JULIEN & TITUS' CYCLING TRIP

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So, I guess you've figured out that I love cycling.... I've been pedaling since I was 6 years old... Not always much, but pretty steadily... Sometimes commuting, at other times running errands or just riding about.... Even when I got my first car (and then the second, and third, fourth and fifth) I've been using the bike for errands downtown to avoid traffic and parking problems. I've lived most of my life in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) as well as a few years in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). I'm now, back, in my hometown of Montreal.

I'm in my mid-forties, have worked in scientific research and then business, and a couple of years back (early 2001), I decided to pack it in and retire early. Having only myself as a responsibility and never having been compelled to keep up with the "Joneses", I had comfortable savings and felt like pursuing other interests.... such as traveling, photography and writing... Must be my mid-life crisis...

I've travelled quite a bit through the years, hiking on foot, by car, bus, plane... But cycling is just the right speed. Fast enough to actually get someplace, yet slow enough to smell the flowers as you go... Plus, it's the only mode of transportation where the engine actually improves with usage...

Anyways, a friend, Alex, lent me this book about a couple (written by Barbara Savage) that spent a couple of years cycling around the world and I thought to myself that I wanted to do that ! So, off I went !

Well, I didn't quite make it... On my first trip, around Western Europe and Morocco in 2001, after 8 months on the road, I came back... Mostly due to homesickness, but I should have expected that, particularly on a solo trip... But, hey ! I left again in 2003, once I finished nursing a broken hip I got from a cycling accident in my hometown. I'm in no hurry, and there’s a lot to see out there in the world.... So, look back here periodically to see where I'm at !

Cheers !