Alsace or the Alps?
The trip from Munich to the Adriatic was something I had wanted to do for a long time. I had seen videos and found it fascinating. But both my husband and I thought it was probably something we wouldn't be up to. What were we worried about? Rough trails, steep gradients, and we left it at that. Actually, we had purchased the Bikeline bicycle guide for the Ciclovia Alpe-Adria several years ago. But we were hesitant.
For August, we had planned a trip to the Alsace region in France, good wine, good food, picturesque villages - it sounded appealing. But somehow we never worked up a lot of enthusiasm for the trip. On one occasion Janos mentioned something about the kitschy villages there full of tourists. I think that was it - I wasn't interested any more.
Then our granddaughter Miriam came to visit and announced she was going to ride her bicycle to Italy. I warned her that many roads in Italy aren't favorable for cycling, no shoulder, heavy traffic and the Italians weren't as accustomed to sharing the road as drivers are here. No problem, she said, she wanted to ride the Alpe-Adria bicycle path. Wow! yes, do that! I gave here our Bikeline guide and our blessings.
Not long after that, Janos suggested - in a joking tone - that if we weren't keen on Alsace, how about the Alps? I knew he meant the Alpe-Adria bike path. I said yes immediately, not joking. I also knew that in recent years the path had been improved and many rough parts were now paved bicycle paths. We still weren't sure if the route might not be too difficult, but we consoled ourselves that we could always turn back if it got to be too much. And it was obvious, if not now, when? Janos turned 80 this year, I'm two years behind him.
