Couesnon

Yesterday and today have provided the best cycling we have so far experienced in our 4 weeks in Europe. The scenery in this part of Brittany is absolutely captivating, much of the route is via peaceful back roads where the silence is complete, the weather has turned completely and we have been able to enjoy the genuine essence of France.

Today we started the day with a visit to the nearby discount shoe shop to search for a pair of shoes to replace the ones I had destroyed several weeks ago in Paris. Ever since that time the soles had been progressively falling further and further off, allowing the rain and cold to reach my toes. To my relief we found a pair of the required 46 size (not easy in France where they apparently are not used to anything larger than about size 8). Since I paid the princely sum of 15 Euro for them I can assume that they should be very good quality.

Later in the morning we all walked to the Wednesday market at Pontorson. The sky was completely blue and the relaxed atmosphere of the market gave a precious insight into life in this part of the country. We all stocked up on baguettes, cheese, ham and strawberries (so much better than the Australian rubbish), stuffing them into our panniers for a waterfront picnic lunch. Much of the ride was along a beautiful cycle path with a very good surface. This meant that the kilometres just sailed by. Along the way we could see the distinctive silhouette of Mont St Michel gradually shrinking into the distance.

We are now spending the night in St Vivier Sur Mer. We have discovered that it is the town where nothing is open. We waited for over 30 mins outside the Patisserie because it was supposed to reopen at 3 pm after siesta. Apparently the owner must have overslept, because the shop was still closed at 3.20 pm and even the locals gave up waiting. Such is the rhythm of life in France.

Tomorrow we return to St Malo and a well earned short break before heading across to the Channel Islands for stage 4 of our adventure.Read more