Thursday, May 25, 2006

I know what we're doing this Summer

We've booked our next holiday in the form of ferry tickets from Ireland to Cherbourg in France. Come August, Hubby and I will saddle up the Bluebird of Happiness, put her on a Ferry and go for a little drive.

Two weeks and more than 3000 kilometers later we will have visited 7 countries: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back through France.

This is more-or-less our proposed route - the White line with the red dots on it. I got this messing around on Google Earth. It is very much a first draft and will be refined a LOT to cut down on mileage and ensure we have enough fuel stops.
We have a full set of panniers so there should be more than enough packing space (the wife of the guy we bought it from assured me one can fit 12 pairs of shoes in one of them), but they are bound to mess with the aerodynamics a bit. That, and the extra weight, will no doubt play havoc with fuel consumption.

But oh boy are we gonna have fun!!! If ever a vehicle was destined for the Autobahn, this is it :-)

So far, the plan is to take it slow the first day and see a bit of Normandy. Hubby is very interested in WW2 stuff so he wants to see the beaches there. I have a more personal mission in the area. My father was born there, and my great-aunt (who also happens to be my Godmother) still lives in a small town in the region. I need to find out if someone in her family speaks English, because I'd love to visit her. Last time I saw her I was a kid, and I know she doesn't speak English any more than I can speak French.

After that, we have friends to visit in Rotterdam, then it's down to the Black Forest region of Germany, where the other side of my father's family is from.

Those are the only Definites so far, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or drop me an email (under the Flickr box in the sidebar).

It's all very exciting, so no doubt you'll be hearing plenty more about it closer to the time.

18 comments:

Ben O. said...

For my money, I can never get enough of "bluebirds", "saddles" and "ferries".

Long time no comment, I know.

Sorry for the absence - Ben O.

AngelConradie said...

wow... i can't think of anything else to carry over what i fekt looking at the map & reading the post...i'm speechless, and positively GREEN with envy... i'm sommer excited for you!

AngelConradie said...

i mean "felt" of course...

ChittyChittyBangBang! said...

The holiday you have planned sounds fantastic. I can think of nothing better than "motorbiking" across Europe.

Brigitte said...

Oh how awesome!!! Please go ans visit Tuscany and bring me back a photo, I love Tusacny, it's where I really want to go one day. This sounds so amazing, a stunning idea dol!

Brigitte said...

Uhhh, Tusacny is not a place, that not where I want to go either - Tuscany however is...

L said...

That sounds wonderful Terri, I know you will have a blast and take lots of pics.

Jeff said...

You have good reason to be excited! That sounds like a fantastic trip. I hope you guys have a wonderful time. :)

Terri said...

ben o - Well howdy stranger ;) The saddles have me a bit nervous... they're normally accompanied by 'saddle sore'. I have no illusions that 2 weeks on the bike is gonna leave me aching a bit.

angel - hehe, you think you're excited??!

chitty - Yep, it's one of those trips of a lifetime that we dreamt about for years and never thought we'd actually get to do. Yeeha!

spookie - Tuscany, eh? Your order will be processed in about 2 1/2 months :)

lori - Trust me, there will be plenty of pics taken!

jeff - Having a wonderful time is definiely on the itinerary.

LiVEwiRe said...

I'm assuming you don't have room for me, do ya? I think you'll have a fabulous time! Brugge, Belgium is a good stop. If you have the chance, have some of the 'real' Belgian White Ale and they have one called Kreik ('creek') but be warned - that one packs a punch! I'm so excited for you!

Brigitte said...

yay yay yay!!!

Terri said...

LiVEwiRe - I'm sure if I leave out one pair of shoes you can fit in my side pannier ;) I'm pretty sure our route takes us via Brugge, so I'll see if we can pop in for a pint... although, pinting and biking don't really mix well. Hm, might have to be an overnighter.

spookie - :)

anne said...

Wou might want to go a little further south in France and try the French Alps. Vercors in particular is a stunning place.

Reluctant Nomad said...

Take me along with you. I'll be your translator. How's that for a good idea?

Oops, just remembered, I don't speak French. Can I come anyway?

Terri said...

anne - French Alps? Very tempting. We'll have to see what our time is like when we get to that part of the world. It is beautiful down that way - that's where we went skiing in January. I'd love to see the area in Summer though. U got a bed and a home-cooked meal for us down there?
;)

nomad - The more the merrier! U got a bike? Oh, and if you spoke Italian, that would help.

Linda said...

WOW Terri what a trip you are going to have soo much fun!!!

Bosbefok said...

Ahem !! This is your catain speaking....There wil be plenty of stopping and drinking ales of all descriptions !! Also there will be beer drinking and any other things that need tasting will be accomodated too. I think there will be a few overnighters :-)

DelBoy said...

I'll translate for you if you take me to Italy cuz!

Don't bother with Milan - big, smokey city. Go a little further south to Pisa and Florence; much better!!

And I definitely recommend Brugge for the beer!! ;-D