We are a German/American couple who met on a sunny rooftop deck in Santiago de Chile in late December 2007. Over a glass of chilled white wine, we discovered some of our many common interests: being outdoors, traveling and bicycling. As our long-distance relationship evolved, we began to weave together a dream that would merge all of this, and bring us together to live under the same roof (or, at least, in the same tent). In the end, a plan emerged to trade the long-distance part of our relationship for a long-distance bicycle trip through Europe and Asia, with a wedding and honeymoon along the way.
When not bicycling across continents, Mario keeps busy working, studying and playing in Aachen, Germany. For the past 5 years, while working full-time as a System Programmer, he was earning a degree in Economics & Business Information Systems. He finished his degree shortly before departing on our journey, and took a 13-month leave of absence from his job. Never one to sit idly, he also managed to find time for his many hobbies, including photography, sky diving, scuba diving & teaching diving (he is a Dive Master), marathons/triathlons and travel.
Sheri has always been traveling in one way or another; having lived on both the East and West US coasts, as well as abroad in Spain, Mexico and Peru. Most recently, she spent 6 years in Washington, DC, working as a Program Evaluator for international conservation organizations; work which gave her the privilege to travel around the world and meet amazing people dedicated to making the world a better place. Although she was kind of a workaholic, she found time for such hobbies as bicycling, triathlons, gardening and travel. In January, 2009, Sheri moved over to Germany, where she finished out a contract with WWF and began to learn German.
