Last year, we cycled 4000+ km from London to Belgrade, Serbia (this journal is also on Cycle Blaze, "London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem") and fell in love with Europe as a cycle travel destination. Since we are now retired, we plan to keep on doing this (every year if we can) as long as our bodies, finances and desire allow. It was an easy choice to fly to Amsterdam this year, as this will give us a different focus with different countries to explore. Our plans are not as clear cut as last year as Normandy, Brittany and the Eurovelo 6 gave us a clear route to follow. Our tentative plan on this trip is to cycle and camp around Holland for the first few weeks, follow the Rhine from Rotterdam then on to the Moselle River. Perhaps we will ride around Lake Constance in Germany/Switzerland then proceed to Prague, follow the German Polish border to the Baltic Sea, then on to Berlin and eventually make our way back to Amsterdam for our return flight October 5. Getting ready for this trip has presented us with some challenges - the flooding in Europe reminded us that we need to be flexible about our plans. Plus, we were not cleared medically to travel until 3 days before our departure. Thankfully, Mary Ellen's medical situation was a false alarm. Barry took care of much of the planning and packing, with the hope that we could travel. The past few days have been very hectic taking care of last minute arrangements - but here it is, the day of our departure and we are comfortably sitting on BC Ferries' Spirit of Vancouver Island on our way to the airport.
We have long wished for a Swedish Hilleberg tent and the awesome vestibule (a second room) that it provides. We were excited when we heard about an ultralight version of the Nallo that was being designed. Well, here it is - the Anjan 3 - roughly the same weight as our previous tent, the Copper Spur made by Big Agnes. The Anjan...what a great tent!
Sweden seems to be a theme for us. The Trangia alcohol stove remains our preferred stove while travelling. Last year we used the clickstand and found it a bit unstable and finicky. The Trangia UL 25 cook set works great!
The Rans Seavo TR and Radical Design Cyclone trailer are ready to roll again....and so are we! (Photo from last year arriving in Dieppe via the ferry.)
