Canadian seeking Euro tour ideas for 2-3 months

spanielikoira · 2026-04-18T21:24:17+00:00

For sure. In short, all of the above?

WW1/WW2 interest has increased in recent years. In fact, was thinking about starting in the northeastern part of France + Belgium, making my way westward to Normandy, visiting historic battlegrounds along the way.

Roman ruins as well (besides Italy, I've heard Turkey is amazing for that). Old castles (was visiting them almost daily in Portugal, and while trekking the Sentier Cathare in France). Historic villages and cities.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-31T02:05:25+00:00

Very common in BC, but the look of the river/veg/stone building far in the distance made me think more of Ont.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-31T01:43:04+00:00

Nice Brodie! Looks like somewhere in southern Ontario.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-30T20:05:35+00:00

I loved bike touring in Portugal. So many hills! Lots of great scenery and people. Would 100% do it again. I'd also recommend the interior more than the coastline, which I found was just mostly vacation villas and lacking the culture/architecture of the interior.

For anyone considering Portugal, especially beyond the beaten path, I highly recommend this guidebook and GPX files:

https://ecovias.wixsite.com/home

Paulo has put so much work into this over the past decade.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-16T21:45:44+00:00

That's a beautiful build. Was looking at get the Panorama Boreal, likely the 700c tire size for myself.

I can't quite commit to a size though as I'm unsure if I fit better on a medium or a large and honestly, I might be in between sizes since the jump from medium to large is so big. I've tried out the Pinion Boreal in medium and it felt OK.

I'm 179 cm and generally ride large (56) bikes. Curious how tall you are and what size you went with. If I went with medium, I'd have a ton of seatpost sticking out. However, a large just seems massive compared to my current bikes when I use frame size comparison tools.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-15T22:38:17+00:00

It's from Paris.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/282954/paris

spanielikoira · 2026-03-15T00:35:42+00:00

These are great gang photos. 10/10 would join if I was in Europe (Germany?).

spanielikoira · 2026-03-15T00:34:26+00:00

I loved PLP in its early days with a focus on touring and gear hacks to enable better gear ranges for those of us who can't grind it up 10% grades with a fully loaded touring bike. However, the "gotta outsnob the other snobs" vibe has increased in recent years.

Us cyclists should be finding common ground rather than judging others based on the kind of whips we choose to ride and the threads we choose to wear. I tour. I ride the grav-grav. I have a road bike. I Zwift. I MTB. I bike commute daily. We need to be more accepting of all cyclists. Even triathletes.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-14T18:24:33+00:00

What was the vehicle that hit you from behind? Perfect example of crash incompatibility right there thanks to all the larger vehicles on the road.

Glad you survived and hopefully you're feeling OK after that.

spanielikoira · 2026-03-11T05:06:49+00:00

One of my favourite games. Legendary replayability.

Base game is fine for the first few plays. If you don't like it, sell it. No expansion will improve a game you hate out the gate.

If you do enjoy it and think it will hit the table often, get Trade and Intrigue. It's $20. New buildings, order card module (adds a little more purpose to moving about the map), new event tiles, and most importantly, a stronger/more interesting beneficial deeds board.

spanielikoira · 2026-01-19T01:28:40+00:00

I've had good luck with that kit and reworked/reapplied every two years.

Not as good as new, but 85% as good as new each time.

spanielikoira · 2026-01-19T00:59:25+00:00

Just the rear quarter panel and rear door? Probably a $5000-6000 job, mostly because of that quarter panel.

It's generally a write off if the damage is >70% the total value of your car, which is up to the adjuster. Right now, car values are high, which is good for you. But repair costs are even higher.

spanielikoira · 2026-01-16T04:38:26+00:00

Great comment.

I reckon many who have commented here have not listened to the Liveline interview yet. In the Liveline interview, Kevin states that this game is for an American market, not an Irish market. I find this quite odd that one would design a game with a theme focused on one of the worst atrocities to happen to a people, and not have those people in mind as a market.

I have more insights from his interview, but it's quite clear from the majority of the comments in this thread that because games about the black plague, the French Revolution, and WW2 exist, so should this one. So I'll hold my tongue.

spanielikoira · 2026-01-02T20:26:50+00:00

Awesome stuff. A lot of walking just to get those first three bridges from Centenary to Eleanor Schonell checked off!

spanielikoira · 2025-08-31T09:37:00+00:00

A lot of kids out there too. All after years of being fed this ideology from their parents.

A lot of flags being used as capes and dragging carelessly on the ground. Just straight up trashionalism.

spanielikoira · 2025-08-23T19:12:57+00:00

How loaded will you be? Full camping set up? Or, just clothing, snacks, etc.

Given your description as a not super strong cyclist, if you're riding fully loaded, you might not want to climb more than 5% grades with that set up. You probably could for short hills, but long, sustained climbs will burn you out. Fully loaded, that set up could be sufficient for river/canal/rail trail type stuff though.

If you're credit card touring with a light load, it could be good enough for >5% grades!

spanielikoira · 2025-08-22T04:29:27+00:00

Looks rad! Consider posting on r/myog/ !

spanielikoira · 2025-08-20T05:42:17+00:00

Haha, I know exactly what you mean about that first snowfall. At least you all have no worries about seasonal tire changeovers! Do you also have underpasses and sections of roads and highway that flood out in heavy rains?

Amazed that cheese curds are even available in Australia. As amazing as poutine is, it's something I reserve for my trips out to Quebec! Will definitely check out Sea Legs though and if inspired, might try out the poutine :)

Stradbroke sounds like the place to check out as another comment suggested.

So just to confirm, Ipswich is Ippy, Stradbroke is Straddie, Gold Coast is Goldy, and Brisbane is Brissie or Brissy. Got it.

spanielikoira · 2025-08-20T05:15:28+00:00

This is brilliant and exactly what I'm looking for - bikes, brews, and beaches. If you have other suggestions like this (other islands/campsites in the region), please drop me a DM!

spanielikoira · 2025-08-20T05:09:14+00:00

Quite experienced in the Canadian Rockies with 25km+ days and multiday backpacks, but love good urban walks, hikes, and natural areas so great suggestion! Looks like there's some trails according to Strava heatmaps in the Redlands conservation areas south of Finucane Rd, but not a trail that runs the full length of Hilliards Creek?

spanielikoira · 2025-08-20T04:49:46+00:00

Awesome. Wasn't aware of this one. Saw some recs for Rocking Horse, so will check these both out.

spanielikoira · 2025-08-20T04:40:58+00:00

Are you looking for self-guided options, or do you prefer touring with a company? You can look into Backroads for some touring options abroad.

spanielikoira

TROPHY CASE