Riding a bicycle from Rome to Makkah, bringing a message from the Pope
The cyclists left Rome on 23 September and arrived in Jeddah Sunday evening, travelling through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria and Jordan on their way to Saudi Arabia.
“We had no trouble at all with visas on the way, just a little dehydration with these high temperatures. But we are all fit—it was no problem,” Schmidt said.
In reporting the event, Arab News titled it “Bringing the message of hope from the pope” and related it to the recent efforts by Saudi King Abdullah to raise the profile of interfaith dialogue.
On Monday, the cyclists finished their “pilgrimage” to Makkah at a roadblock just outside the city since non-Muslims are not allowed inside Islam’s holy city.
Now they are making their way towards the “cooler” weather of Saudi Arabia’s southern highlands.