Apologies for our lack of posting – we’ve been internet-deprived cycling through the Alps!

Our last post was from near Venice, in a place called Fusina.  We posted from the upper deck of a converted double decker London bus.

So, we hit the Alps!  Incredibly tough.  The hardest part was actually getting up into the Alps and so the first day really was gruelling.  With climbs up to 1809m above sea level, we really weren’t prepared for such ascents straight away.  The first two days we really weren’t sure if we could make it, but then – thank goodness – we found cycle paths.

However, shortly after marvelling at our good luck, we came across a 17% incline.  (For those not in-the-know, some cars struggle with 12% inclines!)  We pressed on, and came across another 15% incline.  Perseverance (obstinacy) paid off, and after 240 miles of ups and downs, we said our goodbyes to the mountains, and hit flat paths.

Yesterday – Wednesday 29th July 2009 – we cycled from our campsite in Dornbirn (Austria) across the German border, half way around Bodensee (Lake Konstanz/Constance), to Überlingen, to meet our friend Marcus.  We all met at the town cathedral, and he treated us to ice cream – fantastic!  A good day’s cycling ended well.  We had a lovely evening together, and now we’re having our first day off in two weeks and nearly 600 miles with him.

We now have three weeks until the date we’d planned to make it to Walsingham, but we hope to do the remaining 600 miles in less time than that.  We’ll follow the river Rhine, which will bring us up the border of Germany and France into the Netherlands.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  God has literally moved mountains for us in the Alps, and brought us through what we both expected to be the toughest part of our trip without too many tears.

All our love,  thoughts and prayers to our readers and family.

Dom & Phil

PS – Thanks to Marcus for lending us his USB cable!  Photos on the way..

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