Hi people! Sorry I haven’t blogged for a few days. I’ve been busy doing rest day things so I haven’t had much time to sit down in front of the computer. Luckily (or unluckily) I’ve got a some time to spare so I’ll fill you in on the last few days.

Day 42:

It was our last full day with Mum and Brandi 🙁 We were feeling sad so we decided to check out the city centre to lift our spirits. Earlier in the week I was contacted by a lady called Leila. She was given my leaflet in Luxembourg by a fella I met a few days earlier. She told me about her story and explained what she was up to. Leila is also cycling to Rome! We left on the same day in England and were going at a similar pace. She is travelling with her adorable dog Rolo and is carrying all of her belongings. Leila is raising money for The Air Ambulance and aims to arrive in Rome at the beginning of October. What a coincidence eh?? We decided to meet in the city centre next to the cathedral. We met Leila at 10am and chatted about our stories. Leila, Brandi and I went and looked around the cathedral. It’s an amazing building and the décor is stunning. After the cathedral we continued our tour of the centre and then found ourselves in Petit France. This area was full of beautiful buildings and fantastic photo opportunities. After a couple of hours exploring Leila had to leave. We went back to the campsite to chill and enjoy the sun. It was awesome to meet Leila. Her story is inspirational and I wish her luck for her journey. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon!

Brandi and I played table tennis in the afternoon. It was loads of fun…probably not for Brandi as she definitely wasn’t the winner. My friend Sam was arriving in the evening. I’ve known Sam since I was 9 so it was great that he was heading out to meet me. As it was the last night with Mum and Brandi we decided to go out for a nice meal in the centre ville. Mum was feeling ill so she couldn’t join us :(. We met Sam at the train station and went straight to the restaurant. The venue for our dinner was cracking. The restaurant was in Petit France and it was full of people sitting outside enjoying their evening. We all had a local pasta dish and tasty array of sweet treats for dessert. It was a great way to send off Brandi but we were sad that Mum couldn’t join us.

Day 43:

Mum and Brandi left us in the morning. They took the bus and made their way together to Paris. Dad and I have loved having the both of them here. Thank you for all your help, sandwich building, coffee making, board game playing (usually losing), table tennis playing (usually losing) and tent constructing. You’ll be missed!

Sam and I took the bikes out to explore more of the city. The centre was very busy because it was a Saturday so we had to concentrate fully. We cycled to the European Parliament and European Council which were on the edge of the city. Next, we went to the Rhine and crossed over into Germany. We stopped for lunch and beer as the rain chucked it down. We made our way back to the campsite and relaxed during the evening. We cycled 25km so it didn’t feel like I’d rested that much haha!

Day 44:

So after a couple of days of rest it was time to get back on the bike. Sam left us early in the morning. A big thank you to him for making the effort to fly over from England. It was good to catch up mate!

Today’s ride looked like a good one on paper. I would be heading directly south along the canal so it would be nice and flat. The sun was out in force so I made sure to pile on the sun cream. I made my way out of Strasbourg with no real dramas. For the next 35km I pedalled along the canal through some lovely countryside. I went at a decent pace despite my calves and right knee aching a little. I made it to Rhinau after cycling 38km in 1hr 43mins. I was happy to be back on the bike and pleased to edge closer to Switzerland!

Unfortunately I can’t upload videos again because the internet is too slow. I’ll do my best to upload them tomorrow! Sorry!