Fougeres to Pontorson

The most memorable part of today's ride occurred when we were midway through the day and began looking for a place to buy some lunch. The route skirted a small township called Saint Brice-en-Cogles, so we thought we should detour towards the town to see if there was any suitable cafes or boulangeries.

We arrived at the main street of the town and noticed a prominent sign for a boulangerie. After parking our bikes we all crowded inside. We were met by a very shy girl at the counter who explained in very limited English that she had only opened the business three weeks ago. She was so eager to please that she literally ran back and forth with our orders, went out the back to her own kitchen to get extra chairs and smiled so widely that you would think her face would break.

She was so thrilled that a group of Australians would choose to eat in her shop that she was almost overwhelmed. When Carol gave her a small koala she blushed deeply and said that it would be her treasured mascot. It really was a magic moment that meant so much more to us than all the tourist hoopla of Mont St Michel.

It was a magic moment and one that we will all remember for a long time.

Not so welcome were the punctures that continued to follow us almost every day of the ride, but the less said about them, the better.Read more