Back from France, Switzerland and Italy

[ColinOldnCranky]

Well, it's been a glorious 45 days. I've unpacked (incompletely), recovered, had a few rides and gone thru some photos.

Now it's time to bore y'all.

I'm going to post a selection of pics. Perhaps you have been to the same place. Had a similar experience? Want a copy? Got a comment.

Regardless, this is my thread and I'm gonna do my best to make you envious.

(I have a selection of pics from the trip at http://s991.photobucket.com/user/colino ... Europe2014)

[ColinOldnCranky]

The basis of the trip was a birthday celebration for my wife.

A few of us were to toast the actual birthday in the evening in the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. Followed by a week on the Canal de Borgogne in a pair of self-skippered canal boats. There would be 11 of us doing it.

As if we did not already have something to celebrate, a short time after we left Oz we got news that one of our canal boat party had a special appointment and new job to also celebrate. It was going to be a busy trip.



While we had many friends with us at different times, our dear friends Toni and Tony of many many years joined us for the whole duration. We have traveled many times with them so no uncertainty here. Wendy, my wife and the birthday girl is on the left.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Now what would I first start packing for a trip? Hmmm


I dismantled the unicycle into the wheel, the forks and the seat/seatpost. The wheel goes, with some protective coreflute, in a bag that my daughter made for me for previous trips. As in the past the rest slips into a backpack. I can strap the bagged wheel to the backpack if the airline charges extra for additional hold luggage.

[ColinOldnCranky]

First stop was Paris for five nights. We stayed in the Latin Quarter. Central to all the nightlife, the touristy things live the Louve and the Notre Dame. Hotels are quaint, squeezed and outrageously expensive.

And what do you do in Paris?
Shop of course!

[ColinOldnCranky]

Being France, recognised for fine cuisine, wines and sophisticated fashion, I brought along suitably formal attire.


While I did the bulk of my longer rides in the wee hours, I found that Paris, though defficient in cycling infrastructure, was perfectly OK for exploring during at any time. An intense flashing headlight and rear light is a great source of confidence in traffic and my frame is covered with retroreflective taping anyway.

Most places in Europe have lousy paving so I almost entirely used the roads. In all of Europe I never had an grief from cops for doing so. Europe seems to have an excess of cops.

[Red Rider]

Venice looks mad.

And bikes are made for walking alongside??

[ColinOldnCranky]

Venice looks mad.

And bikes are made for walking alongside??

Generally quiet and we had double glazed windows. Opening the windows in the morning greeted us with a peaceful sight, maybe a hotel client opposite being picked up by water taxi. As the day progressed it would liven up to



But when the crusis ships get in!!!