Reset search
The French Ride
  • Bruce Dimon
  • Bruce Dimon

The French Ride

After a few days in Paris to shake off the jet lag, I'll rent a motorcycle for 15 days and ride through the Alps down to the Riviera and back. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Napoleon III had a good idea to make this road
    The crowd on a TuesdayThey have a board just for stickersIt's a sterile world above the tree lineIt looks more steep in real lifeA happy bikerYeah, the Alps are cool

    Cime de la Bonnette

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    I called everything a "col" up to now. What is a "cime?" A col is a mountain pass and we keep score using the altitude of the through road over the pass. The Col de la Bonnette, the through road, is at 2,715 metres (8,907 ft)). The road over the col is the seventh highest paved road in the Alps.

    From the top of the pass, a road makes a loop around the peak next to the pass. This scenic loop is a "cime" because it is a spur and not a road over a pass. Nobody would care except the road around the Cime de la Bonette reaches an altitude of 2,802 m (9,193 ft). That makes it the highest paved road in France and the highest through road in Europe. That's bragging rights.

    Everybody wants to brag that they rode the highest road. I'm no different. Even though today was a Tuesday in the shoulder season, there was a crowd. The loudest and most proud bunch were the bicyclists, and deservedly so. Pumping your legs to move yourself up to 9200 feet seems impossible, but a crowd of panting pedalers proved it possible.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Waterfall with the Col de la Cayolle
    The valley below the Col de la Cayolle

    Waterfall

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    In the background, you see the Col de la Cayolle. I couldn't quite capture how high this waterfall was. It certainly was pretty and I had to take a photo.

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    I finally reached the top
    A classic stone monumentLooking south from the Col de la Cayolle

    Col de la Cayolle

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    The ride along the narrow river canyon up to the Col de la Cayolle was scary at times, but always scenic. The ride down the South side was even more beautiful.

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    The source of the river Var

    Valley of the Var.

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    The source of the Var river is just below the Col de la Cayolle. The ride down alternated between sheer cliffs and gentle slopes. It passed through a couple of small hamlets and then tunnels cut into the rock cliff walls.Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    This is a footpath, not a road
    Google thinks it's a roadTomTom thinks it's a road

    GPS Fun & Games

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    I had a weird GPS error today. I'm using the BMW Connected app to navigate. It was set to efficient routing instead of quickest. I'm riding along the road and it says turn right now. There's nothing there. I turned around, went the other way, and it said turn left at the same spot. I pulled over and went to see what was at the exact point where it wanted me to turn. This is what was there, a footpath. I wouldn't even take a dirt bike down that trail. I checked both Google and TomTom (BMW's contractor); they both think that's a road.
    I changed the routing type from efficient to quickest and the app told me to continue on the main road to the correct street.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    A delicious Amber beer!
    Ravioli NiçoisGoat cheese - take as much as you wantCafé & digestifs

    Dinner at the Hotel

    September 10, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    After parking the bike at the hotel, I enjoyed a delicious Amber beer. This "amber" is full of dark beer flavor without the harshness most dark beers have. A smooth finish.

    It was a long day because I took a lot of wrong turns and I started today's loop in the wrong direction. I wondered why the mechanical voice repeatedly told me to make u-turns.

    Dinner was delicious. I had the same appetizer as yesterday. For my plat, I ate Ravioli Niçois. The beef and gravy were French style but wrapped in ravioli pasta. I ordered goat cheese for a dessert and it came with a big pot of goat cheese chunks in olive oil. They left the pot on the table and I could eat as much as I wanted. Like last night, I ordered a coffee after dinner. It came with three digestive liquors: passion fruit, caramel, and green melon.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    The best way to wake up

    Hotel Breakfast

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 52 °F

    A fresh baguette and croissant at every place. Jambon Cru and dried sausage at the breakfast bar with fruit, jams, yogurt, and soft to hard boiled eggs. I don't eat this well at home; that's for sure.

    Even better, the croissant is the best that I have found in France, buttery and flakey. Most croissant bakers skimp on the butter.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Vallée du Var

    Vallée du Var

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    This is the same river whose source I saw yesterday. The cliff walls are so steep that they cut the road into the cliffs. In the narrowest section, there were 17 tunnels in quick succession.

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    No, I did not walk all the way to the top.
    The guard house on the outside of the riverThe tower used to have a drawbridgeRemember to fold in the side mirrors!A motorcycle museum that was not open on WednesdaysThe cathedral

    Fortified City of Entrevaux

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    The fortified city of Entrevaux was built in the 16th century during the reign of King François 1. Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor) occupied and slaughtered the towns people. The French loyal to François recaptured their town. King François was so impressed that he issued a formal proclamation giving his thanks.Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Vésubie River Gorge

    Vésubie River Gorge

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    The rivers in this region of France cut deep, narrow gorges in the rock. It makes for excitement when the oncoming trucks and buses have to be in your lane to avoid scratching their roof on the rock overhang.Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Monument to the innocent reprisal victims
    The last mountain passed before the Mediterranean SeaCan it fit one more?The Valley I came from.

    Col de Turini

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    The road to this mountain pass was another one of those narrow roads cut into a cliff. At the top were a couple of nice restaurants. I built up my courage for the descent with a half liter of San Pellegrino water.

    There was a monument to 12 victims shot by the Germans in August 1944. They were reprisals for the actions of the Marquis. The Germans could not find the Resistance so they grabbed 12 innocents and murdered them. There are a lot of these monuments throughout France.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Hotel Saint Paul
    The chapel to the rightThe chapel's chancelBetter view of the frescoThe view from my room windowSea view switch offSea view switch onThe Sea View switch

    Hotel St. Paul

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    For the next two nights I will stay at this very nice hotel right on the sea. It's one of the newer and fancier hotels on the trip.
    The craziest thing about it is the switch in the bathroom labeled "Sea View." When you turn it on, a panel in the shower goes from opaque to transparent. That lets you see through the room and out the window.

    Originally, this building was a Catholic seminary. They preserved the chapel next to it even when they turned the seminary into a hotel and conference center. The chapel style is very interesting. It was made in the early 20th century in the style of paleochristian Roman churches. They wanted it to look like a church from the first few centuries of Christian history.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    The diver restaurant. Check out the diving board.
    Pretty colorful boatsLittle boats and big boatsI think this is a cruise shipI assume this is where cruise ships dockLooking east toward the harborLooking West toward the beachesThe Promenade des AnglaisGreat ice cream shop

    Nice, France

    September 11, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    After resting up a bit at the hotel, I walked into Nice to explore and have something to eat. I walked past the port with some interesting Yachts, little boats, and even a cruise ship that seemed to be a sailing vessel. I walked around the promontory to the famous part of Nice, the beaches and Promenade des Anglais.

    I wandered into the old town of nice where I found some fast food, mussels and french fries. It tasted like fast food that was cooked earlier and reheated when ordered.

    I had better luck finding some ice cream. The glacier (ice cream maker) I stopped at claimed to be third generation master ice cream makers. I had lavender flavored ice cream, which was much better than I thought. Then I had coffee flavored. Both were excellent.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    The Laverie automatique

    Laundry

    September 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    I pack 5 days worth of clothing. That makes the luggage a manageable size. Unfortunately, it also means they have to stop every week or so to do laundry. Although this place had about 10 washing machines, it only had two dryers. I think that's because most people like to take their clothes home wet and hang them to dry.Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Villefranche sur Mer
    Narrow Church StreetRue Obscure, medieval covered streetCap FerratThe beginning of the AlpsPretty streetShopping and restaurantsMemorial rose garden to the resistance and those deported to concentration campsThe harbor from the fort

    Villefranche-sur-Mer

    September 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    This is the town of Villefranche sur Mer. Centuries ago the French King wanted a town here to support the port but nobody wanted to live here. So he did the smart thing and declared that anybody who lives in this town will not have to pay taxes. The name literally means tax-free town on the sea.

    This is one of the deepest ports on the Mediterranean Coast. It's about a thousand ft deep and that's why it was the preferred port for the US Navy during World War II.

    The ridge just east of town is the beginning of the Alps. If you follow the spine of the Alps from Vienna, Austria, it ends here at the sea where the Rothschilds have their vacation compound.

    The Memorial Rose garden is dedicated to the resistance members and those who were deported to the concentration camps. The dashing fellow in the Fedora is Jean Moulin, the man that General de Gaulle chose to lead the French Resistance forces. He gave his life for France.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    The tourist entrance. Cars squeeze through.
    Éze le Village on the hillRavioli bourrache with butter sauce and sage. It's flavored with the borage flower.Cap Ferrat and Villefranche sur MerThe exotic garden. Lots of succulents.Every village has a churchCactus and the seaThe exotic garden of ÉzeThe exotic garden of ÉzeThe exotic garden of ÉzeOld streets full of shops

    Éze le Village

    September 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We've all heard of mountain top villages with a castle in the center and fortified walls protecting it. Éze was one of these villages. Louis 14th did not like these fortified towns because they gave his nobles confidence. So the king tore down hundreds of castles and forts from the Rhine to the Mediterranean Sea. Éze's Castle was reduced to rubble. Not much happened in Éze until after WW2, when somebody decided to make an "exotic garden" in the castle ruins. Then artisans opened shops and the tourists came.

    My family visited in 1975 when it was not well known. My father's French coworkers had never heard of Éze. We fell in love with the town and the view of Cap Ferrat and Villefranche sur Mer from the top of the garden.

    Today, there were more Americans than French in the town and a giant underground parking lot for the tourists. There are twice as many tourists in hotel rooms than town residents. The Exotic Garden is much bigger and fancier but the views have not changed.

    I had a wonderful lunch.of ravioli bourrache with butter sauce and sage. It's flavored with the borage flower that grows here. Imagine the flavor of a cucumber skin, but stronger. It was delicious.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    It is partially restored. Not this part.
    This is the longest inscription left from antiquityYou get a sense of what it must have looked like from this restored partLooking east toward ItalyMonaco. I visited it when I was a teenager and thought it was overrated.

    La Trophée des Alpes

    September 12, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Hey Emperor Augustus! You just defeated the Gauls, what are you going to do next? I'm going to build a trophy on the highest point of the road into Gaul. No matter which direction you traveled on the road, you were going to see this thing from a long way off. If you were sailing the sea anywhere along the coast, you couldn't miss it high on the cliffs.

    Then the Middle ages came about and people wanted stones to build their houses. Hey look, a whole bunch of really nice Italian marble.

    So little was left of the monument but by the turn of the 20th century that people were not even sure if this really was the trophy of Augustus. Then they found a piece of stone inside somebody's house that had the name of a tribe, Trumpilini. No, really. Pliny the Elder wrote down the inscription, making it possible to prove that it was Augustus' Trophy.

    There's a great view of Monaco from the trophy. It was an important port in Augustus' day but the boats were not as fancy.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Pork with mustard, gravy and mashed potatoes
    The entrance to the Clue de Saint-Aubin is around that corner

    La Gargote Restaurant

    September 13, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    It was almost noon so I stopped at this restaurant for a bite. They didn't have a printed menu; they had a chalkboard with the day's specials. I had pork tenderloin in a mustard gravy. That was an unexpected flavor combination, but delicious. It was served with mashed potatoes.

    This restaurant was just before the Clue de St-Auban. A "clue" is a narrow slot that goes through a rock-walled valley.    Read more

  • Bruce DimonThe French RideBruce Dimon
    Hameau la Sagne is the end of the road on the D80.

    Serendipity at Hameau la Sagne

    September 13, 2024 in France ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    The GPS app on my phone froze and stopped giving directions. I didn't realize this and just kept following what I thought was the main road. Eventually the road I was on, D80, ended at the Hameau la Sagne. It was serendipity that the GPS froze when it did. Otherwise I would not have taken this beautiful road through dramatic scenery to this charming little village.Read more

  • 2026© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice