Today was the first day after the official tour and I cycled to Avignon to meet my wife and confidant Carolin.
She always wanted to see Avignon because she somehow has a special connection to this place and it’s history. And I could not wait to see her again after 20 days. So meeting in Avignon was the perfect idea since it is “around the corner” from Montpellier.
The route was beautiful with little villages and great landscapes but a bit rough in terms of gravel. Maybe it was because of this that Rosinante had her first puncture after 2.600km.
However, this was quickly fixed and by 4pm I was in Avignon. What a pittoresque place this is with it’s overarching Palais des Papes and it’s rich history.
Carolin arrived a little later and we celebrated our reunion with an Aperol Spritz in front of the Palais.
Insight of the day: Experiencing adventures makes you enjoy your day-to-day life even more.
About 30 years ago, two zis scholarships helped me to broaden my horizon, expand my understanding of what is possible, and develop more self-confidence. zis is a non-profit organization that has been awarding scholarships for study trips to young people between the ages of 16 and 20 for more than 60 years. Today, the word we use for tenacity and grit is resilience - and I've made it my profession, to help managers around the world to develop more of this inner power.
In retrospect, the experiences I've had on these trips to Scotland and Iceland have been priceless for my development. After having had a childhood with some challenges, I learned that I could cycle 1,700km on my own and get wet every day without despairing. I have learned that I was able to get along with only 300 € for 4 weeks and still had a good time. I have learned what it's like to be threatened with deportation and how to get an interview with the President from such a crisis. I have understood that limitations are primarily constructs in our heads, and I want to make these insights available to as many adolescents as possible.
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