The Idea

"You're taking the entire family on a cycling tour of the Rhine on two tandem bicycles?" After picking their jaw up off the floor, most people ask "Where did the idea come from?"

Cycling the Rhine was a suggestion from my parents that they proposed while we were discussing a family cycling trip to Europe. I'm not really sure where the cycling in Europe idea came from. I guess it was a combination of a number of past experiences. I love cycling. Heck, I rode 8,000 km across Canada on my bike and enjoyed every minute of it. (Well maybe I had a few curse words for the incessant headwinds)

I have close ties to Germany where we will be spending most of our time. My parents were born in Germany and I have a number of experiences that grew from this. I was an exchange student at TU Braunschweig for a year during my undergrad. I have also visited Germany a number of times mostly to visit family. I still vividly remember my last trip to Germany with my parents and future wife. While we made many stops on this trip and had great visits with family, the memory of standing in Koblenz at the intersection of the Rhine and the Mosel is more vivid than other memories from that trip.

While these experiences have contributed to the idea, I think the idea is bigger than just reliving old experiences. I would really like to teach our kids about different cultures. I also want them to experience europe not as a series of tourist areas but as a place where people live. Cycling is the perfect way to get around and see quite and still be connected to the people. I also wanted to teach them that large undertakings are possible with planning and some courage.

Finally, as I look back on the most memorable times in my life, they are all related to activities that other people thought were crazy. Maybe I just want to add another great memory to my collection.