Now sitting in Germany, just crossing the 4th border yesterday morning, we can't express our gratitude for our newly found community of Warmshowers.
I'm almost certain that you haven't heard of this quirky and comforting corner of the Internet, we sure hadn't before we left. But doing its own thing and staying happy go lucky, Warmshowers offers cycle tourers like us a bed for the night and a shower, maybe even food. And the best bit, but also the slightly daunting part when we first started, is that this is all provided by other cyclists, wanting nothing more than your stories and enjoyment of your company for the evening.
On a journey where we expect to sleep in our tent for two thirds of its duration, we've been able to find a bed for 7 nights out of 12. A real bonus after a long day in the saddle, often with rain on our backs (Europe really isn't much better than the UK!).
Host #1 Geert rides with us across the Belguim-Netherlands border.
Our gratitude goes to Lisa, Albert, Michel, Sandrine, Baloo, Geert, Maarten, Boris and Kai-Anne, all whom have welcomed us into their homes and given us an insight into hospitality across France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Now onwards with Hannover on the horizon tonight and Berlin by Wednesday.
Here's to Warmshowers.org!
George
Ps. We'd love to hear from you on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Keep up to date on where we are and what we're up to and maybe come and join us for a ride? Inspired by what we're up to, or want to find out a bit more? Stick the kettle on, make a brew and pen an email, you can catch us at thetandemmen@gmail.com.