Wrap-up, Reflections and Lessons Learned

This bike tour was 87 days long. We were aware of the impending introduction of the 90 day in any 180 days visa for Europe, so wanted to keep the tour under 90 days to avoid any hassle should it be introduced while we were in Europe. As it turned out, we didn’t need to worry. While Greg could have continued to ride indefinitely, Wendy was about ready to come home.

We stayed at 36 hotels in 37 rooms. The hotels ranged from ungraded, and 2* to 5*. The majority were 4* hotels. For this trip, we pre-booked only our first and last hotels as we knew we were going to be in those cities on those dates. All the others were done during the ride and did take a lot of time to research before booking. Greg would have liked to just wing it and book something on the day in whatever place we decided to stop at, while Wendy was not as convinced that this would work as many smaller places do not provide aircon, not even a fan, and Europe can get hot. Some places are also tourist hotspots and are noisy at night. The ability to close the window and still be cool is a must.

We rode on six Euro Velo routes, through six countries for just under 2,500km. The routes we rode on are: #2 – Capitals Route; #3 – Pilgrim’s Route; #6 – Rivers Route; #7 – Sun Route; #13 – Iron Curtain Route; and #15 – Rhine Route.

We rode beside the following rivers: Danube, Vltava, Elbe, Havel, Ems, Ruhr, Rhine, Waal, Nederrijn, Oude Rijn (a branch of the Rhine Delta), and Meer of Buurwatering.

We spent most of our time in Germany (39 days); with 11 days in Hungary; 4 days in Slovakia; 11 days in Austria; 6 days in Czechia; and 12 days in the Netherlands.

E-bike thoughts

We both agreed that this trip (Greg’s 12th & Wendy’s 5th to Europe) would be a good test for e-bikes on tour. While Wendy really likes the concept Greg is not entirely convinced. His reasoning follows:

◦           He never felt comfortable leaving the e-bike locked outside when we stopped to have a look at something when riding from one overnight stay to another. He feared the bike/s would not be there when we came back.  

◦           He didn’t like using the e-bike to get around a city to visit the sights on a rest day for the same reason as above. He feels that thieves target places that cycling tourists like to visit.

◦           The batteries are quite heavy and while many hotels now have recharge points in their bike storage location, some don’t and therefore the batteries must be taken off the bike every day for charging in the hotel room.

◦           Even when they don’t need charging, we took the batteries out of the bikes to make them bike less attractive to thieves. Wendy had no problems in removing the batteries when required.

◦           While he enjoyed riding the e-bike, pressing the boost button when he got to a hill or battling into a headwind, he wonders whether overall it’s worth the extra time, worry and effort. Wendy definitely believes it is well worth it.

◦           He also wonders if he is being overly pessimistic/paranoid and after a while the novelty will wear off and he’ll become more relaxed about touring with an e-bike. We must admit that we haven’t really given insurance much thought. Although we’ve always had travel insurance, which did cover a bike Emirates destroyed once, we never checked about the e-bikes. I suspect you can insure anything if you cough up enough money

◦           As a big plus, Greg is certainly not as tired at the end of a day’s ride as he was in France two years ago when we rode the Loire on manual bikes. So that might indicate that it won’t be long before he won’t have a choice in what bike he rides if he wants to continue cycle-touring. This is something that Wendy observed, mostly quietly but did bring it up when Greg stated he didn’t want to do another e-bike tour. He will probably just keep riding till he drops off the perch one day happily riding along.

◦           Also, a positive, e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular in Europe, and a lot of people are using them for touring. So, one can imagine that it won’t be long before they will be in the majority. That may take the heat off them as targets for thieves. When we parked overnight at the hotels most of the other bikes in the storage room are e-bikes.

◦           The other option is to hire them but there are limits on that as we don’t know of any hire companies that allow multi country hire. If you want to do a completely organised tour, there’s plenty of options available in most countries in Europe. For multiple countries you could catch a train to the next country and pick up another bike.

Communications

Before we left we bought and downloaded two esims with unlimited data for 90 days. This was a cheaper alternative than purchasing a sim in each different country, and also less hassle as we didn’t have to remove our Aus sim card to instal the European one.

Bikes

While it works out to be more expensive to buy a bike in country, it is a lot more convenient in that you don’t have to pack it up here, get it on the aircraft and hope the bike makes it to your destination in a useable state. You also face the uncertainty of getting a decent price for it when you want to sell it. If you purchase an e-bike, you can always take it home with you, if you can get a suitable battery in Australia. But, then again, you have to pack it up, get it to the airport, etc, etc.

 
Communication devices
We both had our iPhones which were invaluable for communicating with each other and navigating. Wendy took her iPad for hotel research and booking, and blogging. For some reason, this new iPad was just not playing the game so Wendy believes a small, lightweight laptop may be the go for next tour.
 
Clothes
To save about 1kg, Greg ditched the long-sleeve cycling jersey for a long-sleeve lightweight shirt that he could also wear out to dinner. However, this shirt does not have three back pockets so he had to stow his hanky, lip balm, etc in his shorts which made them difficult to reach while riding. He will go back to a normal riding shirt for next tour and take a ‘dining-out’ shirt.
 
Health
We both had a few minor sniffles for no more than 24 hours, and Wendy had some blisters on her feet from all the walking at the start of the tour. Apart from that, we managed to avoid all nasty bugs for 12 weeks!
 
Other

We both took our insulated brew mugs with us, because as we found in France in 2023, there is not always a coffee shop along the way. We were able to make our brews before we left the hotel, pack it in the pannier, and have a lovely mornos wherever we stopped. Wendy’s mug is about the right size but does not have enough insulation to keep the brew hot, and Greg’s was insulated enough but a tad big. So, we will be looking for suitable alternatives for our next tour. 

Day 87: Fri 12 Sep - Brisbane to Home, 275km

10-22 deg C

Walk G: 6km: total: 674km

Walk W: 6km: total: 556km

After leaving Andrews Airport Parking, we only stopped once for coffee at Maccas Caboolture. We were home by 2:30am. Although it is the longest cycle tour we have done, it seemed very short. An indication that it went very well, which it did. After securing the vehicle and brushing our teeth, we climbed into bed and slept. We didn't shower because we had turned the HWS off while we were away and therefore had no hot water. 

We got up about 8:30am, had breakfast then began the unpacking process. After all the clothes had been unpacked Wendy put them through the machine on a long wash cycle and then onto the line, while Greg was uncovering the solar panels for the HWS.

While the washing was drying, we had lunch then another little rest, obviously it was jetlag, but it didn't seem too bad this time. Some more tidying up, taking the washing off the line and putting it back in the cupboard for the next trip followed. 

We will do a complete wrap-up, lessons learned, etc in due course, but here are a few stats:

- the trip was 87 days long

- stayed at 36 hotels and 37 rooms

- hotels ranged from 2* to 5*, and some were not even graded

- rode on six Euro Velo routes, through six countries, for ~2,500km

The kangaroos looked after the place and are still very relaxed. The yard looked pretty good. 

Thank you for reading the blog, we hope you have enjoyed the ride! If you would like to make a comment, please do as we love to hear your feedback. If you do it without the hassle of signing in, please include your first name at the end, so we know who is commenting. Cheers G&W

Day 86: Thu 11 Sep - Dubai to Brisbane, 16hrs

36 (Dubai) - 10 (Brisbane) deg C

Walk G: 5km: total: 668km

Walk W: 5km; total: 550km

After settling into the the Emirates A Lounge, we took it in turns to stretch the legs to find food and water; the task was not very difficult! We boarded a tad late, and therefore took off a bit later, but in true Emirates Style, we made up those minutes and landed a few minutes early. Then began the longish trek from Gate 75 to Customs and Immigration; well we needed the walk after almost 14 hours in the tin tube. We stopped at one of the express kiosks along the walkway, answered some questions, had our photo taken, then collected the printed version (eeeek!!) and therefore didn't have to wait at passport control. That is all well and good if the baggage handlers do their job efficiently or you all end up at the same place anyway (much like people speeding, you often see them at the next traffic light). Tonight, the handlers were on the job and one bag was already on the belt when we got to the carousel, and the other one was about a minute away. We were soon waiting outside in the cold for the Andrews Airport bus to collect us.

At Andrews, we collected our keys and thankfully the CX8 started first go. We loaded her up, and were on our way about 11pm, with little to no traffic on the road. 

Greg's green juice was broccoli, spinach perhaps and apple. Both long-haired louts after 3 months

Thank you for reading the blog. If you would like to make a comment, please do as we love to hear your feedback. If you do it without the hassle of signing in, please include your first name at the end, so we know who is commenting. Cheers G&W.

Day 85: Wed 10 Sep: Haarlem to Dubai, 6.5hrs

8-19 deg C at Haarlem, 36 deg C at Dubai

Walk G: 7km; total: 662km

Walk W: 5km; total: 545km

After. Final leisurely breakfast we began the slow pack and strap the panniers into their travel bags. We checked out and caught the 11:06am #300 bus to Amsterdam Schipol for our 3:25pm flight to Dubai.

We arrived at the airport just before midday expecting to have to wait at least 30 minutes to be able to check in. However, our flight was on the board showing checking at row G9, that was about 50m away from the entrance. And, the lanes were open! There was no one in the Business/Gold lane so we were checked-in super quick and making our way through security and passport control to the Aspire Lounge 41 that is on the opposite side of the building to where Emirates departs from! We don’t mind as we knew we were going to be cooped up in a flying tin can for many hours, so we relaxed and enjoyed the walk. Have to say that this lounge is a far cry from the Emirates usual standard, but offered free food and drinks, so one can’t complain. There appeared to be the usual array of coughing and spluttering sick people in the lounge, which was a fairly confined space. Not the ideal situation when you have avoided being sick for 12 weeks and want it to continue.  

We were sort of glad to be out of there and boarded the plane a little later than scheduled, but not by much. Hence we took off a little late but made up the time in the air. Business Class wan’t quite full, but most of those ‘sick’ people from the lounge joined us! We landed at midnight Dubai time (10pm Haarlem) and were quickly through security and in the Emirates A lounge that is not very busy at this ungodly hour. We didn’t eat or drink too much as we knew we would get two meals on the next flight.

At the bus stop about 100m from the hotel 

An airport bus left every seven minutes - on the way to the airport we saw the most amazing public transport system 

we’ve ever seen. 

Our view from the Aspire Lounge

We’re heading home!

Take-off from Amsterdam 

The Emirates globe with Australia at the front 

Thank you for reading the blog. If you would like to make a comment, please do as we love to hear your feedback. If you do it without the hassle of signing in, please include your first name at the end, so we know who is commenting. Cheers G&W.

Day 84: Tue 9 Sep - Haarlem

12-17 deg C, overcast in the morning, drizzly to patches of blue sky, then clear and sunny in the afternoon

Walk G: 9km; total: 656km

Walk W: 4km; total: 540km

Despite the number of times we stay in Haarlem we still find new things to see and explore. It’s a really great place just to wander around, due mainly to the many different canals, which support a whole array of different boats. Also the hundreds of little laneways full of old houses and other buildings, pretty little gardens and of course lots of bicycles. However, it was quite dreary outside early so we just lingered over breakfast and then lounged around the room discussing our upcoming trips. After mornos, we ventured out to St Joseph’s church to have another look inside, but it was closed. When we had a look at the opening times, it wasn’t even supposed to be open yesterday either, so we were lucky that we got to see it at all.

We went back to our room via the Great Market Square and chose a different road to walk home on from there.

After lunch and a little rest, this ‘taking it easy’ business got to us so we went out again for dinner supplies. More wandering, before we found ourselves back at the hotel. We ended up doing some sorting out for the packing in the morning; not that we have much stuff to worry about. Just got to remember what goes in the hand luggage and what goes in the check in lot. Our first European tour that we don’t have to worry about the bicycle boxes. We are now almost ready to leave. It will be sad to takeoff tomorrow afternoon, but also exciting to see what awaits us at home. 

The usual after dinner routine followed. 

The former Church of St John

now the North Holland archives centre

The old church is currently hosting a post-WWII 

display. 

The old Post Office is now a flash clothing store 

Haarlem canal scenery

Also something that is worth a photo or two 

Love watching the swing bridge opening and 

closing for the boats 

Sculpture in the square opposite our hotel

Thank you for reading the blog. If you would like to make a comment, please do as we love to hear your feedback. If you do it without the hassle of signing in, please include your first name at the end, so we know who is commenting. Cheers G&W.

Day 83: Mon 8 Sep - Haarlem

15-22 deg C, a light drizzle in the early morning, clearing to lovely sunny, but cool day

Walk G: 10km; total; 647km

Walk W: 7km; total: 536km

Last night, when reviewing the city map, what we had seen and not seen, we discovered a large building that we thought required investigating. So, after taking our time over breakfast, then doing some pre-packing and having mornos in the room, we meandered down the main street to Provincial/Pavilion House Welgelegen. This is an 18th-century neoclassical building, which started life as a mansion, hosting many famous people, including Napoleon himself. It’s now the state parliament for Northern Holland and part of it is open to the public. Some nice things on display and it was easy to see it was a converted mansion. 

Along the way, we saw lots of very weird sculptures, a few of which are shown below. The rest were just too weird to rate a photo. Someone must have thought they were okay or they wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of installing them. 

We had lunch in our room then a little rest before wandering off to visit Amsterdamse Poort that is more a gate than a port. We suspect the term is interchangeable. The light was not the best but we took pics anyway. 

Of course our day wouldn’t be entirely complete without a visit to another lovely old church. This one, Saint Joseph’s, was very plain and unpretentious on the outside but inside was very beautiful. So much so that we want to go back tomorrow for a longer visit and more photos. There was a meeting going on in one corner and we didn’t want to interrupt that.  

We then hit the supermarket for dinner supplies, that we consumed in our room before completing the end of day routine.

Only two more sleeps until we start the long haul home! 

Town Hall, pity about the truck, they were setting up for a market day in the square. 

Provincial House Welgelen

Part of the old kitchen

Lovely old sink and faucets

The Ladies room at Provincial House Welgelen

Some of the very weird sculptures 

GIANT Centaur GIRL

The Successor

Girozoom Inc.

Hirondelle - we didn’t mind this one. 

Telephone booths stacked 4 high, have no idea what it’s called

Some colourful flowers

Amsterdamse Poort (Gate)

Called Amsterdam due to it being on that side of the city 

Twin firing positions in the wall of the Gate

You can see where the drawbridge would have been 

St Joseph’s

We have to go back when there’s more time. 

Thank you for reading the blog. If you would like to make a comment, please do as we love to hear your feedback. If you do it without the hassle of signing in, please include your first name at the end, so we know who is commenting. Cheers G&W.