About the web site

This web site was designed to allow our friends and family to follow our whereabouts as we travel by bike through Europe during the summer of 2006. It’s unknown how often we’ll update this site throughout the trip, but this will be the place to check for news of our happenings. The site is built with Movable Type and is configured to be updated via email from our Treo 650 cell phone from the comfort of our bicycle seats. We’ll see how that works out.

Origins of the Trip

Before we married, Susana and I thought of going on a trip that we’d remember, that we’d compare to every other bit of travel throughout our lives. The best types of trips, in my experience, are those where you’re able to go slow and notice the small things, emmerse yourself in the culture, and spend less money thereby removing the barriers between you and your surroundings. A trip where you power yourself gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment and offers greater rewards than packaged trips. I’ve found that it’s these trips that also offer the most unexpected pleasures.

Susana and I started thinking about this trip when riding around San Juan Island one weekend last summer. Biking silently along those empty highways with views of the mountains and sea, having homemade lobster dinners next to the water, we wondered why we didn’t do this more often and for longer. We decided that a long bicycle trip would be our plan for the summer of 2006.

A person's job is often the biggest obstacle in taking an extended trip. But when considered in the context of which we'd regret -- taking the biggest trip of our lives thereby sacrificing some stability versus staying at home -- we decided that work could wait a few months. And if not, life will go on. It's worth it for such an experience.

Where & When

Having traveled extensively throughout the US, by bicycle for much of it, I wanted to go somewhere unknown to both of us. We chose our route because of history, relative safety, coastlines, cuisine, the chance to ride famous cycling routes of Europe, and the opportunity to cycle to Susana’s home country, Portugal.

The trip will take us through Croatia, Greece, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. More information can be found about our intended route in the Route section. We will fly to Trieste, Italy on May 22nd, and expect to arrive in Lisbon in the middle of August to be welcomed by Susana’s friends and family. We return to Seattle on September 7th.

About Scott & Susana

Scott and Susana live in Seattle. Susana is taking the summer off her job in the advertising industry, having worked in the field for 11 years. Susana is originally from Setubal, Portugal and attended the Universidade Nova Lisboa.

Scott has worked as a graphic designer for the past nine years, mainly in the software industry. He graduated with an English degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Scott has gone on several other long bike rides, notably a 2200-mile trip from Omaha to central British Columbia.

Scott and Susana have been married since 2002.