France »Spain » Portugal

We set off from Eric's hometown, Obernai , France on June 7th 2006 to follow the Rhine river bicycle route to Mulhouse. There we continued heading southwest along the Canal du Rhone au Rhin  which turned into the Doubs river.  More easy cycling awaited us as we next followed the Saône river as far as the city of Chalon sur Saône.    At Le Puy en Velay (GR65) we picked up the Via Podensis section of the famous pilgrimage route Camino de Santiago.

A thousand kilometers on we arrived in Santiogo, where we received our official credentials proving we had completed the pilgrimage.  In keeping with the pilgrim spirit, we continued on through beautiful Galicia with its cool forests and waterfalls to reach the 'end of the world' at Finisterra.  From there we started the pilgrimage in reverse, following the Camino 'backwards' into Portugal.  We then hugged the Atlantic coast will be next on the list and then back to Spain and a short hop over to the African continent.

We've chosen to forgo the well-worn Cairo to Cape Town route in favor of first exploring the sights of West Africa, known for its ethnic diversity , cheerful hospitality and stunning architecture.  Southern Morocco and the 10-day ride across the Western Sahara will be not only a physical challenge, but a test of our mental endurance as we traverse this desolate landscape.  
Political unrest and pockets of violence in Central Africa mean that an overland journey would be a risky undertaking. We'll catch a plane from Kinshasa, traverse Congo by air, and land in Goma, on the Rwandan border.  There we'll  restart the cycling tour and make our way further south.
Roaring lions, thunderous elephants and flashy flamingos all await us in East Africa.  After the rigours of travelling the back roads of Central Africa, we'll surely be more than ready for the comforts associated with travelling in tourist friendly East Africa.  

stage 4:  southern africa.

Malawi » Zambia » Zimbabwe  » Botswana » Namibia » South Africa » Lesotho » South Africa, part 2 »
More superb opportunities for wildlife viewing, bushwalking and enjoying the laidback pace of rural villages.  We hope to be scrambling up Table Mountain to celebrate reaching the southern tip of Africa in late 2007.

stage 5:  the road north

 South Africa, part 3 » Swaziland » Mozambique » Tanzania, part 2 » Kenya » Ethiopia »
After a six-month "break" in India