Ahhh, the delights of a villa in the Tuscan countryside, friends, food, wine, beer, a pool, a BBQ, and of course a wedding. A week was spent enjoying the high life and the wedding was beautiful in its simplicity and the 7 course meal that followed was out of this world, so congratulations to Ben and Jane!

JB as 'official' photographer here....

We waved off our friends before the long race back to Blighty, trying to cover the distance in only a few days. Through Parma (very disappointingly no huge 'ham' cardboard cutout at the town - one for the council I think). Mistakenly rode through the centre of Milan and up what I can only assume is their equivalent of Oxford Street on a Saturday evening (arghhh) to Lake Maggiore, very beautiful and again, some of the best riding. We sat by the shores of the lake having a breakfast pastry whilst the ritzy locals looked upon our trangia brews and scruffy attire pityingly...

Took the fabulous Route 33 into Switzerland - you've gotta love the Swiss, their roads, their choc, their cows, nazi gold (thanks Green Wing!), blissful riding and in cold (yet oddly warm) sunshine.

Rode for a while with an Italian on a BMW who showed us some tops routes, so we went up the Furka pass (2431m) to Interlaken and a swift view of the Eiger.

Through Belgium and a stop in Chimay for one of the best beers you will ever taste (Chimay reserve at 9%). IM found that a vole had started making a nest in her lid as we packed up our gear one very soggy morning, so cue much merriment from JB and pics of the wee fellow jumping in and out of our gear.

Our last night was spent near Calais and it was so cold and wet that the evening was spent sitting in the gents loo as it had walls and a roof and the thermarest's had worryingly developed a "bulge" fault, so time to head home we felt.... bye bye euroland, hello Blighty.

So this is it! Thank you for reading, we hope you enjoyed it... thanks to Ben C for the Pie-rats logo and to Steve (Anvil) Trout for the bike side stand mod.
And if anyone needs an Arts Administrator/Office Manager, then Imogen is your girl, driving and aikido lessons from James.... all donations happily received!

Total miles: 19,043
Countries: 27 1/2 (Republika Srpska being the half): France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Andorra, Monaco, (Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily), Italy, San Marino, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovenia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium
Total days: 187
Bike Repairs: new inner tube, new tyres x 2, new chain and sprockets, oil change x 3, headlight bulbs x 2, oil and air filters change x 1
Punctures: 5
Bike drops: 18
Mosquito bites: 86948347783847673485676384
Items missed: Harveys beer, flaming hot monster munch, baked beans
Beer list: 32 (I'll email you Big Bob!)
'Hombres' poos outside: by IM - 13; by JB - a paltry 1 (wuss)
Most indispensible items: double silk liner (wusses, again), mozzie bite 'clicker' and Ortleib folding washing bowl
Items ditched: 10L water bag, 3 t-shirts, rubbish cotton pants x 3, socks x3, long-sleeved shirt x1, techno top (too horrible and had 'piled' - IM), trainers (IM)

Equipment list (take a deep breath):
Thermarest mattresses and chair converters x2
Softie 9 (Hawk) sleeping bag, Coleman liteweight summer sleeping bag
Inflatable pillow (but finally died!)
Vango Spirit 200 lite tent
plastic groundsheet
2 trek towels, 1 small hand towel and flannel
Panniers: soft Bagster (fell apart in France, gaffa tape to the rescue), Touratech Vega topbox, Bagster tank bag
Bike stuff: puncture repair kit, bike pump, tools incl tyre levers, spanners etc, spare clutch cable, throttle cable x2, bulb kit, AT bike manual (thankfully unused)
1st aid kit: incl painkillers, antiseptics, various medical unguents, crepe bandage, triangular bandage, 'toilet issues' pills, charcoal pills, hayfever and sting relief items, a sterile set with needles, tiger balm, plasters, 'Captain' TCP
Bottle sterilser tabs for 2 Camelback waterbottles
Cooking items: Trangia stove, 2 thermo mugs, wooden spoon, sharp knife, cutlery set (now missing knives), plastic baggies

Aerobie (health and fitness!)
Battery charger
Books: Lonely Planet "Europe on a Shoestring" and Turkish phrase book (our only guide books); Bill Bryson's "Short History"; White Fang; Ben Hur (last 2 purchased in Croatia); Collins Bird Guide; Collins Butterfly Guide (!); Helm - "Where to Watch Birds in Britain and Europe"
Candles and lighters, flint lighter
Copies of bike docs, insurance docs, passports etc
Gaffa tape
Mini Ganesh (for good luck)
Mini screwdrivers for spectacle mendage
Mosquito net and spray (pah)
MP3 players and mini speakers
Pack of cards
Pass-the-Pigs game
Pens
Penknives x 2
Phone charger (and mobile)
Mini scrubbing brush
Sewing kit
Sink plug
Sponge bag incl: moisturiser, deo, soap, shampoo 2-in-1, spf lip protector and suncream and talc (IM luxury item!)
Thermarest repair kit (used twice)
Torches x3
Washing line