2024: A Year Worth Remembering

2024 started in a less-than-ideal way: bad weather and the shocking discovery that mice had devoured all the engine wires that control the fuel injectors in our car while we were in Canada. Thankfully, after a few days, things improved dramatically, thanks to my husband. Our RV had been wintering in Trieste, Italy, and we were eager to get back on the road. However, the narrow Italian roads and highways ruled out venturing south.

With a tentative plan, we set out from Trieste toward the Dolomites, spurred by recommendations from our time in the Julian Alps. Along the way, we camped in Shakespeare’s Italy, visiting Verona, Vicenza, and Padua. Verona had its famed “Juliet’s balcony”—a clever tourist invention, since Juliet never existed. The balcony may have been a fabrication, but Verona’s Roman amphitheater, dating back to 30 AD, was the real deal and super interesting.

We followed the highways to Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, and spent two weeks enjoying ourselves. Our cycling here was limited compared to usual. We missed the long-distance routes that we’d come to really enjoy. This inspired yet another plan: let’s cycle the Rhine River from its source to its delta at the North Sea. And so, after a month in Italy we said goodbye and headed to Switzerland.

The drive from Lake Garda through the Alps to Lake Constance was breathtaking. Crossing the Swiss Alps at over 1,600 meters (5,000 feet), we found ourselves above the snow and clouds. Chur, Switzerland marked the start of our Rhine adventure, and it didn’t disappoint. Cycling through Liechtenstein, with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop, was simply breathtaking. One fascinating fact about the Rhine: even as it flows through Lake Constance, it remains identifiable as a distinct river.

We camped at the point where the Rhine enters Lake Constance—a location with a unique quirk. Standing inside the campground’s fence put you in Switzerland; stepping outside placed you in Austria. From there, we explored the area, discovering St. Gallen and its Abbey Library, considered to be one of the oldest and most beautiful libraries in the world. It is home to a treasure trove of medieval manuscripts from the 8th to 11th centuries, largely created on site, fascinating. Over the next few weeks, we cycled through portions of Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Liechtenstein, thoroughly enjoying the landscapes, the history and all the great towns and villages. Riding towards the snow capped mountains was amazing.

Our next campground was beside the town of Stein am Rhein where the Rhine exits Lake Constance. Stein am Rhein is really well-known for its Old Town and its painted facades. The colorful murals depict religious scenes, historical events, and everyday life, dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

The rain slowed us down, but we continued on along the Rhine. Flooding was a constant concern. Several campgrounds we stayed at had only just reopened after being evacuated due to high water levels. Riding along levees, looking down at still-flooded paths and roads, was a little disconcerting.

One highlight was the Rhine Gorge, with its fairy-tale castles and dramatic cliffs and the Loreley Rock, where the mythical siren lured sailors to their doom. We toured larger cities like Strasbourg and Stuttgart and also visited charming villages along the way. Despite spending a month “in France” on paper, we were camped right on the Rhine (French side) but spent most of our time in Germany. One campground was on an island in the middle of the Rhine. France has a chain of campgrounds that Mike and I really like.

Another highlight was finally getting to spend time in the Black Forest. This had been on our bucket list for years.

By the time we reached Koblenz, where the Mosel River meets the Rhine, we’d spent two and a half months camping on and cycling along the Rhine. We did try to get our ten-year old inflatable boat and motor into the river but the rubber just kept bursting and eventually we had to simply discard it. Koblenz itself was a historic gem. Years ago the Mosel River had been recommended for camping so we decided to take a small detour and visit it. Well, that might have been the best advice we were given in our eight years in Europe. We loved it!! The Rhine River becomes very industrial north of Koblenz so there is no camping on the river that I saw. It didn’t take us long to decide to change our route to bypass that part of the Rhine and stay on the Mosel. Its curvy path led us to some of the greatest cycling routes we’ve seen. On our first night on the Mosel, we attended an international folk festival. What a magical moment when the candle-lit boats all floated down the river in the dark.

Mike and I stayed a month at one campground on the Mosel, soaking up the atmosphere. The bike paths were a dream—paved, car-free, and connecting charming villages and countless wineries. Friends from Norway joined us for a few days, and together we cycled, indulged in wine tastings, and enjoyed the scenery.

The lack of international travelers surprised us. Pre-COVID, campgrounds were full of campers from across Europe. This year, there were barely any French or British travelers in Germany, and even the Dutch were scarce. France was all French even though it was right on the border with Germany. It seemed like everyone was sticking closer to home, and we missed the international vibe. Pre-COVID we were largely in Central and Eastern Europe. Did COVID change travel habits, or do Western Europeans just vacation more in Central/Eastern Europe than they do in their neighboring countries?

From the Mosel, we ventured into Luxembourg and then Belgium. Wallonia’s hilly terrain and rough paths were somewhat challenging, but the car drivers showed great respect for cyclists. That was very nice. We stumbled upon a parade of vintage tractors and explored a medieval fair in Bouillon. Language barriers led to some amusing restaurant mishaps—cheese croquettes instead of penne, and red wine that somehow became white—but it all added to the adventure.

Returning to rivers, we cycled along the Meuse, eventually reaching the North Sea where the Rhine and Meuse share a delta. In Belgium, we missed the Grand-Place Flower Carpet by two days, which was very disappointing, but Brussels’ Grand-Place still left us in awe.

Crossing into the Netherlands, we just had to camp at “Klein Canada”. We loved the country’s cycling infrastructure. Whether riding through Amsterdam or along coastal dunes, the Netherlands proved why it’s a cyclist’s paradise. We celebrated reaching the Rhine and Meuse Rivers’ delta with a triumphant cheer. The Mosel River in Germany is still my favorite place to bike as a tourist, but if you lived here and wanted to cycle every day, the Netherlands is the place to be.

We got to visit with some of Mike’s cousins whom we hadn’t seen in eight years, which was very nice.

Mike had been saying all year that it was time to take the RV back to Canada, though he hadn’t made any arrangements. I wasn’t ready to leave Europe, but eventually, I gave in. I then had a very short time to make all the arrangements to get our RV and car back to Canada. We discovered that our hybrid car couldn’t be brought back on the same boat with the RV due to its Hybrid high voltage batteries. Eventually we decided to use the car while the RV was crossing the ocean and we were visiting my family in the UK. We would then scrap the car before we flew home. That brought tears to our eyes.

In a whirlwind, we managed to deliver the RV to Antwerp and then spent a few days staying in the centre of lovely Ghent before heading to the UK.

Now back in Canada, we’re not done with RV life, though it will undoubtedly be different in North America. Whether we spruce up our current RV or find a new one remains to be seen. One thing is certain: 2024 was a great year.

At the end are pictures taken from the various campgrounds we stayed at as the year progressed. As you can see, water is a theme throughout.

2024 By the Numbers:
• e-bike mileage: Over 3,000 km, which is more than the 2,500 km we put on the RV.
• Lincoln mileage: Over 16,000 km, including 2,000 km in England.
• Nights spent camping: 182 in Europe, 8 in North America. We also spent 20 nights in hotels. It was a shorter year than normal.
• 2024 Camping costs: €22.78/night ($33.71 CAD)
• 2017-2024 Camping costs: 1,831 nights averaging €22.57/night ($32.50 CAD/$23.76 USD)

Our eight-year European adventure spanned 25 countries and countless unforgettable moments. Our e-bike rides now total over 13,000 km since we started keeping track in mid-2019. Our stay in a Halifax, Canada campground, at the end of the season, was the most expensive we experienced this year, outside of Switzerland. That’s a concerning thought as we plan for future travels in North America.

Below is a list of countries that we have had the pleasure of visiting over the last eight years. Our three-year plan turned into an absolutely phenomenal eight-year voyage. During this time we camped in 25 different countries and visited Russia, Iceland and the UK staying in hotels.

Beautiful Campsites: South to North