Cycling France 2017

september - oktober 2017

Een 36-daags avontuur van Cindy and Daryl Meer informatie

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Frankrijk
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Footprints
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 1
- dinsdag 5 september 2017 om 08:23
- ☁️ 21 °C
- Hoogte: 9 m
- Canada Richmond 49.185, -123.1066749°11’6” N 123°6’24” W
Getting ready. Richmond-Steveston 65 km
5 september 2017, Canada ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Hello friends and family. We're trying a travel blog for the first time. You're welcome to follow along as we wind our way through Normandy and the Loire.

This is a test post. We're about to cycle around Richmond today and make final preps to fly out tomorrow. Wish us LUCK!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
ReizigerGood luck! Stay safe!
05-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerLucky guys - you don't have to pack the bikes. Have a great trip. we will be following along.
06-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerThanks for sharing your journey. It will be fun to follow you and not have to pedal the hills!
06-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 3
- donderdag 7 september 2017 om 22:14
- ☁️ 16 °C
- Hoogte: 141 m
- Frankrijk Versailles 48.80561, 2.1251148°48’20” N 2°7’30” E
Premiere jour en France
7 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A long travel day but we made it to Paris and then Versailles.

We learned a few things in the bike bagging process that will streamline it for next time but the bikes arrived pretty much unscathed.

A train derailment (detour right off the bat!) added a few hours getting to Versailles, with long lineups for the bus. Good news is we weren't on that train 2 hours before 😯.

Enjoyed our first French meal ... tres bon!

Will shrug off the jetlag and set off to find the Veloscenie tomorrow....Meer informatie
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 4
- vrijdag 8 september 2017 om 22:26
- 🌧 14 °C
- Hoogte: 146 m
- Frankrijk Rambouillet 48.64551, 1.8187948°38’44” N 1°49’8” E
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Versailles to Rambouillet. 65 km
8 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ 🌧 14 °C
A big riding day to start us off...65 km. Way up there for us. We'll have to fix that 😉. Jet lagged and getting organized got us away not until 11.30!

Cindy fell off her bike right out of the gate...well, not even. Caught her tire in a rut inside the parking garage and down she went. Gracefully tho with no injury or bike damage 🙃.

Super lucky with the weather today that was threatening to rain the whole time. We got away with a few quick squalls. Wind was something else tho...we got up to 30 as promised - that's fun. Rain started with a vengeance about half hour after checking in to our hotel in Rambouillet 😊.

Trail today was changeable. We managed to stay pretty much on course thanks to online maps and tracks. We'd still be out there wandering if we had to do it the old paper maps way 🤤. Had some nice riding thru the forests but also some steep hills up and down. The riding that was on road had bike paths except for only a small bit. Drivers have been very courteous so that's all good. The little French towns are quaint, tho not much wandering around yet.

Another great French dinner ...good thing we're using up calories during the day!Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Afternoon guys. Blog looks good. Pics are exceptional. Arrived in Edmonton yesterday. Passed on kayaking in wells gray park. Very smokey. Will likely stay two weekends in Edmonton. Keep checking that rear view mirror. Don't pic up hitch hikers. Cheers gmac
08-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerI don't think you have to worry about calories, that looks like a pretty healthy meal!
08-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerGood idea to get the fall out of the way right away like that!! 😉
08-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerEnjoying the ride....earlier starts mean more time to play....r
08-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 6
- zondag 10 september 2017 om 10:22
- ☁️ 12 °C
- Hoogte: 136 m
- Frankrijk Chartres 48.4457, 1.4936748°26’45” N 1°29’37” E
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Rambouillet to Chartres. 56 km.
10 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Why pack that raingear if you never use it?? And we confirmed we don't melt when we get wet 🌧️😄🌦️.

Woke up to a Saturday market right outside our hotel so got lunch food for later. Another late start..not quite caught up to the time zone yet. Much nicer riding track today thru farmland, more tree lined lanes, country roads. The veloscenie leads us thru back lanes we'd never find ourselves. The little towns are one after another ...no more than 100 m apart.

Lunch in Epernon in a small churchyard ... In the sunshine at that point. We had 🥖 🧀, ham, olives, grapes and 🍷.

Not long after we took shelter under an overhanging tree beside someone's front gate. Bit of hail and big wind. On our way again in 25 minutes but needed shelter again in Maintenon by the Chateau, beside the aqueduct. Gave in to the rain clothes at this point and had a mix of everything after that. Then Daryl can't shift into his lowest gear so the hills are more ominous tho not bad at all today thank goodness.

Lovely ride into Chartres along the Greenway. Very cool town. Staying at a chambres-hotes (B&B). Bike friendly and people friendly! Sylvie offered to do our laundry - perfect timing! We'll stay 2 nights and tour the town today - haven't been doing enough of this yet. We'll get DB's bike seen to tomorrow before we head out.

So far so good 😊.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Sideways rain!
10-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Any napoleons on the menu?
10-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerAll very civilized. Circumnavigating the Chartres cathedral on your bikes should take a good part of the day.
10-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 7
- maandag 11 september 2017 om 09:37
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Hoogte: 96 m
- Frankrijk Moriers 48.20546, 1.4488248°12’20” N 1°26’56” E
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Chartres
11 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
A lovely relaxing day wandering around Chartres. No rain but the wind isn't letting up 🌬️🍃.

The cathedral is awe-inspiring 🕍. (Yes...the first one on a Europe trip usually is, I know. Check in with us in a couple of weeks 😉). This one is known for its stained glass windows, statues and the veil Mary was to have worn at Jesus's birth.

Cool art museum, many public squares, other churches, old stone walls and roadways, old ramparts.

Chartres Luminieres at night - spectacular. Hard to catch on camera but you can see how the cathedral and bridges are transformed. The animation was excellent. Worth putting on your list next time you're dans le quartierMeer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Looking forward to sharing photos.....
11-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 7
- maandag 11 september 2017 om 22:22
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Hoogte: 166 m
- Frankrijk Harville 48.33, 1.32548°19’48” N 1°19’30” E
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Chambres to Illiers-Combray - 37 km.
11 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Can you say 'vent'? Vent implacable?? That was our ride today. The wind was coming from the southwest 35+ kph. And we were biking towards...you guessed it...the southwest! I know... first world problem. Out in the middle of huge fields of stubble (some corn still to be harvested) with no wind break, it can be a slog 😣. And it was at times.

But ... we're cycling in France 🍷😍. Good bike paths the whole way (37 km that was more like 70); espresso at a truck stop where the truckers were lined up at the bar for their shot of alcohol before heading back out on the road; gourmet picnic lunch at the requisite church yard (cut a bit short by a few raindrops that never amounted to anything wet); get to Illiers-Combray by 3 pm (the perfect time to stop when you're slackers like us) and take just less than an hour to find our hotel within a 500 metre radius 😜.

Illiers-Combray is no metropolis (3400 ppl) but we enjoyed a bit of down time before checking out the church (quite nice for a place this size), touring the Jardin de Marcel Proust (French author who stayed here and used this town in his writings), and walking a bit (a very tiny bit) of the pilgrim trail that runs through here. Finished the evening with another 'repas delicieux' complete with creme brulee...tough to take.

Checking the weather forecast here for the days ahead. Looks pretty nice at home 🤔.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Enjoying the blog. We biked the n sask river this afternoon ourselves. Beautiful day however 0 churches 0 gausthous 0 crime brule.I did have a Belgium beer though back at matts. They wrote the book on beer! So good. The wind should shift soon. 50% is always good. Laura left for Europe today. Keep an eye out for her! Ok good sleep. Cheers from "the city of potholes". Grant
11-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger You have to push a little????? Probably need one for our garden.....abrazos
11-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 8
- dinsdag 12 september 2017 om 16:50
- ⛅ 17 °C
- Hoogte: 79 m
- Frankrijk Réservoir de la Vanne 48.82043, 2.33748°49’14” N 2°20’13” E
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Adapting on the fly...
12 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
When the going gets tough, the tough get going...out of Dodge 😂.

After 3 days of cycling we really aren't very far from the big city so we left our bikes and panniers behind and headed to Paris 🗼! Another day...or 3... battling the wind and rain didn't sound quite as good as sipping wine in a roadside cafe.

We still got our distance in ... walking 17 km around the city. Les Invalides monument, Eiffel tower (of course - but just from the ground), Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe. Got lucky twice finding ourselves watching a rain burst while enjoying a beverage. (That either says something about our luck or time spent in cafes 😄).

Weather is supposed to improve closer to the weekend so we'll spend another day or so here. Hmmm...wonder if we can find enough to fill our time.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger Well done.....a good move....do not expect you to finish the travels on those wheels though. What is with the weather? A little sheepish saying the weather warm enough so you wouldn't need rain Gear??? I love the way you travel....hoping one of those glasses was for me?
13-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Ahh. Paris "la vile d'amour". Very nice sights. On the wind down in Edmonton. Rains have moved in. Dinner on Friday with our dentist from Baden and running partner. Had a workout with the kids from u of a this morning. Looks like we may be driving through to yyj. Wet next week and believe it or not sharon is turning up her nose to camping on the way home! Laura is enjoying amsterdam. Keep up the blogging! Grant
13-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Our trusty steeds should be well rested and ready to go Friday morning. Your trip in May was an inspiration for us Roberta - we raise a glass often ☺️.
13-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerNot a bad stop-over if you have to make one! Hope the weather improves for you!!
14-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 10
- donderdag 14 september 2017 om 22:24
- 🌙 10 °C
- Hoogte: 159 m
- Frankrijk Illiers-Combray Railway Station 48.30369, 1.2449348°18’13” N 1°14’42” E
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How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm
14 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
...after they've seen Paree!

Fabulous few days in the city d'amour 😍

Our decision panned out. The wind and rain continued and we could take the metro, sip wine in cafes and enjoy the work of famous artists ... rather than getting wet and blown around for hours on end.

Paris didn't disappoint. The Musee D'Orsay was our refuge on the rainy day - Manet, Monet, G'day 😄.

Saw a bit of everything on our walk today... second largest Catholic church in Paris, oldest church, oldest cafe, Place St Michel - where a mass worker demonstration brought down DeGaulle, the original Odeon theatre, Jardin de Luxembourg around the Senate. Used a great walking app - gpsmycity.com. The must-have Paris fashion accessory is the scarf...on 80% of women and at least half of all men.

Sailed through the metro like old pros - pas de problem ☺️. Rode the train back to the town where we left our bikes, along with throngs of students commuting to Chartres each day from the country. Teenagers are the same everywhere!

Plan B est fini. Demain, nous allons faire du velo. Nous esperons le bon temps.Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
ReizigerOoooh la la! Brains beats out brawn! Great pic's keep them coming.
14-09-2017Reageren
ReizigerIf you get back to Paris, La Tuile a Loup might interest you — shop on Rue Daubenton, 5th arrondissement — superbly made pottery and other crafts from all over France, small enough to pack. Happy cycling! Watch out for those pot bunkers on country roads.
14-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Heaven!
15-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Love this.
15-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 12
- zaterdag 16 september 2017 om 09:28
- ☀️ 27 °C
- Hoogte: 115 m
- Frankrijk Nogent-le-Rotrou 48.31574, 0.8185748°18’57” N 0°49’7” E
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Illiers-Combray - Nogent-le-Retrou 59 km
16 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Our detour behind us, we got back to business. Our hotel patron Olivier saw us off. He had renovated his hotel and got some paint from an 88 year old friend who had painted the Eiffel Tower 🗼 (well...not all by himself 🤣). So he still has it - maybe it'll help with the rust!

A beautiful day. Some wind (and yes...coming right toward us) but not bad. Met a Dutch couple cycling the other direction because "we're from Amsterdam and we know the wind comes from the west". Gotta love that local knowledge.

An unseasonably cool 8 degrees to start the morning, but sunny. Rolling countryside. Just enough hill to get the heart rate up but not enough to discourage. Big farms. French Charlais cattle. Expansive countryside views.

Coffee stop at Fraze. Finally seeing other cyclists and flower-filled bicycles marking the Veloscenie. Pain du chocolat et pain du pommes...just reward for a two hour leisurely ride 😋.

Lunch by the abbey at Thiron-Garais. Sausage from an award winning charcuterie, cheese, bread, olives, wine. Haven't tired of this menu yet! Then....il pleut 🌦️. Waited it out, got the rain clothes on, but off they came within a half hour and rode into Nogent-le-Rotrou in the sunshine.

Quite the accommodation tonite. 15th century manor 🏰 ...that's old! Gated courtyard, large common room with a suit-of-armour boot and many other antiques. Our patron is a former antiques dealer and a well-known (in those circles) key expert. Winding stone staircase to our room, wood shuttered windows. Very cool. (But they do have running water 😉).Meer informatie
Zie vertaling
Reiziger That may be the coolest entry to a hotel room ever! Love the door, love the stairs.
17-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger Did you have to take the bikes in?
17-09-2017Reageren
Reiziger LoL. Bikes stayed behind big secured gate outside...thank goodness.
20-09-2017Reageren
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Reiziger Cycling France 2017
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- Dag 13
- zondag 17 september 2017 om 08:49
- ☁️ 9 °C
- Hoogte: 302 m
- Frankrijk Mortagne-au-Perche 48.5225, 0.5470948°31’21” N 0°32’50” E
Nogent-le-Retrou;Mortagne-au-Perche 44 k
17 september 2017, Frankrijk ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Amazing bike path today for 3/4 of the ride. Converted railway line ... like ours at home but on steroids 😃. So hills were just getting into and out of the towns. We needed the hills in the morning to try and warm up. 7 degrees to start out...Brrrrr!
But the good news...no wind, no rain 😀. Now that's supposed to change today so stay tuned. (You sure do talk a lot about the weather when you're on a bike!).

Very agricultural around here 🚜...with big field views, odours 😝, and four-legged friends to go with it. Very pleasant!

The path made navigation super easy today. Until we ignored the 'deviation' sign so we could keep off the roads longer. Soon saw they were serious as the path turned skinny, wet and rutted. Then (and I called it!) a tree down across the path. Daryl's braun came to the rescue and I scooted the bikes along the side while he held the tree back. Voila! On the other side. But we'll follow the signs next time I figure.

Great hotel in Mortagne-au-Perche. Super bike friendly with supplies for oiling and cleaning at the ready. And then a fabulous French dinner. Cool town. Tho tough to capture in photos...they all start looking the same 😄.

On the bike maintenance file now my new bike has a problem. A piece of the front fork broke and my fender support brace came loose. Daryl taped it up and there's not really a permanent fix so we'll hope that does the trick. Ya figure ya should be good to go with new bikes!

Off for petit-dejeuner. Can guarantee there'll be fresh baguette and croissants. Good thing we're using calories during the day...tho not sure the balance will fall on the right side 😮.Meer informatie
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