We - me, Niamh, Séamus - starting in early May, 2019, are riding our bikes from the Danube delta on the Black sea to ... provisionally, the French Atlantic coast, along the Eurovelo 6 bike route, but that might change.
For now that's the plan, let's see what the future brings.
More info on the Eurovelo 6 route can be found here - http://www.eurovelo.com/en/eurovelos/eurovelo-6
The 2014 plan
I originally conceived this trip in early 2013, to visit friends in Europe over Christmas of that year. Plans changed and it got pushed back a few months to the end of a three-year contract working in Lajamanu.
I thought, 'wouldn't it be nice to travel across Russia again!' then, inspired at first largely by the amazing Man from seat sixty-one train travel website, the start point moved progressively back from Vladivostok to Beijing to Saigon and so forth to Dili!
And along this travel-dreaming process came Niamh who, as well as shooting into my life like a bright comet of smiles and laughter, was also planning a northern summer trip to Europe this year, in her case home to Ireland.
The trip to Europe is a 'leisurely commute' rather than a nonchalant, spontaneous exploration of places along the way, so we're not expecting to immerse ourselves deeply in places along the way, rather see the world from a train window rather than a place window!
So, in the early hours of Easter Friday we'll be heading to Dili and spending a few days in the area, with hopefully some time in and under the water, some walking and, for me at least, some slightly comatose lying around after a very busy last few months of wrapping up work and home life and preparing for this little jaunt!
From there it's over to Kupang in West Timor, starting point for ferries from West Timor to other points in Indonesia and, coincidentally, the new home of a former work collaborator! After we find a ferry we'll head off, combining ferries and trains to get to Singapore, then train-hopping through Malaysia and Thailand to Bangkok, where both Niamh and me have friends to catch up with.
We'll then keep going by train to the Cambodian border, where the trains stop (unless in the interim the government has finally started running passenger trains again!), so we'll have to make do with buses and river boats. We'll stop in Siem Reap for a few days, as well as in Phnom Penh, where I've got a Cambodian friend I hope to track down and visit the coastal resort town of Sihanoukville, where Niamh's got a mate staying, then head off on a boat down the Mekong to Vietnam.
After travelling through Vietnam we'll spend a bit of time in China, maybe having a spin on their fancy new hi-speed trains then head off the beaten (train) track and get a train or two from Harbin to Vladivostok, Russia's eastern city on the Pacific.
Vladivostok has long held a strong place in my imagination, mostly because the idea of Russia being on the Pacific is somewhat arresting, as is the fact that it's closer to Sydney than it is to Moscow!
After Vladivostok we'll head off into Siberia, attempting to get to the remote northern Siberian city of Yakutsk as well as spending some time relaxing in Severobaikalsk on the northern bank of Lake Baikal.
After leaving Siberia we'll head through Russia to Moscow. From there to Europe in some form: maybe via Scandinavia, or the Carpathians, or directly through to Ireland via train and ferry.
Either way, we'll be in Europe in time for the start of the northern summer, something I haven't experiences for many a year!