More Free Time in St Malo
2017年10月2日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C
We have had a wonderful couple of days in beautiful St Malo. This place is very easy to fall in love with and the ever changing sea vistas keep us entertained for hours every day. The tidal variations here are enormous - up to 15 metres between high and low tide. This means that the wide sandy beaches are constantly in a state of flux. At the time of the low tide the sea retreats so far that it reveals a beautiful flat sandy expanse that stretches hundreds of metres from the sea wall.
That flat area becomes the favourite place for the locals to partake in a myriad of activities. Each day large walking groups make their way through the water's edge, getting their exercise by walking through the chest high water.
Any historical study of St Malo shows that over 80% of the old city was destroyed during the latter stages of WW2. The "old city" that you see now is actually a recreation that was begun in 1947 and completed around 20 years later. The builders certainly did an amazing job, however it is still somewhat artificial.
As we wondered the streets inside the towering ramparts we noticed several with rather whimsical names - such as Rue de Chat Qui Danse (the street of the dancing cat). Of particular interest to me were the places that were featured in that incredible novel "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr. Although the novel itself is an historical fiction, many of the places mentioned do actually exist. In the story Marie-Laure LeBlanc and her father escape from Paris to St Malo and live with their eccentric uncle at 4 Rue Vauborel. I can now tell you that the street does really exist, although number 4 looks nothing like the house described in the book.
We spent some time retracing the paths taken by the blind Marie-Laure as she counted her steps along the cobble stoned alleys of the war time city. When I get back to Australia I plan to reread this incredible story and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is ready for an emotional but spellbinding read.
After another two days here we will be heading to Vannes to re-acquaint ourselves with another place we strongly wished to see again since we first visited there in 2013 .もっと詳しく
In Retrospect
2017年9月30日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
All riders have now safely arrived back in St Malo after completing a memorable 5 week ride around Germany, France, Switzerland, Jersey, Guernsey and Sark. Now that the riding section is officially over I can report that the prior arrangements, complicated as they were, all went exactly as planned. That is always a relief when so many hotels, restaurants, bike hire companies, ferry crossings, etc are involved.
We did have several minor crashes, but nothing of any great significance. The only major incident occurred 4 days ago in St Helier. I have refrained from mentioning the details as I wanted to respect the privacy of those who were involved.
After breakfast on our third day in Jersey, Andrea Doherty complained of feeling unwell and her husband decided to take her to the nearest medical centre. They were concerned about her condition and she was transferred by ambulance to the General Hospital where tests later showed that she had suffered a minor heart attack. This was completely unexpected and was a huge shock to all of the team. Of course it also meant that Andrea and Greg, who had endeared themselves greatly to everyon, could take no further part in our adventure.
Since medical facilities in Jersey are quite limited she was later transferred by air ambulance to Oxford in the UK for further treatment. The great news we received just a couple of hours ago, is that her arteries are actually in very good condition and she will not require a stent as originally thought. She is expected to now make a full recovery with medication alone.
Yesterday we had two trips on the huge Condor ferries to travel from Guernsey back to St Malo. This place now feels like a wonderful familiar home away from home, and we were all so happy to be back in the land of the beautiful baguette. We stayed overnight at a lovely hotel, right in the middle of the old town (The Citadel) and during breakfast we were able to follow the AFL Grand Final. It was a fantastic way to complete our trip (especially for Bob Andrews) who has been a Richmond tragic for all of his extremely long life.
I suggested that, if Richmond won, Bob should complete a streak around the old city wall to celebrate. John immediately added that Bob would win the prize for "Best Dried Arrangement" and the entire group just dissolved into fits of hysterical laughter. What an amazing group we have had on this trip and this typified the light hearted banter that accompanied every meal together.
Our team is now disbanding and some participants will be beginning the long journey home to Australia. Six of us will be spending a few more days in St Malo to enjoy some well earned R & R.もっと詳しく
A Night in the Citadel
2017年9月29日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Our short time in the Channel Islands has come to an end. It had certainly been an interesting experience and unlike any other place we had visited before. The strange mix of English and French culture was intriguing. Would we ever return to these islands ? Probably not, but who can say for certain.
We boarded a large ferry at St Peter Port and first travelled back to Jersey, before continuing on our way to St Malo. By the time we arrived in St Malo the daylight was fading. Fortunately our hotel for the night was quite close to the ferry terminal. A group of us formed a walking peloton and dragged our luggage around the citadel wall to the first gate we could find. We then had to navigate the rough cobblestones, hoping that the wheels on our bags would not collapse.
Although we had been to St Malo several times before, we had never stayed inside the city walls. That night marked the end of section four of our adventure. Tomorrow morning our group will begin to disperse on their own different individual travels. It will be somewhat difficult not having so many wonderful friends to share each day with.もっと詳しく
Farewell to Guernsey
2017年9月28日, ガーンジー ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Today was not only our last day in Guernsey, but the final cycling day of our entire trip. For some unknown reason Maggie thought that it would be worthwhile using the time to ride to a most unusual chapel she had read about somewhere. It was apparently the work of a local eccentric monk who had spent his lifetime constructing the chapel and then completely covering it in bits of broken glass and china. That seemed like a most creative way to waste a life to me, however somehow Maggie convinced us all to go in search of it.
If we thought that there was no traffic on Guernsey, we would have been sorely mistaken. During the ride we must have encountered every vehicle on the island at least two or three times. It was not a very relaxing ride, and it also contained a never ending sequence of hills. When we eventually discovered the chapel, it turned out to be very underwhelming. The whole thing was not much bigger than a toilet.
Although the rest of us were left scratching our heads as to why we had undertaken such a monumental waste of time and energy, Maggie actually said she liked the place. There is no accounting for poor taste.もっと詳しく
St Peter Port Reflections
2017年9月28日, ガーンジー ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
One of the things that I always like to do in my travels is to take the time to take "mind photos". In the technological age we have never taken so many images, but the sad result is that it is just too easy to press the shutter button and let the camera take the place of using our own senses. While it is great that we have the freedom to take 100s or even 1000s of images, I wonder just how many of these will be remembered and treasured in a few years time ?
I have made a practice of taking time to store a few special "mind images" on every trip. These images cannot be stored by the press of a button, but I try to use all my senses to build a complete image in my mind. This can sometimes take up to 30 minutes while I sit, sometimes with my eyes open and sometimes with them shut. I try to store a record of each tiny sound and sensation, along with the visual image of the place I am in. Using this method I find that I can recall to mind places that I have visited many years ago.
Our hotel in St Peter Port was originally two stately homes that have been combined and extended to form the Pandora Hotel. Behind the hotel is a series of delightful walled gardens and stone staircases than descend down the hillside. Each successive walled garden is a confusion of colour that reminded me of the famous Monet's Garden in France. The lower levels of these gardens offer beautiful views down to the harbour and out to the nearby islands of Jethu and Herm. It was on the lowest of these levels that I chose to store my latest mind image.
With the late summer sunshine warming my face and the distant sounds of the seagulls mixing with the gentle murmur of the leaves on the trees it really seemed like the perfect way to remember this amazing adventure.Over the past five weeks we have cycled over a thousand kilometres in Germany, France, Switzerland and the Channel Islands and shared a never ending series of incredible experiences together.
It already seems such a long time ago that we arrived in Mainz to begin our ride along the Rhine. Tomorrow we will be returning to St Malo on one of the huge Condor ferries and the following day our team will begin to disperse, with some coming back to Australia while others will be continuing their travels in Europe.
Once again this trip has served to reinforce my opinion that there is simply no better way to explore Europe than by bicycle. Our aim has never been to set huge daily distances or get our names in the Guinness Book of Records. We came to see the real Europe that the mainstream tourists simply never get to see and I think that we have achieved this in spades.
We will never forget those quiet backroads of France and yesterday's ride on Sark was really something unlike anything else we have ever done. Along the way we have lived together, we have sometimes cried together (more about that later) and we have often laughed ourselves senseless. I am so glad that I have had the privilege of sharing this ride with such inspiring and supportive friends. I really do love you all.
As well as the experiences we have shared on two wheels, this trip has also been something of a culinary adventure as well. Since beginning our French ride in Rambouillet about 4 weeks ago we have been able to dine in some amazing restaurants each evening. I think that everyone was staggered at how we were able to include so many fine dining experiences in the limited budget. Some even commented that the dining each evening was as great a challenge as the cycling. We certainly never went hungry.
In a couple of weeks I will be back in Australia and turning my attention to our next adventure. In just a few months we will be heading off to South America to trek and cycle in some of the most spectacular places on earth. It will be vastly different to Europe, but that is what life should be all about.
Three day's ago we got our first glimpse of Guernsey and I was very interested to hear what people's first impressions were. I think I can now honestly say that we have fallen in love with this little island.
When we left Jersey our impressions were not so positive. Much of St Helier is dirty and dilapidated, the confusing tangle of one way streets made the city feel claustrophobic and we could not help but feel that its best years were behind it. It seemed that it could not progress beyond its war time years and was happy living in the past.
St Peter Port, on the other hand, has a much more exciting feel about it. There is a healthy buzz of activity in the city, most of the buildings are in good condition, the streets are clean, we never saw any graffiti anywhere, the people are friendly and the public transport is so very cheap. The slope of the hillsides near the harbour mean that you can get wonderful sea views from most parts of the town. In the competition between Jersey and Guernsey I would declare Guernsey the winner by a country mile. We will all fondly remember you for a long time.もっと詳しく
A Journey Back in Time
2017年9月27日, ガーンジー ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
When I prepared the itinerary for this trip over a year ago, there was one place that I was really intrigued by and I had been looking forward to seeing since the ride began 5 weeks ago.
The tiny feudal island of Sark is part of the bailiwick of Guernsey and it is situated about 1 hour by ferry from St Peter Port. The entire population of the island is under 500 and the way of life here has remained largely unchanged for decades. One of the unique features of life on Sark is that cars and buses (along with most other motorised devices) are banned. The only vehicles you find on the narrow roads are horse drawn carts and tractors. Even the local policeman uses a tractor for his transport. This feature helps makes it a magical place to ride a bike.
After the somewhat choppy ferry ride across to the island we walked up the steep walking path to the only settlement on the island (known as "The Village"). We had arranged to collect some rental bikes from a local business but we were very apprehensive as to what sort of bikes they would have waiting for us. I thought that we would probably end up with an eclectic mix of penny farthings, tricycles, velocipedes and horse drawn walking frames. The actual bikes turned out to be slightly better than this, but only slightly.
Our riders spent some time trying to come to grips with the rusty bikes that looked like they probably dated back to the time of the German occupation. After trying to adjust seats, etc we finally just thought "what the heck" and wobbled off down the dirt road, accompanied by a cacophony of rattles, creaks, groans and numerous other noises (some of which were coming from the bikes). It was impossible not to laugh. This will certainly be a day we will remember for a long, long time.
The next few hours were spent exploring Sark and the even smaller island of Little Sark. The rough rocky coastline is certainly spectacular and the so called "WIndow in the Rock" could have easily ushered the way to a premature death if we had taken just one more step.
The temperamental weather that these islands is famous for was kind to us for most of the day, and only started to crack up when we returned to the wharf to catch the ferry back to Guernsey. This made for a very choppy voyage, but I did manage to catch sight of a couple of dolphins frolicking in the wake of the boat.
We arrived safely back at St Peter Port around 6 pm and headed back to our hotel for another hearty meal. It had been a marvellous day and certainly a highlight of our trip.もっと詳しく
On to Guernsey
2017年9月26日, ジャージー ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
The members of the Ghostriders 2017 cycling team transferred from Jersey to Guernsey this morning. Our initial impressions of St Peter Port (the main city of Guernsey) were immediately much more favourable than our impressions of St Helier in Jersey. There are a significant number of serious climbs on this island and I think that we managed to find each and every one of them in today's ride.
At the start of the ride Dave Yates complained that his rental bike had the brakes jammed on. John, Bob and David then wasted about 20 minutes trying to adjust them before David finally spat the dummy and rode back to get a replacement bike. While he was returning to get the second bike I discovered that my bike had developed the same problem. When I investigated further I found that the cable ties that I had used to attach my GPS had jammed the brake cable. Since David had the same type of GPS mount, I suspected that I now knew what had really happened to his bike.
When we rejoined David he complained that the replacement bike had the same problem as the first one. I had to break the news about the GPS mount. He was not impressed and ripped the cable ties from the bike. Problem solved.
We were surprised at the level of traffic on this small island of only 60,000 people. On some of the roads the traffic was continuous and the intersections were in gridlock. This made some sections of the ride quite scary, but we all survived and were able to meander along some quieter side streets wherever possible.
Lunch was at a lovely tea room at the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. On a stormy day this would be a spectacular sight, but today there was barely a ripple to be seen. Tomorrow we will be taking a side trip to the little island of Sark. We will not have to worry about the traffic there as cars and trucks are not allowed on the island.もっと詳しく
The Jersey Zoo
2017年9月25日, ジャージー ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
One of the most famous places on the island is the Jersey Zoo. This was founded back in 1959 by a somewhat eccentric naturalist called Gerald Durrell. Young Gerald had inherited a substantial fortune which allowed him never to have to work for a living. This freed him to follow his passion for caring for endangered species. The Zoo is now a world renowned centre for preservation of endangered animals.
The ride from St Helier to the zoo took us up another succession of hills and along some fascinating narrow backroads. Although my replacement bike made a new assortment of noises, it did manage to avoid falling apart long enough to get me back to the hotel.もっと詳しく
Cycling Jersey
2017年9月24日, ジャージー ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
Today was our first real chance to cycle on Jersey. We had been told that there were about 7 hills on the island and today we managed to ride up all 12 of them. We started out along the waterfront on a lovely smooth bike path, but soon turned right and began heading up a long and steady climb. Each time I put pressure on my pedals, the bike protested with an assortment of ominous noises - none of them pleasant. I soon started to hate the bike.
Our ride continued to the far south western point of the island. This spot is called La Corbiere and the furthest tip is occupied by an impressive lighthouse. Unfortunately by the time we reached this spot the weather had turned bleak and the rain was falling steadily. We decided to head back to the hotel.
Although the first part of the return ride was completed without incident, my ride was soon interrupted by another sudden (and fatal) crack when the rear derailleur fell apart. Obviously the corrosion that had been working away steadily for the past 40 years finally succeeded in making the bike unrideable. That was the end of my ride. While the others rode on ahead of me, I had no alternative other than wheel the bike all the way back to St Helier - a distance of about 6 km. It would not have been so bad if it had not been raining. My mood grew very dark as I began to harbour very unsavory feelings towards the owner of the bike rental company.
I eventually made it back to the depot, where I told someone there just what I thought about their bikes. Unfortunately the person I spoke to was probably just a 14 year old kid on work experience, not the owner. I did manage to get another bike and I hoped that it would last a little longer than the first one.もっと詳しく
Across the Channel to Jersey
2017年9月23日, ジャージー ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
After our French adventures, it was time to move on to the final leg of our cycling. This morning we all boarded the large ferry for a short voyage to the nearby Channel Islands. Although these islands lie close to the coast of France, they are actually a British dependency.
During World War II they were captured by the Germans in 1940 and remained occupied till 1945. This was a terrible time of starvation and hardship for the locals and you can still see many signs of this harsh period. The Germans heavily fortified the islands during their occupation in an attempt to create an impregnable fortress. Many of their huge fortifications are still clearly visible.
We arrived at St Helier, the capital of Jersey and took a taxi to our hotel. The driver was quite difficult to understand as we were unused to his unfamiliar accent. He referred to this as "Jersey French".
After checking into The Monterey Hotel we made our way to a wartime underground hospital which has now been converted to a museum. On our way back to the hotel we discovered that we had arrived in time to watch the Jersey Marathon race. Judging by the crowds and the media coverage, it must be one of the biggest sporting events on the islands.
Of course, if we were going to complete a cycling exploration of Jersey, we needed some bikes. We had been given directions as to where to collect them from the supplier. It was only when we found the place that our concern grew. The owner explained that he had been "operating for over 40 years" and it soon became apparent that most of his bikes must have been dated from his first batch. In fact they were absolute shockers - rusty old clunkers. They were certainly nothing like the well prepared machines we had been provided in France.
After a long time of mucking around at the old bike depot, we finally made our way out on our first ride in the Channel Islands. Judging by the amount of creaks and groans emanating from various places on my bike, I was a little worried that I might not even make it back to the hotel.もっと詳しく
St Malo Free Day
2017年9月22日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
According to John Denver "some days are diamonds and some days are stones". If that is true then there is no doubt that today would be a diamond in anyone's language. It began the previous evening when we joined together for an unforgettable dinner at one of the finest restaurants in St Malo. The Brasserie Du Sillon is situated right on the spectacular waterfront of St Malo, with huge windows that frame an amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean.
By some fortunate fluke of planning we also managed to coordinate our evening meal with the exact time of high tide. This meant that our meal was punctuated by the regular crashing of the waves against the window panes. Each time this happened it was greeted with a big cheer from our group. With the setting sun highlighting the silhouette of the old citadel it would have been hard to imagine a more impressive setting to celebrate the successful completion of section three of our 2017 rides.
The restaurant itself specialises in seafood and the food was extraordinarily good. A glance at the wine list showed bottles up to an eye watering 6000 Euros per bottle. Needless to say, I decided to stick to the much more reasonably priced mineral water.
The following morning dawned completely clear and the early morning waterfront views from the breakfast room were enough to make everyone fall in love with this beautiful city. The wild high tide of the previous evening had now transformed into a low tide which had sent the waterline hundreds of metres from the seawall. Dotted across the shallow water were dozens of small islands which had risen dramatically as the water level had fallen. At such times the broad flat sands become the preferred location for walkers, joggers, lovers. It took me quite some time to cross the wide sand and reach the water's edge. From this point I could view St Malo from a completely different perspective.
The temperature soon rose with the sun and some of us set off on a short ride for a picnic by the harbour. Equipped with baguettes, ham, cheese, tomatoes, pate and drinks we happily feasted like kings and queens while we basked in the warm sunshine. At that time none of us could have thought of anywhere else on earth where we would rather be. It was a day we will never forget.
In the late afternoon we returned to our hotel and noticed that dozens of people had taken advantage of the warmth and sunshine to dine outdoors. In the distance I could hear the enchanting strains of someone singing so I decided to investigate. It turned out to be a blind black busker with an incredible voice that I could have listened to for hours. I felt that he thoroughly deserved the small amount of change I had left in my pockets. It was the perfect ending to a magic day.もっと詳しく
Back in St Malo
2017年9月21日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
This afternoon we successfully completed our cycling circuit around beautiful Brittany. Although a further two punctures delayed our progress, we still successfully dodged the predicted heavy rain and managed to complete most of the day's riding in lovely sunshine.
We chose the longer route along the coast rather than the alternate "Par Terre" route. It was certainly worth it. The views of the beautiful coastline were breathtaking and reminded me of our favourite Bunurong Coast Road from Inverloch to Cape Paterson, although I have to admit that the French coast is even more amazing.
Our morning tea stop was at the seaside town of Cancales. This is a very popular holiday location in the European summer, but at this time of the year most of the holiday makers have returned home. The remainder of the ride to St Malo was quite hilly and sent us all looking for the good old granny gears as we worked our way up each successive climb. I kept looking over my shoulder at the growing mass of dark clouds that were starting to populate the sky. The forecast had predicted heavy rain later in the afternoon and we were determined to complete the ride before it arrived.
We arrived on the outskirts of St Malo just as the first few spots of rain were falling. The last few hundred metres of the ride took the form of a mad sprint along the top of the sea wall to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel entrance just as the rain started to fall steadily. It was then time for heartfelt hugs and congratulations as we shared the achievement together. It really had been a group effort where everyone had contributed their own skills to help ensure a successful outcome. It was a fun way to finish an amazing adventure.
When we first arrived here a week ago, St Malo was new to most of our riders, however it now seemed like a familiar homecoming. Over the past 4 weeks we have gained an insight into the French way of life that few tourists ever get to experience and we have all had an incredible amount of fun along the way. I really do regard France as my second country.
We have one more full day in St Malo before we catch the early morning ferry on Saturday and head out to the Channel Islands.もっと詳しく
To Vivier Sur Mer
2017年9月20日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
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.もっと詳しく
Fougeres to Pontorson
2017年9月19日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
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.もっと詳しく
In Which we Perform the Fougeres Follies
2017年9月18日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Today's ride from Combourg to Fougeres was the longest of this section of the European rides. There is no doubt that riding a heavy rental bike is significantly harder than riding your own bike and therefore every kilometre seems at least 50% longer than the kilometres you ride at home. Combine this with a steady succession of rolling hills and it means that each day represents a solid effort in the saddle. The thing that has done the most to lift all our riders' spirits is that the weather has now changed. The past few days have been fine and mild with extended periods of warm sunshine. In addition the wind has dropped almost completely. The net effect of these meteorological changes is that we now have perfect conditions to enjoy our cycling in surely what is one of the prettiest regions of France.
At the appointed start time of 8.30 am we started to unlock the bikes from the garage, only to find to our horror that Andrea's bike had suffered an overnight puncture. All punctures are a pain, but this unwelcome discovery was made all the worse due to the fact that this was the first time one of the ebikes had punctured.
The amateur mechanics (ie the men) in the peloton set to work to try to remove the rear wheel and then remove the tyre. Although we had been supplied with a limited number of spare tubes, none of these were the correct size and valve type for the ebikes. Not a promising start to the day.
We had no alternative other than to insert a skinny road bike tube and then over inflate it to fill the large tyre. I was expecting a big bang at any moment, however the tube did seem to accommodate the extreme stretching without detonating. About 20 mins later we were on our way, riding through the early morning mist. Overhead the sun was shining dimly through the fog and it did little to dispel the freezing early morning temperatures.
We were actually glad that we started with a series of steady climbs as these helped to warm our frozen bodies. After a few kilometres the first of the layers were removed as the strength of the sun increased.
This part of Brittany is dairy country and we rode along many peaceful rural lanes through dairy farms. The cows seemed pleased to see us and gave us beautiful bovine smiles as we rode past. On a couple of occasions we paused to listen to the silence. Apart from a few distant birds, there were no sounds at all. The trees stood motionless in the still air and far away a solitary fox made its way across a paddock. This is the real France that the bus tourists never get to see and we were all so glad that we were able to experience it at first hand.
We have now been cycling almost every day for the past 4 weeks and all of us have grown stronger each day. Not only are we taking the hills more easily but all the riders are enjoying the feeling of being fitter than they have probably been for a long time. Hard work does have its rewards and this is easily evidenced in the group.
After about 35 km we stopped at a likely spot for lunch. Sandwiches and drinks were unpacked from panniers and we sat happily in the sun for quite some time, eating, chatting and laughing. What a perfect way to enjoy a day with good friends in such a lovely place.
The second mishap for the day occurred when Claire underestimated the strength of her disk brakes and stopped too suddenly to remain upright. Although she fell somewhat heavily to the road, the damage was not too severe and she was able to remount and continue, albeit it with a sore knee.
A short distance later the third mishap took place when Claire suffered a rear wheel puncture - the second ebike puncture for the day. The only tube we had was another thin road bike tube, so we inserted it and hoped it would hold. No matter how much we wiggled with the tyre, it would not seat correctly on the rim. Since we were less than 10 km from Fougeres we hoped that it might hold out till we arrived and could buy some new tubes. Unfortunately it didn't.
Claire limped along for the next few km with her misshapen wheel bouncing and the bike making loud complaints. It would have been a miracle if it lasted all the way to Fougeres and miracles are not common nowadays.
With about 4 km to go BOTH Andrea and Claire suffered simultaneous rear wheel flats. This was starting to get serious. By this time we had no spares and the only option was to walk the bikes the rest of the way.
When we arrived at the hotel we asked the girl at the counter if there was a bike shop nearby. Her face lit up and she said "Yes, just a few metres away". While this statement was true, she did not tell us that the bike shop (and many of the shops in the town) are closed every Monday. We tried arranging a taxi to go and collect the two riders but this process took so long that they were already in the town before transport could be arranged. It had been one of those days.
Fougeres itself is a mid sized town with a huge fortified castle at the entrance to the city. I possibly could have had a tour of the place, but after the experience of yesterday, I would rather go to the all night dentist instead. We settled for a few photos of the huge walls and towers instead.もっと詳しく
Claire gets Castigated
2017年9月17日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
One of the things I love about France is that you never really know what will happen around the next corner. Somehow the whole country is like a marvellous giant game of theatre sports where every participant is playing out an exaggerated role. This was in evidence several times today.
After the dreary wet weather we had been suffering it was wonderful to be able to ride out of Dinan in perfectly fine and still conditions. The early morning air was chilly as we navigated the steep descent out of the city and back to the banks of La Rance. We resumed riding the delightful Chemin De Hallage bike path, right along the river bank. The recent rain had made some sections a little muddy, but we could not have cared less. We were all having fun enjoying the flat ride and the absolutely beautiful scenery.
As we progressed further and further upstream we passed a succession of small locks, each one accompanied by an impeccably maintained lock master's house. Early in the ride we stopped to examine the workings of the lock. Claire took the opportunity to wander to the side of the house and into the owners private garden. This was not a great idea. The lock master came immediately out of his house and strode up to Claire.
"Stop", he shouted.
"But I was only looking at your chickens", she answered, as it that explained everything.
The man was not convinced and continued to shout in French, presumably telling her why she should not be on his property. He obviously did not realise that Claire is a formidable person to be reckoned with and soon she was giving as good as she had received. A couple of minutes later the lock master was retreating back into his house in tears.
We continued on our way and continued to see many more of these locks and we were always impressed at just how well maintained every one was. At one we stopped to watch a large pleasure boat pass through.
AFter about 20 km we finally left the riverbank and headed inland. This of course involved a climb, but no one seemed to care. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, we are much stronger than we were 3 weeks ago, and WE ARE IN FRANCE. Life really is fantastic and how lucky are we to be able to explore this amazing country using the power of our own legs. The mainstream tourists NEVER even get near these magical country places that we were savouring every day.
A few kilometres from Combourg we were riding through a tiny farming community when an unwelcome companion started to run alongside my bike. It was a huge dog with lots and lots of teeth. I pedalled faster. The dog ran faster. I shouted in French for the dog to go away, but it only served to make it more determined to run in front of me. The owner shouted, but the dog paid no attention. Although it did not seem overly aggressive, I had to admit that it did make me nervous. It finally lost interest in me and set off after one of our other riders. I took the opportunity to pedal faster and disappear. I later found out that the dog jumped in a dam so I guess it probably had rabies. Nevertheless we all managed to survive the experience.
When we arrived at Combourg we decided to look for a place to eat and found a wonderful pizza shop in the main street. The pizzas truly were delicious and the warm sun was like an elixir of youth. If there was any better place on earth to be, at that moment I certainly could not think of it.
Later in the day we set off to explore the imposing Chateau de Combourg, home of the famous Chateaubriand. Anyone who knows me would be aware that I have a travel principle that states "NEVER take any organised tours". For some unknown reason Maggie and I decided to take a tour of the castle as this was the only way to get inside. I really wish we had saved the money.
The tour was conducted only in French, the interior was dark and depressing and after a few minutes I was looking for a way to escape. Early on Carol and I did our individual bests to knock over a priceless antique lamp and, a few minutes later the entire room was thrown into darkness when I accidentally leaned on the light switch. Everyone turned to see which idiot had been so stupid. I should have looked them all in the eye and proudly stated "Cést moi", but I just looked embarrassed and looked at the next person to pretend they were the culprit. It was not my proudest moment
The place got even more depressing as we progressed further up to the higher levels and even the 700 year old mummified remains of the cat that was found in the castle walls did little to brighten the atmosphere. We were all glad when the dreadful tour was finally over and we were able to escape back into the sunshine and make our way back to the hotel. It was 14 Euro very poorly spent. I have learnt my lesson.
Ah France, I really do love every frustrating bit of you.もっと詳しく
The Tables Fly in Dinan
2017年9月16日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Today turned out to be one of the best days we have had so far. The rain has abated and we were all able to ride out of St Malo in fine and sunny conditions. This area is famous for its huge tidal surges and impressive waves. The entire waterfront of St Malo is protected by a massive stone wall which extends far out along the coast. This wall provided the perfect path to begin our ride.
We then proceeded past the massive Citadel of the "old city", made famous in the novel "All the Light we Cannot See". After the cold and wet of the past few days it was delightful to be able to savour the sunshine and ride to the accompaniment of hundreds of Atlantic seagulls. It did not take long for the spirits of our riders to soar and the recent challenges were already starting to fade into vague memories. (Actually at our age, memories of most recent occurrences quickly fade into oblivion).
The ride followed the Rance Estuary for most of the day and we were able to see the rapid flow of water as the tide turned. There is actually a large tidal power station built here that harnesses the power of these super tides. This was built back in 1966 and at that time it was the world's first tidal power station.
A short distance further up we stopped to examine an old building and discovered that it was a flour mill that had been powered for hundreds of years by the rides and only stopped working in the 1980s. We happened to arrive just in time for a local historian to give us a complete tour of the 4 story structure and its workings.
The ride itself was flatter than some of our recent days but still had a fair collection of climbs that served to get the heart beating heavily. For the four ladies of the "electric peloton", this gave them repeated excuses to roar past the rest of us who were still battling our way to the top of each climb. Sometimes the thought of an ebike does seem very tempting.
The final 10 km or so followed the bank of the Rance and was one of the most beautiful bike paths I have ever had the privilege to cycle along. This took us all the way to the amazing historical city of Dinan. This spectacularly well preserved city is packed with beautiful half timbered buildings, some dating back to the 15th century. The biggest challenge was wheeling our bikes up the rough and steep cobble stoned streets to our hotel, which turned out to be situated in the highest part of the town. Maybe what they say about pain might actually be true. And in case you don't know what they say, it goes something like this "Pain is weakness leaving the body".
It was only much later in the day that things really started to heat up and I experienced something I had never seen before. Our restaurant for the evening was the "Fleur du Sel", only a short walk from our hotel. Our group of 13 was welcomed at the door by the tall owner with the incredibly deep voice and we were ushered to our seats in the rear room.
Although the Ghostriders were obviously the guest of honour and had been allocated the largest table, there were also a couple of smaller groups of French speakers in the same room. Over the next hour or so the noise level and merriment in the room grew steadily, along with the temperature. The thoughtful host/owner then obliged by opening a high window to let the evening breeze in.
This was a kind gesture but it sent the temperature of the room plummeting. One of the Frenchmen at the next table decided it was time to show his ingenuity and bravery by closing the window. Since it was too high to reach by hand he started poking at it with an iron rod. His antics were greatly egged on and cheered by us. He started to get bolder, reaching higher and higher in an attempt to close the window. The cheering grew louder. Maybe we should have realised then that this might not end well, but we didn't.
The Frenchmen's friends upped the ante by lifting him high above the table to poke the window from a better angle. He almost succeeded, but just as we all started to clap loudly, disaster struck. The large fellow toppled over and fell right into the centre of their table. The table collapsed and the guy fell right into the middle of a confusion of broken glasses, wine, food and cutlery. The whole place immediately fell silent. The floor was strewn with broken plates and the remains of the owners finest glassware and cuisine. The broken table lay in pieces. The owner came back in, looked at the carnage and he might have said "Sacre Bleu", but I think it was more like a string of French oaths. Everyone was embarrassed. It certainly was memorable. The food was a little delayed but our desserts were excellent and the owner's fury did seem to abate a little as the night wore on. We certainly won't forget it in a hurry.もっと詳しく
Beautiful St Malo
2017年9月15日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
After our somewhat inglorious arrival at Mont St Michel via bus, I was really hoping that the rest of our French Cycling Adventures would be able to proceed without another problem. The third part of our trip was scheduled to start in St Malo and then take us on a week long loop around Brittany.
I had arranged for a bus to transfer us and our bikes to St Malo, ready for the beginning of our Brittany ride. The bus arrived on time and, by mid afternoon we had safely arrived at our hotel in St Malo.
There is no doubt that St Malo is a beautiful city, dominated by the huge fortified citadel. This stronghold had been used by the Germans as a submarine base in WW2 and was almost completely destroyed by allied bombing. What you now see is largely a replica of the original city. Replica or real, it is still a lovely location.
Tomorrow morning we will begin stage three of our adventure when we head out to Dinan.もっと詳しく
We Mount the Mont
2017年9月14日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
In the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, sometimes “you’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run”. If there was ever a time to put this advice to the test, this was it. After the belting we had taken yesterday, the peloton was not in prime shape. Shoes were still wet, washing was still drying, energy reserves were low and the team was looking to me for a brave decision. I did what anyone else would do under these circumstances – look out the window to see what the weather was doing. It was the same as yesterday, still pouring. Considering that we had another 30 or more kilometres to complete along the black quicksand, (otherwise known as the bike trail), it was very unlikely that most of the peloton would be up to the challenge. I certainly wasn’t.
“Do you really want to ride ?”, I asked.
“Not really”, was the overwhelming response. They are obviously much more intelligent than they look. But what other option was there ? I decided to ring the travel company to see if they would take pity on a group of pitiful elderly Australians.
“Bonjour Beatrice”, I began in my best French. “Please help us”, I blabbered, trying hard to hold back the tears (maybe still an after-effect from yesterday’s sunscreen in the eyes). I explained our situation and asked for her to move heaven and earth to save us from another day in the freezing mud.
“I vill reeng you beck”, Beatrice promised.
A few minutes later I had the solution I had been hoping for. Apparently they would be able to arrange a taxi and trailer to transport us and our luggage to Mont St Michel, but our bikes would have to wait till the following day. Of course a few Euros would have to quietly change hands to keep the driver happy. All in all, a most agreeable solution.
I called the group together and outlined the plan. When I told them that they could take off their filthy cycling gear and change back into proper clothes, their faces broke out into huge smiles. Apparently it was the news they had all been hoping for.
About an hour later we were all packed and changed into warm and dry clothes, waiting for the taxi. It arrived on time and most (but not all of us) were able to climb inside. Maggie and I ended up in the front seat, next to the driver. Although this gave us a great view, it also gave us several near death experiences. Soon after we started moving it became evident that the driver not only spoke not a single word of English, but also had not the foggiest notion where Mont St Michel actually was. He reached for his GPS with his left hand and his mobile phone with his right hand, leaving the steering to take care of itself. While his head was buried in his electronic devices the minibus wandered straight over the double line onto the wrong side of the road. Maggie’s nails dug a deep crater in my right thigh.
The driver looked up at the last moment and then jerked the wheel to the right, sending us right across the road onto the verge on the right side. We tried to keep his attention on the road, but he kept getting SMS messages, phone calls and emails (maybe from his stockbroker, or possibly his undertaker) while he was driving.
The circus continued for the entire drive to the outskirts of Mont St Michel. From time to time we caught glimpses of the famous tidal island and the driver seemed just as excited as we were. I suspect he was surprised that he had actually found his way there.
As we reached the entrance to the main street of Mont St Michel we were stopped by a boom gate. The driver looked mystified. We pulled to a stop. He looked into space, scratched his head, babbled something in French and just sat there. Behind us a huge line of waiting buses and cars started to build up. The driver rang someone on his phone but the call seemed to keep dropping out. The queue behind us grew ever longer, until eventually a driver came up and asked him what he was doing. He scratched his head and finally turned out of the way and did a loop around the block to have another go. The whole charade was repeated a second time, until finally we saw the boom gate on the exit go up. We pointed to it and the driver swerved across the road and entered via the exit, accompanied by a chorus of cheers and clapping from the Ghostriders.
We found the hotel (thanks to my GPS) and pulled up outside. The driver opened his door and looked out, at the same time accidentally dropping his jacket out the door. He didn’t see it and started to reverse. We yelled at him about his jacket, but he just smiled and laughed. Maybe this was all part of the performance. It certainly was great entertainment. A bystander banged on his window and pointed to his front wheel. He finally showed interest, got out and retrieved the filthy remains of his coat. He seemed quite mystified as to how that could possibly have happened. Such is life in France.
We bade farewell to the driver, thankful to be both alive and still dry. After dropping our gear at the hotel we set off to explore the famous landmark that is visited by millions of tourists every year. The distinctive towering abbey dates back to obscure beginnings in 708 when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches had a sanctuary built to honour Michael the archangel. For most of its existence it was only possible to reach the island at low tide, but a recent elevated road and walkway now allows the onslaught of tourists to reach it at all hours.
Although it is possible to travel across by free tourist buses, we chose to walk across instead and experience the visual sensation of seeing the abbey growing in size as we drew nearer and nearer. Carol’s first experience of the famous abbey was not a pleasant one. As soon as she opened her umbrella, the howling wind grabbed it from her fingers and quickly sent it souring into the air and out of sight. I had visions of Carol becoming a modern day Mary Poppins and sailing right over the abbey rooftop, holding onto the handle of her umbrella. Like Bob’s GPS, the umbrella is probably now somewhere over the English Channel.
We last visited this spot a few years ago and, although it was crowded then, the crowds have now grown to almost unbearable proportions. As soon as we entered the lower parts of the Mont we were surrounded by a crush of tourists that had all been disgorged from their tour buses. A large percentage were holding on to their cursed selfie sticks so that they could photograph themselves in front (and thereby completely obscuring) every nook and cranny. Those that weren’t carrying selfie sticks were sucking on stinking cigarettes, blowing smoke into every else’s face. This is NOT my favourite type of location. After an hour or so of doing battle with the masses we retreated to the quieter outskirts of the abbey and sought some personal space and fresh air.
For a short time we succeeded, but soon even this refuge was overrun by a line of smokers. I could not help but feel disgusted at the way they tossed their butts straight down onto the ancient paths or flicked them into the ocean. This place might have survived the elements for a 1000 years, but I can’t see it standing up to the battering it is taking from the tourists every day. We were glad to leave the chaos and walk back to our hotel, assisted by a roaring tailwind. We enjoyed this simple pleasure much more than the abbey itself.
In the evening it was another superb dinner, this time at the Relais du La Roy. Apparently this is the best restaurant in town and the food was superb. I chose the seafood platter for entrée and it would have been enough to serve as a main course at any other restaurant. I somehow managed to spread it all over the tablecloth , my napkin, shirtfront (and even send a spray of something from a squashed prawn onto the adjoining table). I think people suspected that I am not skilled at this sort of thing.
After dinner we took a final look at the floodlit island and staggered back to our hotel. Tomorrow we move to St Malo.もっと詳しく
The Peloton is in Tatters
2017年9月13日, フランス
Day 24 of our 2017 European rides was the day that almost destroyed the peloton. We awoke to black skies and a deluge of freezing rain.. The headwind had strengthened overnight to a force 10 gale. And then the bad weather arrived.
It was hard to maintain pelotonic enthusiasm when we all knew full well just how big a challenge lay ahead. Not only was the weather abysmal, but this was going to be the longest distance of the entire ride. We began by donning every piece of wet weather gear we could find and still looking for more. I tried to cheer the team by promising them that the rain would soon stop (knowing all along that it was predicted to get even worse).
We headed out in low spirits and were soon wobbling our way up a succession of hills. The rain started to penetrate every weak point in my wet weather armoury. The hills kept going. The pedals kept spinning. Carol's battery started to fail. Things were not looking great. And they weren't.
The temperature plummeted as we passed a roadside temperature gauge, 9C and dropping. The hot days of two short weeks ago were nothing more than a distant memory. Somehow we kept battling along for 25 km or so until we found refuge in a small village coffee shop. The owner seemed excited to see us, even though we were dropping water all over his tables and floor. The chocolat chaud was certainly welcome, so we each drank two cups. This boosted the local economy and our spirits, until we emerged and discovered that the weather had gotten even worse. It was positively awful.The rain was continual and the skies as black as coal. This was not the delightful summer cycling we had come so far to spend our kid's inheritances on.
At least the roads were quiet, or they were until we found ourselves riding along a busy highway with huge trucks barrelling past at 100 kph or more and splashing even more water on us. Surely people our age should be content with nothing more adventurous than a game of barefoot bowls ? Don't you believe it. In a strange way we were all loving the experience. You never really know what you are able to do, until you are put to the limit and this was certainly true today.
To our relief we finally turned off the road onto the Voie Vert cycle path and joined a lovely old rail trail which would take us all the way to our destination at St Hilaire. In fine conditions this would have been a breeze, but the torrential rain had converted the entire path to soft black mud.
After 30 km or so we were all completely covered in the muck. Each time we stopped we laughed as we compared who had collected the most muck on themselves, their bikes and their panniers. By this time the hard going had succeeded in draining Carol's battery completely. Surely things couldn't possibly get any worse ? Unfortunately they did.
A short distance further along we found that Bob had turned around and was heading back in the opposite direction. At first I thought that his ancient mind had cracked completely and that he was trying to ride back to his home at Cockatoo, however he managed to yell that he had lost the GPS from his bike and was looking for it. I reluctantly U turned and headed back with him. After a kilometre or so I had to accept that I was near exhaustion and could not go back any further. In addition, the rain had washed old sunscreen from my helmet into my eyes. They were stinging so badly I could barely see. This really was a ride of biblically bad proportions.
I once again U turned and tried to ride towards the destination. We had seen no sign of the missing GPS. Tears were running down my face as I struggled to force the bike through the quagmire. The distance seemed never ending, but finally our group collected on the edge of St Hilaire and looked for our hotel. The mud had destroyed our brakes and the conditions had (almost) destroyed us. But not quite.
When we found the hotel the owner kindly provided us with a garden hose so that we could hose each other off in the main street. And that's what we did, leaving a stream of muddy water flowing down the gutter. This provided huge merriment to the local teenagers coming home from school. We were cold, we were filthy, we were tired but in a very real way we were really happy. We had done something together that few people our age could have done. It was not the way the original script had been written, but it was what we had been given. In the years ahead I am sure we will all cherish that day we suffered and prevailed.
After we had all showered and cleaned up ourselves we enjoyed one of the best meals of the entire ride. It was absolutely superb. Yes, really, really delicious. And the weather forecast for tomorrow ? Yep,rain, rain and more rain.
And yes, Bob's GPS is still lost somewhere along the trail.もっと詳しく
Cycling to Bagnoles de L'Orne
2017年9月12日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
After initially riding through even more natural park we came across the very imposing Chateau de Carrougues. It was certainly something worthy of further exploration, so we left the road and ventured inside. In the meantime David and Carol had remained behind at our lunch stop to try to put some more charge in Carol's battery. When the battery was finally charged they somehow managed to ride right past the Chateau without even seeing it.
After walking around the Chateau we resumed our ride to Bagnoles de L'Orne. When we arrived we were somewhat surprised to find that the town was a huge tourist resort, complete with casinos and many large hotels. Our hotel bore the rather strange name of Spa du Beryl, but we were very happy to discover that it was quite a luxury establishment. Maggie and I were even more thrilled to find that our room was one of those that faced the beautiful ornamental lake. The views were spectacular. We could almost pretend that we were wealthy.もっと詳しく
Feeling Free in Alencon
2017年9月11日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Rest days are always something to look forward to. After the daily stress of packing your bags and riding from place to place, it is a relief to have a little time to unwind and catch up on the laundry backlog. It is a wonderful feeling to have lots of time available and very little to do with it.
After a delightful time was spent wandering the city we found a likely looking boulangerie to buy our lunches. The baguette queue was already forming at the counter, indicating that the latest batch was ready from the oven. David somehow managed to push his way to the front of the queue, watched by about 20 startled French men and women.
He did not seem aware that the guy behind him had his beloved small dog on a lead in the shop. To our horror David planted his size 11 shoe right on the dog's foot, at the same time as he bade a cheerful "Bonjour" to the dog's owner. The dog immediately let out a pained yelp, but David did not hear a thing. He must have had his hearing aid turned off at the time.
He proceeded to keep his foot firmly planted on the poor animal, the dog continued to cry and the owner just looked on in shock, probably worried about how much the vet would charge him.
After what seemed like an eternity, David took his baguette and left the counter. The dog finally retrieved what was left of his paw. David put on his most friendly smile and turned away from the owner. We all tried to pretend that David did not belong to us. It had been one of those embarrassing international incidents. In the past wars have started over much less than this.
When we were safely away from the gathering lynch mob, we tried to explain to David just what he had done. For some reason he didn't believe us.
The afternoon was spent walking to the nearby river and exploring the attractive centre of the city. After the obligatory visit to the Laverie Libre (coin laundry) we returned to our hotel. Tomorrow we resume our ride to Mont St Michel.
It was also good to be be reunited with Bob Andrews who had rejoined the team after taking a diversion to explore the WW1 battlefields of northern France. Bob will now be with us for the remainder of the rides.もっと詳しく
Cycling the Voie Verte to Alencon
2017年9月10日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
One of the best features of exploring a country by bicycle is that you never know how each day is going to turn out until you have lived through it. Due to the serendipity of travel, you could actually do the same trip over and over again and every single time would prove to be quite different. This fact was illustrated in yesterday's ride.
As we rode out of Belleme our legs were all weary because of the hard day of hill climbing we had experienced on the previous day. For some riders it was clear that another hill could be enough to break them into little pieces. We rode out of the Normandy Country Club in the middle of a thick fog and were immediately riding up a long hill. Oh dear. Fortunately the good night's sleep and a big evening dinner had replenished their energy and no one was complaining. At least not yet.
We stopped for a little while to explore and photograph the beautiful town centre and then pedalled off on our way. Up another big hill ! We soon found ourselves riding through a beautiful beech forest and we were immediately captivated by the sheer beauty of the place. While we stopped at the side of the road a passing van driver pulled over to say hello (or actually Bonjour, since he spoke not one word of English).
The next ten minutes or so were spent in a wonderful conversation where we told him that we were from Australia and that we were headed to Mont St Michel. All the while his van was parked in the middle of the road, however the traffic was non existent so it made no difference to anyone.
We finally parted with many smiles and waves and were on our way again. The simple encounter had sent everyone's spirits souring and the hills did not seem to matter any more. Even the light drizzle seemed like a blessing rather than a curse as it made the most peaceful sound as millions of drops gently fell from the branches of the trees to the forest floor.
The road rose and fell for the next few kilometres until we reached a beautiful village, filled with flowers. We dismounted and entered a wonderful little inn where there was a roaring open fire blazing on the hearth. Around the walls were dozens of antique coffee makers of every possible shape and size. The owner welcomed us warmly and kissed the hands of the ladies. His coffee cost less that $2 a cup and his smiles were free.
By 1 pm we were ready for lunch and found a delightful picnic spot by a lake. We unpacked our baguettes and made a wonderful feast of ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. While all this was going on, Gordon's back tyre was quietly going down. This was about the fourth puncture that Gordon had suffered and he was getting a little sick of it.
We set to work at the repair and inserted the undersized spare tube into the tyre, pumped it up and started to replace it on the bike. Pfffft - it went down again. Oh dear, no more tubes of that size, but we did have some better ones of the correct size. The only problem was that they had the thicker Shraeder type valves and would not fit the rim. I had a brainwave. Why don't we drill out the hole and make it bigger ? All we need is a man with a drill. Maggie and I picked up the wheel and walked into the nearby town. There seemed to be no one around. The place was deserted. We knocked on a door, no answer.
We wandered further and eventually found a man fiddling with an ancient motorbike. "Bonjour" we said and then showed him the wheel. He smiled. We seemed in luck. He returned with a battery drill and a rusty collection of about 3 drill bits - none of them the right size. Nevertheless he was keen to help and set about destroying the rim with French enthusiasm. About 10 minutes later he had managed to enlarge the small hole to a ragged giant orifice. We thanked him and his wife profusely before shaking hands, saying Au Revoir and returning to the rest of the group. Soon the bike was reassembled and we were on our way again. Another magic moment.
Most of the afternoon's ride was on a converted train line - the so called Voie Verte (Green Way). The path took us through the dense forest of the Natural Park of Perche. For many kilometres we were able to ride without meeting any other riders. It was a great time to simply enjoy the experience. Because it was an old train line, there weren't even any hills to worry about.
Unfortunately the early morning hills had taken their toll on Carol's ebike battery and she ground to a halt with about 10 km still to go. We had no alternative other than to continue without her and then hope to arrange transport for her and her bike.
The shady Voie Verte bike path seemed to go on forever but eventually we reached Alencon and found our hotel. We explained to the owner what had happened to one of our riders and he offered to go back to collect her. All we had to do was determine where she was. When we managed to contact her on the phone, to our amazement she was only a few hundred metres from the hotel ! Somehow she had used all her powers of determination to ride the heavy bike, without a battery, into the teeth of a rising head wind and arrive only a few minutes behind the main group.
We were relieved to find our hotel was spacious and comfortable and our evening meal at the Relais D'Alsace was large enough to feed a much larger peloton. On the way back from the restaurant in the dark we had to work very hard to avoid accidentally planting our feet on one of the numerous large dog turds that were scattered liberally over the footpath. I think most of us succeeded. We retired to bed late but wonderfully satisfied.
We were also greatly buoyed by the fact that tomorrow is a rest day. It will give us a chance to explore Alencon and catch up with our pile of overdue laundry.もっと詳しく
Nogent le Rotrou to Belleme
2017年9月9日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Most of today's ride was through beautiful natural forests. The big problem was that the road was always going up and down. It was never horizontal. The undulations were never ending and the women were soon complaining that they all wanted ebikes. That left us with a decision to make.
When we stopped for lunch at Preaux-du-Perche I looked carefully at the GPS track for the rest of the day's ride. It was then that I made a startling discovery. The route proceeded in a huge loop, before returning almost to the exact spot where we were eating our lunches.
I suspected that there must have been some good reason why the organisers had wanted us to take such a huge detour. The women were not convinced. After a brief discussion (and a lot of foot stamping tantrums), the women all made the decision to take the 200 metre shortcut, while the men all rode the hilly 30 km diversionary loop.
I led the reduced peloton up into the mountains. The women sat in the sunshine, waiting for our return. Although I was expecting to bring back news of some amazing sights, what we did find was forests, lots of forests. There were no huge castles, no cathedrals, not even a museum. But there were hills, lots of hills.
The men pedalled on, wondering why they had been so duped. We puffed our way up hills, then huffed our way up more hills and finally chuffed our way down a short downhill. We finally stopped the bikes in the middle of a lovely treed place and started to talk. It became a great time to share our thoughts, without any interruptions from the women. Although the castles did not eventuate, the "male bonding time" in the forest almost made the hard ride worthwhile.
Some hours later we made it back to Preaux-du-Perche and rejoined the (well rested) ladies. The reunited group continued the hilly ride to Belleme, where we spent the night in the Normandy Country Club. Unfortunately this was situated on the top of the highest hill in the entire region. The strenuous climb to the hotel consumed what small amount of stamina we had remaining. It had been a long day on the bikes (and much longer for some than others).もっと詳しく
Illiers Combray to Nogent le Rotrou
2017年9月8日, フランス ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
I have discovered when travelling that it is the unexpected events that are often the most magical. This was true when we reached the little town of Thiron-Gardais and went in search of a place for lunch.
David decided to ride ahead (as he often does) and we rode after him (about a kilometre behind). None of us had any idea of what was ahead, but we somehow found ourselves outside an obviously ancient church. The garden was overgrown and the walls looked like they were on the verge of collapse. It was just my sort of place.
We left the bikes and walked around the outside wall, looking for a way to get inside. Once inside, we were fascinated by the antiquity of the place. Ancient wooden pews had obviously been sat on by untold thousands of worshippers over the centuries. Overhead we looked up to see the crumbling timbers that were doing their best to stop the entire roof from collapsing down on us. A rickety ladder led up to the ceiling space, although it looked like it must have been a very long time since anyone would have been game enough to make that journey. You could feel the history in every nook and cranny of the place. It was a delightful, serendipitous discovery that was the highlight of the day's ride.
We arrived at the town of Nogent le Rotrou and found that the imposing castle was locked and bolted. There was no option but to continue to our hotel.
Our evening meal was at the L'Alambic Restaurant. This turned out to be too far from our hotel to walk, so we organised a taxi to drive back and forth to ferry us all there. After our less than happy experience at the previous evening's restaurant, this one will be remembered for all the right reasons.
The food was superb, the waitresses were even choreographed in their movements as they served each course and the young owners were delightful. Everything about the place was amazing. It was easily the best meal of our entire time in France.もっと詳しく
Chartres to Illiers Combray
2017年9月7日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
This morning we returned to the Cathedral to explore inside and see the massive stained glass windows. It was then time to get back on the bikes to continue our journey.
The ride took us along a lovely succession of peaceful country roads. This really was the type of riding that we had been looking forward to, although anyone who had expected a "flat" ride would have another think coming. The road seemed to be always either rising or falling (mostly the former), which meant that it was by no means an easy day in the saddle.
We arrived at Illiers Combray in the middle of the afternoon and went in search of our hotel - the Hotel Les Aubepines.
The tiny town is best known for being the home of the French poet Marcel Proust. It has not changed much and has preserved the charm of past times.
The Church of St. Jacques is the model for the church featured so prominently in the first part of Marcel Proust’s literary masterpiece, À La Recherche du Temps Perdu (Remembrance of Things Past). The church dates back to the 13th century and was rebuilt in 1497, with the aid of Florent d’Illiers, who fought alongside Joan of Arc.もっと詳しく
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