Keith and I decided we would each write our thoughts about the trip individually. The similarities and differences should be interesting - at least to us! So here are my thoughts.

As this was our first longer tour, and the first one that wasn't door to door, we didn't consider ourselves experienced, and learned a great deal, but there isn't anything I would have done differently this time around. Keith said it best one day towards the end of the trip..the tour exceeded our expectations in every way.

I loved the biking, and being outside most of the day. The cities and villages we visited were wonderful, the people even more so. There was always something to look at. You get such a unique perspective on a country from a bike. It is so easy to stop and take a second look. We tried to pack as lightly as possible and I feel we were successful. It was absolutely no problem to ride our lightly loaded bikes. It was fantastic.

I made a decision before we left that it made the most sense to have one navigator. That worked out really well. There were very few navigation 'discussions'. I did watch for signs (hence my nickname Go This Way - GTW) but that was helpful most of the time. We got somewhat turned around many times and I think that is inevitable, and was never a big deal. Following the rivers and canals was easy most of the time. Signage was better in Germany than France. Keith was an awesome navigator. Trust me, my map skills meant I was never a serious candidate for the job, and I never envied Keith. He would stop to check the GPS and map and I would relax and look around.

Leaving the tent at home was the right decision for me. A shower at the end of the day and a comfortable bed were lovely. This also cut down tremendously on the amount of gear we needed to carry. Less is more when bike touring! The close proximity of towns in Europe meant for us camping gear was a choice, not a necessity.

I liked writing the blog. It is a great record of where we were for ourselves and it was fun to do. So watch for another one when we head out again. I am already dreaming of and planning the next tour. I can't wait to go again.

Now that I am home I can tell you life is simpler when all you have to look after are two panniers and a handlebar bag versus a house. It is interesting how little a person really needs. The trip was a fantastic ride, both literally and figuratively.

Keith's Thoughts: Some final comments on our bike tour.

This was our first real extended bike tour so we thought it appropriate to provide some concluding comments.

We hope that those who read the blog enjoyed it and had a few chuckles. We also hope that anyone who might be planning a similar trip found this blog useful. We have no regrets and are very thankful we are healthy enough to do it. After stating that, I do have one regret - we did not sample enough wine while riding through all the fabulous wine country.

What went right? Well pretty much everything. The decision for us to leave the camping gear at home was the right one for us and taking the gear was only even considered for insurance purposes. There were a couple times we were scrambling to find a place and I thought - maybe we should have brought the gear. The decision to leave the bike boxes at the Sheraton Hotel at the Frankfurt airport and spend the first and last night really simplified things. No hassles whatsoever.

Bikes and accessories - the Surlys performed perfectly with no issues whatsover. The Galileo offline maps were great and provides a great record of our track (except when I forgot to turn it on). It showed bike and hiking trails when biking through the forests where trails often went every which way. The SYGIC GPS program was useful when trying to locate our final destination in towns and cities we visited. At times it took us in circuitous routes but eventually got us to our destination. It worked well while driving in Provence but pretty well useless for gps navigation by bike.

The $50 battery pack purchased at London Drugs was an essential. I could recharge my iphone while on the go up to 2 or 3 times and pretty well used it each day. No shortage of power for the iphone.

Thanks to everyone who contacted us on the blog guestbook or directly by email. We always looked forward to hearing from readers. If anyone has any questions about our trip we would be more than happy to answer any question you might have.

Comments on where we went: The Mosel, Alsace and Burgundy - well ... we want to come back and spend more time in those areas. Provence is another area we like to explore further. Hmm ... these all happen to be wine regions. Both portions of the Rhine were great. Lake Constance as well. We enjoyed it all.

Negatives - the only really negative was the smoking in both Germany and France. Truly annoying particularly at the street-side cafes. Sad to see all these young people hooked on tobacco.

The drivers everywhere were extremely courteous. And everywhere people were very very helpful when we needed directions or assistance. We made new friends and had a great visit in Berlin with old friends.

Regrets - as I mentioned ... we should have drank more wine!