PARIS TO BUDAPEST
There was a lot of back and forth on where to tour next. The Eurovelo maps and planners were gathered from the library.
I am still completely astounded when we spread these almighty maps across the dining room table - and it is a LARGE (and very nice) table. Custom designed and built by an Australian fellow, David Boucher and his team of artisans - dipping into their historical humidor full of timber veneer sheets - carefully laid on racks, a vault full of fine wines ageing to perfection - to create a dining room table for generations to come. Sadly, I feel there may not be any takers for the table from our crowd so while we can continue to ride around this beautiful world, it will double in purpose as the cycle tour planning space.
The astounding part (for an Australian) is that there are these thousands and thousands of kilometres of perfectly and beautifully rideable cycle pathways that interconnect from one side of Europe to the other, from top to bottom, with an overarching body EUROVELO somehow coordinating an incredibly well maintained and documented cycling infrastructure across xxxxx countries. Not really possible with our neighbouring countries (FYI - we are sea-locked). Moreover, it is a mighty task to tour within our country with usually hundreds of kilometres between stops and supplies. Europe seems pre-made for long distance cycle touring - a tidy ten kilometres or so between villages makes for delightful days rolling along full of superb food, architecture, art, people, farms, produce.
The shortlist for this trip? Drowning in possiblities, the trips that made the cut were these: Norway and the Scandinavian Countries . Spain and the French Atlantic Coast . Croatia and Northern Italy. Paris to Budapest.
All desirable and perfectly do-able. Fortunately, I like to think there’s plenty of time for everything… lock and load time though, we chose option D.
Paris to Budapest it is. I’m sure the frame builder had his reasons. Mine were primarily because it sounds like I’m smack bang in the middle of a Wes Anderson film, the majority of the ride is flat(ish), we go through previously unexplored (by us) magnificent wine regions, roll through centuries of architecture and end up in what is arguably one of the most classically beautiful cities in the world.
Officially 2,317 kilometres from start to finish and I’m looking forward to every single one.
