[net.bicycle] Europe by bike

mlj@lanl-a.UUCP (10/11/84)

Next summer a couple friends and I plan on touring Europe by
bike.  We are thinking about Great Britain (and catching a bit
of the Wimbledon tournament) as well as France, Germany, Austria
(and the Lippizan stallions), Switzerland, Spain (?), and any
other country we may venture to.  We plan on hostelling and camping
out most of the time, and spending the other nights with friends
and acquaintances.  We will take our bikes with us and may stay
around three months.

Have any of you experienced touring Europe by bike or even hiking?

Is it necessary to belong to some sort of European Hostel Organization
to take advantage of the cheap rates?
(Somebody mentioned this to me a few months ago about acquiring a
membership card for cheap overnight rates.)

Are there places in particular that are a "must" to see, and other
places to avoid?

**Can we drink the water?**

If anybody out there has any helpful hints, tips or anything else
to share with me, I would appreciate it very much!

Thank you!

Marie-Louise Jalbert
Los Alamos Nat'l Lab
lanl-a!mlj
    or
mlj@lanl

marcum@rhino.UUCP (Alan M. Marcum) (10/18/84)

Posting rather than replying because of probable general interest...

I took my bike to Holland when I presented a paper at a
conference there a few years ago.  I've also camped (backpacking
and via train from place to place) a few times, in France,
England, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland.  I recommend a Hostel
card highly (American Youth Hostels [AYH] advertises in many of
the bike magazines) -- also rather useful for ID at times.
Campgrounds were readily available, as were Hostels, both when
backpacking and biking.

The water was no problem at all, nor was eating fruit (even
unwashed) purchased at open-air markets or stands.  Cheese,
sausage, and bread made large contributions to my diet (ahh, such
wonderful cheese and bread!).

Holland is a wonderful bicycling place -- the folks there bicycle
quite a bit as a matter of course, and the country is quite flat.
There are many bicycle paths that even extend between cities.  I
found both drivers and cyclists courteous on the road.

A "must see" in Switzerland: a city called Saas Fee, one valley
east of the Mattertal (the valley -- "tal" -- of the Matterhorn)
and Zermatt.  Beautiful.

One caveat: there are many different "standards" for tube valve
size and configuration.  Adapters are often unavailable....
-- 
Alan M. Marcum		Fortune Systems, Redwood City, California
...!{ihnp4, ucbvax!amd, hpda, sri-unix, harpo}!fortune!rhino!marcum