Number 1 - top of the list, has to be Tuscany. Everything that I've read and seen in movies etc has made this a must visit area. I have a special interest in the Italian Renaissance and its aftermath leading to the modern era and Tuscany abounds with Renaissance history. Apart from that, its (apparently) relaxed atmosphere and temperate climate seem to make it ideal for my kind of holiday which involves very little in the way of lazing around and much in the way of getting out to see and do. I've been doing some internet surfing and found a hotel about 50km from Siena which we could use as a base for day rides and also take some day trips by car to some of the further destinations. It looks like a good starting point anyway unless something else turns up.
Next on the list will be one of several regions of interest in France. The problem is that there are so many to choose from. I'm not particularly interested in Paris (or any of the other large cities) but south of France regions such as:
- Aquitaine (Bordeaux wine country)
- Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur
- Languedoc-Roussillon
While discussing this with the family it soon became obvious that Dominic and Garth would be in 'like a shot' to keep me company. They both visited Italy and other areas a few years back and Garth did a couple of bicycle tours in France and Belgium in 2009.
I had initially come up with what I thought was a suitable time to embark on this odyssey -Septemberish 2011. The reason for the long lead time was to firstly give plenty of time for the planning, and secondly allow anyone else who might want to join us for one or more of the segments to be able to include it into their plans - so far we haven;t had any takers but there is still time.
Along the way so far, Garth has come up with a box-making course that he wants to do in France. Dominic and I are still trying to decide on the sort of walking segment that we will include. Some options are:
- One or more 'Via Ferrata' (iron way) segments in the Italian Dolomites.
- Part of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim route in Spain - either the last part, or from Santiago de Compostela to the Atlantic coast. Both of these are in the 5-7 days category.
- Something in the Pyrenees - probably around the Carcasonne region.
So - it is going to be a fairly full time - probably 4 -5 weeks - but the excitement is starting to build. Next - firming up on the options and tying down the dates.
