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Steve, as I mentioned in my email, my Dad was in Apeldoorn at the end of WWII... why are you buying bikes there?
7 years agoGlad to see your picture from Uaymitun! Looking forward to seeing your adventures in France!
7 years agoThat for sure a Saint Patrick day bike color
7 years agoHappy birthday kisses to baby Joe! And some advance ones for grandpa (cause why not). Enjoy Montreal for us!
7 years agoYes, I'm sure marmalade officially "counts". But the photo shows that the marmalade was not directly under my nose meaning that in typically unobservant fashion I missed it. Also while demanding multi jam presentations in principle I will always be overwhelmed by the presence of raspberry.
7 years agoHere is a link to that 4 jam breakfast:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JcL40XWqryvZIGjm2
The 4 jams were mesquite, plum, raspberry and marmalade. Maybe marmalade doesn't count as jam? :)
Go, Violet!
Looking forward to following you this spring. And a bit envious - I wish we were leaving now also. The first hint of spring and it feels like time to migrate.
Thanks folks. We are only slowly ramping up, since we still have to stop at Montreal and Paris before pedaling our first real km! But we think interesting things could even happen in Montreal, or Paris!
7 years agoJust wanted to wish you both a great trip. I always enjoy reading your journals. Thank you for your diligence in keeping them going.
7 years agoHow funny! I'm in Seattle right now (heading home tomorrow)! Your lac vert route most likely took you right past my cousin's house! What a very small world indeed. Hope you enjoy the rest of your visit and looking forward to reading all about the Tour de France! Sue
7 years agoOh no, three month is exactly the length of our time in France! We will need to avoid any emergency train use, or at least plan ahead for it!
7 years agohttps://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/fn
SNCF trade unions have set up a strike of 36 days spread on 3 months.
Starting April 3rd, 2018
Finishing June 28th, 2018
as followed : 2 days of strike every 5 days, with a minimum service of 1 train out of 3.
SNCF cannot confirm that TVG would normally operate after the second day following the strike just because the TGV could be stuck in another city the previous day.
SNCF CEO Guillaume Pepy said that every day at 5.00 pm, SNCF will publish clear information of the next day’s ‘’ mess ‘’ on available operating trains.
Hi
Glad to see you are on the move again. Happy travels!
https://www.rome2rio.com is another helpful site for searching travel options.
Hi Grampies,
We saw a cute sweater on a cute baby recently. Hmm.
Here is another website that helps you find trains and train routes:
https://www.seat61.com
Doug, it's a slightly convoluted story. Last year Dodie was hit by a car just north of Apeldoorn and her bike was destroyed. By some miracle she was not, but at first she could not walk. Again by good fortune after a week she could mount and pedal an exercise bike that they had at the hotel. With that achievement, I went to a bike shop in town and bought an e-assist model. It's important to note that in Europe e-assist can not have a throttle and is limited in speed. As such they are widely used for touring.
7 years agoAs Dodie continued rapid recovery, the gentle e-assist was all that was needed to keep our tour alive. By chance, the shop I chose had a fine staff that helped us set up the ideal bike and also packaged the remnants of the old bike for mailing home. (It has now been rebuilt by the manufacturer in Oregon and will reappear next year in Yucatan!).
The only glitch about e-assist is that almost half the value is in the battery and the battery can not be transported by plane. Transport by ship is also impractical. So we took the bike home but left the battery with a friend in Paris.
Meanwhile, while Dodie has recovered from the car crash, she is on the list for imminent knee replacement, making her still an e-assist fan. All that sets up the idea of buying and keeping a complete bike in Europe. While it might be logical to buy the bike in Paris where the battery currently is, we developed no confidence in Paris merchants that we talked to last time. So its back to the trusted shop in Apeldoorn, even at the cost of a six hour train ride and adjustment of our whole cycle tour plan. It's a lesson for shop keepers on the value of good service. The shop in Apeldoorn is actually getting to sell two more or less identical bikes, one for me, not because I have any reason, other than if Dodie has a toy I want one too. "It's not a toy, it's a tool", she insists. Yeah, sure.