The grand tour re-begins

It’s been a long time between drinks!

Our last post was in January, when, seven weeks into our grand tour, we had rushed back to Australia for Maree’s Dad, John, who had taken a turn for the worse. And we stayed while he struggled on for another 9 months. It was a tough time for Maree and her family, but it has been worth a million grand tours for her to have been there with him in his final months. He was a hugely respected member and leader of the Ouyen community and his funeral stopped the town.

Of course we left our house with Ben and Jess, so we’ve had to get creative with accommodation. The grand tour became more of a local tour. For much of the year we based ourselves in Bendigo in a series of house-sits and short-term rentals. Maree spent maybe half her time in Bendigo and half in Ouyen; I got to know the cafes, pubs, bike trails and pools of Bendigo. We managed a few bike tours that made it onto takeiteasybiketouring.org (see ‘our tours by date’ on the main page), and even a 3000-km road trip in an electric car culminating in a reunion with our girls at Jindabyne.

But all the time, the e-bikes that we had bought and that were waiting for us in northern Germany since March were at the back of our minds. The prospect of picking them up in the middle of a northern German winter was not appealing, so in late August, we decided that I should go ahead of Maree and get my bike and ride south before winter (and arrange for Maree’s bike to be shipped later on).

It ended up taking a couple of months to secure a long-séjour visa for France, so it was 23 October before I could fly out. John timed his passing to perfection, and his funeral was on the last possible day that I could attend. So I’m pleased to say I was there. And two days later, I was on a plane to Munich, where a not-quite-as-planned version of the grand tour began. You can follow my progress here.

In the meantime Maree has secured her own visa, and will join me in Avignon in early December. We shall keep you informed of what adventures await us there.