Next up: departing for Europe on May 4

Last week I bought a ticket to Frankfurt because I decided I wanted to do a bike trip through Europe, I know some German, and flying into Frankfurt was the cheapest I could find ($508, which is a great price from Seattle). I've travelled to Europe three times before but only seen a few countries (UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany) there so far, and it seems like a good idea to spend some more time there and explore at least a few countries.

In fact, it's tempting to try to visit a dozen or so countries in the time I've alotted (10 weeks), but in reality I expect I'll visit somewhere between 3 and 6, depending on a variety of factors, not the least of which is how slow I'll go. It seems to make more sense to visit fewer countries, especially because each one will present new linguistic challenges and cultural and commercial norms that will take some time to get used to.

I think that if I had visited Europe 3-5 years ago I would have made sure to bike up the classic climbs of the Tour de France and perhaps the Giro, and perhaps even travelled along the routes of some of the "spring classics" (such as Paris-Roubaix, La Fleche Wallone), long one-day races that start the professional racing season. However, the fact that I'll be carrying my own gear (as I'm not willing to pay thousands of dollars for a guided bike tour) and that my participation in bike racing has dropped to nil in the last couple of years will probably keep me along whatever routes make the most sense from a bike tourist's perspective: instead of seeking out cobblestone and "hors category" climbs, I'll probably just roll with whatever terrain I happen to cross.

I'll be honest: I don't know exactly what I'm doing. (I'm thinking about first heading through France to Spain to ride the Camino de Santiago) I don't know if the weather will be OK for biking (May appears to be an iffy time in, say, France). I don't yet know what I'll be bringing (I'm on the fence regarding camping gear). And I don't know more than 2 words of French, Italian, Polish, Flemish, Czech, or Dutch. I expect that I'll have some lonely days (in part because of the language barrier), have some very stressful times, get lost countless times, and have some nights of poor sleep.

On the other hand, I expect that I'll walk away with some great stories. And some pictures. And maybe that's what it's really all about. Or maybe it's the people I'll meet (I'm guessing that there will be at least a few) that will make the trip worthwhile. Or perhaps the insights into how each country works and lives will be most interesting. Regardless, when I'm not busy being nervous about the logistics of the trip, I'm excited! Unlike many of my classmates in college, I never took a term to study abroad; it's like I'm finally doing that!

If you have any recommended spots to visit (especially outside of cities - I'm currently thinking that I'll be trying to stay in the countryside as much as possible), please post a comment with your suggestion!