Hello to all from sunny (surprise) Washington D.C.
Sorry to bore you all again but I have not slept thinking of everything we forgot to write in our last report.
First let us say the European portion of our trip was great, the people we met along the way were hospitable and curious, the history and ancient ruins awesome and most of the scenery great. The exception being Gibraltar. It is sad that a number of the riders chose to pedal, pedal, pedal and did not take the time to met the locals and absorb some of the culture, one of the couples say they are on a bike trip and the other things are a diversion and they can enjoy them at a later date, little do they know as I have said, 'Life is not a dress rehearsal and you had better get it right the first time'. We all hope they will have the opportunity to revisit what they have pedaled by.
The hostel experience has been to say the least unique. I guess as we get older the body and soul is less inclined to revert to the things we found exciting at 13 years old, not since summer camp have we been subjected to such living conditions. The hostel staff is great and the catered food has been some of the better on this trip, we do miss that European blend coffee however.
The last couple of days have been consumed doing the usual Odyssey 2000 stuff, wash cloths, find an internet, clean and adjust bike, visit a bike store, visit a camping store, eat, sleep. The one saving grace about being in a city the size of Washington is we do not overpower the resources as we have consistently done in South America, South Africa and Europe, a welcome relief.
When we left Europe a number of people, approximately 25-30 stayed behind to enjoy what Europe has to offer. Of these some will be rejoining in Paris others in London. In Washington a number of people have scattered far and wide to be with friends and loved one's, we are having a guessing game as to how many will in fact be on the plane when we depart from Quebec City for Paris. Mary and I will be jumping ahead from NY to Ottawa rejoining the group in Quebec City.
The much loved and revered locker trucks that make our life so much simpler have not showed up in Washington as promised, the excuse being that they are somewhere on a ship coming from South Africa. If we are not mistaken Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic in less time!!! Let us hope they turn up before we leave as the other option is truly a pain in the !@# to say the least.
In discussions with some people who we had not heard from in a long time we were surprised to learn they are not sending e-mail as they thought we could not receive same, rest assured we can and do appreciate getting periodic updates on life in North America. While we may not always respond we do read and enjoy. The only request we have is to limit the proverbial chain letters and jokes as they consume mega space.
Well folks now that we have bored you to tears with this latest drivel we will close and wish you all a great day.
Stay tuned for the latest.
Love,
Dave & Mary