Let the Games Begin

I’m officially Paris bound. It’s early morning in Bavaria. The train attendant just scanned the ticket on my phone, and I’m finishing off a croissant and Caffè crema I bought 20 minutes ago after leaving Munich. There’s a fog hanging over the wheat fields out my window. The sun has yet to come up. The train is quiet, apart from a group of young men chatting at a four-person table seat a few rows up from me. I’m on a high-speed ICE train, changing in Karlsruhe, a city on the French border I remember visiting with my dad on my first European adventure way back in 1993. From there it’s Paris.

It’s been over two weeks since finishing my epic bike ride across Germany. I assumed I’d be writing a post or two during those two weeks, but I honestly just couldn’t find the inspiration. This was partly due to the mental exhaustion I was feeling after my ride, partly due to the fact I was enjoying time with friends in the Munich area, and partly due to my need to dedicate brain space to figuring out my future plans. During my ride I continually told myself to enjoy the moment and to not be concerned with what I’d do after I was finished. I knew I’d likely be staying in Europe for some time, and I had a few rough thoughts as to where I might end up, but I didn’t have any concrete plans, save for my two-week hiatus in Munich. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t think too much about my future plans while I was riding. It allowed me to truly live the experience. But, I will admit, trying to figure out these things after my ride has been a challenge. Coming down from the high of my bike ride, no longer living its daily, predictable rhythm, no longer feeling that same sense of purpose and structure, has been difficult. And the thought of just traveling for traveling sake feels somewhat empty, and kind of pointless.

I had a lot of variables, and hurdles, to consider as I was formulating my plans, chief among them the fact that my 90-day European visa was to expire September 1st. That meant if I wanted to do anything in Europe beyond that date, I’d have to leave the Schengen zone for a period of time. Places like the UK and the beaches of Albania popped up as options. I also had a lot of gear. My suitcase, a large backpack, all my clothes and crap, and of course my bike, bike bags and biking gear. It wouldn’t be easy to just flit around Europe willy-nilly. I thought about continuing on with another ride. But that prospect felt daunting, like too much planning and prep at a time when my brain was pretty fried. I’d spent so much time planning my Germany ride, I didn’t think I had the energy to plan another one so soon, and frankly, my heart just wasn’t in it. I spent a few days applying for volunteer “jobs” in the UK on the Workaway website, thinking something like that might be cool to do for a few weeks. But then I realized my heart wasn’t really into that, either, not to mention the fact that a volunteer like me should plan months ahead, not weeks, for one of these assignments. Finally, after going back and forth and back and forth a few more times, my plans finally came together, which explains why I am where I am right now.

So, I’m going to Paris. To the Olympics! I always had the idea in my head of doing this, prior to my bike ride, way back when as I was considering all my summer travel options. But I hesitated to make those plans official during those days, not knowing exactly how I’d feel after my bike ride. Remember, I wasn’t supremely confident I’d be able to complete my ride, and I had no freakin’ idea what mood I’d be in when it was over. Maybe I’d be struggling emotionally? Maybe I’d  just want to head back to Minnesota? I had no way of knowing, so I didn’t want to box myself into something that would be difficult to change. But after settling in Munich for a few days, going to Paris became a no-brainer. I was feeling pretty good, and it seemed like heading to the Olympics would be an ideal next “adventure” for me on this adventure of adventures. I love the Olympics. I always have, ever since my family traveled to the games in L.A. in 1984 and when I developed a serious crush on gold medal gymnast, Mary Lou Retton. I haven’t been to the games since. I had a flight and accommodations all set for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but I doubt I need to remind you what happened that year. So Paris. It’s just one country away. A train ride from Munich. Why the hell not? Forty years removed from my first Olympics and I’d be going back! So I booked a bed in a hostel, made my travel arrangements, and locked in the Paris Olympics as the bookend to my Euro 2024 experience.

I’m arriving a few days after the games have begun, and I plan to stay through the closing ceremony. As of now, I have zero tickets. Yes, I hope that changes, but at the same time I’m going for the experience, to be among the buzz of the city, to feel the Olympic spirit, as much on the streets, I hope, as inside the stadiums. I would like to go to some events, if possible and if I can find reasonably-priced tickets, and I’ll be happy going to whatever obscure event I can manage to find a ticket for. I’ve begun doing a little research, and there are tickets still available, both on the main Paris Olympics website and through their resale platform. I’m confident I’ll figure something out.

The rest of my travel plans have fallen into place as well. Knowing I’d want to soak up the Olympic experience while in Paris, I thought it best to actually, and finally, arrange all my future travels prior to leaving Munich. So, I did that, over the past week or so, and as things stand now, after Paris I’ll head to Scotland and England for about two weeks, to enjoy some nature, the seaside, long walks, dark beers and smooth whiskey. Afterwards, I’ve booked two nights at a hotel in Wrexham, Wales, hoping to land a ticket to a “Welcome to Wrexham” Wrexham FC soccer match while I’m there. Then, it’s off to southern Spain to relax on its sunny beaches with my sister, Maria, and her family. I’ll then say goodbye to Europe, fly to DC to spend some time with Sammie and Casey, then finally back to Minnesota – home – around the third week of September. Whew! If you’re exhausted reading about it, I understand. I’m exhausted writing about it.

I’ve since changed trains and now I’m beginning my final leg into France. While I still do want to do some written reflection on my bike ride, and thank all the people who helped me along the way, my mind is on Paris. And the future. I’m not currently in the mindset to do this reflecting. I may not be until this entire trip is over. We’ll see. I suppose that’s the downside of not returning home to Minnesota after my ride. But, there will be time for that, and actually, I look forward to the downtime that will come in September, and the time I will hopefully have to think back to all of the experiences I’m having this summer, past, present and future. I’m arriving around 11:00, to a Paris that’s supposed to experience temps in the upper 90s today. I plan to check-in to my hostel, hopefully cool off, then mostly chill the rest of the day and begin plotting my Olympics strategy.

The pictures I’ve included in this post are from my time in the Munich area over the past two weeks. Like I said, I enjoyed a lot of time with friends, and in addition to that, I also leaned into the tourist vibe of the city, strolling the streets, having coffees, chilling in beer gardens, picnicking in the English Garden, floating down the Isar River and visiting some of my other favorite places. I also took a train one day into the Alps, enjoying (mostly) a very long and steep hike from the town of Lenggries to the beautiful lake of Tegernsee. It was two weeks filled with a lot of fun stuff, but now Germany is in my rearview. It’s time for France. Let’s go!

6 thoughts on “Let the Games Begin

  1. Karla Harriman

    Oh my gosh Chris I’m SO EXCITED you are going to Paris and can’t wait to see what you will share from there !!!
    It is sure to be an exciting adventure with all that is going on there currently ! And or maybe even a bit overwhelming ?!? Time will tell I guess
    The time spent in Munich to regroup sounds and looks lovely too after your beautiful bike ride
    I love your life right now and the fact that your allowing yourself to just drift from place to place making connections with those you know as well as random people along the way while you try to figure out what’s next for you
    Enjoy every moment and know I’m following along as I sit here in one place wondering what’s next for myself as well
    Thanks for sharing your experiences 😍

    Reply
  2. Laura Guadalupe Carreon Jimenez

    Enjoy Paris, and the Olympic Spirit. Focus on present time, we never know the twist of the upcoming future.

    Reply

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