July 29: Frequent reader(s) have mentioned that I have been somewhat lax in updating these pages. A lot of time has passed since the last entry, and not a lot has happened that I thought would be interesting to anyone passing through. A long cool and wet Spring has finally morphed into a blazing hot summer; the Raptors have taken an inspired ride to the Championship of the NBA; American – and lately Ontario Provincial politics – continues to amaze, amuse and insult our intelligence. Perhaps some, or all, of these topics would make for an interesting paragraph or two, had I the insight or intelligence to make it happen. Alas – or fortunately for you perhaps – such is not the case.
As todays’ temperature approaches 32C, with a stated humidex in the low 40’sC, basic indolence has taken hold. It has become hard to become motivated and inspired to undertake much of anything.
That said, in 10 days I depart for Germany and there is much to do. Much of the “paperwork” (airline tickets, motorcycle insurance, medical insurance etc. ) has been put in place. Since my friend Kate is coming for 2 weeks, several hotels have been reserved, a car rented, train tickets booked, and a route through the south of France roughly plotted. We will be spending 3 days in Paris with my cousin James and his partner Andrea, before taking the TGV south and touring Provence and the Riviera. James and I are hovering over maps and picking mountain passes to ride through during the 2 weeks when we will be together before Paris. And prior to that, I have about 14 days to get from Heidelberg to Lyon ( to meet James ). There’s a route in the back of my head, but I suspect this part of the trip will be a day-to-day proposition.
That is the case primarily because the weather has been increasingly unpredictable. Temperatures across Europe are in the 40’s, and monster storms are becoming common. A heavy rain and hail storm flooded roads in the Alps and caused the cancellation of the second-last stage of the Tour de France, the re-routing of the last stage, and materially changed the outcome of the race. Hopefully, the extreme heat will have dissipated somewhat before I arrive on August 9.
In the meantime, there’s packing and checking to be done ( again and again ). I need to tidy up around my apartment and clean out the fridge, pre-pay rent and some of my bills, and say au revoir to friends and family. All very necessary but distracting as I get geared up to leave. So there you have it: with nothing to say, I’ve written almost 500 words. Hopefully, the next post will be a lot more inspired and inspiring, as I report in on early days in the trip.
Enjoy your Summer. See you in October.