What was meant to be a relaxing day catching up on washing, talking and planning our next bike ride together turned into something quite different.
We bought two bikes in the Netherlands back in 2017 to do our six week biking trip around Austria, Switzerland and Germany. At the end of the bike rides, we got Horst to sell Di’s bike as she said that next time we came for a bike ride, she would hire an e-bike. Fraser asked Horst if he could store his bike in his garage. It was only meant to be for a few years but Covid got in the way as did life.
So finally we get back to Horst and Elfi’s and pulled out the bike. Horst had taken it down to the bike shop for servicing in preparation for our trip. It looked in great condition and when Fraser took it for a ride around the block he realized just how good a bike it was.
Then a stupid 💭 happened. What would it take for us to get the bike back to Canada. We had paid €700 back in 2017 for each bike and to replace it would cost a hell of a lot more plus Fraser needs a new bike. So many scenarios start spinning around in our heads. We fly from Paris back to Calgary and it can go as one additional piece for luggage with us for a $100 – how cheap is that!!!
Now the problem – how do we get it from Frankfurt to Paris. We can not take it on the French TGV with us as bikes are not allowed. We will not go into all the different machinations we went through but finally it came down to a courier company taking it to Paris for us for a couple of hundred euros but we needed to box it up.
Next crazy task was to go to a local bike shop who gave us a free box. The only way to get it in the car was to put the back seats down and for Fraser to lay under the box!!!! We have done some crazy stuff at times but this is up there.
In amongst this craziness, we picked up Di’s rental e-bike. We found time to pack up our bags in readiness for the start of our bike ride tomorrow where we will catch the train from Aschaffenburg to Bamberg.
Our trials with the bike are not quite over but we will keep our readers abreast of the continuing saga as it unfolds.
Tonight was completed by a small bevy to calm the nerves after this most trying of days that was self inflicted. Horst and Elfi are sitting by watching the entertainment unfold in front of them.
Steps – 5,780
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