The journey begins

Finally at the airport and checked in! The past few days/weeks have been quite hectic. There was indeed a lot to prepare: Various vaccinations (I had a really nice doctor during the travel medical consultation at the University Medical Center Freiburg!), other medical check-ups (even had the last dentist appointment yesterday :-)), deciding on which bike to take and what I need for it, various visas...

Already during today's check-in, the first visa issue arose: Lufthansa couldn't check me in without a return ticket (within the next 30 days) as Egypt doesn't allow entry without it... great! I should have known this, but considering other things, I overlooked this "minor detail." With the help of two very kind staff members, the matter was resolved in an hour, and now half the crew knows I'm headed to Cape Town on a bicycle. New friends are often found in challenging situations!

Emotionally, the past few days have been quite mixed. On good days, I thought I had everything under control and would surely succeed, but on bad days, I wondered why I was doing this and how I would manage at all? 9425 km, 72 days of cycling, some days up to 170 km with numerous elevation gains, uncertain terrain and weather, every night in a tent... Well, for now, I'm just glad to be at the airport and enjoy my last pretzel :-)

I hope the bicycle arrives safely, that I stay healthy, and that there are no problems or breakdowns that can't be resolved.