The route

I mentioned previously I have planned the route. The planning is barebones and therefore flexible, but it goes something like this:

First, I'll arrive in Dunkirk. From there I will head south east into Belgium and make my way towards Ypres. I'll explore the battlefields around Ypres and hope to camp at Hill 60, which is where some Aussies set off an enormous series of mines which apparently could be heard in Dublin. At the time it was the largest man made explosion in history.

I'll then head south back into France and make my way towards Villers-Brettenoux and Lochnagar crater. I forget which is first. From there I intended on getting a train to Caen, but now think I will head towards the northern coast. Etretat was recommended so I will probably follow the coast for quite a ways until I reach the beaches of Normandy. I hope to camp along the beach or atop the cliffs at Pont Du Hoc. This was the site of an incredible battle which I only know about because it is a mission in cod 2.

I want to head down to Bayeux to see that tapestry, Carentan because it was an episode in Band of Brothers and a mission in cod 1, then on to Mont Saint-Michel. I don't think it was in any video games though. After that I'll make my way to Geneva. I may or may not ditch the bike. The closer I get to setting off the more I want to keep riding, but of course I haven't ridden anywhere yet so it may not last a day.

From Geneva I'll head across Switzerland to Austria. Liechtenstein is on the itinerary but it may be removed for convenience. In Salzburg I am hoping to meet up with Brendan, hiring a car and driving around Bavaria.

Then comes a decision. Prague isn't really on my route but is a must and isn't that far out of the way. I could fit it in here before heading back to Austria or wait until later. I also intend on heading to northern Croatia via Slovenia, up through Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, then perhaps duck over to Prague. Hopefully in Poland I can organise the next part, which is visas for Russia and China. Then through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

I'll cross into Russia through Estonia if they let me. Then I will travel from St Petersburg to Moscow and transsiberian my way to Vladivostok. From there I will head to Harbin, China. Down to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, into Vietnam, down through Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh city where I will sponge off Toby for a while, across Cambodia into Thailand, where I think Bangkok will be my finish line.

If I make it across the north of France I'll be happy. I hope I don't accidentally win the tour.

My terrible idea

I've had a terrible idea. I've decided to make my way to Australia from London overland.

I'm leaving London because I'm tired of the miserable winters. The last one was a real doozy. I'm returning to Australia in the hope that I can kick-start an endless summer. It would also be nice to be home for Christmas.

There are a few reasons why this idea is terrible:

First, I don't have any money. I will have some by the time I leave if I don't spend it all on general living expenses over the next 5 weeks in London. But not much.

Second, I'm not making a plan. I've never liked plans. Why should present me take orders from past me? Past me has one main job, and that is to create uncomfortable and challenging situations for present me. I don't really think much about future me as he doesn't exist yet.

I do have a route in mind, and places I want to go. I'm taking my bike as well, so I know I'll probably cycle part of it.  And I've booked a train and a ferry to France, so I have my starting point. I think that is plan enough.

Third, I don't have a job to go to in Australia. This isn't really a reason the trip is a bad idea. It's just that I said I had a few reasons but then I could only think of two, so I made up a third.

 This isn't some personal challenge, or one last hurrah before I act my age, or a spiritual journey of self discovery. If there is a hill the bike will remain at the bottom of it or join me on a train or bus to the top. If I discover something about myself it will probably be that I'm not that good at long distance cycling. There will always be more hurrahs no matter my age.

I'm just doing it because I think it might be fun.