European Vacation Planning

I have been finalizing the last details for my upcoming European Vacation, following all of the economic news all the while, hoping for a miraculous rebound of the US Dollar or drastic slump in the value of the Euro. For those of you with nothing but time on your hands, I have attached a widget to the blog for rapid currency conversion. The picture is grim right now . . . $1 buys me just shy of .63 Euro.

For the first part of the trip, I will be just outside of Geneva, Switzerland, staying with Becca, Jan, and the kids. This should give me a good chance to spend time with them since I haven't seen them in forever. I'll also be able to hit some of the climbs of this year's Dauphine Libere to put the finishing touches on my preparation for Masters Worlds.

After the visit, I'll hop the train to St. Johann and get settled in for the week. All of the races are in the general vicinity of St. Johann, but I will also use it as my base for some day trips between races. This year, the Tour of Germany starts with a prologue in Kitzbuhel, conveniently on one of the days I don't race. I might include a day trip to Kufstein again this year to visit the Riedel Factory Store . . . . Last year I was "lucky" enough to have my time trial bike stolen the day after the time trial which gave me plenty of room to bring things home. I hope not to be so lucky this year.

The last race on the calendar is the UCI Masters' Road Race. Right after the finish, I'll pack the bikes back into the box and get back on the train to head back to Munich where I get to be a tourist for the remainder of my stay. I need to plan my itinerary soon and check out all the places I should visit around the city. I spent a few days wandering last year and there is quite a bit to see in and around Munich. If possible, I'd like to take a day trip to Chiemsee, check out the castle and be a beach bum.

If anybody wants to donate to the cause . . . I am looking for others to stay in the vacation rental I have, it sleeps up to six comfortably. I'm also toying with the idea of renting out my house for the Democratic National Convention . . . anybody?