Pip’s 2010 European Adventure

Open to all female DubDubDubbers (SNAGS considered….).
 
I would love you to join me for my 50th birthday jaunt – riding in France and walking in Italy. 
Beware – not for the faint-hearted or soft-bodied – some distance to be covered (in miles and drinking hours!!).Here are some suggestions and websites to get the ball rolling.

Ask Erwin to update this page if you want to add any of your own ideas/discoveries to this itinerary.
I would like to go September 2010, to avoid the peak season but still have pleasant weather for our excursions. I would also need to incorporate the 2 week school holiday. The full trip would take about 4 weeks, but you could join me for whichever part interests you…

Fly to Paris - Then spend several days visiting usual tourist spots.

Bicycle Tour of the Loire Valley-Where lots of castles and vineyards are!  Nice and flat.

This website gives an idea of the area and km per day of an 8 day tour
Here’s another one, a 4 day tour.

Depending on how many are interested in this, it could either be a guided or non-guided tour (where they arrange accommodation, give you maps and take your gear but you are on your own during the day – good if a group of us as cheaper and can be independent to stop off in vineyards & cafes when we like!).  I would like to do a longer tour with a decent mileage per day, to cover more of the area.

Train to Nice (French Rivieria)
You can get a Eurail France-Italy pass for 4-10 days travel.
As an idea, 1st class price for 6 days travel is US$469 (cheaper if 2 or more travel together or 2nd class).  This would cover the whole trip.

Here’s a website to give you info about Eurail passes

Spend a couple of days in Nice, checking out the sights on the beach (!!) and relaxing between the more active legs of the journey

Train to La Cinque Terra (Italy)

A short train trip over the border from France to La Spezia, then probably local train to 1st village on walking tour of La Cinque Terra (“Italian Riviera”)
OR, if joining me for this leg of the journey, you would have to make your own way by rail to here.

La Cinque Terra WALK

La Cinque Terra is a coastal walkway incorporating 5 villages, where you stay a night in each village and walk a few hours each day.  This is meant to be “challenging”, but will be nothing compared to the Tongariro Crossing!

We could do a self-guided walking tour or go it alone (but would have to book our own accommodation and carry our gear with us!). 

See this website for details of a self-guided tour which takes 7 days.

Train to Florence, Vatican City then Rome

Spend about a week in these cities visiting the tourist attractions, then

Depart for home from Rome

Sounds like fun??  Get saving …….
PIP

WHAT REAL PEOPLE TAKE ON A 3 WEEK TOUR OF ICELAND!!!