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| Paris to Istanbul Virtual Bike Tour |
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The Orient Express route spans Europe from Paris to Istanbul. Soon after the route's inauguration in 1883, the Orient Express became the stuff of which legends are made. The luxurious long-distance rail journey featured gourmet chefs, chandeliers, fully equipped bathrooms, staterooms and dining rooms on the par with the Ritz. Royalty, aristocracy, the rich and the famous traveled regularly on the Orient Express.
Woven into the plot of many books, the rail route is remembered today mainly through Agatha Christie's mystery (and later a film) "Murder on the Orient Express."
What is the StartWalking Orient Express?
Sponsored by Statewide Human Resources and Public Affairs, the Orient Express is a wellness program that promotes daily exercise. Initially, participants wear a pedometer that tracks their normal steps until they find a daily average. They also use a conversion chart for a variety of other activities that aren't recorded on a pedometer.
This StartWalking event is designed as a virtual bike ride that will approximate the path of the Orient Express. All participants will depart from Gare de l’Est railway station in Paris, the original starting location of the Orient Express in 1936.
As with the previous StartWalking programs, participants will log their daily steps with a pedometer and enter them on the Web site. As their steps accrue, they will arrive at various European cities from which they will receive automatic eCards, and travel through seven countries collecting an entry visa stamp at each one. Particapants who log at least an average of 7,000 steps per day will roll into Istanbul by September 28, 2007, when the program ends. Those who complete the journey will receive a prize. Participants may make their ride feel more authentic by reading our online descriptions of the terrain and towns traveled through.
Passports/travel logs may be picked up at the campus human resource offices for participants to record their daily activities and place country stamps.
Who can participate?
All benefits-eligible employees and their family members.
Does it cost anything?
The program is free but participants must supply their own pedometer. Reasonably priced pedometers are available at many sporting goods and department stores or online.
Who's doing it?
UA employees and their families who want to take a small step toward better health. If you would like to check out how you stack up against other walkers of note, the leaderboard will track steppers from each MAU as well as overall step totals. Feel free to follow along with our bloggers, too.
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