Hello to all. I am planning to ride from Lisbon to Istanbul in the summer of 07. The only touring that I have done so far was along the KVR railroad here in B.C. I spent 6 days on that trip with my girlfriend. We rode on full suspention cross country Mt bikes with full panniers. Being that the whole trip was on dirt the full suspension bikes excelled in my opinion, and we were faster, and less fatiged at the end of the day compared to those around us. However as I will be ridding on roads in southern Europe I was looking at purchasing a hard tail crosscounty Mt bike with front suspension. Am I crazy? I have never rode long distance on anything other than a Mt bike. Should I be considering a true touring bike, and if so why, and witch one? They seem to be far more techy ( is techy a word ) . Help ease me into the world of touring bikes, or away from them. Any words of wisdom here would be greatly appreciated.