We took a few wrong turns, but eventually made it out of Belgrade, and back onto the rough-surfaced, but peaceful Danube levees. Before long, we had crossed the river, and were entering the stunningly beautiful Iron Gates. Through a series of tunnels and cliff-side roads, we cycled past the gorges that slice through the Carpathian Mountains, finally landing in Romania.

It took just one day to cycle between two of Central Europe’s most enchanting capitals. But the route from Vienna to Bratislava was not all smooth sailing. We had to maneuver around a number of obstacles along the way. It was worth it, because we thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Bratislava, a truly vibrant and lovely city with a unique history.

We cycled along the treeless levees that border the Danube River in gorgeous, cool-but-sunny conditions. It was the perfect way to arrive in Vienna, the sumptuous center of the Austro-Hungarian empire. We spent several days there, soaking up the Hapsburg legacy, and sampling the city’s amazing culture.

There’s a reason the Danube River route through Austria is so popular with cyclists. We rode through a string of picture-perfect, riverside villages via mostly quiet, dedicated bike paths. And by sheer luck, we found ourselves at the Regattaverein as the national teams were warming up for the 2019 World Rowing Championships. 

Out on a cycling tour, you eat whatever the villages along your way offer. Watermelons sold along the side of the road? Of course. An Italian cafe dinner in the heart of Bavarian Germany? Why not? Beer and cake for breakfast, in an ancient Benedictine monastery? Absolutely. It all tastes great when you’re traveling the world by bike.

We’ve started the final leg of our journey, heading downstream with the Danube River. Cycling through the Donautal Gorge, a steady rain soaked us as we rode past Hapsburg castles perched on the cliffs. Dozens of shrines along the bike route provided a constant reminder that we are still traveling on a pilgrim’s path to Santiago, through villages and forests that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire. 

Crossing western France, we cycled along a river valley and canal that cut through the Jura Mountains. Our route was bordered by rugged cliffs and lushly forested hills. As we bounced along cobblestones on the path around Besançon, its grand citadel beckoned us from the cliffs above. We decided to stay an extra day to visit the citadel, and appreciate the city’s old world charm.

After 750 km of cycling through the Loire Valley, we’re leaving the river behind. In Digoin, the Loire River turns southward, towards its source in the Ardeche Mountains of south-central France. But we are staying on EuroVelo 6, which heads northeast towards Germany and the Rhine River. Bye-bye, Loire!

We’re now deep in the heart of central France, where the Loire River becomes too shallow for most boats. Here we encountered the Loire Lateral Canal, with its amazing bridges that cross major rivers like highway overpasses for boats. And in a tiny town near Nevers, we discovered Kilometer 0, the source of the Loire à Vélo route.

Continuing our bicycle journey along the levees of the scenic Loire River, we passed several monumental chateaus. The trail has taken us through more areas where caves honeycomb the cliffs, storing the region’s wines and lots of other stuff - including our bikes for a night.

With the temperatures rising to record levels, we’re heading for Tours, France, where we can hunker down for a few days. Along the way, we both had flat tires. But that didn’t keep us from enjoying the beautiful Loire Valley, with more glowing sunflowers and stately chateaus. Even the monster that lurks in Tours’s old town couldn’t keep us away.

We’re back on the eastward road, cycling up the mighty Loire - France’s last, great, free-flowing river. Our path takes us past iconic sights like the grand chateaus, vineyards that produce the regions fine wines, and acres of sunflowers in bloom. But we’ve also discovered a few secret gems, like the troglodyte cave homes of Samur. Every day brings new surprises.

A ferry ride across the English Channel will bring us back to France. But before we can leave, we’ll have to wait in the ferry terminal until our overnight voyage is ready to board. Once we’ve landed in France, two trains will whisk us across Brittany to Nantes. There we’ll finally get to revisit the giant, mechanical elephant, and his equally astonishing, fellow animal machines. There’s nothing quite like it.

We’re getting ready to return to France, and resume our eastward cycling journey to the Black Sea. This leg of our train odyssey will get our bikes and us to the southern edge of England. There, we’ll hang out for a few days before boarding a ferry to take us back across the English Channel to France.