Hope everybody had a great Xmas day, I'll speak quietly cos the hangovers are likely quite severe this morning....oh wait, you're all still drinking right?
Bill, funny you should say about a hotel next to 5 alpine passes, cos Ride magazine's recent supplement talks of the Hotel Hof & Post at Innertkirchen, on the junction of the Susten and Grimsel passes, and have a write up of doing those combined with the Furka, St Gottard and Neufenen passes. Good a place as any to head for?
I also now have a route from the Ardennes to the alps (or most of): Route des Cretes, through the Vosges, which I've had a couple of recommendations for. And I 've discovered that the new Battle of the Bulge (no not the one you're all going to be fighting post Xmas
) museum opens in March next year, so that'll be a place to visit on the trip.
So all shaping up nicely.
Midden (John.....ah, Kev,.....nooooo, wait, I'll get it......Sue?
), company very welcome, but with the following caveat: the Ardennes bit and then the route to the alps are non-negotiable. What I (we?) ride in the Alps is still pretty open, and up for discussion, except that Switzerland must be somewhere on there. Dolomites, Italian side, possible. And I might want to squeeze in a run to the Mont Blanc region, time permitting. If there
are any bookings to be made, it'll be pretty last minute, so could end up doing the whole shebang by tent! Thinking about July at the mo, so plenty time left to sort out details. As usual before I do any camping trips, I will be mentally preparing to encounter 2 weeks of pissing rain and misery
Exup:
training to be a c**t? I thought you had degrees in the subject!
And don't expect anyone to have sympathy for you, you stinking rich capitalist swine. Come the revolution......
It'd be great to just take a month or more off and visit all the other places being suggested, but 16 days is all I can reasonably afford and not have to be too tight with the spending, and I gotta start this Euro-touring lark somewhere. All the guys who've done it before say, oh yeah that's where everyone heads for, try somewhere different, here, here or here. But I figure there's probably good reason people head to these places, and I've still yet to see them for myself. Hopefully, once I've got the first one under my belt, I'll then look at others for another time. The Adriatic coast and countries appeal to me, so maybe next time. So many places, so little time (and money).
Cable Tie, thanks for all the suggestions, and thanks for making me scroll through all those huge foccin photos every time I want to check on a reply!!
Seriously, it all looks fantastic, can't wait to see some of it for myself. Saving up for this is going well, haven't been out on the bike much recently, but hopefully it'll be worth it. Roll on summer!
Sorry Christo, Madone meet is not on my destination itinerary, but will have to do a France tour at some point, maybe in a couple of years. Got to cure the mountain fever first! (As said, possible flying visit to Mont Blanc/Chamonix etc on this trip).
Grateful to all those who have made suggestions so far, the hotels suggested I will make a list of, along with campsites, including suggestions on the earlier Touring Europe thread, so I'm not completely at a loss as to where to head for once on the road.
Suggestions and help coming in thick and fast as I type this!
Gassit, thanks, I've seen Band of Brothers countless times, and have read extensively regarding Hitler's operation Wacht am Rheine (Watch on the Rhine - named to mislead the allies that he was just keeping to defensive tactics whilst planning a last gasp major offensive to cut the allied forces in two by a drive to the Meuse and thence on to Antwerp. The 101st Airborne's heroic stand in and around Bastogne is just one part of a bigger picture, could probably easily spend the whole two weeks just on this part of my planned trip! Thanks for all the suggestions, will study up on those.
Oh, and does anyone know of a compact (book) guide to campsites and hotels for central Europe? And are Michelin maps still the maps of choice if not using electronic wizardry? Not sure I'll be able to afford GPS/Sat Nav before going, and I like maps cos you get greater context for wherever you're looking at, at a glance, and, well, I just like maps!
Nick.