2010 Peking to Paris Rally

It’s been a crazy day here at Mission Control!  It all started with the following email  and picture from Lang.

Today started with an Italian traffic jam on the Autostrada.

Well, here we are in Italy.

 The ferry was a couple hours late and it is raining cats and dogs. And oh yes, there is an accident on the autostrade that has us stopped!

It will be an interesting day!

-Lang

Little did Lang know just how interesting today would be! 

Within an hour of receiving Lang’s email I got a phone call from Deb (one of Fritz’s go-to-people).  Fritz’s phone was stolen during a fuel stop.  (They’re fine.  It was a covert theft.)  He needed Deb to cancel service to his old phone and get him a new one ASAP.  Unfortunately, Verizon doesn’t have stores overseas so she had to go down to our local store and pick up a replacement phone, set it up, charge it, and ship it to the address I sent her for Paris.  It will arrive on Friday.  I know I’ve said it before, but it’s truly is amazing how small the world is.   

I’d just gotten back in from lunch when Fritz called to tell me that they’d gotten separated from the group and it was getting dark.  Could I find them a hotel in Piacenza Italy? !?!?!  I had a slight heart attack but Fritz was cool as a cucumber.  They were just hanging out in a travel plaza as I Googled like a mad woman in search of a hotel.  After calling six 4-star hotels in Piacenza and finding no vacancies, Fritz had me check Alessandria 60 km up the road.  No rooms available there either so I went back to searching Piacenza for anything regardless of star ranking and finally talked to a very nice woman at the Idea Hotel (formerly a 3 1/2 star Holiday Inn).  They had two rooms available.  Yahoo!  

Somehow between my google map and Fritz’s unlabeled Italian map we got them headed in the right direction.  Fritz said he’d call when they arrived at the hotel. 

An hour later, Lang called.  “We’ve landed on our feet!”, he said.  (One of the new British phrases they’ve picked up on the rally).  He went on to tell me that Henry’s dim headlights caused them to take the north bound exit rather than the south bound route they were aiming for.  It was a toll road and by the time they got to a point where they could turn around they stumbled upon the Hotel Nord.  They went in on a whim expecting no vacancies.  Not only were there rooms available, the hotel’s restaurant was still open!  

Once everything was sorted out it was time for answers to the question that everyone had been asking me all afternoon.  What happened?!?!  Apparently between the late ferry arrival, the weather and a wrong turn they got separated from the group and decided to blaze their own trail and meet up with the group tomorrow.  The car’s still running beautifully and they’re in wonderful spirits. 

Back on the ranch, I’ve earned a few more grey hairs but can’t help but smile.  After all, I got to call Italy for the first (and 20th) time today and the guys are obviously enjoying their detour.    

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