About 10 days ago the de Paor Duggans made a very difficult decision and booked flights from Budapest  home to Dublin. We have loved our two wheeled adventures thus far, as our blog records, but daily life had become quite tough going at times on the bikes with cooler weather and less daylight hours not to mention expensive (even in Eastern Europe) as it has become too cold at night to camp with a two year old, especially one who had pneumonia this time last year. We toyed with the idea of re-routing to milder climes in Europe or Africa for winter but eventually decided that we all needed a little bit of routine for a while to take stock and effect plans for phase 2 of our trip; South East Asia and Australia.

Luca is VERY excited about the prospect of going home to his Grandma, his Ya Ya's (i.e his Granny and Grandad), his Aunties, Uncles and cousins..... oh, and his toys. He has grown up SO much since we got the boat to France in July. It has been a true privilege for Phil and I to have been with him 24/7 during this special time in his life twixt baby and boy and to witness his development first hand. 

We'll really miss our life on the road together but we won't let the wheels rust beneath us, as it were, for too long. We hope to be moving on again early January and will keep the cycling up at home in the meantime. Will keep you posted....literally. Watch this space.

Thank you all so much for following us and for your comments, emails and texts. We'll be sure to contact you to let you know when we are heading off again. For now, though, we'd better get back to the packing as we've a flight to catch early this evening back to Dublin with two well travelled bikes and a Chariot.

Yours in cycling, travelling and blogging,
Linda

P.S: 
I'd just  like to say a brief, and public, thank you to the two special men in my life.

Thank you, my dearest Curly, for never steering us wrong all those weeks, for pitching our tent in all weather after a long day on the bikes, for repairing all of those punctures and, above all, for (re)opening my eyes to life's endless promise and possibilites.

Thank you, Luca, for your infectious laughter and love of life. May it never fade.....    

We've made a great team guys!
x