A few developments since I last wrote:
1. I have been discovered – by the people I know who spend their summers in Puglia and whose idylic holiday destination / yoga retreat you can link to over there on the right under “The destination in Puglia”. Check out their site. Some of the photos are mine!!
2. After last Sunday’s failure to follow the route 4 to London, I felt frustrated so yesterday… I tried again. And what a cycle it was. A lot longer than the road route – I set off at 11.30 and got to central London at around 6pm (in fact, the bells of Big Ben were donging their dongs as I cycled past). But how beautiful the route was. From Windsor it followed the Thames through to central London. It is hard to imagine that London is one of the World’s greatest centres of life if you take the route I followed yesterday. I cycled through Windsor Great Park, Richmond Park, along the Thames past Hampton Court Palace… If I ever have a cycle mad visitor staying with me here in Reading, I will certainly encourage them to do the same thing.
3. There was a documentary on TV tonght about a Scottish chap called Mark Beaumont who decided to cycle around the World. “In August 2007, the 24 year-old Scot left Paris at the start of an 18,000-mile journey across four continents, one of the greatest endurance challenges ever attempted. Aiming to cover 100 miles a day, he faces the challenge of finding food and water while racing against the clock. Crossing Europe, he battles with broken spokes, faces soaring temperatures, and tackles the terrifying traffic of rush-hour Istanbul.” Strangely enough I too was in Paris on the 4th August 2007 when he set off but I can’t say that our paths met. He ended the programme, as it says above in Istanbul. Very instructive to my August 2010 plan. You can visit his website at http://www.pedallingaround.com and I shall add him to my website list over there on the right. What a guy!