Tag: Bicycle Touring
-
And In Summary…
“What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver. “So what was the most exciting place you visited?”, our Uber driver asked as we sped through the narrow streets of Amsterdam. How do you respond to that big question that is impossible to answer? Other variations have…
-
A Room With A View
I’m pretty sure that the phrase “single story living” has never, ever been used in most of Europe. Over the past 10 weeks, we have stayed in a wide variety of accommodations of which two, had no stairs. Of those with stairs, about half had an elevator or lift. And I think it’s fair to…
-
Biking the Belgian Way
The quick blast of the siren made me jump. I had just been warned by another cyclist that I was going the wrong way on a one way road and had managed to get off the street and up onto a crowded sidewalk. Rick had already dismounted when I was waved over by the police. …
-
My Little Peloton
Sean’s left hand shot out instinctively to indicate caution. At a hairpin turn, one car up and one car back, his signal was as much for the cars as it was for us. Both cars slowed and then braked. Accident averted. And we continued pedaling. We weren’t sure what the addition of another rider would…
-
The Road to Rouen
“I’m ready to change my ticket and just go home.” These words drove a spike in my heart. But I understood. For the last three days, Rick, Sean and I had been stuck in an overpriced hotel in the heart of Paris. Crowds and prices had escalated because of the upcoming soccer championship game being…
-
Let’s Meet In Paris
Paris. In my imagination, I am stepping out of a black convertible near the Eiffel Tower. I casually throw my designer leather backpack over my shoulder. It matches my ankle boots and looks perfect with my designer jeans. I fling my soft, perfectly coiffed, graying hair over my shoulder and don my oversized sunglasses. The…
-
Riding
The folks who believe the world is flat have never been on a long cycling tour. I realized this yesterday as we were riding somewhere in the middle of France. The “French flats”, as we had endearingly named this region. And relative to many places, it is. But as we hacked our way through an…
-
Travel vs. Vacation
Flashback 2016. Sitting at Gatwick airport waiting for our flight, we, like everyone else in the airport, were logged into the one free hour of wifi available. Checking email and Facebook, my family was just passing time before our flight to Spain. As the time grew closer for boarding, an announcement. Fight delay. Then again.…
-
¿Habla inglés?
As I desperately looked through my backpack one more time, it was painfully clear, I had forgotten my wallet at the hotel. I looked apologetically at the cashier and longingly at my pile of groceries and murmured, “Lo siento”, as I skulked away. It had taken 30 minutes to find something that we could eat…
-
No Airlift
As we posed for our Bon Voyage picture at SeaTac airport, my sister in law called out teasingly, “You two look like you’re in an ad for AARP magazine!” Here we were, heading out for a huge bicycling adventure, and somehow it slipped my mind that Rick and I are, well, mature. Not in the…
Gonzo Girl 