Pre- ramble

Am I really going to do this? All the way home by bike and boat? For the moment I can't say but I am keen to get started and see where this leads.

Whilst a little daring, sure, it's far from an outright crazy idea - many people undertake similar trips each year. One thing is certain, though: I'd surely never consider such a voyage were it not for their trailblazing efforts.

I'm waiting on a new passport, and have a few other material preps to make before departure. I really can't complain about my stay in London, my friends' hospitality nor the hearty food I'm able to recuperate from rubbish every day.

Oh, there's the issue of my ankle, the one I broke 18 months ago in France. It became quite sore after my speedy journey back to London a few weeks ago to meet Sam , who was going to be my travel companion, but was a bit too zippy on his fancy bike. Well, I now have a new, digital companion, and will make efforts to find a real flesh n blood one along the way too. Anyway, I suspect you'll be hearing more on the ankle in posts to come if I overdo it!

I haven't really decided a route yet, but I want to stay in France a bit, then maybe Switz, Germany & Austria. I guess it will be Hungary after that and perhaps following the Danube as far as Turkey. It is too early to say what will happen then with the present geopolitical situation. I do hope to get to India and China, in any case,

In light of some of the above destinations,  I started a course of vaccinations in France, and with a couple of shots got antibodies for typhoid, polio, hep A, diptheria, whooping cough and one other. Had I known I'd stay this long in London I'd have had a few more, but I guess I will just have to be careful.

I'm going to tentatively set a departure date of 24 June, 10 days from now, or sooner if possible.