Gergy to Lyon and Lyon Airport.....and the end of this journey

Well, it's all over except for the plane, bus and car ride back to Cork.

Yesterday morning I was up early again and breakfasting with my super host Regis by 0800 and then out his door by 0845.  I tried hard to savour the last few km of my ride, taking in all the sights and sounds along the Saone and Voie Bleue, even enjoying the headwind.  All too soon I arrived in Chalon-sur-Soane and briefly considered staying there overnight because it looked so nice, but I went ahead as planned and got the mid-day train to Lyon.

What is it?

Lyon is a very big city and I admit I found it a little daunting at first, but soon found my way around with the aid of a map from the nice doorman at the Sofitel Hotel, and by 3:30 I had checked into my very pleasant but rather expensive Chambre d'hôte - Le Relais Blanche Grange.  I spent the rest of the day and evening wandering around the old part of Lyon, a little sorry that I hadn't been able to come the day before.  Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of cities in general, I found Lyon beautiful, it was easy to get around on the Metro and it seemed like it would be a fab place to spend a few days.

This morning Bernadette and I wheeled off to the bike store - SODICYCLE,  where Fred and his staff  boxed up Bernadette and took me to the train station but would not accept any money for doing it.  They said it was ' a pleasure' - can you believe it?  Being on the receiving end of the kindness of others seems to have been the theme for me in the last week - in fact I don't recall ever receiving such generosity on any trip, as I have here in France.

Looking back over the last couple of weeks, I have to say it's been quite a ride in every way.  Some significant challenges presented and for a while I was lost, both figuratively and literally.  At one point, I had no idea what to do as I never had a Plan B.  But with the help of my friends and some strangers, I regrouped and got myself on a different path that lead to a rich experience.  People consistently commented on my courage (and possibly my foolishness) at travelling alone and I'm not certain, but I think it made them more open to me at a heart level.  In the end, I hope I have learned a couple things from this journey.  Here are the highlights:

General

• We all have limitations - learning one's own is a good idea
• Eat regularly and eat well
• There are kind people everywhere
• Trust is required - let go and all will be well
• Be where you are
• Courage has it's rewards

Cycling

• Stop before you feel tired
• Wear sunglasses and keep your mouth closed unless you want to catch bugs!
• Cycling in the rain can be fun 
• Pump up your tyres and oil your chain daily
• Drink lots of water
• Take the time to stop and talk to people - you'll be glad you did

The End

Athee to Gergy

Kind people are everywhere, but somehow it still amazes me when I encounter them, as I did at my Chanbres d'hôte Les Laurentides.  Due to the thunderstorm, feeling tired and amazingly, not being hungry last night, I decided to forego my host's kind of offer of using her daughter's car to go to Auxonne for a meal.  But to my surprise Anne knocked at my door around 8:30 with a tray of food for me.  I wanted to give her a big hug, but I don't think the French are big on hugging so I just thanked her for her kindness.  Then this morning she ate breakfast with me and sent me off with a bag of goodies for my lunch.  So needless to say I was in fine form when I set off.

This Barge is for Sale!

Not far along the Voie Bleue route, I met Olivier, a delightful and decidedly handsome young man from Belgium who is walking to Santiago, Spain on the Camino de Santiago.  He told me that he's been on the road for about a month and he had slept outside last night in that terrible rain with only a tent fly for cover.  We had a good chat and I felt he could do with a bit of kindness and so I decided to pass on some of Anne's generosity and share my picnic lunch with him.  And so it goes....

For the first time today, I encountered a number of cyclists who were not just out for a joy ride.  Three couples of varying ages and a man from Scotland who was camping were among the folks I met along the way.  Oh yeah, and did I mention it was windy?  Yup, it was windy and it wasn't just any old wind... no, no, no, no.  It was a headwind, steady at 15-20 and gusting to about 25 knots.  There was a spot or two of rain as well, but I managed to duck into a brasserie at lunch time just as the heavens really opened up.  I really earned my frites today, I can tell you!

It's raining somewhere not very far away

Miranda does a selfie

I was planning to get the train to Lyon this afternoon, but as fate would have it, the train does actually not run from Verdun-sur-la-Doubs, the place I struggled to cycle to this afternoon.  But the kind man at the marina there called a Chambres d'hôte in the nearby village of Gergy and here I am, once again blessed with unparalleled kindness from the host, Regis Morin.  Regis has a beautiful home and a spectacular garden that must take up most of his time when he's not busy being kind to guests.  He tells me he was a florist for 30 years - this helps to explain his interest in plants.

So once again, while this isn't what I had planned on, but who knows - perhaps it is even better than an evening in Lyon.  I'm here in the garden writing my blog, drinking Badoit water with squeezes of lemon from Regis's lemon tree and anticipating sinking into the luxury memory foam mattress atop the bed in my room, which by the way, is fit more for royalty than the likes of me.  

Still... I'll take it and Lyon can wait until tomorrow.

Vaux-sous-Abigny to Athee

I woke early at about 0600 and started my daily internet search for tomorrow's accommodation. But soon I was distracted by the revellers from last night's wedding, who were passing by the hotel with horns and fireworks - yes, all at 0630 am.  These French weddings are a sobering business - according to a woman I spoke with in the breakfast room of the hotel, one must stay up all night partying - sounds like a serious commitment to me and I'm glad that I'm not likely to attend a French wedding at any time in the near or distant future.

End of the Marne Canal

Given my early start, I was on the road by 0845 and made excellent time on the canal, but by about mid-day both the tow path and the Canal Marne came to a grinding halt and it was onto the River Saone.  Now it's some sort of green cycling route called the Voie Bleue which runs, at times close the Saone and at other times, disappears without warning leaving one to scratch their helmet and then circle around for a while looking for the illusive path.  I think I liked the tow path better - I'm sure you can understand - it was simply there.

A Delicious Salad for Lunch

Swanning on the Marne Canal

So, where in the heck am I now?  Good question!  Somewhere on the Saone called Athee (yeth, thay it with a lisp), about 175km from Lyon, I think.  It's just two more days on the bike, if I don't get washed or blown away tomorrow.  We're getting the tail end of Le Storm Henri right now and I can safely say that I'm ever-so-glad, no make that absolutely ecstatic, to be inside at my truly delightful Chambre d'hote - Les Laurentides (they even loaned me their daughter's car so I could go out to a restaurant if you can believe it - many wouldn't).  Tomorrow might even be a find-the-train-station kind of day.  Only time and Meteo France will tell.

The weather outside right now

Well now, in the time it took to write that the thunder, lightning, hail and wind seem to have passed over and the sky is brightening.  I might even be able to turn the light off now.  You know the old saying... if you don't like the weather, wait a minute.  

Chaumont to Vaux-sous-Aubigny

After a tasty breakfast and a ever-so-slightly lively discussion with the front desk man over the price of my room at the Hotel Terminus that ended in 'ok madame you can have your room for the quoted price' - I was on my way through the streets of Chaumont and back to the quietude of the canal. 

After observing for a couple of days, I see that there are two primary functions to the canal: a food source birds and fisherman and, a highway/biway for boats, bikes and walkers.  

The bird life is significant and in addition to some birds that I can't identify, I have seen more herons in the last few days than I have ever seen before.  There are also plenty of ducks.  And every km or so you can be sure to see a fisherman or two with rods set up, well except for today when it was raining - presumably the French do not like to get wet while fishing.

A typical place marker on the Canal and some way markers for the walking routes

More way markers on the tree.

The majority of the boats are pleasure boats, but there are a lot of active commercial barges working the canal as well.  Gravel pits seem to be in abundance and the barges can be seen picking up and transporting gravel and limestone in both directions.  It seems to be a lifestyle as well as a business as most of the big barges have also got accommodation, a car and a woman to compliment things.  And the woman isn't just there to make foie gras or pilot the barge as the case may be - I believe two people are really needed to successfully get through the locks.  Here is a particularly handsome barge from the UK that I saw today, parked for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

 I think we're in for a bit of rain over the next few days, but it isn't cold so it doesn't really matter.  One really nice thing about my accommodation tonight is a nifty wall heater that also dries one's clothing.  So all my soaking wet gear is now dry - yes indeed I can put on dry clothes tomorrow morning and life is good.

My distance was short today at about 65km, as finding accommodation is not an easy task around here and I had to take what was available.  In an otherwise sleepy little village, there is a wedding on tonight and many of the guests are staying here in my hotel.  Apparently they'll all be in about 3:30 am.. hopefully I won't hear them. Ha!

Tomorrow will be a similar distance and this means I won't be wheeling into my departure point of Lyon on my bike as I just won't have time without the aid of the train, but that's ok.  I'll be ready for home on Wednesday regardless.

But before I go, I have to say that I am glad that I've kept going and thank all those again that emailed me with encouragement and butt kicking to make me do it.

Saint Diziers to Chaumont

A beer really goes a long way when you combine it with fatigue.  This mix took me over last night and I simply had to go to bed right after dinner and just could not get to the blog, so I will try to do two posts this evening.  Clearly I haven't had any beer yet...

Super cute little Lock Keepers Houses are every km or so on the Canal

Bernadette takes a break on the bridge

I had the teeniest bit of challenge getting myself set off from Saint Diziers in the right direction yesterday, but once I got underway, there was almost nothing stopping me.  And it was a fine day aside from a mildly annoying headwind, but I suppose something has to compensate for the lack of hills when cycling on a canal, right?

The day passed quite peaceably.  I stopped to talk to various people and while you might wonder what it was I could converse about with my limited French, it's amazing how much one can glean from a conversation, especially when you add a few hand gestures and facial expressions.  For instance, a couple of ladies I encountered not far from the bridge you see above starting talk to me about 'les immigrants'.  The one I will call Marie Antoinette, suggested that it was a money grab - I knew this by the way she rubbed her fingers together and narrowed her eyes - who exactly would benefit I'm not sure but I just nodded in agreement, especially since she kept using the guillotine gesture - finger across the throat and a corresponding 'keek' noise - when describing the situation.  She asked if Ireland was accepting 'les immigrants' and I said very few.  Marie nodded with the kind of look that says - yes, I know exactly what's going on there - but I didn't dare try to explain further.  I just nodded in the same way, shrugged my shoulders because I know the French like to do this, said 'let them eat cake' in English, wished them a cheery bonjour and rode on.   Ok, just kidding about that cake eating part - I only thought that.  Really.

The Tunnel at Condes, long and kind of spooky

At Chaumont I got advice from an elderly man about the *** hotel I was planning to stay in - he said it was too expensive and suggested I should try to find something cheaper - thanks Pops.  I explained that I had cycled nearly 80 km and felt that I deserved a nice place for the night.  He rolled his eyes, shrugged his shoulders, wished me luck and moved on.  In the end he may have been right.  The room was fine, but I had the most terrible poncey kind of service in the restaurant - I think the maitre d' snubbed me because I was wearing sandals, ordered off the light menu and drank beer instead of wine.  The garçon, a dutiful but seemingly dull young man, just could not grasp the concept of what I wanted when I asked for 'un peau du beurre' for my bread roll.  He brought me another roll... And despite my effort to ensure they were aware that 'je suis tres allergique a farine de mais' they managed to squeak some cornstarch in somewhere - I went to bed exhausted but with my heart pounding.  Ok Pops, you win.

C'est la vie...

Chalons en Champagne to St Diziers - via the Canal Marne sur Saone

I'm back in the saddle and ready for a few more blog entries.

As you know my arse was a bit tender for a while.  Now it's really sore from the good kicking I've received from folks telling me to get on with it and keep going.  You were all right of course, and while my direction has changed a little, I am back on the bike and headed south to Lyon along the Canal Marne sur Saone.  This canal connects further south with another one, leading right through to Burgundy and out to Atlantic... I think I have that correctly but feel free to enlighten if you think otherwise.

Anyway, I chose the canal because is level, safe and lovely altogether and it's really hard for me who can barely tell gauche from droit, to get lost.  I can pull off at any village for a coffee and I have the added bonus of encountering boats every few kms.  Yesterday I made quite a distance - I don't care to guess how far but I was riding for over 8 hours.

It was an entirely pleasant day in any case - warm, sunny and simple.  I arrived late in St. Diziers, but finally landed at the friendly and comfortable Hotel Francois and slept the sleep of the dead for about 8 hours.

Aside from grinding my knees and a few gears, I encountered some interesting people along the way, including the painter below and a couple from Belgium driving a really nifty car - a super sexy looking Tesla electric car - sorry no photo of that.

And now, fuelled with croissant and coffee I'm ready to get back on the tow path and head south for a few more hours of cycling.

Val de Vesle to Chalons en Champagne

Champagne

Yesterday morning after a backtrack over the motorway to Verzy, I was back in the rolling hills of Champagne and, most importantly on the Via Francigena.   The morning passed easily as I wheeled through villages and eventually along the canal Marne.  The canal was a big bonus as I was able to remain on the tow path all the to Chalons en Champagne.  The sun came out and as I passed the numerous barges and boats travelling the canal my only regret was that the pleasantness of the journey was mine alone.  Still, it was lovely and I very much enjoyed the peaceful influence of the still water, coupled with the warmth of the sun.  

At about the 40km mark and mid day, I was at Chalons en Champagne where I spent time at the tremendously helpful and friendly tourist office getting assistance with finding accommodation and a few other things.  Then after checking into the fabulous Chambre d'hote La Petite Reverie, I set out to stretch my legs in an ambulatory kind of way and see the sights, happily unattached to the saddle of my bike for the first time in nearly a week.

If you haven't been here, Chalons en Champagne is a smallish city with architecture dating back to the middle ages.  It boasts some marvellous buildings, plenty of bars and restaurants selling - you guessed it, Champagne - and there's an easy kind of feel about the place, possibly because the people drink so much bubbly stuff.  In fact, even though I haven't actually had a glass of it myself, I felt so good here I decided to stay another night.  My hosts at the Petite Reverie are tremendously nice people and I highly recommend a stay here if you happen to be in the area.

Market day in Chalons en Champagne

On a different note, I seem to have lost my enthusiasm for a trip that was intended as a joint venture and I feel very tired now - perhaps the fatigue that was there all along and is now being felt, and the the proverbial air is gone from my tyres, the chain is off the sprocket... you know what I mean, so home it may be for me.  Tomorrow will be the deciding day for that.

The French Posties use motor assisted Bicycles

Today's Lunch

Given all this, I will likely go off line now and blog no more until the next adventure or misadventure, as the case may be.  Thanks to all of you for reading and for your comments, both public and private.  Until next time, a bientot!

Martigny Courpierre to Val de Vesle

A good night's sleep in the yurt at Martigny Courpierre helped us get a reasonable start on the day.  Cycling on small roads and green ways, we were soon in Champagne country and the crops shifted from beets to grapes in short order.

Both Alison and I dislike large cities and so our intent was to stay out of Reims and move on to Verzelay or Verzy for the night.  On the outskirts of Reims, I had the good fortune to spot a Decathlon Store - this the sporting goods mega store in France.  After about 15 minutes of power shopping I emerged with new socks and touques for us both and some new gloves and super mega-padded cycling shorts for me.

We hadn't booked ahead for accommodation so it was largely on faith that we would find a place for the night.  The approach to Verzelay was hilly and on arrival there, we could find no where to stay.  Never mind, Verzy had lots of places advertised... more hills and nothing there either.   Not to mention no real food all day.  At our last stop in Verzy the kind proprietress called a few places and found a Chambre d'hôte 4 km across the highway at Val de Vesle.  By the time we arrived, I was spent entirely and suffering badly from not having eaten or drunk much for the preceding 80km.

And so... Val de Vesle is where we ended our day as well as our tour together.  People are complex creatures to start with - add emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, hunger and bit of uncertainty to the mix and you have a recipe for... well, you know.  So... Alison will continue on a journey of her own and I am going to continue on the VF at least as far as Bescanson before returning to Ireland.  This is not what I had planned for, but then life is like that and we have to just keep rolling along and try to learn from the experience.

The one thing I am reminded of again and again in these treks is that you never know what exactly is around the next corner...  Hopefully it's something worthwhile.

Trefcon to Laon... and on to Martigny Courpierre

After a really good sleep at the Val d'Omignon Equestrian Centre - about 10 hours worth - and a big refuel breakfast we were on the road by 0900, under clear skies.

An early morning coffee stop

By 1200 we had cycled the 60 k were in Laon, which was not levelled in the 1st world war, as many towns were in this area.  Laon sits high on a hill and it was a big grind getting up there, but we made it without blowing out our knees.  Laon is a walled city that boasts a medieval cathedral, built between 1100 and 1200.  The catheral is apparently one of the best examples of gothic architecture of the time.  The cathedral was closed when we arrived so we satisfied ourselves with gazing at it with a coffee at a cafe across the plaza. 

Lunch at the Flea Market

Laon Cathedral

At Laon we had hoped to stay at a hotel in the old quarter but we did not find anything and had booked something less expensive on the outskirts of the city.  However...when we got there the room was not habitable for me - it was loaded with chemical air freshener and I had to get out.  Fatigue played into our decision-making or lack of.  There were other hotels in the area but we decided to keep moving to the next town, Cheret, where there was a Chambre d'hôte.  However... when we arrived there no one was home, so on we went.

Our Yurt for the Night

The extra mileage was not anticipated and I was feeling quite badly about making the change, but about 10km further down the road we came round a corner to discover L'asseitte du Terroir Le Moulin Bertrand, where there were Yurts (yes I said Yurts) for us to stay in, a bar with beer and dinner.  This was more than I could have hoped for and after about 85km for the day, we were both more than ready for something good.

Yurt Interior

 The proprietor had imported his 6 yurts from Mongolia.  It was a most charming type of home for the night and like a gift from above.  Sometimes it is difficult to trust that the right thing will happen and when one is tired, hungry and dehydrated faith can fly out the window.  But at least in this case, it seemed to work out fine.

Arras to Trefcon

Further to my report that Bernadette had been left into Veloland for assistance with her rear brakes, I am happy to report that Veloland man did a super job eliminating her squeaks and he fixed the kickstand as well - all for only 10 euro.

I very much enjoyed my soak in the tub at the hotel last night (first bath in months) but oddly, I did not sleep well and neither did Alison.  Still, this morning we were up early, taking full advantage of the truly excellent breakfast buffet at the Ibis and on the road by about 0900.

Up to now, Alison has had the full responsibility and pressure for navigating our route with the GPS.  But this morning on our way out of Arras we finally saw the first Via Francigena way-marker.  On previous trips I have relied heavily on way-markers, so it was good to finally see one and it helped me to feel not quite so helpless in navigating our route.   Now I can make at least a meagre contribution to our journey by watching for signs.

The First VF Waymarkers

Our route today took us about 75 km over very pleasant country and on superb roads.  And, aside from being fatigued, I feel surprisingly good considering the distance.  I'm hoping that with another few days in the saddle my butt chafing, aches and pains will be a thing of the past and that I will be able to maintain the longer rids.

Taking a Butt and Fuel break

Alison tells me we burned over 2000 calories today - no wonder I felt a strong need to refuel myself with snacks on a regular basis.

Alison beside the Canal

This evening we are installed at Le Val D'Omignon Equestrian Centre and Chambre D'Hote.  It's all very horsey, as equestrian centres tend to be, but pleasant enough.  And the family who operate this business are warm and welcoming - the most important thing.  No suggestions of waywardness here!

Tomorrow we'll try for a similar distance, heading for the town of Laon all being well.  But at the moment I can smell the dinner being made and it's difficult to think much beyond that.  May 7:30 pm come very soon...

Amettes to Arras

After a rest yesterday afternoon, we visited the local church and musee of St Benoit.  There were even a few relics - in this case it was St Benoit's worn shoes, which is entirely appropriate given his apparent wanderlust.  Here are a couple of photos from that experience.

St Benoit at varying stages of his life

Last night we had a nice meal with the Gevas family - all food from their farm and very tasty it was.  This morning was no different - left over plum tart was a feature at the breakfast table for me, along with endless slices of toast, Mme Gevas's homemade preserves and coffee.

Le Petit Dejeuner

At 42.3 km, it was not such a physically demanding day today and lets just say that the parts that connect to the saddle and the knees are feeling ok.  I am tired however, and glad that we didn't try to ride on as we almost did.

Aside from a few fairly steep hills the route today was relatively uneventful.  There were some oddly perfect pyramid like hills along the way - I can only assume since this was mining country, they were man made.  The roads here are very quiet and the traffic is minimal until one gets close to a major centre like Arras, where we are now.

Oddly Symmetrical Hills

The real excitement began when we arrived here in Arras.  The plazas were loaded with sound equipment and carnival rides - never a good thing in my books.   Then we had tremendous difficulty finding the home of Madame Bonnal, with whom we were to stay, pre-arranged by our hostess in Amettes, Madame Gevas.  Madame Bonnal said she could not take us in after all, and sent us to another place, which turned out to be some sort of home for wayward girls.  No Madame Bonnal - just because we are on bicycles does not mean we are wayward girls, and there is no need for an intervention.  And furthermore, even if we were wayward girls we couldn't really get into much trouble anyway - we're too tired.

Anyhow... to make ourselves feel better we checked to a real hotel - the nice people at the Arras Ibis did not look at us strangely, the room has a bathtub in the room and there is a courtyard for the bikes.

Bernadette has rather a noisy squeak in her back wheel (not unlike her owner) around the brakes so I have left her into Veloland so they can have a look at her.  Veloland man was somewhat cool in his reception - perhaps wayward girls with their Canadian bikes don't measure up to French standards?  Anyhow, I think the brakes are just out of alignment - hopefully aloof bike man can fix her up without a big bill.

Tomorrow it looks as though it might rain - a 60% chance of precipitation and 60 km to encounter it.  Chances are...

Bergues to Amettes, France

If I thought my butt and nether regions were a bit sore yesterday, today I can safely say it's all really quite tender.... There doesn't seem to be any easy resolution to the discomfort I feel, particularly since there seem to be blisters involved - all I can say is I hope that I become acclimatized to the saddle, sooner than later.  And while I'm busy whining I might as well mention that my knees aren't all that happy either.  The odd thing is that none of these things troubled me much during my training rides, but maybe it was because I was stopping frequently for chats and coffees and did not have 15 kg of gear with me.

A lunch stop in beautiful Cassel

Lunch

In any case, we covered 61 km today over mostly flat terrain.  I think we'll need at least a week of this distance to build the stamina we need to do longer rides, though I must say Alison seems to be faring better than me in this regard.  I put it down to her super duper bike, but perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that she is a former Ironman triathelete and she knows how to go the distance without fading or wingeing like her companion?

The yard at Mme Gevas's

Regardless, we are here in Amettes, at a lovely Chambre d'Hôte in the home of Colette and Jean-baptiste Gevas.  The hospitality here will likely be unparalleled, and so we have to remember that we are being spoiled.  Madame Gevas is doing our laundry for us and making our dinner and this will not happen again in the near future.  It smells fantastic (not the laundry, but the meal) but it's still 3 hours away.

Amettes is the birthplace of St Benoit Labre, who was himself a pilgrim, rejected by the trappists when he wanted to be a monk, and spent his life roaming to holy sites in Europe.  He is said to have made over 130 cures, levitated and multiplied loaves of bread.  Ironically, he died of malnutrition at the age of 35.  We should really go and pay homage to him at the church, but I'm not sure that either of us have the energy this evening.

Tomorrow, we'll have a shorter (yes please) but hillier (if that's a word) ride to the large-ish town of Arras.  There, I will visit a bike shop (my brakes are constantly squeaking) and Decathlon, a sporting goods mega store, where I will buy another pair of cycling shorts with lots more padding, and a pair of rain pants - just to add a bit more weight to my panniers!

But for now, I think I'll follow Alison's lead once again, and head to my bunk for a nap before dinner.