Big Trip for 2017 - The Plan

This fall we are back to Europe with two part agenda incorporating some interesting things at each end and the middle.

We will be flying to Porto, Portugal where we will spend a few nights recovering our jet lag and exploring this city.  Next we will be setting off on foot along the Camino Portugues for a fifteen day walk terminating in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  The Camino Portugues can be walked but either the central or coastal route.  Our plan is to start on the coastal route but reserve the option to cut inland if we feel like it.  We will be traveling light carrying our own kit and staying in variety of accommodations (B&B, hotel, albergue) depending on the day.

After a few tourist days in Santiago de Compostela we will be flying to Zurich for a couple of days before a short train trip to the town of Donaueschingen in Germany.  Our plan is to cycle the upper Danube river route from the origins of the river at Donaueschingen to Passue on the German/Austrian border which is where we started our lower Danube trip in 2015.  This is about 600 km and we will be staying in B&Bs along the way.  For the past two Euro cycling tours with Lynne and Clint we have prebooked accommodation and this worked very well.  It may reduce the spontaneity somewhat but with our small group and a specific route already planned is worked great.  None of the late in the day searching for rooms when everyone is tire, wet, etc.   Also, the fall is is a very busy time of year with some event called Oktoberfest going on so we found room were booking up early.

At Donaueschingen we will meet up with our travel companions (Lynne and Clint) and pick up our rental touring bikes and panniers.  Matthias from Fahrrad-Klinik Passau will be supplying the bikes as well as transporting any surplus baggage back to Passau. This company gave us excellent service for our 2015 trip so they were the 'go to' rental company this year.  Highly recommended.

The 2015 Danube Team about to set off..

http://fahrradklinik-passau.de

At Passau we bid adieu to Lynne and Clint then travel by rail to Prague in Czech Republic for a few days there before flying home.

Watch this blog for updates as our trip unfolds!