Jan. 23, 2020, 4:32 p.m. - (Read all these bottom to top). This race is a beautiful metaphor for life. One tells oneself that one is racing somewhere only to realise, when you get to the destination, that the invaluable part was the journey all along.
Final post... from Valencia!!! ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐ฌ๐ง๐ซ๐ท๐ง๐ช๐ช๐ธ
Jan. 23, 2020, 10:17 a.m. - the people of the places we have passed through have been gracious, good humoured and incredibly generous. and thanks to everyone supporting us! we're insanely proud of how far we came - we travelled much farther than most teams because of our cheeky Belgian diversion! it's been an absolute blast, with lows and crazy crazy highsโฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธโฅ๏ธ
Jan. 23, 2020, 10:15 a.m. - after a good night's sleep hosted by Alicia, team 57's race has come to an end - we are so close to Valencia, but we will be getting a blablacar the final way last night we hit a big barrier - no space in the hotel, no one traveling along the Valencia road due to serious ice on the road, and no accommodation within walking distance. we had to come into the city centre to find a place to stay, which means that there is no feasible way to hitch back out to the edge and from there to Valencia in time for the final deadline this afternoon, because it's a big city and the roads are still treacherous it would take a miracle to get us to Valencia now, which is why we booked a blablacar with a guy called Jesus the real world is rushing back in - exam results and masters applications deadlines are today - and so this marks the end of this ridiculous journey thanks so much to all of our incredible drivers, the kind people who hosted us, and everyone who gave us advice and thumbs up from the road
Jan. 23, 2020, 12:08 a.m. - found a place to stay! team 57 asleep
Jan. 22, 2020, 10:06 p.m. - Been dropped by our driver at a service station with a hotel but it is fully booked - looking for other options.
Jan. 22, 2020, 8:10 p.m. - On a curious note. I think 90% of the people who gave us rides or helped us along the way have people our age
Jan. 22, 2020, 8:05 p.m. - Arvo has a silver tongue, just bagged us another lift in an epic truck!! dunno if I'll ever be able to go back to tiny tiny cars! we've now entered the secret world of trucks , our previous driver took us to a secret trucker cafe, the perfect spot! next stop: Zaragoza
Jan. 22, 2020, 7:36 p.m. - Now in the driver's car heading to a nice petrol station
Jan. 22, 2020, 7:35 p.m. - Small stop to leave the truck. The truck driver is taking his car to drive us to a nice spot ๐ช๐ธ vamos!!!
Jan. 22, 2020, 7:33 p.m. - Update. Espaรฑa realmente nos ha tratado bien.
Jan. 22, 2020, 6:41 p.m. - Our truck driver just said "joder you came down France and Spain 800km today! ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฃ"
Jan. 22, 2020, 6:18 p.m. - as soon as we got out of our lift we got another one - WE'RE IN A TRUCK!!!! my first time in two year's of racing, and 21 years of living!!! heading to Tudela
Jan. 22, 2020, 4:53 p.m. - got a ride to Pamplona!!! we're on a roll ๐ 3 lovely Spanish lads who saw us, stopped for a beer then decided to come back and pick us up!
Jan. 22, 2020, 4:40 p.m. - looking for a ride to Pamplona!
Jan. 22, 2020, 4:09 p.m. - Spain! a lift to Irun, just over the border!
Near 28 Boulevard Marcel Dassault, 64200 Biarritz, France
Jan. 22, 2020, 3:40 p.m. - getting ready to say au revoir to France - we're in the south now, where everything is more orange and it smells different. our driver dropped us at what looks to be a great hitching spot so ๐ค๐
Jan. 22, 2020, 1:01 p.m. - Update: sur la route! ๐ near 17240 Saint-Ciers-du-Taillon, France
https://goo.gl/maps/149qJn1Zm55A6UP96
Jan. 22, 2020, 11:55 a.m. - On the road near Niort ๐ฃ
Just realised that yesterday afternoon we passed the 1,891km mark. That means we've hitchhiked more distance than what it takes to get to Munich. We would've made it already to last year's Race2 destination! ๐ฉ๐ช
https://maps.google.com?q=46.3481980,-0.3263548&hl=en-GB&gl=uk
Jan. 22, 2020, 10:50 a.m. - wooooo our driver is super friendly and she is taking us all the way to Biarritz! Spanish border here we come!
Jan. 22, 2020, 10:15 a.m. - after a tricky morning we managed to raise some money from kind people and we're now going to meet a blablacar driver who is taking us to Fors... hopefully a better hitching spot ๐ค
Jan. 22, 2020, 6:15 a.m. - Awake and on the move
Jan. 21, 2020, 11:18 p.m. - an evening I will remember for a long time! we met Loรฏc, Europe's friendliest man, through the couch surfing app at 9pm. he drove across town to pick us up, cooked us dinner, and introduced us to his flatmate Jean Jacques who taught us some French sign language! really amazing people โฅ๏ธ off to sleep now x
Jan. 21, 2020, 6:52 p.m. - Made it all the way to Nantes!!
Jan. 21, 2020, 2:08 p.m. - We drew out our route so far on a map of Europe which is both fun for us and a really helpful visual aid - managed to get a ride within moments of arriving at the service station! in a 5 seater with every seat filled ! and we managed to fully avoid Paris - hopefully on our way to Nantes! los muertos, feeling lively!
Near 93150 Le Blanc-Mesnil, France
https://maps.google.com?q=48.9516914,2.4612392&hl=en-GB&gl=uk
Jan. 21, 2020, 1:43 p.m. - Dropped off at Aire De Vemars Parcare Securizatฤ
95470 Vรฉmars, France
https://goo.gl/maps/JGTL8dvC55BCymZV8
Jan. 21, 2020, 1:14 p.m. - So far we've travelled 1,464km hitchhiking. This is more driving than what you need to reach the US border from Mexico City ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐บ๐ธ. Alternatively, the equivalent of hitchhiking from St. Andrews to Dundee 66 times ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ
Jan. 21, 2020, 12:12 p.m. - Update. Listening to some french tunes ๐ต ๐
Jan. 21, 2020, 11:47 a.m. - our driver's music SLAPS, our driver is singing along, French hip hop ๐๐ we're cruising down the A2, just crossed into France! passing a town called Valenciennes.... does that count??
Jan. 21, 2020, 11:08 a.m. - Sur la route!!! Trรจs heureux!! ๐ง๐๐
Jan. 21, 2020, 11:03 a.m. - WE GOT A RIDE TO PARIS ๐ซ๐ท๐ซ๐ท๐ซ๐ท within two minutes of getting dropped off here! awesome guy, Arvo is whipping out his French skills chatting away, we love you Brussels but bye ๐
Jan. 21, 2020, 10:33 a.m. - I even mentioned the music museum ๐ถ and he took us there because he said it was his favourite building by a famous architect! We stopped and left his car to have a proper look ๐ With him telling us stories about the museum and how it was built ๐น ๐ท ๐
Jan. 21, 2020, 10:25 a.m. - A free tour of Brussels ๐ง๐ช before we carry on. Our driver is a very enthusiastic guide!
Jan. 21, 2020, 10:13 a.m. - On our way to a better spot! (Hopefully ๐ค)
Jan. 21, 2020, 9:58 a.m. - Walked down the road to a service station after a cold morning with absolutely no luck. Really kind man that saw us 2h early in the cold road and is buying us tea and breakfast and will drive us to a service station south of here to improve our chances ๐
Jan. 21, 2020, 8:12 a.m. - looking for our first ride of the day onto the Brussels ring road:)
Jan. 21, 2020, 7:05 a.m. - Driving to work. Getting outside of town to find a ride.
Jan. 21, 2020, 7:02 a.m. - Awake
Jan. 20, 2020, 11:26 p.m. - Sleep. Time to rest as much as we can
Jan. 20, 2020, 11:04 p.m. - 57 home for the night in beautiful Leuven, back in a town for the first time since Edinburgh. John is making us a cup of tea then off to bed!
Jan. 20, 2020, 8:52 p.m. - We were offered a bed in Leuven Belgium, a bit out of the way but it's free! We've accepted!
Jan. 20, 2020, 8:31 p.m. - After arduous work we spoke to everyone on the ferry and found a kind man willing to take us. He's going to Belgium ๐ง๐ช but we'll try and find a service station on the way. Anything that takes us out of Calais will do for now
Jan. 20, 2020, 6:14 p.m. - Passed customs ๐ Welcome to France ๐ซ๐ท!
Jan. 20, 2020, 6 p.m. - Catching the last ferry of the day to Calais! Bye UK๐ ๐ฌ๐ง
Jan. 20, 2020, 3:14 p.m. - Dropped off at BP. Finally in Dover!! Lost one whiteboard already. Ready to go to ๐ซ๐ท.
Jan. 20, 2020, 3:03 p.m. - We can see the channel now!! ๐
Jan. 20, 2020, 2:02 p.m. - Rescued from this dead-end service station by a lovely woman, heading south, she says she'll take us all the way to Dover! let's goooo
Jan. 20, 2020, 11:55 a.m. - Dropped off.
Near Grays RM16 3BG, UK
https://goo.gl/maps/QFPjjnNy9Ffja4aE8
Jan. 20, 2020, 11:44 a.m. - Found a ride that gets us closer to the river! The guy had done a charity hitchhike to Morocco ๐ฒ๐ฆ a few years ago!
Jan. 20, 2020, 11:17 a.m. - Dropped off at Shell in Brentwood
Jan. 20, 2020, 10:37 a.m. - Found a ride! Happy to get something even if it's not taking us that far
Jan. 20, 2020, 10:04 a.m. - Still looking for rides. Unlucky morning so far
Jan. 20, 2020, 8:11 a.m. - Looking for rides. Ready to go
Jan. 19, 2020, 9:49 p.m. - Sleep
Jan. 19, 2020, 6:37 p.m. - Dropped off in South Mimms Services
Made it to just outside London!!
Jan. 19, 2020, 4:50 p.m. - now passing: Grantham. no idea where Grantham is, which must mean we are officially in THE SOUTH
Jan. 19, 2020, 4 p.m. - I mean Doncaster
Jan. 19, 2020, 4 p.m. - just approaching Darlington now (same plates as the ones Arvo sent before)
Jan. 19, 2020, 4 p.m. - 57 cruising down the A1(M) with the radio playing some classic hits, Arvo snoozing in the back seat, waving goodbye to the north โ๏ธ
Jan. 19, 2020, 3:12 p.m. - Picked up at same location
Mega thrilled to have found a ride from the north east all the way to just outside London, to South Mimms Services with a lovely man going to see his daughter.
Jan. 19, 2020, 1:12 p.m. - Dropped off passing Durham at Newton Park Service Station
Jan. 19, 2020, 11:37 a.m. - After slow progress we got a ride that goes beyond Newcastle, thrilled to be warm again
Jan. 19, 2020, 10:23 a.m. - Dropped off at Morrison's Berwick
Jan. 19, 2020, 10:19 a.m. - Crossed first national boundary!
Jan. 19, 2020, 9:52 a.m. - Lovely people going to Northumberland to do some climbing will allow us to climb the leaderboard back with our fellow racers in Berwick
Jan. 19, 2020, 9:24 a.m. - Got off at asda petrol station near Dunbar.
Jan. 19, 2020, 9:15 a.m. - got a ride in the Valencia direction!!
Jan. 19, 2020, 9:04 a.m. - Lovely lady gave us a short ride to a roundabout nearby :). A199, Haddington EH41 3QG, UK
Jan. 19, 2020, 7:29 a.m. - We arrived at Haddington petrol station. Super hyped to get our first ride, out of Edinburgh, with Ryan!
Jan. 19, 2020, 6:37 a.m. - just been dropped off in Edinburgh, vamos!
