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Paris to Milan by bike
  • Pat Esler
  • Pat Esler

Paris to Milan by bike

Une aventure de 59 jours par Pat En savoir plus
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  • Début du voyage
    29 mai 2017
  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler

    Melbourne Airport

    31 mai 2017, Australie ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We drove down from Albury yesterday. After meeting Tim at a cafe near Melbourne Uni we picked Lily up from school and walked her home. Even though it was a cold breezy day we really enjoyed the walk through the park with Lily.
    Last night we had dinner with the boys plus Mary, Lily and Jessica and stayed the night at Ben and Leah's place.
    Mary and Matthew had very kindly invited us to a 4D ultrasound which we attended on the way to the airport this morning.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler

    Bangkok

    1 juin 2017, Thaïlande ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    Just a night in Suvarnabhumi Ville Hotel near the airport. The flight was full but pretty good. We couldn't check the bike boxes through to Paris but they were waiting for us at Oversized Luggage when we got through passport control and the Left Luggage wasn't far away and on the same level. The taxi to the hotel cost 110 baht or $4.40. Pat went for a walk in the morning to get the sights, sounds and smells of the pretty ordinary area around the hotel while Tracey stayed in transit mode. Pretty warm and humid.
    We paid extra 500bt ($20) for a 6pm checkout and we both had a swim in the afternoon which was nice.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    1
    11

    Paris arrival.

    2 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Landed at CDG at 7:30am. The 12 hour flight was full but ok. It took about an hour to get through passport control, with a very badly organised queing arrangement.
    We unboxed and assembled the bikes (such a simple description) before catching the shuttle train to terminal 3 to catch the RER train to Saint Michel-Notre Dame station near (1km) our hotel. We are at Hotel Saint Jaques for a week.
    After lunch at a nearby brasserie we visited the Pantheon. It is literally just up the street from our hotel. Did a bit of walking and Tracey ended up with a bad knee. Hope it is ok in the morning.
    Got talking to a local couple (Philippe and Amita) about life, politics, religion, and revolution at dinner (restaurant across the road from our hotel), invited to dinner at their place tomorrow night.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    1

    Grand Arch

    3 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Bit jetlagged but wandered out to the Grand Arch, La Defense, and took in the view as well as a touch of shopping at Le Quatre Temps (they have a Desigual, Jo).
    Caught up on some sleep and then headed to Philippe and Amita's place a few metro stops away. A great night was had by all. Amita had cooked up a storm- chicken curry, cucumber raita, warm potato salad and fragrant rice. The conversation leapt from politics to literature to families and the first time I looked at my watch it was 11:50. Must stay in touch.En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler

    Musee d'Orsay

    4 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We had a slow start today after a very late night having dinner at Philippe and Amita's place. We found a really good boulangerie/patisserie close to our hotel. Delicious salmon quiche, nice fresh salad.
    After lunch we caught the metro to the Musee d'Orsay. Being the first Sunday of the month there was free entry and a very long queue (about 50 minutes).
    In the evening Pat, after having a bit of a cough, came down with a high temperature and crashed into bed very early.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    12

    Jardin du Luxumbourg, Velib bikes

    5 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Pat woke up feeling largely recovered so in the morning we walked to the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg. Being Wit Monday which is a holiday for some people, the park was full of Parisians and visitors enjoying a beautiful sunny morning in a beautiful place.
    We decided to head to the Pompidou Centre by using the very good public bike system, Velib. Once you register (€1.70 for a day) you can use the bikes for free for 30 minutes at a time. There are Velib stations every few hundred metres throughout the city.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    1

    Jardin des Tuileries by bike

    6 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It was a cold windy morning with some showers around, but we were awake early so we decided to head for the Tuileries by Velib bike. After brekky in our room we found very good coffee at the nearby Strada Cafe. The Dutch barista on duty had worked in Melbourne.
    We rode to the Tuileries then walked along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, stopping to warm up with hot chocolate.
    We took the Metro back to our hotel and had a very nice and cheap Portugese chicken lunch at Nossa just around the corner.
    Chaos this afternoon as police sirens sound and roads closed all around us. There was a terrorist incident at Notre Dame Cathedral which is 450m from our hotel. Apparently a nut attacked a policeman with a hammer and was shot. The hundreds of people in the cathedral, who had queued for hundreds of metres to get in, were stuck in there for several hours. The length of the queue was enough to keep us away.
    After dinner we went for a stroll. Nice evening light.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler

    Paris bike tour, L'Initial dinner

    8 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    L'Initial is a French Japanese fusion restaurant in the Latin Quarter, about 300 mts from our hotel. I'd read about it on TripAdvisor. We had the 7 course degustation menu (sorry boys your inheritance has taken a bit of a hit). It was a beautiful, intricate meal and included foie gras and pigeon (some courses were a set menu). It was a memorable way to finish our stay in Paris.En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    TGV

    Paris to Saint Nazaire

    9 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Up early to ride to the Gare Montparnasse.The roads were wet in Paris as we rode to the station but we didn't get rained on.
    Caught the TGV to St Nazaire. The TGV was impressive, as always, reaching speeds of over 270km per hour.En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    Le Pellerin
    St Nazaire to Le Pellerin

    Saint Nazaire to Le Pellerin

    9 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Fine, sunny and cool in St Nazaire, where we caught the bus to St Bevin Les Pins - the word is that the ride across the St Nazaire bridge is not worth the risk.
    After fooling around in St Bevin, until 2.40, we finally hit the road and did 45 kilometres along a beautiful shady sealed path, with birds chirping and all the scenes and sights of summer in the country in Europe.
    Dinner at the local Maroc restaurant was just what we needed - lamb and vegetable tagine, cous cous, Moroccan whisky (sweetened mint tea) and petit four. A spot of bird watching (what is a cabou?) and off to bed.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    Nantes Jardin Des Plantes

    Nantes Jardin des Plantes

    10 juin 2017, France ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The Jardin Des Plantes is a lovely oasis in the middle of Nantes. Green, shady, birds, water everywhere - good for the soul.

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    3

    Oudon B&B

    10 juin 2017, France ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We crossed the Loire and rode into Oudon at about 4pm feeling like calling it a day. We could see there was a camp ground but decided to try the Office du Tourisme for other options. But first we spotted an "Artisan Boulanger Patissier". We bought some cakes, stashed them in a pannier for later (oh boy, best chocolate eclairs so far, and the other cake we got was amazing) and followed the signs to the OdT. Or actually Pat did. Tracey refused to ride up the hill past the castle. Pat actually enjoyed the climb, and the helpful lady in the OdT phoned a nearby B&B for us.En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    1Entering Angers
    1Guided walk of the city with Hedi.1The Pope's palace in Angers1

    Angers private home.

    11 juin 2017, France ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The Loire à velo, leaving Oudon, is a lovely stretch of biking. Being Sunday, however, many of the boulangeries and patisseries were closed- quel horreur! We managed to find enough sustenance in our panniers to cobble together morning tea. We stopped opposite the gorgeous little town of Ingrandes.
    Further along we came across an obviously popular restaurant /bar near Chalonnes. Pat went for the steak and chips and I had a chicken salad. Riding on, we attempted to find accommodation in a number of towns without success. By 4pm and 70km we were starting to wonder. For some reason, the place was very busy. At this point in time, a lady stopped Pat, to enquire in French if he had a bike pump. Luckily he grasped her meaning and stopped to pump up her son's tyre. While this was happening, I was chatting with their friends and enquired whether they knew of any available accommodation. They did and rang their friend who runs a B& B. On being told that it was also full, they most generously offered to host us themselves. How lucky were we and how delightful that we ran into such generous and open-hearted people.
    Hedi, Olivia & Eliam were not getting home until 7pm, so Pat & I enjoyed a Loire-side dinner at a pop-up restaurant and bar. There were hordes of Anjouvins enjoying the same thing.
    After our fortunate rendez-vous with Hedi, Olivia and Eliam on the bike track this afternoon, we arrived at their lovely home in Angers. Luckily for us, it was right in the middle of town. We all enjoyed a drink and swapped some life history and viewpoints on the terrace.
    Hedi graciously escorted us on a night tour of Angers, pointing out all the monuments- the castle, cathedral, the oldest buildings, noting their construction from tree roots, the city viewpoints. It was lovely to have the local knowledge and we look forward to hosting them at home in Albury, whenever they can make it. The kangaroos are waiting Eliam.    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler

    Coffee stop

    12 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Looking for coffee at Saint Mathurin but being Monday morning everything was closed. We crossed the river to a restaurant on the opposite bank and had a coffee, which was all they could sell us. A few km later we found a boulangerie in Saint Remy where the lady made us a delicious ham and cheese baguette.En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
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    22

    Saumur to Camping Mignardiere

    14 juin 2017, France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The morning's ride from Saumur covered everything from smooth as glass bitumen to rough dirt & gravel with some short but steep - think 25%- climbs through charming stone villages and onto bridge crossings. After the Loire À Velo sign turned us abruptly right into what can only be described as a wall, we resolved to be choosy about which signs to obey. We continuously pass turreted small villas and castles.
    First coffee today was in Avoine- a very busy little hub.
    After a long stretch of beautifully sealed, but sunny, road on a levee we grabbed a baguette & éclair at Brehemont. The rest of the way to Villandry included sweeping views of the Loire and 600 or 700 metres of pavé that wasn't so lovely.
    The gardens at Villandry are worth a look - restored to their original 16th century format, they are remarkably beautiful. A great spot for a siesta.
    A further 14km and we pulled into Camping Mignardiere at Balin Miré. Currently enjoying the pool!    En savoir plus

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  • Pat EslerParis to Milan by bikePat Esler
    The old town square in Tours
    Amazing 13th century window in the Tours cathedralLunch organised1Entering Amboise2Tracey's €9.90 ($15) Cafe Viennoise

    Mignardiere to Mosnes

    15 juin 2017, France ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The route this morning was a variety of surfaces, leading into Tours . As soon as we hit Tours, a friendly local on a bike recognized our Australian accents and offered to lead us into the "vieux Ville". We ended up in a delightful old square for morning coffee. A cruise around central Tours followed. The Cathedral is pretty good!!! Great stained glass and flying buttresses and an ancient cedar of Lebanon just nearby.
    Lunch in the panniers (Montlouis Sur Loire is a lovely little town with a fresh market in the main square) we headed off and found a shady Petanque ground (La Milletiere) to enjoy our jambon, emmanthal and salade baguette, chocolate eclair and almond raspberry cake - yum!
    The route wound between fields of grapevines and wheat , the roadside edged with Flanders poppies and other wildflowers.
    Arrived at our hotel (Domaine des Thomeaux) in Mosnes about 4pm. Nice dinner (we both had fish) at the hotel restaurant.
    54km, 298m climbing.    En savoir plus

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