After our smashing success touring Spain/Portugal in 2023, we planned to return in 2024, but dithered stateside instead. Jacinto was especially keen to return to Europe in 2025. He turns 60 this year, and we know that all zero birthdays mean that the birthday person gets to make the important decisions for the year. Alison, we have repeated that rule many times!

We settled on Barcelona as a starting point fairly quickly, as we hadn't been to southern Spain. Jacinto was interested in bagging as many countries as possible. I wanted to enjoy the ride, not just cross borders. Routing seemed especially difficult this trip. We leaned heavily on our Cycle Blaze support system. Scott Anderson gets a special mention for his encyclopedic memory of everything Europe. The Grampies did live, on the ground lodging reconnaissance for us. Well detailed journals (yes, I'm talking about you, Jacquie, Classens, and Fenwicks) were a blessing. Extra love is given to those with a daily map.

I told Jacinto I think the sweet spot for me is a 30 day trip. We have done longer, but even on a good trip, I start to miss my own bed. He agreed to that. I am the one who kept finding more ramparts to walk, flamingos to see, and castles to sleep in! We ended up with 40 riding days.

Scott was careful to point out we are crossing three major mountain ranges - the Pyrenees, the Dolomites, and the Alps. He noted the easiest crossings, but also said easiest doesn't mean easy. Gulp.

We bought one way tickets to Barcelona, as we couldn't decide on a finishing point. I kept hoping for a cheap ticket, but I think those days are gone. It became a regular game for us to check airfares. Jacinto found an excellent price on a multi city ticket. I asked why he was checking multi city when we already had the first leg. The price was so good, I called American Airlines to see if our changeable tickets could be changed to add a return. Yes!  They could! That saved us ~$900. per person over buying two one way tickets. 

We had a plan, now how about training?