Loubès-Bernac

3:53 / 41 miles / 2,369 ft. We set off from Landline, FR at 11:00 AM (our latest start so far), riding along a canal in a light morning rain through the picturesque countryside towards Bergerac and Plum Village, a Zen monastery, founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, “Thây” pronounced “Tie”, (1926-2022). As we passed fields of golden corn and drying sunflowers, their heads heavy and ready for harvest, We saw, on the hillsides) millions of grapes ripening in nearby vineyards, soon to be harvested and transformed into wine.

In Bergerac, we took a leisurely tour of the historical city, marveling at the half-timbered houses and winding medieval streets. We stopped at a small kebab shop, and to our pleasure, they served a version of “tacos” we had tried on our previous tour, and we were excited to sample them again. Enjoying our unconventional lunch of tortillas, folded around kebab meat and french fries, including lettuce and tomatoes, we discussed our route to Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings on mindfulness and his lifelong work promoting peace. I read “Being Peace” one of his 100+ books he has written, over 30 years ago. Today, his philosophy of living in the present moment felt especially poignant as we pedaled on this serene part of the world where he spent many of his days after being exiled from Vietnam. The rolling hills, farms, and other scenery reminded us a bit of Northeast Iowa and parts of Wisconsin. Later, we passed by the Château de Barradius, its stone towers standing proudly over the rolling hills that we could see for nearly 2 miles as we climbed towards them. We couldn’t resist buying a bottle of their famed red wine to enjoy later with our planned cheesy potato dinner. As we continued toward Plum Village, I reflected on Thich Nhat Hanh’s belief that true peace begins within. As pedals continued to make the harmonic revolution to push me forward through the quiet countryside and under the clear sky, his message seemed as relevant as ever, a reminder of harmony in a world often filled with conflict. We stopped by upper Hamlet and explored a little bit, and I did ask one of the monks if we could come back and walk around the grounds tomorrow. He said that that would not be a problem. We rode the last couple of miles to our Airbnb, cooked dinner together, enjoyed the bottle of wine, caught up with a few friends through text messaging, and FaceTimed our moms. ❤️ If you have never heard of Thich Nhat Hanh I recommend you watch this 27 minute video sometime https://youtu.be/DRObW9noiVk?si=cvfCN7RZcLicys4I. Good news FindPenguins has changed their policy and now I can upload 20 images. Also, I created a little video about the ride yesterday. Maybe you can watch it here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAJTCB6MR6T/?igs…

Tomorrow is a rest day, and we will explore the area around Plum Village.🌻Read more