Getting Ready April 2023 - Midtsommer - Mediterranean to the Fjords - CycleBlaze

April 16, 2023

Getting Ready April 2023

Anthony Bourdain:   “If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move.  As far as you can, as much as you can.” 

Out on the BIXIs, Montréal’s shared bike program which is so handy.
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On the road again! We are excited to be jumping into early summer weather with  gorgeous scenery, sandy beaches and the laid-back pace of southern France.

In the fall we left our bicycles in Toulouse, so after a brief stop in Paris and a quick TGV ride we will be back in the “Pink City” of Toulouse with its gorgeous terra-cotta brick buildings blanketed in southern sunshine.  Departure day is April 24th.

This trip will be our longest to date at three and a half months.  We will cycle across a big chunk of France, take the train to Northern Germany and start cycling again at the border of Denmark, then on to Sweden and Norway before flying to England.

What a variety of scenery: the Mediterranean coast, Provence, the Rhone, Alsace, the coasts of Denmark and Sweden, the fjords of Norway and final cycling days between London and Oxford.  We can’t wait!

We are a bit more casual on the preparations for this trip, hopefully the experience from our previous tours will aide to transition from city life to nomads on bikes living outdoors.  We are comforted by the fact that most of what we need is already in France, except for our camping gear.   After two trips in which we have stayed in small hotels and B&Bs through Portugal, Spain, the Pyrenees and the river valleys close to Toulouse, we will be back in our tent.  We love that France is so well set up for camping -in great locations and not expensive.  As always, when there’s rain in the forecast, we can book into a hotel for a comfy bed.

If we haven’t been doing detailed trip planning, we have been doing lots of reading and dreaming about where we are going… but we haven’t got beyond France.   Interestingly, a lot of our perusal is about the delectable opportunities that Europe provides for the palate.   Steve’s been chuckling over his serendipitous library find, Dirt by Bill Buford, about the gastronomic food scene in Lyon.  Ann is ready for Provence with Peter Mayle’s A-Z Provence with its entertaining list of cuisine and local facts.  She’s looking forward to trying such things as: Anchoiade, “a fiery, fishy delicious purée”, Banon “a noble goat cheese which must lie-entirely covered in chestnut leaves that are secured with raffia to form a kind of rustic gift-wrapping" and a Bouillabaisse, “preferably of the Marseille variety, variously described as a soup of gold, a mystical experience, a magical synthesis, beach food, a divine seduction, or the reason God invented fish”.   Anthony Bourdain’s books are the source of wise quotes about travel that have been great to reread (as the quote above) and Stanley Tucci’s Taste, My Life Through Food has given Ann a few new ideas for simple camp pasta dishes. She has two recipes ready to go, Pasta Fagioli with cannellini beans and marinara sauce and Spaghetti con Zucchini all Nerano with zucchini and three cups of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  (I’m not sure if Stanley would be impressed with the image of us trying to concoct some of his mother’s revered family dishes over a single butane burner.)

During this final week of preparation we want to review the books and maps of Scandinavia before they go back to the library, but if not, we’ll just have to hope that everything turns out fine, as it usually does on our trips.

Our route from Toulouse to Strasbourg.
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Patrick O'HaraI hope you have a side trip planned through the Verdon Gorge. Plus, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a town not to be missed.
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1 year ago
Our route from the German/ Denmark border, through Sweden, on to Norway ending in Stavanger.
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Patrick O'HaraExcellent! Looking forward to following along. Looks like a great trip.
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1 year ago
Susan CarpenterFantastic plan that I’m sure will be another fun-filled Steve and Ann adventure. So glad you’re taking us along. I’m in Paris now thru the 29th - it’d be great to see you again if it works
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1 year ago
Suzanne GibsonHow exciting! So good to see you on the road again. I'm looking forward to your adventures.

Susan Carpenter, Janos and I will be setting out from Arles on May 1. We will probably just miss you - but who knows.
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1 year ago
ann and steve maher-wearyYes, I am not sure how fast we will get to Arles and Provence but if we could meet up, that would be wonderful!
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1 year ago
ann and steve maher-wearyTo Susan CarpenterHi Susan
It would be great to have met you in Paris but we are not staying overnite this time. However, maybe we will see you in the south of France.
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1 year ago
ann and steve maher-wearyTo Patrick O'HaraThanks Patrick for following along. I am not sure we are going to make it to the Verdon Gorge this time, I hope we do. It will just depend on how we are doing time wise. As well as Moustiers, it looks like a terrific spot but is off our route for the moment. Will keep it in mind. I love hearing suggestions of what to see and do, so thank you. I have not been on Cycleblaze much lately as we have been busy with things at home, so not up on things. Are you planning a 2023 trip?
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1 year ago
Patrick O'HaraHi Steve and Ann. Alas...so many places to see, so little time. As far as our plans go? Well, we've got a trip lined up for Slovenia this year. We leave July 18th for just over three or so weeks. We'll be posting a journal as the departure date approaches. Hope all is well with you both in Montreal!
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1 year ago
ann and steve maher-wearyHi Patrick and Sue
Look forward to following along on your travels. Slovenia might be in the cards for next year.

Today is departure day, we are beyond excited!
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1 year ago
Rachael AndersonI’ve been so busy with other things that I didn’t see you had a new journal until today. It sounds like a wonderful tour! I’m really curious about the Sweden and Norway part of the tour since I’m half Swedish and we’ve never been there before.
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1 year ago
ann and steve maher-wearyBusy is an understatement! So impressed with how you figured out your plans to keep the trip rolling! Way to go!
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1 year ago