It seems that most bicycle travelers bite off bits and pieces of Europe or Asia, a couple weeks in France, next year a fortnight in England, then a visit to Croatia, maybe some day Vietnam. Longer and more adventuresome is just a dream for a rainy day in February.
Like a bike trip the length of the former Iron Curtain. Sounds like the stuff of dreams, doesn’t it?
Not so fast. There is indeed an Iron Curtain Bicycle Trail, created by Michael Palmer, a member of the European Parliament representing the Green Party. It runs from the upper reaches of Sandanavia to near Istanbul, Turkey, on the Black Sea, 4,225 miles, traveling through Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Turkey.
It’s overwhelming, yet perhaps feasible. Palmer has created a website with a detailed PDF description of each section of the trail, it’s history and tourist attractions to the nature of the trail itself. Plus there apparently are more detailed guides for each section of the trail.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information about road conditions, weather or accommodations. But it’s a start, an inspiration perhaps for some enterprising and resourceful person’s incredible tour.
