April 9, 2022
The Route
We didn't really start out with the idea that we have to complete the route that got cut short in 2019. But of course with the bikes stored in Leipzig, Leipzig is a point that routes will have in common. And in 2019 we did plan to follow the Elbe north, at least for a bit, so Leipzig and the Elbe seemed to be carryovers as we planned this 2022 quest.
Another 2019 bit that seems to still draw us is the idea of climbing the Rhine out of the Bodensee, as it comes down from its source in the Swiss Alps. And now we have some friends that moved to that area (just by Liechtenstein) creating an added reason to go that way.
And Salzburg - not only is it gorgeous, but it is sort the centre for Julie Andrews and the Sound of Music, who have some kind of psychological role in this trip!
Finally there is Prague, which not only did we not feel done with in 2019, but we have a pile of Czech Korunas that we still have to get rid of.
To get to Prague, we could find ourselves in eastern Czech, trundling along the "Iron Curtain"trail, but right now being too far east does not feel all that comfortable. So that suggests cutting straight from Munich to Prague, and of course Bikeline has a book for that! Munich also has Suzanne Gibson and Janos, who also have to be a major draw!
All these ideas, and many more, rolled around in our heads, and out popped this route:
It's possible to divide the route into stages, and that can be helpful in dealing with the quite a few thousand kms involved. So we are thinking of it as:
1. Down the Elbe to the North Sea (at Cuxhaven)
2. Up the Weser, and the Rhine to Basel, and then toward the source of the Rhine in Switzerland.
3. East along the base of the Alps to Salzburg and environs
4. North to Prague and back to Leipzig
In the blog there will be no problem knowing exactly where we are in all this, because each page will begin with an interactive map.
So like Max in my favourite cycling book, let's jump on our two wheelers and say:
(Illustration is from Max Lernt Radfahren, a children's book that proved way too complex for us to read in German!)
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2 years ago
2 years ago
I feel honored that you mentioned Janos and me as a reason for riding through Munich. We'll try not to disappoint. Already researching the best Torten for the meaning of life.
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago