Europe....Unplugged...

Before I lived in China, I was a reluctant cell phone user.  I took it with me, but only for emergencies.  It was a basic phone, no texting, no photos, 0 Gs.


In China, we didn't have a landline (at least not a useful one), so I started using my cellphone regularly.  It was the way the kids or school could get a hold of me, I needed it to make arrangements with my driver, and I started texting my friends.


A year ago, back in the USA, I got an Android phone.  Do I go anywhere without it?  Nope.  I can use it to check my email, text, make calls, read books, look up random facts on the internet, listen to music, track my runs, watch videos.  Really, did I go from there to here so quickly?


So imagine how out of touch I feel that Mike and Kiana only have random access to the internet, and therefore are out of touch most of the time.  Now, in general, I think this is a good thing!!  I wish we all could go back and live life a bit more unplugged.  


However, it is a bit weird to get random emails that say, "we are in Mainz" and then I have to Google it to find out WHICH COUNTRY THEY ARE IN! 


They have jumped a train to get ahead of some headwinds and onto a better part of their intended route.  Here is a quote from Mike's email about arriving in Mainz, Germany.


"[With our bikes] we made it through a crowd of 1000 drunk Germans on their way to watch Gemany v. Greece in the Eurocup quaterfinal."  This is travel....rarely a dull moment!


They are settled into a hotel in Mainz for the night and will continue up the Rhine River from there.


As I hear more, I will post a new update.

Four Countries in 24 Hours!

The BarrHouse European Adventure started on Friday when Kiana and Mike flew from Vancouver, BC to Zurich, Switzerland. 


Here is Kiana (Supergirl!) waiting to take the airport bus from Tulalip, Washington to the Vancouver Airport.  Their bikes are in the boxes and the bags on the ground are their clothes, tent, sleeping pads and bags, stove and dishes.  They are cycling "unsupported" which means they will carry their own gear, set their own schedule and course, and camp along the way.






After arriving in Zurich, they took a train to Chur, Switzerland. On Monday, they will begin to bike. Their goal for tomorrow is to reach Felkirch, Austria which is about a 50 km (31 miles) ride. 


You can follow Kiana on Twitter @twotired_KB. She will be tweeting their progress along the way. (If you need help with Twitter, let me know!).

We are off to a new adventure! A summer of travel around Europe. And finally we will visit Disneyland Paris, completing our goal of visiting all the Disney parks while our kids are still at home. More to come...