My day has been spent in a German school in the suburbs of Hamburg talking about my travels. Nice students, nice teachers! Here are some of them:

 
In the meantime, Reggie was in for repairs. It was always part of the plan to get the bike serviced at the half-way point of the trip. The cost of doing so came as somewhat of a surprise (see the invoice below; as you can see, it’s driven me to drink): a new back wheel was needed due to a defective rear hub (which was the source of the nagging clicking noise I’ve been complaining about since arriving in France), new brake pads, new cassette and chain. I’m surprised (having now examined it) that the rear tyre wasn’t replaced as it is comparatively bald (I may get a new one tomorrow) but a good job seems to have been done and we are (almost) ready for Scandinavia! [Too many brackets there Andrew.] Shut up…