Day 7: Trarbach to Koblenz

On May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe2 Comments

Today we completed our ride from the source of the Moselle near Col du Bussang in France, to Koblenz in Germany.

It started with a trickle, and ended up a long, large river, 545 km in length.

The day started off warm, a word I’ve not used yet this trip.

We could see blue sky and the criss cross of the many aircraft overhead.

There were cute villages.

There were vineyards to traverse.

Roads and roundabouts.

Our route even took us up over Moselle villages.

More roundabouts with interesting sculptures.

Churches.

Long stretches of cycle path.

More villages, with castles higher in the hills.

Fancier castles. this is in Cocham. It is the largest castle on the Moselle. Historic artefacts dates a castle on this location back to around 1000 AD. The castle as seen today has been heavily restored, in the late 1800’s.

This pole pays respects to the many medieval craftsmen of the region.

Looking towards Cochem, a busy tourist hub. Multiple tourist canal boats, everyone else on an e-bike.

Interesting buildings.

Toilets have provided some issues along the river. For Tony it is easier, he just heads bush.

More castles and villages.

About 12 km short of Koblenz we were sweating. The temperature was in the high 20s and we wanted something cold. We found a kiosk but they only took cash, so we wandered over the road to the local pub.

We sat under a large umbrella, in a soft chair, and enjoyed a super cold bottle of carbonated water.

The flood levels from the Moselle are marked on the wall. Christmas 1993 would have been awful for the region.

Koblenz, our overnight destination is a larger city with lots of traffic. Interesting buildings but you can’t really appreciate them as you concentrate on what the traffic is doing, safety first.

I’d mucked up navigation with us arriving at a street with similar spelling, but …not it. So we wound our way down to the Rhine river, going the wrong way down a one way street, but on the footpath. Slow crawl but we got to the right hotel.

Annoyed with myself after 105 km, but hey, what’s 106 km!

After showering and laundering, with our washing drying on a sunny balcony with views directly to the river, we headed off to eat.

We found an Italian joint next door, demolished our main course and went walking.

A side view of St Castor cathedral, the oldest church in Koblenz, with the first church built in the 800’s, this one circa 1200’s.

The bells were pealing as we walked past and thought we’d pop in on the way back. Mistake as it was closed on our return.

Deutschen Ek, or German corner as otherwise known, is where the two mighty rivers meet.

Aside from that it is hard to miss given this massive statue.

The original statue of William 1, the first German Emperor was dismantled by the French military after WWII, leaving only the plinth.

Following German reunification a replica was erected on the original plinth.

These three thick slabs of cement are original sections of the Berlin Wall. There are a series of visual panels telling the story of the fight for reunification. Very sad stories.

Across the Rhine Ehrenbreitstein Fortress dominates. This current structure was built in the 1800s, but many earlier versions were constructed. It has never been attacked, and has served many purposes over the years.

There is a cable car from near our hotel across the Rhine that we took.

Looking across the two rivers. The Moselle to the right and back, Rhine to the left.

Looking to the right and the Rhine, where we head off tomorrow.

It is an interesting fortification, partly museum, partly ruins, partly current function centre and concert venues.

Have to finish today with this giant thumb. probably the ugliest thumb ever, placed in a random position. But thumbs up, another great day, 106 km ridden, to a total now of 692 for our first week.

Thanks for reading ❣️🚴😊

Day 6: Trier to Trarbach

On May 21, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe6 Comments

We smashed breakfast. The stern Egyptian walked through multiple times smiling at no one. Just get his coffee cup filled up. Coffee did not improve his disposition.

We ensured we had plenty of snacks for the day too from the breakfast bar!

Leaving I threw my rain jacket on, as it was spitting, but also warmer than the trip so far. I had bare legs for the first time!

Retracing our steps back to the bridge crossing over the Moselle River, passed by four tourist buses next to one Vikings boat. They sure fit a lot of people on those boats.

Standing on the bridge, looking towards where we were heading, following the path on the far side.

Today we rode through many villages. Weaving our way through narrow lanes. We fancied this sign.

The aggro cyclist, well dressed lady, dog relieving itself.

In Pfazel there is an old Roman fortified palace, or sections thereof.

Interesting statue crossing the river.

Do you fancy some chemicals in your wine? A very imprecise science watching the helicopter dumping its chemical load, on the far side of the river, particularly given it was windy.

We stopped to stretch here, admiring the calmness of the river. Vineyards both sides of the river, interspersed by villages.

A local school project. These plots were planted by local students, whose names were on the sign on the left. Each had a little insect box.

Francis of Assisi overlooking his vineyards and rubbish bin.

So many lovely villages.

Interspersed with lovely vistas such as this. We were heading in this direction through the forested area.

This section of path winds its way through a vineyard. You can see they make the most of space, regardless of the slope.

A closer view of the sundial?

This narrow machine fitted in between the rows of grapes and cut the grass.

That is Tony ahead. I stopped here as it was a magic spot, little church to the left, wooded hills in the far side, grapes growing to the right.

The next village with narrow lanes.

Lots of places have wine presses outside.

Local hangout.

Villages and vineyards

Another large tourist canal cruising boat. Lots of cyclists on the path around here, similar set up with front light, ebike, one pannier. We could see areas where they were returning their bikes dockside.

The castle high in the hill above Bernkastel.

The Romans built a large fort high on the hill. The aim was to protect the valley from barbarians. under Frankish conquerors the fortress became a castle. It was then besieged, conquered and rebuilt.

I’ve taken this aerial photo from a Mosel tourism site as it highlights above the valley showing where we had ridden earlier. We followed the left bank here.

More villages and vineyards.

Multiple options for eating or drinking. We chose a small cafe and I ordered two hot chocolates. 10 euro cash only. I had 9.85 euro cash and nope, no 15 cent discounts. So I ordered one.

We rounded the final river bend and see our overnight destination Traben-Trarbach. Two towns, either side of the Moselle joined by one big old bridge.

We had planned to walk back into town after settling in but then it poured with rain and we decided to chill. then the sun came out but we still chilled.

Super friendly staff here, nice and welcoming, great room, good bike storage, great dinner.

Clothes drying. Socks, bra are drying on the heated towel rack in the bathroom. Everything was dry within a few hours.

Just before bed, I stuck my head out the window and that is the river lower left. Lovely coloured forest above the river.

Tomorrow night we will be at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine having travelled its entire length.

Today was 94 km, and we have now ridden 579 km in 6 days since leaving Ben’s place in Switzerland.

Another super chilled riding day along beautiful pathways and villages.

Day 5: Metz to Trier

On May 20, 2026May 20, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn EuropeLeave a comment

We were first to breakfast at 6.30 am. We certainly left well fed, and started riding by 7.40 am.

We covered 116 km today, and a three country day. A spattering of rain forecast but nothing too ominous.

The first part was following the river through a variety of land uses including heavy industry. Hard to avoid industry and today there was a variety.

These 3d cutouts warning people to slow down were very cleverly done. The detail and depth was incredible.

Here are a few industrial examples. Here we have a canal barge docked, and we think it is coal being removed.

A nuclear power plant pumping steam out.

An area of another WWII battle.

The scenery started to improve as the day went on and we closed in on the Luxembourg and German border.

Luxembourg arrived without any fanfare. We were unaware we’d crossed the border until we arrived at Schengen, Luxembourg.

Schengen is where the agreement, of the same name was signed in 1985. The agreement abolished internal European border controls.

The agreement was signed on a boat in the river at the point if the three country borders.

There is a museum there now, plus all the Schengen flags riverside. People were having photos taken next to their country flag.

We crossed the river, into Germany, to grab lunch supplies at a supermarket. Our favourite, a fresh long roll with banana in it. The German rolls were a bit different and the ones bought had salt and pepper garnish…not that I realised that when selecting.

We followed the cycle path on the German side, giving us lovely views across to Luxembourg. All their houses are very schmick and smart.

On both sides of the river, there are numerous vineyards.

An EU sign near a bridge crossing back over to Luxembourg.

We were really enjoying the riding and views.

Happiness is the name of this industrial barge, seems more like a ‘demon’ or ‘Atilla’.

Closing in on Trier.

We arrive, shortly before check in at the Holiday Inn.

A bit of a problem with the Egyptian male on reception who had no smile or friendly greeting.

He then insisted we have two rooms booked, despite only one showing on my Hotel.com app.

To say I was unhappy was an understatement. I was forced to pay an additional 99 euro ($161 aud).

The guy was misogynistic in his comments and was derogatory presuming based on my age and female we must also have a car and ebike as I could not ride that far.

Wtf!

Then he says ‘ you are getting agitated’. You think?

Not a person with any diplomacy or front desk skills.

Anyhow I paid the additional amount, and will take it up when we get home and boy are we going to raid breakfast in the morning!

After enjoying an extra long hot shower, we walked into the older part of town.

Trier was founded by the Romans in the late 1st century AD. As such, it is considered to be Germany’s oldest city.

The Porta Nigra was built 170 AD by the Romans. The darker colour is due to pollution mainly from car fumes. Cars are now barred from driving through the gate.

The Haupt Markt area is very nice, with lovely Middle Age buildings, somewhat spoiled with modern signage.

Trier cathedral is the oldest in Germany. The central nave is built from Roman brick in the 4th century.

When we entered the organ was being played. Twice in a row now as we’ve entered. The organ is very high up, and I presume the organist was ‘up there somewhere’ as I could not find the player!

Few other photos. We also wandered around the cloisters outside.

We had a really nice meal at a Japanese/Vietnamese restaurant. Best meal in nights!

A lot of km today. We have now ridden 485 km in our first five days.

We have five nights in Germany, in this section of trip.

Tony is excited as the supermarkets have a wonderful range of Harbro sweets he carries for fuel and Ritter peppermint chocolate for 99c ( about $1.60).

That’s it, I need some shut eye.

Thanks for reading 😊🚴❣️

Day 4: Toul to Metz

On May 19, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn EuropeLeave a comment

We wandered down to a boulangerie at 6.30 am to grab some breakfast provisions. The streets were quiet, with an occasional pedestrian passing by, baguettes in hand.

We were on the road by about 8.15 am. It was a cool 6 C, and rain threatened.

We left via the same gate we’d entered the previous day.

Within 10 km it was raining. We had pre planned and had our rain over boots on already, so just threw our raincoats on to keep our torso warm and dry.

Today we passed by, and through, numerous villages.

Nice chateau in Villey Saint Etienne, through the misty rain.

Villages overlooking the Moselle River.

Liverdun is an interesting village we skirt around.

We rode through an area with numerous private fishing lakes.

I’ve expanded our ride map to show how numerous they are around the river and canal.

Signage indicated these were former gravel quarries that have been rehabilitated into nature areas.

How successful they have been in transforming the area.

More locks along the canal.

Pont-a-Mousson, a now strong steel town, site of savage fighting during WWII.

Back through forests adjacent to canal and river. I was fascinated by this very pale coloured snail. It was huge, maybe 3-4 times the size of the snails I ‘deal with’ in my garden.

Along the rivers edge we came across an interesting war memorial, dedicated to US troops.

The Battle of Dornot-Corny took place over 60 hours, leaving 945 Americans dead. It is also referred to as Omaha Beach Lorraine.

There are a series of information panels with photos and testimonies from survivors.

The surrounding waterways have numerous private fishing shacks, ranging from super basic, to more ‘solid’ structures.

We passed by a tall post showing various flood levels over the years, I cannot see any of these surviving a big flood.

An old Roman aquaduct constructed in the 2nd century. When completed it was 22 km in length, including significant underground sections. Those Romans were clever!

Nearly there, Metz is ahead.

Metz is a Gallo-Roman city, sitting at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille Rivers. Twenty bridges criss cross the rivers and canals.

We find our hotel easily enough. Then came the hardest challenge of the day. Following obscure French instructions to locate the hotel underground car park some 300 m away.

We can navigate Europe without too many issues, but find a French car park was challenging!

We knew, or rather thought, we were close.

Fortunately a couple approached us and asked if we were looking for the car park. They had seen us checking in as they left to find the car park.

He told us he’d been wandering around for 10 min confused, then bingo!

We were less than 50 metres away. Our bikes are secured in a locked room within the locked underground car park.

No crook will find this carpark!

After showering and laundering, we spent several hours wandering around what we found to be an impressive town.

Lots of waterways, canals, bridges, classic apartments and buildings.

Then our first glimpse of the undoubted highlight of Metz.

Getting closer. To photograph the cathedral whole is likely to be difficult or impossible. It is seriously huge.

Saint Etienne Cathedral is the third tallest in France, after Beauvais and Amiens.

There has been a church on this site since soon after AD. The current church was built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

I have visited a lot of churches on our cycle tours and this is right up there with the very best. I was gobbled smacked by the extraordinary height of the ceiling vaulting.

The nave is 41.41 metres in height and the tour de la mutte (bell tower) is 90 metres in height.

Stained glass is the most in the world at 6500 square metres including modern updates by the contemporary Marc Chagall.

As a bonus, when we entered, one of the two magnificent organs was being played. Seemed like a rehearsal. The sound was incredible.

I kept staring up at the ceiling and going wow. I looked at the stain glass still going wow.

A side chapel, one of many, all featuring magnificent lead light.

No explanation as to why the dragon is in the church. If in Wales I’d get it….

You can just see the man playing the organ.

I reluctantly left. There was more to see plus we needed to buy a new charging plug, as we’d been having some issues with our current one.

We headed off to the famous French department store Galeries Lafayette and for an arm and a leg, acquired our goods.

We found an early dinner. It was very ordinary and decided our frozen lasagna was better last night.

The icecream at another stop did not disappoint though!

I wanted to see this building. It is used on many promotions for Metz.

Temple Neuf is a Protestant church, built in 1901-1904 by Glod (when I first read that I thought I read God…and had a laugh).

Temple Neuf, we enter the purple gates to wander around the church

Walking back to our hotel the Cathedral dominates. Being further away we get more into the photo.

Still there, with lovely homes along the river.

Part of an ancient baths from about the 15th century.

Slightly further down, another section.

A fascinating day today. 84 km ridden and we really enjoyed the variety of sights.

Tomorrow we leave France and follow the river on the German side, with Luxembourg on our left hand side.

Thanks for following us. We appreciate it 😊❣️🚴

Day 3: Epinal to Toul

On May 18, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe6 Comments

Leaving Epinal it was straight onto the cycle path we were to follow for the day.

People were out walking their dogs. We’ve noted that cleaning up after your dog not a ‘thing’ here, so lots of dog poop everywhere.

Nice statue in the park.

The path followed the Moselle canal. The river was always in sight too, shallow and not yet navigable.

The path was mainly sealed but sections of compact gravel.

The canal crosses the river in places through elevated canal structures and bridges.

These fascinate me and also reminded us of our trip to Wales, staying with Alan and Sue who took us to the Llangollen canal and bridge.

These are not as elaborate but the concept is the same.

The view from the canal bridge overlooking the Moselle river.

Further on, we passed our first canal boat the “peace vegan” from Basel.

We watched it pass into this lock, with the lock waters raising, opening the gate, boat enters.

We saw a few other canal boats, and many locks today.

Riding the cycle path bypasses most towns and villages. At road crossings there are often signs indicating nearby villages.

We detoured to a small village mid morning, grabbing a hot drink (it was only 6C), and something nice to eat.

Whilst I ordered Tony took this photo.

He also took this. There was a boutcherie open, with these rotisserie chickens cooking outside. The smell was super enticing.

How we thought about these chickens later in the day, when everything in Toul was closed.

There are some lovely aquatic parks, with lakes formed from the Moselle.

Fishing is super popular. Lots of serious fisherman set ups along this section.

Typical pathway and vegetation today.

Crossing a road, signage for an upcoming cycle event.

We stopped for a stretch here. Pathway at the rear, and a boutcherie vending machine. Behind the doors are lots of protein options you can purchase.

Arriving in Toul early, we cleaned our bikes with this view of a pretty fountain and gardens in the roundabout.

We did contact the Air BnB owner to see if it was possible to arrive a bit earlier. They agreed to one hour early, so we waited then rode only about 600m.

We are in a nice unit. The owners are currently working in Saudia Arabia.

This unit has a washing machine, with a strange rotating drum that you seem to need to lock. We could not figure it out so hand washed.

Heading out to explore, it was discovered Tony’s phone battery very low, so only a few photos as the local Cathedral. Another seriously old church.

The Cathedrale St-Etienne began in the 13th century, taking over 300 years to build. It suffered damage during World War II.

This section is beautiful. To either side, the vaulting is not in good repair, and there is netting everywhere to catch falling parts.

I’ve borrowed this local tourism photo.

Toul is an octagonal fortress city, encircled by the Moselle and the Canal de la Marne.

You do not get a sense of this riding in. You can see the church we just visited. Our overnight stay is quite close by.

The citadel was built in the early 18th century, from which the ring of defensive waterways and the octagonal city ramparts remain.

Dinner provided difficulties. Nothing was open. Supermarkets and restaurants all closed, being Sunday. We’ve experienced this before but near the fountain photographed early, we found a small convenience store open and grabbed a frozen lasagne to cook in our oven.

The days ride was flat, easy and very chillaxing. Just turn the feet over as overall we descended a few hundred metres.

Still we covered 92 km.

Tomorrow we head to Metz, a much larger city, inching our way closer to the German and Luxembourg borders.

Thanks for reading and joining us vicariously. We do appreciate it. ❣️😊🚴

Day 2: Thann to Epinal

On May 17, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn EuropeLeave a comment

My first goal today was to get the Belgian cyclists talking.

I achieved that in the coffee line at breakfast. I learned that there were 18 cyclists from a Hasselt University Cycling Club in Belgium.

They were spending four days doing various climbs through the Vosges Mountains.

They then asked questions about our bikes and the trip planned.

I did smile watching the hotel owner bringing food out. There were five slices of ham and cheese on each platter to select from vs 20 cyclists and a handful of non cycling couples, She was constantly bringing out more plates of cheese and ham, not increasing the number of slices which vanished in seconds each time.

An enormous quantity of baguettes, croissants and chocolate au pain disappeared too. The coffee machine got no rest as each cyclist had a minimum of two coffees. Many like us, put a double espresso in topped by a cappuccino.

20 cyclists go through more food each than the average person. They see food and it just goes.

Lucky no bananas were on offer as it is a popular ‘to go’ item tucked in a back jersey pocket.

Bidding the Belgians farewell we grabbed our bikes from the shed. Here are just some of the bikes. More were tucked away to the right.,

Two of the Belgians grabbed the bike shed key from us, with an older man asking where we were headed. I told him and he raised his eyebrows asking if we were climbing Col du Bussang.

He was very concerned stating it was a very dangerous road.

With that positive thought, we hit the road.

The forecast today was for cool weather, and it was only 5 C upon departure.

We followed a quiet road adjacent to the river Thur. There were few cars and the occasional Saturday peloton.

The river is 53 km long and a tributary of the River Ill, ultimately flowing into the Rhine.

The path crossed the river and we followed another quiet road connecting villages. Wildflowers are starting to flower.

Saint Amarin was a larger town we ride through, located in the southern Vosge mountains.

A nice local church.

It appears the Tour de France has been through before.

Nice fountain outside the Hotel de Ville (city hall).

In 63 days, the Tour de France arrives in town, featuring the local climb, Col du Haag.

A solid little climb.

The area is lush and green, looking towards the Vosges to the right, and Col du Bussang to the left.

We started the Col du Bussang climb, rejoining the main road up. No bike paths, some verge but the road is wide and has a good quality seal.

The traffic is quite busy with cars, but very few trucks. Perhaps Saturday is a bonus for us with the lack of trucks.

At no stage did we feel unsafe, with considerate drivers giving us wide berth.

We later learned, that Bussang Pass is one of the busiest passes in the Vosges, connecting the areas (states) of Lorraine and Alsace.

It is a solid 6 km climb with the first half steeper than the second half.

Here I am climbing.

Still climbing….

Just about to reach the top.

Tony at the top.

Our elevation graph clearly showing the climb.

We take the first right hand turn just as the road descends, getting us off the busier road, and back into much quieter routes.

We pass by the source of the Moselle River, which we will be following for the next five days or so.

At least there is a trickle of water, unlike the source of the Thames.

We stop in the town of Bussang for an early lunch.

The Moselle River is now a nice creek size.

Bikes perched outside the boulangerie. We had a cold quiche and dreadfully hot coffee here. There were some cyclists ahead of us who took the last of the rolls.

Looking for toilets we found a few nice town sights.

Leaving Bussang we follow the Route La Voie Bleu, France’s new long distance bike route that follows the Moselle and Saone Rivers from Lyon to Luxembourg.

Most of the pathway is traffic free along the riverside. Other parts are minor lanes.

It is easy riding, easing to cross roadways with barriers to slow you down and warn of possible dangers ahead.

It is well signposted, with multiple areas to stop and use picnic tables.

You often pass by residents backyards, and in this case, front gate. The bike has seen better days.

The city of Epinal is our overnight destination. A larger city on both sides of the now enlarged Moselle River.

We find our Air BnB without issue, and the owner stores our bikes in his garage. Then we head up three flights of stairs to our ‘compact’ rooms featuring a loft bedroom.

Lots of areas to wack your head. Bathroom to the right, bedroom up the stairs.

The view from the unit door. Our one window, kitchenette to the left.

I forgot we had a skylight! This view is sitting in the bed. I hope we don’t sleep walk as there are no barriers.

We shower and launder and head off to check town out. It is drizzling and we find Basilique Saint Maurice, under renovation.

We enter via the door below. It is very dark inside, and looks very old. It was built in the 11th century.

Beautiful stained glass and incredible vaulting. I am forever impressed with respect for the craftsmen with their vaulted ceiling constructions.

We thought we headed out the way we entered. Apparently not.

We wandered along the Moselle River.

We grabbed supplies for dinner and breakfast and headed back to our compact unit.

Day 2 done and dusted. 90 km today. An excellent day touring.

Thankyou for reading ❣️🚴😊

Day 1: Stein to Thann

On May 16, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe4 Comments

So it begins…

We woke to an overcast day. Rain was forecast but at lighter levels.

We enjoyed a slower start, talking to Ben and Sharon then it was time. Here we are, ready to hop onto our bikes and get on our way to start our 3,300 km odyssey.

Today was a three country day. The first 15 km was in Switzerland, crossing to Germany at one of our favourite villages, Rheinfelden.

We had our rain jackets on as the rain was pouring down steadily.

On the German side, looking back to Switzerland

We took shelter in a pedestrian tunnel on the German side, popping our rain booties on over our cycle shoes. It is a hard thing to do, and if you listened to our huffing, puffing and grunting I’m sure you’d laugh. They fit super tight, helps to keep the water out and keep the feet warmer.

Temperatures were cool. It was 6 C when we left and only reached 8 C by Thann in the sun.

We rode 13 km in Germany, heading back into Switzerland near Basel.

Basel is Switzerland’s third largest city, and considered the cultural capital of Switzerland with over forty museums. Well known as a centre for the pharmaceutical industry with both Roche and Novartis having large hubs.

My son Ben works for Roche in Basel.

We have visited central Basel numerous times and can recommend it.

It is a beautiful city, with a magnificent cathedral, and the lovely adjacent Rhine waterway.

Looking across to the northern side, Roche twin buildings to the right. These buildings are Switzerlands tallest.

We followed the Rhine for a few more km, before turning to the west at Huningue, and now we are in France.

We followed the path along the petite carmargue, essentially a small water canal, lots of vegetation, theoretically attracting wildlife. None to be seen today.

We spent about 25 km travelling through forest tracks such as the one below. Easy riding, very straight, with occasional busy roads to stop at.

Nice to utilise these trails as we can relax and feel quite safe. The only other users were cyclists but the forest also has many walking trails.

We did get peckish and food options were zip. We had a few little items courtesy of Qantas and Emirates that we devoured.

Where we stopped to snack, having just crossed the main road.

We have ridden past this tank in 2022 as we headed across France to the Loire Valley. It forms part of the local WWII remembrances in the area.

This tank is on the southern side.

Riding in France you see many crosses and remembrances for WWII. Most towns and villages have at least one.

We reached the town of Ensisheim just after 1 pm. Many shops were closed for siesta. Fortunately we found a small boulangerie open with just two ham rolls left. We enjoyed them!

In 1492 a 127 kg meteorite fell near the village, portions of which can be viewed at the local museum.

Aside from that fact, it’s a pretty little town.

An interesting graphic story involving Christopher Columbus. Being nowhere near Spain or the Americas unsure how it relates to the inland village we were in.

Back on the road, we only had 20 km left to ride. That pleased me as I am still feeling a bit jet lagged.

The picture below is very typical of what we see on the pathways that bypass villages. There are agricultural fields and the ubiquitous church spire dominating the small village.

On the other side of the path, the Vosges Mountains are covered by rain clouds. We’ve had no heavier rain since Switzerland and hoping to make it to Thann dry.

100 km ridden, saw us arrive at our hotel. A bunch of cyclists were cleaning their nice road bikes out the back. They also have vehicles, indicating most are from Belgium.

We store the bikes in a large shed with the Belgian’s shiny bikes. They are not overly friendly, unusual for cyclists in this situation.

After showering and laundering we headed off on foot to check out town.

Thann is situated at the foot of the Vosges Mountains, with the river Thur running through the town.

The obvious starting point was this lovely church.

It is known as the Collegiate Church of Thann, built over a period of two centuries

Pilgrims came due to a relic of Saint Thiebaut, renowned as a miracle worker. After his death in 1160, a local bishop stopped in the valley, lighting three fires. The staff containing the relic remained stuck in the ground.

The Count of Ferrette freed the staff and built the chapel dedicated to Saint Thiebaut.

That chapel remains as the oldest section of the church we visited today.

There are some lovely buildings in Thann.

We were hungry and found a little boulangerie open, enjoying our morning tea albeit many hours later.

We had dinner at the hotel, albeit late for us at 7 pm. We opted for a set three course menu and ended up overly full.

There were 18 cyclists at the next table, still not friendly.

We will sleep well tonight. 100 km today and we are still feeling jet lagged. I think it will be early to bed.

Today’s route and elevation.

Thanks for reading 😊🚴❣️

Mum on tour

On May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe14 Comments

We have arrived in Switzerland safe and sound.

Looking out Ben’s lounge room window. Rhine River, Germany to the left bank, Switzerland to the right.

No dramas with our three flights, and I even managed four hours sleep on the Melbourne to Dubai sector.

We always try and book far enough in advance to pay extra for exit row seats which provide plenty of leg room and space to stand and stretch. Worked a treat on both longer legs.

You would not know anything was amiss in the Middle East, although I did catch some high level BBC headlines on the live news about THAT man authorising bombing drone sites in Iran. 🙈

Swiss passport control took out finger prints, photos and asked what we were doing and she was amazed.

We headed down to the baggage area and all our luggage including the bikes were waiting.

We then just walked outside. Unlike Melbourne where coming home Tony has to navigate customs chicanes with the bikes, in a long snaking queue, and we get asked questions.

Anyhow, our driver Radislav was nowhere to be found. We waited 30 min then rang him. He wanted us to go up to the departure area, to save him money as that’s free, but coming to the arrivals area he has to pay to exit.

We had paid over $300 AUD to be collected at the arrivals, and we were tired and potentially easily titchy. So I declined and insisted he come down to arrivals given the luggage included our bikes.

10 min later we were in his van and his exit fee ticket jammed the machine. He was attacking it with various keys until the said ticket was in his hand.

He was an unhappy Bulgarian by now.

I closed my eyes and after a time opened them to unfamiliar sights and a series of tunnels. It felt wrong.

I got my iPad working and sure enough he was heading to Liechtenstein and Austria (to the east) whereas our destination was towards France (to the west).

He assured me he was right. I debated the point, he eventually conceded I was actually correct, but by then he’s stuck on freeways.

We eventually wound our way to the correct destination arriving albeit late.

Radoslav is taking us back to the airport in late June so at least he has visualised where we are.

I felt sorry for him in the end, as he has lived here only two months.

Now settled in at my son Ben’s place that he shares with his wife, Sharon, we enjoyed an early dinner. I received a gift from Ben, hence the title name for this blog.

Switzerland is known for many wonderful things and today I have my very own Swiss Army knife, with multiple tools and attachments, right down to tightening screws on your glasses.

It is engraved with my name on one side, and in the other, it’s says:

I love it. Mum on tour is great and that’s what we do and we love.

I’m impressed I’m entrusted to operate such a weapon! I’m keen to use the saw!

After a solid night sleep I was up at 4 am, such is jet lag.

We headed to Stettlen, near Bern to visit Sharon’s family. Today is a public holiday in Switzerland and Sharon’s two siblings were also visiting.

We enjoyed an amazing brunch, lovely walk between rain showers, a family music game, then more food.

We need to ride over 3,000 km to work it off !

Pictures from the walk and family time.

Tony, Stefan, Judy, Ben and Davita. Sharon and Joy are out of photo range.

We are ready for day 1. Mum on Tour, let’s go!

Thanks for reading. 😊❣️

Will we, wont we?

On May 3, 2026May 3, 2026 By Sharron YaxleyIn Europe10 Comments

Subject to continuing calm in the Middle East, this is our 2026 bike touring plan covering 3,300 km, 6 countries in 35 days.

Are we excited? Not yet, as it was only a week ago that we realised this trip might just happen – in the few months before, we had resigned ourselves to cancelling. We will cancel if missiles start falling again though.

I think once we are an hour out of Dubai heading to Zurich, then we will start to feel it.

It is very bittersweet for us, as we both harbor tremendous guilt with Khaleesi for that period of time, despite knowing she is well cared for, it is just not the same as what she gets at home – going to sleep on our bed for starters!

We start and finish in Switzerland at my son’s house in Stein. We will follow the Rhine River riding through three countries on day one.

Heading to the Vosges villages – I did a day trip through numerous in 2019 on a solo ride. Fairytale villages set amongst vineyards and mountains. Beautiful region of France that was once part of Germany.

We start at the mouth of the Moselle and follow the River for many days.

Arriving in Koblenz, the Moselle joins the Rhine River.

We then follow the Rhine River again up into Cologne, where I would like to visit the Cologne Cathedral.

We need to navigate some industrial areas in this region, heading into the Netherlands through Zwolle and to the very north coast.

On the northern coastline, the Lauwersmeer National Park is home to over 100 species of birds, that breed in its water, forests and grasslands, and we are riding through the Park.

Following the coast we will take a ferry ride across to Ameland Island, one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast. It consists mostly of sand dunes and is one of the inhabited Dutch Wadden islands, forming a border between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea.

We have two nights there to explore the island that has four villages. There used to be six villages but two were flooded and now lie in the sea!.

Back on the ferry to mainland Europe and we wind our way down towards Amsterdam, spending two nights in Voldendam, a picturesque fishing village, close to Edam and within cycling distance of central Amsterdam.

We will spend a day cycling through sections of Amsterdam, likely getting a bit confused and lost with all the canals and bikes and sights. There are lots of bikes in Amsterdam it seems.

Then we head south to Delft for two nights, located between Rotterdam and The Hague. We will do a day ride through the two larger cities.

Next country is Belgium where we have two nights in Bruges which looks super pretty. I get to celebrate my 64th birthday on the second day here.

http://www.travelkiwis.com

Heading further inland to Ghent we plan to catch up with a famous Zwifter, Fran Bambust. She has already booked the restaurant. Ghent is another nice looking city.

Heading south through Roubaix, and yes a visit to that famous stadium where the famous race finishes, we end up in Lille, northern France for two nights.

We do a day ride to Armentieres, to visit the site of my great uncle’s burial site from WW1 at Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery.

The cemetery contains 2,132 Commonwealth burials including 470 Australians. He was the younger brother of my grandma, Nellie Saward.

I look forward to this pilgrimage to pay homage for his ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Spending a few days in southern Belgium in towns including Mons, Namur and Teuven we head back into Germany to Aachen.

Another impressive cathedral that we will surely have a look at.

Aachen is the start of the Vennbahn, one of Europe’s longest cycle paths on a disused railway track. It heads through East Belgium into Luxembourg.

After two days we will end up in Luxembourg city, with a detour to Andy Schleck’s cycle shop – which will be closed being a Sunday so we will peer through the windows. I did have a local Zwifter offer to introduce us to Andy which was amazing, but I felt Andy would surely have better things to do!!

Then it is back into Germany, following the Saar River, through more Vosge villages and Colmar heading back into Switzerland.

A comprehensive route, with a lot more detail than I could possibly put here – more a teaser.

So, let’s hope the Middle East stays quiet, as we are routed via Dubai to Zurich. We did look at rerouting but it was an additional $7,000 on top of what we had already paid.

I have ridden 33,036 km outside of Australia now, with New Zealand sitting on 6,749 km and France in second spot on 6,565 km. France will take the lead after this trip, so I do hear New Zealand calling again!

Please join us vicariously as we continue our annual 3,000 km plus holidays, whilst we still can!!

Let peace reign.

Finale

On December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 By Sharron YaxleyIn New Zealand10 Comments

With the derailleur failure our cycling journey was over. However, we still had a few days left of our trip.

With the benefit of Toby’s Ford Ranger, we trotted off from Manapouri to Te Anau, only 19 km by road.

We were to ride this via a trail. It was a short day of around 35 km.

We did head off the main road to intersect the trail. The overnight heavy rain was evident, as the trail was flooded, and a jet boat prepares its next round of victims for a drenching.

We drove up to a viewpoint overlooking Lake Te Anau.

Volunteers were packing up barriers and banners from the previous day Kepler Track endurance run.

We arrived in Te Anau late morning, despite dragging our heels.

We checked out the Department of Conservation visitor centre, which provides a dearth of information on the region, plus pictorial history.

We have a big penguin at home, but here we have….a big deer.

I ended up in a bookstore, buying the latest Paullina Simmons book to read. Nearly 600 pages should keep me busy. I started to read it as we parked by Lake Te Anau chilling.

I read it in 24 hours, finishing it before we even left Te Anau. Not often I have such time to enjoy a book.

Te Anau is a busy town, the base for all travel via road to Milford Sound. Thousands upon thousands of people descend daily to the Sound, car after car, motor home after motor home, and the most incredible number of buses.

The following day we joined the convoy for some 20 km, heading to Lake Mistletoe. There is a circuit walk to the lake, through lovely forest.

A super easy walk, nice forest.

A pretty lake.

Back at the carpark looking to Lake Te Anau.

A little further up the road is Te Anau downs, site of a well known farm, as well as the departure point for walkers doing the Milford Track (transported by boat across the lake).

This is an old shearer’s shed, which is to be renovated. It is adjacent to the first historic mini hydro scheme in the area,now in ruins.

Another look before we head back to Te Anau for some lunch, then off to the cinema to watch the short feature film, Fiordland.

Good to watch, showing various aspects of the Fiordland National Park during the four seasons, with extensive use of drone photography.

Next day it was time to head back to Queenstown for our final two nights.

We would have been following the Mountain Trail to Walter Peaks, then ferry across Laka Wakatipu, then riding to our base. 125 km day riding.

We could see it was quite windy around the trail area, and wondered how the creeks would have been after the projected 200 mm in the mountains.

We stopped at this cafe just because of the bike pictures. Inside staff were busy cleaning up from a rogue customer who had used the tomato sauce bottle like a water pistol spraying sauce everywhere. Chairs, tables and carpet were all squirted. Idiots!

We stopped at the Honey shop which also had interesting old cars like this.

Driving back along the Devils Staircase, I note what a wonderful bike ride this would be heading in this direction. Just the issue of the cars and no verge though. We saw no cyclists.

Back in Queenstown we headed to Queenstown Park and back to this water edge cafe we are familiar with.

We returned Toby’s car up to Arthur’s Point, leaving it parked on the street with the keys sitting on the left wheel. That is a concept that I found difficult, hoping his car remained safe.

We cannot thank him enough for stepping in when he did. 😊❣️

Yesterday we finished cleaning the bikes and packed them up.

We then walked. Around 10 km but broken up as my knee is still complaining mainly downhill (slopes, steps).

We walked along the Kawarau river trail to the Hilton cafe, sitting in the sun for about 90 minutes, watching the boats, planes, people.

Walking back, great views of The Remarkables. I do enjoy looking at this majestic and rugged range.

What a holiday and adventure. Nearly 1,000 km ridden, over 14,000 m climbing and many memories created.

We are ready to go home, see Khaleesi and keep planning our next adventure.

To be sure, it is booked! It is a long one (3,200 km), six countries, and less climbing than we have just done, and I doubt very little dirt! Certainly nothing like we have experienced here on some of the trails.

One last view, out our door, as the sun starts to go down,

The Remarkables are just that. Quite remarkable and leave me in constant awe.

Thankyou to those who joined us virtually on this journey. We appreciate your thoughts and comments left here and on Facebook. 😊❣️

To keep doing the blog is something I toss around, but I thank Honu’s mum for its continuance for a further year.

Honu is a friend of mine from Zwift. He is my co captain on a weekly Trek ride we lead. He relocated from the west coast USA to east coast to care for his older parents, who have some health challenges.

Honu’s mum reads daily. I think Honu casts it onto a larger screen and he told me how much she likes to follow.

I was honoured and thought, another year at least. I contacted WordPress who ‘did a deal’ with me, saving me $.

To Honu’s mum, and everyone, thankyou. Over 8,600 views, over 5,000 visitors in 2025.

Ooroo 😊❣️

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