx-injury cushion, see photo) in hand, and walked a quick half hour to the train station where we hopped on the twice-hourly train to the very beautiful St. Pancras Station in London. Honestly, train… Read more: 20251001 – 3. London for 2-1/2 days then home! The end of Fall 2025’s trip.
• Sep 24, 25 – The Army Air Museum, Littleton, Alton and Jane Austen’s House
  Army Flying Museum Full disclosure: this day, i.e. Wednesday September 24th, was the first day of our now re-routed trip. We were no longer going to be headed to Cornwall, choosing to head east and a little north, to end in St. Albans. Our planned National Trust treat for the day was going to be Mottisfont, until we took a harder look at the description for the property and realized that we had already… Read more: Sep 24, 25 – The Army Air Museum, Littleton, Alton and Jane Austen’s House
• 20250923 Uppark House, Hinton Ampner and Winchester
  After our harrowing rides into and out of Arundel we decided to do something about our route design software. For years we have used RideWithGPS for route planning and navigating. Generally it has treated us well. Occasionally we may have been pointed into a field, or placed onto busier roads, but we just considered these occurrences as part of the fun. Leaving Arundel, though, was just not acceptable. Although cycling on a ‘dual-carriage motorway’,… Read more: 20250923 Uppark House, Hinton Ampner and Winchester
• Eden Park to Finchley, right through the City of London (!) to St. Albans where we say goodbye to the bikes until Spring 2026. But first, two flat tires at once, a new personal best for Patti.
  We were very excited about our route for Monday September 29th: 46 kilometres right through the centre of London, past Westminster and Buck House and Primrose Hill, and on to Finchley in North London where we had reserved a locker to store the bikes in until Spring 2026 when we return to cycle to – possibly – Edinburgh. When we left The Carvery in Eden Park (fuelled by a ridiculous number of Yorkshire Puddings)… Read more: Eden Park to Finchley, right through the City of London (!) to St. Albans where we say goodbye to the bikes until Spring 2026. But first, two flat tires at once, a new personal best for Patti.
• 20250922 Chichester
  On Sunday night, after we had unpacked, done a little laundry (because for the first time we had the luxury of a two night stay!!!), and plugged in all necessary batteries, we went for a walk to see the famous Chichester Cathedral in the dying sun. First the composers: Leonard Bernstein wrote the Chichester Psalms, which were commissioned for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals Festival at Chichester Cathedral by the cathedral’s Dean, Walter Hussey. Bernstein… Read more: 20250922 Chichester
• 20250921 Arundel
  Arundel and St Nicholas Church. And a harrowing ride into Chichester. The ride north into Arundel from Seaford through Brighton was actually a little nasty, traffic-wise, and John’s phone was complaining about moisture in a connection, so we were navigating by Patti’s phone, only. Plus, it had clouded over and it was getting cold. We were happy to finally check into the ancient St. Mary’s Gate Inn (1525) (highly recommended) after an almost 60… Read more: 20250921 Arundel
• 20250920 The Brighton Coast
  The Brighton Coast We followed the coast along the beaches of the Brighton area on the way to Arundel. Brighton is one of the most famous beach-side cities because of its easy train ride from London and its landmark pier. We could see a few groups of pale but intrepid people standing in their bathers (cozzies), trying to muster the nerve to get into the water. The beaches along the south coast are made… Read more: 20250920 The Brighton Coast
• 20250926-28 East Horsley, Westerham and Eden Park. Never heard of them? Me neither.
  Continuing on our revised route after changing direction at Winchester… I forgot to mention in the last post about Jane Austen’s home in Alton, that that is where her very modest writing table is. A true shrine for Austen fans, there’s a photo of it in the gallery attached to this post. Continuing east from Alton on a route suggested by our new favorite safe cycling App – cycle.travel – we had an average… Read more: 20250926-28 East Horsley, Westerham and Eden Park. Never heard of them? Me neither.
• 20250917-19 Sissinghurst, Tunbridge Wells, Seaford
  Wednesday the 17th of September we left Canterbury (and more of its recent uni graduates) in the drizzle in front of the cathedral and headed roughly southwest, destination National Trust’s property, “Sissinghurst Castle”, the home of author-gardener Vita Sackville-West and her husband, politician-writer-broadcaster and gardener, Harold Nicolson. Both of these characters led interesting lives and rather than try to recapture that here, I encourage you to follow smart links and be amazed. Suffice it… Read more: 20250917-19 Sissinghurst, Tunbridge Wells, Seaford
• 20250914, 15, 16 Dover, Margate and Canterbury
  Progress to September 16 – Canterbury Our little guest house in Dover, the Churchill House, was just a short walk to the pathway heading up the hill to Dover Castle. And what a hill! We rediscovered our climbing vs. cycling muscles, but it was worth it. Dover Castle is the largest property managed by the English Heritage organization, and includes the castle with its tower overlooking the channel as well as two tunnel museums… Read more: 20250914, 15, 16 Dover, Margate and Canterbury
• 20250905-13 Netherlands, Belgium, and the Channel Crossing
  We left you in Amersfoort, about to venture to Gouda (pronounced Howda, but with an intense growl on the ‘H’). Halfway along the ride we planned to visit the largest castle in the Netherlands – Kastell de Haar. Unfortunately the heavens opened up well before then and by the time we reached the castle we were drenched. We stopped for a picture, but didn’t enter as we were wet and chilled (and there was… Read more: 20250905-13 Netherlands, Belgium, and the Channel Crossing
• 20250907,08 London to the Netherlands
  On Sunday morning, after saying goodbye to Brian (and to our suitcase full of fancy wedding clothes and bling) we walked through leafy neighbourhoods to The Barbican in The City of London, just north of St Paul’s. (You can see remnants of the wall that the Romans built around the original city of Londinium.) We popped into “Postman’s Park”, a delightful square full of gardens and plaques dedicated to people who had made ‘heroic… Read more: 20250907,08 London to the Netherlands
• 202509 Travels
  Last spring we left the trikes in the storage shed of the Salentein restaurant, just outside of Amersfoort, Netherlands. Our great friend Ben, whose company owns the business, made the space available for us. John has known Ben since the first day of Engineering Science at University of Toronto in 1973. We’re in London England to attend the wedding of Jacqueline Knapp, the daughter of another great friend, Brian. Patti has known Brian since… Read more: 202509 Travels
• Copenhagen. The last days of our Spring 2025 trip, Wednesday through Saturday, May 28-31.
  Wednesday morning we (and our panniers) jumped onto a train in Hamburg’s beautiful train station to travel to Copenhagen. (Copenhagen also has a beautiful train station; see the photos, below. And note the bikes on the platform in Hamburg, ready to board. So civilized.) Our route was going to be watery and definitely not a direct line between these two cities. Lots of bridges. Lots of tunnels. Lots of at-sea-level travel. We arrived around… Read more: Copenhagen. The last days of our Spring 2025 trip, Wednesday through Saturday, May 28-31.
• May 26 (Monday) and 27 (Tuesday). Hamburg, Germany.
  This post was written and is being posted on June 6, 2025: the 81st anniversary of D-Day. Hamburg gave us much to think about, especially in regard to war, hatred, children, gratitude and freedom. Monday morning we packed up our panniers and walked with them from the Amrath Berghotel to the Centraal train station. On the sidewalk in front of the station we found a single sidewalk tile commemorating the life of an Amersfoort… Read more: May 26 (Monday) and 27 (Tuesday). Hamburg, Germany.
• May 24 & 25: Amersfoort and Amsterdam
  Saturday morning, with the bikes safely stored, John turned his mind from Ride-with-GPS bike routes to Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) (Dutch Railways) train schedules. As mentioned previously, we had booked tours for today of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank Huis ‘way back in March. It was forecast to be – and was – a rainy day, so, a good day to be inside. It was an easy hour-long train ride from Amersfoort to Amsterdam. Amsterdam:… Read more: May 24 & 25: Amersfoort and Amsterdam
• May 23: Last Ride – to Amersfoort
  Our riding is complete! We cycled a total of 1,238 kilometers with 8,574 meters of climbing over 24 rides from April 30th to May 23rd. You can see the details of each ride by clicking here. Our friend Ben helped us plan the last route from Asperen to Amersfoort (his childhood home). We had planned to ride through Utrecht on the way to Amersfoort, but Ben said Utrecht has many highways and canals and… Read more: May 23: Last Ride – to Amersfoort
• May 20, 21, 22: Antwerp, Breda and Asperen
  We had a surprise when we fetched our trikes from the hotel’s basement in Ghent: Patti’s front right tire was flat. Ah well. Twenty minutes of patching and pumping and it was good to go. That was our first puncture since Ireland over two years ago when we had three flats in one rainy day, so we can’t complain. The 55 kilometre ride to Antwerp was flat and mostly beside the rail line. (Trains!!!)… Read more: May 20, 21, 22: Antwerp, Breda and Asperen
• May 18 & 19: Ghent
  We set out early from Ypres in order to be on time for our 2:15 tour slot at Ooidonk Castle, about 65 kms away. The final destination of the day – Ghent – was only 15 kms further. The route that RideWithGPS designed for us wasn’t “as the crow flies”; it took us quite a bit to the south. We soon knew why! For almost 50 kms of the ride we were on an… Read more: May 18 & 19: Ghent
• May 17: Passchendaele. Fittingly, we end the day with The Last Post in Ypres.
  Although our ride from Lille to Ypres was a short one – 43 km – it involved a very important stop at the Tyne Cot Cemetery and Visitors’ Centre, at Passchendaele. This was the site of the famous “Third Battle of Ypres”, July to Novemer 1917. It is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world and it seems appropriate, now, to talk about the role of that organization. “In late 1914… Read more: May 17: Passchendaele. Fittingly, we end the day with The Last Post in Ypres.
• May 16: Vimy
  Our ride from Arras to Lille was basically 53 kilometres of unremarkable roads. We kept meeting up with the gang of British scooter riders (the riders were British) from our hotel in Lille. That group of twenty or so had toured Normandy last year, this year it was Vimy. Some of them bring their wives, some are on their own. They place wreaths with the banner of their ‘scooter club’ to place at the… Read more: May 16: Vimy
• May 13, 14 & 15 : Forges-les-Eaux, Amiens and Arras
  We left Rouen on a bright morning after enjoying a coffee and baguette at a local brasserie. We were looking forward to a relatively easy ride of 45 kms, with a climb from near sea-level to about 200m and only a few ups and downs. It was a warm sunny ride through farmers’ fields and Patti stopped to sprinkle some of her mum’s ashes on the poppies on the side of the road. We… Read more: May 13, 14 & 15 : Forges-les-Eaux, Amiens and Arras
• May 10 – 12: Honfleur and Rouen
  Our rides to date. 13 trips, 607kms, 5450m of climbing. Halfway through. The 60km ride from Caen to Honfleur was absolutely beautiful. Patti’s favorite ride so far. We followed the Orne River toward the Channel, crossing the Orne at the famous ‘Pegasus Bridge’. Originally named Pont Bénouville, it was renamed Pegasus in honour of the shoulder emblem of the British 1st Airborne Corps. Just after midnight on D-Day (June 6 1944) 181 men were… Read more: May 10 – 12: Honfleur and Rouen
• May 9: Juno Beach
  Our guide Mathieu grew up in a village called Thaon, about halfway between Juno Beach and Caen, and to start the day he showed us his childhood home, his parents’ house, and later in the day, his grandparents’ home. The real reason for showing us his family home was to reveal to us the gratitude that the citizens of this entire area exhibit for the soldiers of Canada. Canadian flags amd memorials are literally… Read more: May 9: Juno Beach
• May 7 & 8: Omaha Beach and 80th Anniversary of VE Day
  Our guide, Mathieu, picked us up at 9:00 for our tour of Omaha Beach, the American landing areas (as opposed to the British and Canadian landing areas which we would see two days later). Mathieu took us first to the La Cambe German War Cemetery, containing the remains of over 21,200 German military personnel. His goal was to prepare us to feel the difference between this sombre site and what we would see later… Read more: May 7 & 8: Omaha Beach and 80th Anniversary of VE Day
• Monday May 5 and Tuesday 6 : Tessy-sur-Vire & Bayeux
  Our host Chantal made us another perfect breakfast in Pontaubault and we set off on a very chilly Monday morning. Our headwind was strong out of the North, and the sky looked slightly threatening. On we go. Lots of hill climbing, and a hand-numbing head wind encouraged us to stop at the halfway point in the old town of Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny. John purchased a 17mm wrench from one of the only stores open (most stores… Read more: Monday May 5 and Tuesday 6 : Tessy-sur-Vire & Bayeux
• Saturday May 3 and Sunday the 4th. Two nights in Pontaubault, and a daytrip to Mont Saint-Michel. Days 4 and 5 of cycling.
  Our travels to-date, starting in Chartres, and now in Pontaubault, on Baie Saint-Michel. On Saturday morning at 9:30 we left the decadent Manoir du Lys; we had a 75 km ride in front of us. After a couple of hours we happened on the Musee de Poire, a museum dedicated to the production and consumption and brown market trade during WWII of what is, basically, pear cider. (There is some alcohol content but children… Read more: Saturday May 3 and Sunday the 4th. Two nights in Pontaubault, and a daytrip to Mont Saint-Michel. Days 4 and 5 of cycling.
• May 2 – Manoir du Lys (Bagnoles de l’Orne) – DAY 3
  This was the day of our big indugence: a beautiful hotel, the Manoir du Lys, with a Michelin listed restaurant. And boy – was that dinner great! But before that we had to get there. Hotel buffet breakfasts in Europe can be a depressing, especially at about 18 Euros each for day old croissants and bad coffee. We left Alençon’s Hotel du Duc and instead, found a fine local breakfast joint with orange juice,… Read more: May 2 – Manoir du Lys (Bagnoles de l’Orne) – DAY 3
• April 30 & May 1 – Bellême and Alençon
  We are making our way west from Chartres towards Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. It takes four rides to make the journey: 75 km to Bellême, 43 km to Alençon, 53 km to Bagnoles de l’Orne, and 78 km to Pontaubault. We’ll be in Pontaubault for two nights; from there it’s a short 15 km ride to Mont Saint-Michel for a full day which we will, of course, time to coincide with the tides. Wednesday… Read more: April 30 & May 1 – Bellême and Alençon
• April 29, 2025. Chartres, France
  Sunday afternoon we left the house around 3, took the bus to the subway to Kipling and then the airport express bus to Pearson. Our flight was on time, and since we had only carry-on, we were out of Charles DeGaulle airport in record time. We jumped on the RER B train to Gare Montparnasse (hint – buy your Metro ticket online before arriving or you will line up for 45 minutes to get… Read more: April 29, 2025. Chartres, France
• Chartres to Amersfoort to Copenhagen: the 80th anniversary of VE-Day. WWI Trenches. Anne Frank. And a Little Mermaid.
  Hullo! Bonjour! Groetjes! Hallo! Hej! The last time we wrote a cycling blog post was in November of 2024 after we had had, to be honest, a hellacious last day of riding through a freak snow storm. On that day, we were very grateful to leave the bikes at the HomeBox storage facility in Chartres. In a nutshell: Fall 2024’s trip was “1587 kilometres cycled over five weeks… and the watery-est trip so far.… Read more: Chartres to Amersfoort to Copenhagen: the 80th anniversary of VE-Day. WWI Trenches. Anne Frank. And a Little Mermaid.
• Days 41 and 42. Chateaudun to Chartres on Thursday November 21st through a raging blizzard: the toughest day of riding, EVER. Chartres to Paris to Toronto on Friday. The fabulous end of a fabulous trip.
  Both of us were awake at different times during Wednesday night (November 20th) at the Brit Hotel in Chateaudun, checking the weather apps and the increasingly alarming storm notifications – official “Code Orange” – from the French government on European news sites. You’ll see from the screenshots below that the outlook was not good. In fact, at one point, rather than our current Plan B* to cycle from Chateaudun to Chartres, put the bikes… Read more: Days 41 and 42. Chateaudun to Chartres on Thursday November 21st through a raging blizzard: the toughest day of riding, EVER. Chartres to Paris to Toronto on Friday. The fabulous end of a fabulous trip.
• Monday Nov. 18, Tuesday Nov. 19, Wednesday Nov. 20. Days 38, 39, 40 two nights at Chef Christophe Hay’s Fleur de Loire Hotel and Michelin starred restaurants followed by a night at the Brit Hotel, Chateaudun.
  It was hard to leave our hotel in Amboise, Le Clos d’Amboise, because the room was so comfortable and spacious, and the dining room staff and chef were so excellent. However, we have to push on to Chartres, and Blois was our next and final Loire Valley city. Our ride was an easy, flat, wind-at-our back (luxury!) ride, mostly on small country roads that followed the Loire River east and north. Observation: we’re at… Read more: Monday Nov. 18, Tuesday Nov. 19, Wednesday Nov. 20. Days 38, 39, 40 two nights at Chef Christophe Hay’s Fleur de Loire Hotel and Michelin starred restaurants followed by a night at the Brit Hotel, Chateaudun.
• Friday November 15 through Sunday the 17th, Days 35, 36, 37. Nouâtre to Tours for one night, Amboise for two nights.
  We said goodbye to the delightful young son and daughter (and chickens) of our hosts in Nouatre, passed the site of the tragic WWII massacre of all of the inhabitants of the town of Maillé (Maison du Souvenirs), and cycled in dense French fog (see moody photo of dead sunflowers in field) until we reached the small town of Veigne when the fog lifted and the sun kind-of came out to reveal a lovely… Read more: Friday November 15 through Sunday the 17th, Days 35, 36, 37. Nouâtre to Tours for one night, Amboise for two nights.
• Days 33 and 34. Wed Nov 13 and Thu Nov 14. Aubigné to Poitier to Nouâtre.
  Our bellies full of Pasta Carbonara and Molten Chocolate Pudding swimming in a custard sauce from Tuesday night and Pain au Chocolat from Wednesday’s breakfast (thank-you Chef Bastiaan at L’Ancien Cafe in Aubigne) we hit the road bright and early on Wednesday morning. It was a frosty 3 dg C and we had a bastardy head wind out of the north that never let up for the next 4-1/2 hours. Still, we were on… Read more: Days 33 and 34. Wed Nov 13 and Thu Nov 14. Aubigné to Poitier to Nouâtre.
• Day 32, November 12, 75 km Barbezieux to Aubigné
  Ordinarily we don’t post every day but today we arrived here around 1:00; there’s nothing to do or so see in this tiny stopover town and after 75 km of very cold riding that ended in rain we’re only nicely warmed up now, 3 hours later! A cup of tea, feet up, and some internet is looking really attractive. Thus, I blog. (And John haunts music arranging, math, and cycling equipment sites). Aubigne is… Read more: Day 32, November 12, 75 km Barbezieux to Aubigné
• Days 30 and 31. November 10th and 11th. Libourne and Barbizieux, France.
  John here: Our Ride With GPS rides and routes Collection, so far. Open it to see where we’ve been and the routes for each day. The long red part from Cordoba to San Sebastian was done by van with the bikes stowed in the back. Its distance is not included in the kilometre total. Thank goodness we were able to turn the van in to Enterprise in San Sebastián not Valencia as originally planned.… Read more: Days 30 and 31. November 10th and 11th. Libourne and Barbizieux, France.
• Days 28 and 29. November 8th and 9th. Mont-de-Marsan and Bazas, France.
  I meant to say this about our evening in Dax: we had hoped to be able to eat dinner at the number one spot according to TripAdvisor but there was a handwritten sign on their door saying “complet”, so we headed to the town square. Dax isn’t a popular tourist destination but the French apparently enjoy eating out, so many places were busy. Atypically for us, we were drawn to a SPORTS bar supporting… Read more: Days 28 and 29. November 8th and 9th. Mont-de-Marsan and Bazas, France.
• Days 25, 26 and 27. San Sebastián, Bayonne (France!) and Dax. November 5, 6 and 7.
  We were so happy to be back in the Hotel Londres y Inglaterra in San Sebastián where we had stayed in August of 2019. The purpose of that cycling tour had been to remember my cousin Judy Bolton with some of her friends, and at that time all of us had loved the city, its spectacular beach and bay, and its Basque influences. The hotel is old school elegance – there are definitely more… Read more: Days 25, 26 and 27. San Sebastián, Bayonne (France!) and Dax. November 5, 6 and 7.
• Days 19-25 – Granada, Almeria, Alcabendas & San Sebastian (Oct 31 – Nov 5)
  Here are a few photos we forgot to include in the previous post. The cave tour in Nerja was truly impressive and beautifully presented. Look at those stalagmites and stalactites: some of them resemble a gigantic pipe organ. The meal at “Patanegra 57” restaurant was spectacular. We really really liked Nerja and only regret not getting down to the actual beach. The shoreline is hostile/inviting. But there was the wind, and the rain with… Read more: Days 19-25 – Granada, Almeria, Alcabendas & San Sebastian (Oct 31 – Nov 5)
• Days 16, 17, 18 – Cordoba, Malaga & Nerja (Oct 28 – 30)
  Bright and early on a sunny Monday morning we cycled to Cordoba’s bus terminal, picked up our rental car from Enterprise (we’ve been renting cars from them since 1981), stowed the bikes in the back (it’s a small van that I’ve secretly named “Ann the Van”), and hit the road. Traveller’s Tip: Cordoba is pronounced CORdoba. Malaga is pronounced MALaga.Traveller’s Tip: it’s a given that the first turn you make when you start your… Read more: Days 16, 17, 18 – Cordoba, Malaga & Nerja (Oct 28 – 30)
• Days 14 & 15 – Cordoba (Oct 26 & 27)
  Two weeks ago today we left Toronto. Since then we’ve cycled 675 kilometres and eaten a mountain of Serrano and Iberian ham, goat cheese and olives. This weekend in Cordoba has been restful after all of the cycling and packing and unpacking. We’ve been here since Friday afternoon and we leave tomorrow morning when we’ll cycle to a car rental place at the train station, pick up a small van we’ve reserved, throw the… Read more: Days 14 & 15 – Cordoba (Oct 26 & 27)
• Days 11, 12 & 13 – Sevilla, Palma del Rio, Almodovar del Rio & Cordoba(Oct 23, 24 & 25)
  We retrieved our bikes from the piano studio in Hotel Amadeus, and unfolded and set them up on a tiny bit of space on the side of the walkway outside the front door of the hotel. There’s always something to fix or adjust, especially when the trikes have been folded, so it took some time, and elicited stares and comments from the international set of passersby. John had a wish list of small fixes… Read more: Days 11, 12 & 13 – Sevilla, Palma del Rio, Almodovar del Rio & Cordoba(Oct 23, 24 & 25)
• Days 8, 9 & 10 – El Rocio to Sevilla (Oct 21, 22 & 23)
  Monday morning we left the spectacular (and highly recommended) La Malvasia hotel in El Rocio and made a point of stopping at the chapel on the way out of town. The Madonna statue there is an important destination for pilgrims to visit on horseback, and, as we witnessed, on their knees inside the chapel. (No video allowed in the chapel, but I described that experience in a video, below, after we exited.) We passed… Read more: Days 8, 9 & 10 – El Rocio to Sevilla (Oct 21, 22 & 23)
• Days 6 & 7 – Mertola to El Rocio
  To be honest, we had pangs of sadness leaving Portugal on our last day there.  It’s a beautiful country, scenery-wise, the food is absolutely delicious, and its peoples are family-oriented, caring, and genuine.  There’s a reason why it is enjoying a tourism boom now: they’re doing everything right.  We had a half hour long conversation with some Portuguese and Dutch travellers at a Rio Guadiana vista on the side of the road a couple… Read more: Days 6 & 7 – Mertola to El Rocio
• Day 4 & 5 – Santiago de Cacem to Aljustrel & Mertola
  On Thursday we had a 2:30 appointment for a mining tour in Aljustrel (Parque Mineiro de Aljustrel) so told ourselves to get up early and hit the road. Ooops – slept in and got away an hour late. As it turned out, all was well. The first twenty minutes of the 65 km ride was a steady downhill, and the balance of the journey was mostly flat through beautiful farm country and pretty small… Read more: Day 4 & 5 – Santiago de Cacem to Aljustrel & Mertola
• Day 3 – Setubal to Santiago do Cacem, Alentejo
  After the excitement and drama of our soggy second day, it was wonderful to wake up to brilliant blue skies. We chatted with a couple from Kamloops in the garage while we set up for the day’s ride. (They noticed our Canadian flags.). They were riding very compact, foldable “Dahon” bikes. Our first stop of the day was Setubal’s famous fishmarket, Mercado Livramento, a bucket list item for me. The problem with these sightseeing… Read more: Day 3 – Setubal to Santiago do Cacem, Alentejo
• Day 2 – Lisbon to Setubal
  Patti and I had great sleeps last night, helping to move our systems ahead five hours. Breakfast was fantastic. We packed up our panniers, left them at the front desk, and walked for twenty minutes to the Jeronimo Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos). But FIRST, we stopped at Pasteis de Belem, THE source for the famed Portuguese Custard Tarts. The tart was still warm from the oven. Patti was in foodie heaven. The Monastery is… Read more: Day 2 – Lisbon to Setubal
• Day 1 – Toronto to Lisbon
  Our (John’s and my) first 24 hours involved an overnight flight from Toronto to Heathrow on Thanksgiving Sunday (3-4 hours of sleep – yahoo!) and a connecting flight to Lisbon at 8 a.m., putting us at 11:00 a.m. on Monday into an airport that is stretched well beyond its capacity. Picture a field of planes parked on a massive tarmac, serviced by jetways and passenger buses, huge lineups for immigration and the exit line… Read more: Day 1 – Toronto to Lisbon
• Lisbon
  Our last day of riding – Friday May 31 – was from Torres Vedras to a storage company in the outskirts of Lisbon where we were going to leave our bikes. It was a short (56 km., 865m ascent) but slightly hairy ride. Lisbon is a huge city and its outskirts go on for miles and miles. There is a TON of traffic, and, sadly, although we had been spoiled with dedicated bike lanes… Read more: Lisbon
• Torres Vedras
  John: Our last two days of riding originally were going to take us more inland into a national park area for an evening at a place called Artvilla. Very funky looking, not too expensive, kind of in the middle of nowhere. As we got further south in Portugal I began to be concerned about longer distances and higher climbs with increasing heat and sun exposure. So, at about 2am one night about a week… Read more: Torres Vedras
• Tomar to Batalha
  Tuesday May 28th, we left Tomar early (we had only 54 km to ride with 950m ascent but the forecast was for sun). Not very far into the ride we rounded a corner at the top of the hill and saw a gorgeous aqueduct. It was the Aqueduct of Pegoes, built to supply Tomar’s Convent of Christ with water. It took 21 years to build the six kilometre long aqueduct: when you see how… Read more: Tomar to Batalha
• Batalha to São Martinho Do Porto (and Nazare)
  This ride took us through a major cork growing area. Portugal is the world’s largest producer of cork. We were puzzled when looking at trees with all of their bark removed up to about the 2 metre level. Often a small bucket was mounted in this bare area collecting sap. Turns out the bark gets processed into cork, and is shipped worldwide. On the way we stopped in Nazare, made famous by the recent… Read more: Batalha to São Martinho Do Porto (and Nazare)
• Tomar
  Tomar is famous as an important centre of the Knights Templar. Its Convent of Christ is a Unesco World Heritage site and it is a true jewel of Portugal. I cannot overstate this: IF YOU ARE GOING TO PORTUGAL, DO NOT MISS TOMAR’s Convent of Christ. The ride to Tomar from Pombal was a short one (50 km) but there were some climbs (923m). Enough exertion in dry sunshine to lend a certain level… Read more: Tomar
• Coimbra to Pombal
  A little side-note (from John). As we rode our trikes first through a bit of England, around Wales, across south Ireland, Brittany in France, Bordeaux, northern Spain, and across Portugal, I am amazed at how ‘easy’ this type of travelling is now. We still have to power ourselves across many kilometres, and appreciate a little e-assist up the long steep hills, but several things have made cycling trips much more enjoyable than they would… Read more: Coimbra to Pombal
• Praia Mira to Coimbra
  May 25th, already. Less than a week until we store the bikes in Lisbon next Friday (May 31st). Ack! Coimbra is a university town, and we were there the day the students were graduating. If we had stayed on until later on Sunday we would have seen what is supposed to be an epic parade through the streets. (Or maybe it’s best that we would be moving on, early.) The university itself is at… Read more: Praia Mira to Coimbra
• Aveiro to Praia De Mira
  A lovely short (32km) and flat ride from Aveiro to the beach, with a stop at the ceramics factory museum, Vista Allegre. While we were gearing up the bikes in the morning, there was a person hanging around outside the hotel. Spidey senses were tingling, perhaps a misfire, but two of the hotel staffers were hyper-aware, also, and they stayed with us and the bikes until we finally pulled away. It always takes about… Read more: Aveiro to Praia De Mira
• Porto to Aveiro
  John here. We got away early from Porto, with the sun just rising behind the beautiful Porto bridge. We wanted to beat the heat and the sun for the long ride ahead of us, but EARLY breakfast is tricky in Porto (yesterday – Starbucks – I know …), so late at night I googlemapped a tiny cafe about 5km south. Turned out to be the ‘official’ club/cafe of the Porto Futbol team. Hmmm. But,… Read more: Porto to Aveiro
• Porto
  We had a day off from cycling!!!! A whole day to explore Porto, and our knees kneeded -LOL – the break! While we waited for our 9:30 tour with a local guide to start we were lucky enough to happen on a hardware store where John was relieved to find a bit that had gone missing from his bike. I blame the cobblestones. At any rate, problem solved. Our guide’s recounting of the recent… Read more: Porto
• Riding Into Porto
  John here: Hah! We missed a day or two. But here we are on the coast of Portugal, south of Porto. The biking day into Porto was incredible. Pouring rain, intense long inclines, trails through mud, crazy descents on very slippery cobblestones and rocks (see the video where Patti bumps her way down a disused Roman road that we finally found after a route suggested by Ride with GPS seemingly ended in a field)… Read more: Riding Into Porto
• Riding to RibaDouro
  More hills, incredible Douro valley views, steep cobblestones, road blocks, great food and wine, and barking dogs. Another lovely day along the Douro. Tomorrow is THE long hilly ride to Porto. I’ve been worried about this one. Wish us luck!
• The Middle of Portugal and the Douro River Valley
  After leaving Spain we slogged through two days of cycling against a head wind and a cold front. Temperatures started about 6 deg C in the morning, and really didn’t improve much, and rain was always threatening. Our first refuge was in Sendim, in a hotel under reconstruction preparing to be a wedding reception destination. Not quite yet, though. A tent at the back of the property was serving lovely meals mostly for the… Read more: The Middle of Portugal and the Douro River Valley
• Zamora, Miranda Do Douro and onto Sendim
  A couple of days of stuff here as we left Spain and ventured into Portugal. The 69.5 km ride was fairly uneventful, just more of that dratted headwind. When we crossed from Spain into Portugal, the only fuss was a Spanish sign – no Portuguese one! (See photo.) Obviously, the land all looked the same. The border is at the top of a ridge. Miranda Do Douro is known as the “Grand Canyon of… Read more: Zamora, Miranda Do Douro and onto Sendim
• Parador de Zamora
  Our ride from Toro to Zamora started with a treat: after a breakfast of Patti’s favorite treat, the Abuluelo cake filled with Nutella along with a fantastic coffee (see photo), we enjoyed a nice steep descent onto what would be a flat route of about 36 kilometres. Lots of stork nests on church roofs. Sometimes the parishioners have even built ‘cage supports’ to house the huge nests. The toughest part of this ‘easy’ day… Read more: Parador de Zamora
• Toro, Spain
  Vallodalid was a real pleasure. We left in the morning and cycled against a relentless west wind for about 70 kms. Whew!!! Very flat and fertile farms, well irrigated with machinery, a few gently rolling hills, lots of beautiful red poppies, but that wind. Relentless! We climbed a few hills towards the end and entered the Reora and Toro wine regions. All of a sudden grape vines reappeared, with their accompanying bodegas. A final… Read more: Toro, Spain
• Valladolid, Spain
  Ahhh! This is a beautiful city. It once rivalled Madrid as the dominant centre of Spain, but a French invasion a few hundred years ago destroyed much of the infrastructure, including severely damaging its massive cathedral. Our takeaways from Valladolid are: its huge and numerous large open space plazas, all with NO cars, incredibly neat and tidy everywhere, impeccable new transit vehicles, very cool Sunday evening plaza concerts with hundreds of city-provided chairs, everyone… Read more: Valladolid, Spain
• Getting Across Central Spain
  We’ve just finished our second day of biking after leaving Burgos and we’re combining two days’ worth of posts into one because, honestly, the past two days have really just been about getting through the miles. The terrain is much flatter now, with distant hills that resemble the mesas of Arizona. The zone we’re traversing is an industrial and agricultural area. Not particularly charming or beautiful. Huge car factories (see the Michelin photo below)… Read more: Getting Across Central Spain
• Burgos
  What a fantastic city. We rode about 40 km and began our approach to Burgos proper with a 5km long beautiful bike path following the Arlanzón river. The river bisects the city, with the old areas to the north, and the more recent builds to the south. We entered from the north-eastern suburbs and had a thirty minute ride, sharing the path with many riders and walkers as the architecture became older and older.… Read more: Burgos
• Very Hot, Very Dry, Very Long
  We left the lush, rolling landscapes of the Rioja near Pomplano and entered the flatter, drier, hotter area to the west. The ride was big, too. About 72 kms with quite a bit of climbing, especially at the end. The last 10 kms was a constant climb from 750m to about 1,000m. It was wonderful to find our lovely B&B. One stretch of the ride was about 20 kms, straight as an arrow, with… Read more: Very Hot, Very Dry, Very Long
• Cycling Through Rioja
  Wednesday May 8th marked the last day of our first week of cycling. We were incredibly lucky to be spending that day in brilliant sunshine in the Rioja region of Spain. We rode about 50’ before we realized that our devices were sync’d to different GPS routes, so we pulled over to the sidewalk and while we figured out which route was the most current route, a young mum walked past us with her… Read more: Cycling Through Rioja
• First Day in Spain
  We left our mountain hotel in Akeretta surrounded by misty mountains, a light drizzle, and a cool temperature. The ride started on the shoulder of the busy road but soon enough we were treated with the Greenway all the way into Pamplona. Pamplona is famous for the bull run through its narrow winding streets. Not everyone’s cup-of-tea. Our route planner avoided the crowded centre of town, and in return we enjoyed the splendid parks… Read more: First Day in Spain
• The Pass Through the Pyrénées
  We had a perfect day cycling from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France to Akerreta, Spain. I had planned a route that followed the main road over the pass, but had doubts about it the night before. A bit of research put us on a much less travelled route, following one lane paved roads high in the hills. We saw perhaps two cars during our ascent to 1,000 metres, and with the ups and downs our climbing totalled… Read more: The Pass Through the Pyrénées
• Salies-de-Béarn & Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port
  The last two days have been a pleasure as we approach the Pyrenees and the Spanish (Basque) border. Salies-de-Béarn is a beautiful town, obviously very wealthy in its past. It is known for its salt (hence the name) which is mined by pumping water into the underground deposits here. Also, hot springs with salt concentrations ten times as high as the ocean have attracted many people. Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port is the starting point for most of… Read more: Salies-de-Béarn & Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port
• A Couple of Challenges
  Our third day of riding was much more enjoyable than the first two. The scenery was more interesting and the route took us around many more turns and up and down lots of gentle hills. We had two inconvenient incidents though. The RideWithGPS app sent us up a bunch of stairs leading to the Abbey at Saint-Sever. Not convenient on recumbent trikes. The video below starts with a Patti and I bumping the trikes… Read more: A Couple of Challenges
• Day 2 – Sore to Mont-de-Marsans, France
  This area of South-West France is actively being deforested and reforested. Some areas are clear-cut, with saplings of various ages, and others are being selectively cleared. Most of the reforestation is a monoculture pine, perhaps white pine. We saw many heavily-laden trucks carrying unprocessed wood, and several wood mills with large inventories of construction grade product. When not in the forest area, huge farm fields were populated by long irrigation machines. Agriculture and forestry… Read more: Day 2 – Sore to Mont-de-Marsans, France
• First Day Cycling – Bordeaux to Sore
  We took the trikes out of storage in Bordeaux, stayed the night, and set off southwards to Sore, France. The ride first took us through the Grave wine region, with its endless vineyards and spectacular chalets. Then, all of a sudden, the vineyards were replaced with a rather monotonous 60 km or so of heavily forested land. Some areas were clear cut, but reforestation was obviously a stringent requirement. For a first day out,… Read more: First Day Cycling – Bordeaux to Sore
• Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris
  While waiting for Patti to emerge from the Edgar Quinet Metro station, I had two very pleasant experiences. The Montparnesse outdoor market lines the street, with the Metro station roughly at the centre of the market, and the Montparnasse Cemetery, is across the street. The market was bustling, but I’m not a huge fan of bustling, so I strolled into the cemetery. Here’s a 360 video of my short walk amongst the memorials. Drag… Read more: Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris
• Montparnasse – the rear view
  This is the view from my hotel room in Montparnasse, the kind of view of Paris most Parisiennes see. Like a sore thumb, you see Tour Montparnasse, built in the late 1960’s against fierce opposition. It’s … just … too … tall …!
• Patti Arrives Tomorrow
  Well – my two weeks with my old friends Rob Mee and Ben Pon are over. Patti joins me tomorrow in Paris for a train ride to Bordeaux and a month of cycling to Lisbon, Portugal. Rob’s visit was in Norway, starting north of the Arctic Circle on the Lofoten Islands. We were escorted by a photography tour company in Svolvaer around all corners of the Lofotens, ending in the iconic and most southerly… Read more: Patti Arrives Tomorrow
• Schwebebahn Monorail, Wuppertal, Germany
  In 1903, an overhead monorail transit system was completed in Wuppertal, Germany, an industrial town in the Ruhr Valley. The Schwebebahn monorail has been recently restored, with all new carriages and control sytems. It carries 20,000 passengers per day, and is the main mode of transit for the people of Wuppertal. Most of the monorail is suspended over the river that passes through town. The Schwebebahn is elegant, efficient, smooth, comfortable and perfectly quiet.… Read more: Schwebebahn Monorail, Wuppertal, Germany
• Vienna to Domodossola, Italy
  Since parting with Rob Mee in Berlin, Ben and I have travelled south through Poland to Poprad, Slovakia, and west through rural Slovakia to Vienna, Austria. We saw fantastic model train layouts in Poznan, Poland and at the Pratern Park in Vienna. We then had a lovely day in the countryside north-west of Vienna visiting an incredible model train layout in Schiltern. Returning from Schiltern we followed the Danube River, enjoyed chips and sausages… Read more: Vienna to Domodossola, Italy
• Bratislava, Slovakia to Vienna, Austria
  A long travel day yesterday in drizzly rain and fog from Poprad to Bratislava, Slovakia. So – no post yesterday. Interestingly, though, we saw many tanks and artillery pieces loaded onto train flat beds along the way. Perhaps heading toward neighbouring Ukraine? Bratislava is now the capital of Slovakia, but during the Czechoslovakia days it was a provincial seat. It has some interesting architecture, and is a stopping point for river cruise boats on… Read more: Bratislava, Slovakia to Vienna, Austria
• Krakow, Poland to Poprad, Slovakie
  Quick post today. Ben and I left Krakow on a morning train south to Zakopane, near the border with Slovakia. Zakopane is a seasonal tourist destination – skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. The town is full of lovely chalet-style lodges. Zakopane is the end of this train line; the Tatra mountains, which define the national border, rise dramatically close by. We continued south on a twisty pot-holed road through the… Read more: Krakow, Poland to Poprad, Slovakie
• Frankfurt (Oder) to Poznan, Poland
  After a very delayed train yesterday south to Berlin, we had to change our plans to stay overnight in Poland. We made it to the Polish border at Frankfurt, on the Oder river. Stayed in a nice old hotel. Ben and I shared a Domino’s (!!) pizza and hit the sack. We caught the early morning train to Poznan and hailed a cab to take us a few kilometres south to ‘Makieta’, a fantastic… Read more: Frankfurt (Oder) to Poznan, Poland
• Copenhagen to Frankfurt (Oder)
  A big travel day, so very little video and just a few pictures. Rob Mee and John (me) have been travelling in Norway for the past week. I met Rob at Scarborough Music Camp in 1971. Rob was first trombone in the band, and I was first trumpet. Great friends ever since. Ben Pon joined us this morning in Copenhagen. Ben grew up in The Netherlands, and I met him at the back of… Read more: Copenhagen to Frankfurt (Oder)
• Copenhagen
  A very quick post tonight because it’s late! Rob and I left Oslo at 8:10 this morning for Copenhagen. The trip was in two legs, with a change in Gotenberg, Sweden. Both trains were comfortable and perfectly on time. The scenery was basically exactly like Ontario Canada. Lakes, forests and granite south from Oslo, and more farms and fields as we proceeded south through Sweden. The Oresund bridge / tunnel connects Sweden to Denmark.… Read more: Copenhagen
• Oslo
  A short day walking around in Oslo does not do this magnificent city justice. We downloaded another mobile phone walking tour and followed an excellent two hour narrated stroll. It started from the ‘Oslo Fjord’, with the Nobel Peace Centre, took us past the Royal Palace, down Karl Johans Gate, Oslo’s main street, the Oslo Opera House, and ending at Akershus Fortress, with its fantastic armed forces and resistance museums. Oslo is the capital… Read more: Oslo
• Trondheim to Oslo
  This morning we installed a phone app called ‘VoiceMap’ and purchased a one hour long self-directed tour of Trondheim. The tour cost about $20 each, and was very impressive. It led us to a starting point, gave us walking directions, and the narrative was timed by GPS to our progress. Highly recommended for wherever you may be. Trondheim has been the capital of Norway off and on for centuries. Founded in the 900s, it… Read more: Trondheim to Oslo
• Svolvaer to Trondheim
  BIG travel day today. A three-and-a-half hour ferry from Svolvaer to Bodo, and a ten hour train south to Trondheim. Because the days are now so long the northern lights suffer, but our guide yesterday said that at 2 am the night before they were great. Rob got up at 2 am last night and reported a dud. Just a slight glow in the northern sky. We boarded the ferry for a smooth ride… Read more: Svolvaer to Trondheim
• Lofoten Photo Tour 2
  Lofoten is a group of islands in Norway, at 68 degrees latitude, north of the Arctic Circle. Lofoten includes many islands, with seven ‘main’ islands. Today, travelling west (or south) we traversed Austvagoya, (the furthest east, includes the ‘capital’, Svolvaer), Gimsoya, Vestvagoy, Flakstad and Moskenes. A non-stop drive from Svolvaer to Moskones takes about two and a half hours. Yesterday (Tour 1) we saw the highlights of the first three islands, Austvagoya, Gimsoya, and… Read more: Lofoten Photo Tour 2
• Lofoten Photo Tour #1
  We enjoyed the first of two tours around the northern half of the Lofoten Islands today. Lofoten consists of seven main islands; today we explored three. Svolvaer, the ‘capital’ of Lofoten, is on the most northerly. The islands are connected by a single road, with bridges built in the early 1960s. Parts of the road which followed up steep cliffs are gradually being replaced with tunnels. Lofoten does not use road salt in the… Read more: Lofoten Photo Tour #1
• Leknes to Svolvaer, Norway
  We left Copenhagen this morning for three flights though Oslo and Bodo to Leknes, north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. We then caught a bus for a ninety-minute ride to Svolvaer. The three videos below show the snow-capped mountains on the bus ride and the lovely and rugged Svolvaer harbour.
• Copenhagen – Visit #1
  A walk in Copenhagen. We arrived around noon after a three hour delayed flight from Toronto. Checked our bags at the hotel by the airport and took the train downtown. We walked by Tivoli, the fairgrounds, through the up-and-coming meat processing area, and over to the lovely Nyhavn block. We’ll get a better idea of Copenhagen next week. AND – I’ll get better with the 360 camera and its editing software. I promise!! While… Read more: Copenhagen – Visit #1
• Europe Travel – Spring 2024
  PattiAndJohn Europe Travel – Spring 2024 This trip takes us from the Arctic Circle in Norway to Lisbon in sunny and warm Portugal. John will leave two weeks before Patti and join two friends for train travel around Europe. Then Patti meets John in Paris, rides a train to Bordeaux, and PattiAndJohn head out on a month-long cycling trip to Lisbon. Here is the cycling route using the great planning app ‘Ride With GPS‘.… Read more: Europe Travel – Spring 2024
• First Post – Just testing a few things.
  First Post – Just testing a few things. I’ll be shooting video around Europe with the 360 camera. Hopefully I’ll be posting videos, pictures and observations each day. Here’s Patti with her beautiful ICE recumbent trike, and John’s train route from Norway through Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and France.