On the road again….(slightly out of date!)
September 19, 2008
Boarding
As I write, we’re aboard the ‘Splendid’, steaming South over a flat calm sea under blue skies. It already seems a long time since we left Henley on a very Autumnal morning last Sunday.
Our journey thus far has been a blast. We got an earlier ferry than planned on Sunday and made it as far as Troyes that night, finding the campsite we’d aimed for. On Monday night we got to the Haut Jura, and it was so cold we couldn’t face cooking outside so went for a pizza. I hadn’t fully considered the implications of camping at 3000ft in September. We slept that night in pajamas and under all available bedding, and even the hardy ancient French camping contingency we met in the shower block were complaining of the cold.
The complications of re-trousering in a wet 2’ x 2’ shower cubicle defy description – the closest comparison I can think of would be doing tai-chi in an upturned canoe.
Elsie, the tent and all the kit have performed above and beyond expectation with the notable exception of Sean & I., who no little thanks to GPS technology, have not had a single scrap. All hail Garmin! They should be mandatory issue for all couples.
Tonight we arrive in Tunis, at about 8pm and face the arrival bureaucracy – reputed to take up to 3 hours, but relatively straightforward compared to what we face in other countries.
First sighting of Africa
To prepare ourselves for the start of the BAA we’re heading to Sidi Al El-Mekki for a couple of days for a bit of a lie down.
We’ll try and update the blog once a week, and or whenever we can get internet access and have something to blog about, but if you don’t see any new material after about a fortnight we’ve probably been eaten by hyenas, or the Garmin’s failed.
Lots of love
S ‘n’ L XXX
PS Thanks for all of your texts, we love getting them and are thinking of you, but can’t afford to text back.
