A new adventure begins... I arrived in Auckland New Zealand yesterday morning. Tomorrow, I start a three week bike trip that will take me across both the North and South Islands. This is my first time in New Zealand and I'm really looking forward to seeing everything I can. I've heard nothing but positive things from anyone I've met who's been here before. This is a guided cycling trip, kind of like the ones I've done in Europe. There are 12 other people on the...

I realized the other day that I never did post a final update from my trip. Thought I'd also answer a few of the most common questions I get like 'How do you carry your luggage?' and 'How do you take your bike on the plane?' I added a new photo album with pictures of my bike in its travel box, the contents of my bike bags spread out on a bed and everything loaded onto the bike that will help with this explanation. My bike frame is built with special couplers th...

Last Day of Cycling: Today was my last day on the bike. Tomorrow I'll take the train into Paris to pack up my bike and relax for a day before heading home. My last day was bitter-sweet. The day started in a haze. The bike path I've been following for the last couple of days left Blois following close on the shore of the Loire River and it was thick with fog. It was eerie and beautiful at the same time. I could barely see the river next to me and the fog deadene...

Chateaux Cruising - The last few days were spent cruising along the Loire River admiring the amazing castles (chateaux in French). This was the playground of the French kings for centuries. I was lucky enough to be able to tour the chateaux at Villandry, Amboise, Blois and Chambord. with more time I would have loved to go to Chenonceau, Cheverny and others. But there's only so much time and chateau sightseeing one can do! The chateau at Villandry is actually mo...

A Trio of Cathedrals: Yesterday was a train day traveling from Burgundy to the Loire. With stops in Nevers and Bourges along the way, I had time to see three cathedrals in less than 24 hours. St Cyr in Nevers, St Etienne in Bourges and St Gatien in Tours. From Tours I will start biking up the Loire, hopefully reaching Orleans by Friday and then heading back to Paris for a couple days before flying home next Monday. It is amazing to think of all the human effort...