Orient Express Bicycle Tour head office, Toronto
It is only a matter of days now until the start of our inaugural Orient Express Bicycle Tour from Paris to Istanbul. I am beginning to finally catch my breath after the many months I have put into this project. It is now quickly becoming a reality, and I am so excited for the start. My reward for all the hard work will come when I arrive in Budapest and help to lead the group the rest of the way to Istanbul.
Henry Gold, (the tour’s founder), and Randy Pielsticker (the tour leader for Tour d'Afrique) are both on their way to Paris to prepare for the departure on Sunday July 31st.
Slowly the office is again looking like an office; no more bike boxes piled to the ceiling, patiently waiting to receive our crew’s bikes, no more stacks of maps, guide books, documentation and emergency information; no more phones ringing off the hook with last minute details to work out. Just me and a map of Europe on our wall, with a line jaggedly cutting across Europe from Paris to Istanbul.
In 56 days, in the pioneering spirit of the Orient Express trains, our riders will travel by bike through France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. The distance to be covered is 3700 km (2300 miles), and along the way the riders will experience a whole range of culinary delights, architectural wonders, cultural diversity, and an amazing adventure.
I hope you enjoy the journal entries as much as we enjoy sharing our stories with you.
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Posted July 27, 2005 by Shanny Hill
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