Planning a cycle tour in these pandemic times is difficult. There are no certainties, with new variants and restrictions arising with little notice. Back in January, 2021, I was so heartened by the development of effective vaccines that I took a chance and booked a two-month trip to Europe for that fall. At the time, Europe was not open to US visitors but I believed  widespread vaccine immunity would curtail the virus and that life would have returned to near normal by September. Besides, the plane ticket was fully refundable.

 My optimism was partially rewarded.  Although vaccine acceptance in the US proved to be highly controversial, there was a seasonal drop in Covid cases by summer and the EU opened up to US visitors in June. Traveling was a bit more complicated that previous trips to Europe - vaccine cards, Covid tests, quarantine rules, contact tracing - but it all was fairly straightforward once you navigated the varying requirements for each country. I spent a wonderful two months in Europe, including a fantastic cycle tour through Germany, Austria and Italy.

 While in Europe, I grew accustomed to living with mandates - masks and/or a vaccine pass were usually required for entrance to hotels, restaurants, and museums. As a consequence, these countries had a fairly high vaccine rate, life seemed somewhat normal, and I felt comfortable knowing that everyone in the restaurant/hotel/museum was vaccinated.

It was unsettling returning home to North Carolina, a state with a relatively low vaccination rate and no mask mandates.  I almost immediately vowed to return to Europe - this time for an extended stay. All I needed was a general plan and a long stay visa.

The general plan 

For a variety of reasons, I've chosen not to be in touring mode for the entire time, preferring instead to establish a home base in Paris from whence to launch a series of adventures ranging in length from a few days to a month or more. In various stages of planning are a springtime tour in Spain and Portugal, Slovenia in the summer, and southern Italy in the fall.

I’ve wrestled with how to organize this journal - one long journal encompassing the entire time vs. a series of journals documenting each tour, no matter the length. I’m leaning toward a combination of the two: longish tours of a month or more to be documented in their own journal with smaller tours lasting a few days to a week or two  recounted here. 

I've purchased a one-way ticket for Paris departing Mar 18. Not sure when I’ll return, but I promised not to miss my niece’s wedding in mid-December.