Well, here we go again. A slightly different crew than my last two tours, although Mark would have joined us if possible. But this turned into an extended trip that seemed to grow of its own accord, and it was not going to be possible for him to make the time.

So Happy and Jerry, who I have ridden with extensively and also have time on their hands (as I do), plotted this out over several months. It started as a tour of Switzerland and the Lakes Route but then grew a beginning and an end.

Mostly because Happy wanted to see Paris (and I have friends there as well), and, on the back end, there is Liechtenstein, which I have never been to. From there, Munich made sense. And while that will be a bit of a repeat leg for me, I don't think Happy and Jerry have been there yet.

And from Munich, I have always wanted to bike down the Danube, toward Vienna, of course. That is another Happy and Jerry destination! And while I have been there as well, it's always good for a second visit. Small enough to enjoy but big enough to find plenty of ways to spend time. And beyond Vienna? None of us have been to Bratislava. Nor Prague. Nor Dresden. Nor Berlin.

So off we go . . .