J75 – 3/2/2006

This morning a few clouds led us to believe we might get some rain. In the end, the sun won, which means we can show you our dry camping site.

This road, which goes along a river, rises gently but surely: 910 meters of gradient over 74 kilometers. We went through 8 tunnels which totaled 7 kilometers, the longest being 2 kilometers long.

Serge is not talkative, as is often the case, and his right leg is rather painful. Tonight’s massage will be a long one on this leg, which is very tense. At the end of the stage we felt the coolness, which is due in part to the altitude: 1000 meters at the end of the day.

In Kurtun, Georges was invited to have some tea and also to go to the mosque for prayers. He had to take off his shoes, wash his feet, his hands and face before bowing, then he knelt and rose a dozen times. Is Serge’s uncle going to convert to Islam?

This invitation only stresses the hospitality and welcome reserved for strangers. Here, strangers are friends, brothers to whom the door is always open. How many times we have had to decline invitations to lunch: “you’ll come to lunch in my home.” Even if we are getting used to this treatment, we still find his behavior extraordinary. I guess we are marked by our western culture, which could learn a lot about hospitality and human warmth from the Turkish people.

This evening we met Saffet, who has lived in Strasbourg for 26 years. He is on vacation in his home country and takes the time to accompany us during dinner. He didn’t eat with us but stayed until the meal was finished, acting as translator. He was astonished when he learned that Serge had covered 5000 kilometers on foot. He also understood that Serge wasn’t talkative because he was very tired. He was less understanding when we said we were going to bed at 20:30 and that Serge would leave at 7:00 the next morning for a new day of the race!

English translation by Lee Hecht