As we were let down by a connectivity provider, we do not have a regular connection to the Internet. We are, therefore, going to be reliant on wireless hotspots and friendly people that we meet, to be able to make future posts. Consequently, this and future posts are likely to lag behind events and be batched up, with multiple days in single posts.
We have completed our first day. We set off at 8:30, arriving at our destination of Bergtheim around 16:00, having walked 22 Kilometres on a hot cloudless day, in temperatures that nudged above 30 degrees Celsius. We are both really proud of ourselves. Self-doubt about our ability to cope has not been vanquished but it has certainly had a poke in the eye. Doing it day after day is, of course, another matter but now we know we can walk that sort of distance,on a hot day, carrying over 12 Kilograms and that was a big hurdle to clear.
It was tough but we coped well. Tomorrow may well turn out to be tougher, as we will start with the aches and pains with which we finished today. And we do have some very decent aches and pains - I will not bore you with the details.
Apart from the achievement for ourselves, the striking feature of today was other people's generosity towards us.
The generosity of my mother, Lily, who despite fighting lung cancer, being effectively housebound and seeing her only close family support disappear for two months, wished us well with genuine, warm sincerity – who said "don't worry about me" and meant it.
The generosity of Ulrike, Doris's sister, who gave us her mobile 'phone, so that we could make calls within Germany, without exorbitant cross-border charges.
The generosity of Gisela, Doris's sister, who drove a long distance with her two small children to see us off this morning, having arranged our accommodation for this evening and then put herself on standby to pick us up if we needed help.
The generosity Petra, Doris's friend, who got on her bicycle to intercept us and wish us well, a few kilometres into our journey, and then cycled ahead to the next town and back, to bring us back a much needed brunch, for which, needless to say, she would not let us pay.
And last but certainly not least, the generosity of Brigit te, our host for this evening, who has not only provided us with fine food and drink, who has not only trusted us with the run of her lovely home while she is out at a birthday party but has also given us her own bed to sleep in for the night.
Heartfelt thanks to all of them for making today a very special day.
We have completed our first day. We set off at 8:30, arriving at our destination of Bergtheim around 16:00, having walked 22 Kilometres on a hot cloudless day, in temperatures that nudged above 30 degrees Celsius. We are both really proud of ourselves. Self-doubt about our ability to cope has not been vanquished but it has certainly had a poke in the eye. Doing it day after day is, of course, another matter but now we know we can walk that sort of distance,on a hot day, carrying over 12 Kilograms and that was a big hurdle to clear.
It was tough but we coped well. Tomorrow may well turn out to be tougher, as we will start with the aches and pains with which we finished today. And we do have some very decent aches and pains - I will not bore you with the details.
Apart from the achievement for ourselves, the striking feature of today was other people's generosity towards us.
The generosity of my mother, Lily, who despite fighting lung cancer, being effectively housebound and seeing her only close family support disappear for two months, wished us well with genuine, warm sincerity – who said "don't worry about me" and meant it.
The generosity of Ulrike, Doris's sister, who gave us her mobile 'phone, so that we could make calls within Germany, without exorbitant cross-border charges.
The generosity of Gisela, Doris's sister, who drove a long distance with her two small children to see us off this morning, having arranged our accommodation for this evening and then put herself on standby to pick us up if we needed help.
The generosity Petra, Doris's friend, who got on her bicycle to intercept us and wish us well, a few kilometres into our journey, and then cycled ahead to the next town and back, to bring us back a much needed brunch, for which, needless to say, she would not let us pay.
And last but certainly not least, the generosity of Brigit te, our host for this evening, who has not only provided us with fine food and drink, who has not only trusted us with the run of her lovely home while she is out at a birthday party but has also given us her own bed to sleep in for the night.
Heartfelt thanks to all of them for making today a very special day.
No comments:
Post a Comment