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. 

Cycling EuroVelo 6 is all about following the great rivers of Europe. We rode our last few days along the emerald-green Rhine River, and crossed the Swabian Jura Mountains to meet up with the Danube River. For the first time since leaving Nantes, France, we’ll be traveling downstream (and downhill) as the Danube flows eastward. Charming riverside towns, lush forests, and chocolate milk have been some of the pleasures along the way.

We cycled our last day in France, and we’ve been biking back and forth between Germany and Switzerland along the beautiful Rhine River. After a brief, urban ride through the industrial waterfront of Basel, our route cruised past thickly wooded hills and quaint riverside villages. We’re even learning a few words of German, like “radweg” (bicycle route).

The Rhône-to-Rhine Canal took us through more natural landscapes, bordered by misty hollows and wooded hills. The river feels wilder here, and we’re seeing a greater variety of birds, plus a few unexpected animals - like goats in a playground. Traveling by bike always produces a few surprises.

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.

Our route on EuroVelo 6 followed two iconic canals through western France. The Canal du Centre links Brittany with the Mediterranean via the Loire and Rhône Rivers. And the Rhône-to-Rhine Canal connects the Mediterranean to the North Sea. The kilometers flew by on the flat and well-surfaced trails. Along the way we were entertained by canal-side gardens, tropical-looking birds, and an old French city oozing Renaissance 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.

We turned around, and started making our way back south. Traveling by train promised to be an adventure. We’ve never taken our bikes on European trains before, so everything was new. One last layover in Edinburg will be the end of our time in Scotland.