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Despite not cycling, we manage to eat a hearty breakfast, a three-course lunch and a giant cake before eating dinner in a Provençal restaurant. Delicious raw salmon pâté with dill then chicken cooked in grapes with a tomato based sauce. A crème brûlée with fried banana completes the meal. We don't leave until 9:30 but that allows us to avoid the morning traffic. Just as well since it is a challenge getting out of Dijon to the north. However, we live to tell the tale. Once again we miss having a functioning compass as the day is very cloudy. A day of contrasts. After about 5 miles, we emerge from the ugly suburbs of Dijon onto quiet farmland on the exceedingly flat Burgundian plain. Land and sky stretch for miles and miles in all directions and one can imagine placing a spirit-level anywhere on the soil and finding it perfectly balanced. We make excellent time in this part of the journey (15-20 mph) and it feels as though we are flying through the series of villages. The wind is behind us and there are no hills to climb. After about 25 miles we start encountering small rises in the land which become gentle undulations. During the day we see dozens of eagles, dropping and soaring and kestrels hovering and diving. Green woodpeckers fly low over the tarmac while swallows, ravens, magpies, wrens and herons decorate the sky. It is amazingly quiet, not just because of the lack of traffic but also because other human noises are absent (apart from the whirring of our bike tires). Eventually, the threatening grey skies burst open and we arrive in Langres in the rain. Langres (birthplace of Diderot) is said to be one of the most beautiful towns in France - well, this weather will put that to the test. The three star hotel is fully booked so we check into the two star hotel which is fully booked by 7pm that evening. Glad we arrived in time! The rain stops about the time we have washed ourselves and our clothes so we have a tour of the town via a walk along the 2000 year old ramparts. We pass the 1st century Roman gate and walk along the fortifications which have been patched up over the years. The later 11th century cathedral is a perfect example of "Burgundian Romanesque style". The archways and nave are on two tiers divided by Roman columns. A beautifully formed Renaissance house is next to the cloisters and the glassed-in public library. Shame about the traffic which is the only blot on this lovely town. The fairies known to live in the areas we cycled through the day before were never seen and we weren't visited by the witch who soils other people's laundry - or maybe she thought there was no point! Dinner with many German, Dutch and a few British people last night. Less chance of that in Joinville where all the local farmers have come in from around the country to the market full of the most unpromising and tacky merchandise. It could be a largish market town in deepest Kentucky, except that one might be surprised by the 16th century church steeple which towers over the town. The town is bisected by the Marne River and the Marne Canal. Renaissance houses line the water way and baskets of flowers decorate the bridges. Getting here has taken some time but then we have gone over 60 miles. The first 47 are up hill and down dale, through the valley of the Marne. Rather exhausting but stunningly beautiful countryside. Cowherds, both female, lead their cattle across the roads. There is a brief nod in our direction but all attention is on the large mass of rambling cattle. We have breakfast looking down from the top of the dam in St Ciergues. So quiet and lovely. There is a smooth blue lake on one side while on the other one looks down dizzyingly onto tall thin aspen turning a shade of reddish orange covered in pale green lichens. From Brottes to Bologne we pass by hideous factories and unplanned modern hamlets - an unpleasant contrast to the earlier part of the day. We then get onto the canal towpath, off limits (according to the sign) to anyone not in possession of municipal authorisation D62.36.62… We enjoy the flat smooth ride all the way into Joinville, enjoying the countryside at leisure. Pastures and cows on one side and gently rising hills on the other. It is very idyllic until we suddenly emerge into Joinville full of cars and people. The hotel has two stars but more for its restaurant than its barely functional rooms. However the family is very friendly and they ask us lots of questions about cycling. They find out that cyclists have a good appetite as we have no problems consuming a ½ pound each of a selection of poultry livers cooked in onions. Delicious. This is followed by salmon in a cream sauce, carrots, leeks and potatoes. Local cheeses are followed by a light pear sorbet. This is our fifth day of cycling over 60 miles. Even though it doesn't seem any easier, there is no need for a nap when we arrive, so we must be fitter. Just as well, since there's no time for one: arrive between 4 and 5pm, wash - selves and clothes - sort out the maps for the next day, and record the route. Thick mist along the canal and river Marne makes the start of the day around 8:30 very cold. Flat roads along farmland and through forests for the first 20 miles until the land begins to ascend and descend, gently at first and more dramatically by the end of the day. There is welcome sunshine, once the mist has cleared and a cooling NE breeze. This takes us along quiet roads, past friendly locals tending their flower shrouded villages. We go along the Marne, the Saulx, the Aisne, the Ornains and Suize rivers until we arrive in Sainte Menehould, the home of pigs' trotters. It is also known as the town where Louis XVI was arrested in his attempt to escape from France and is the birthplace of Baudelaire's father. It is an attractive town with two huge squares lined by monumental 16th century buildings. It is much prettier than Joinville, as is our hotel which is covered in vines with window boxes overflowing with flowers and grapes. All for only £24/$35! Dinner is in a dining room with a fireplace recorded in a poem by Victor Hugo. Thinking of Hugo, we enjoy our chicken pâté with raspberry vinegar followed by a duck in a cream and wine sauce. Carrot soufflé, stuffed courgettes and potatoes accompany the main course. Dessert is an large bowl of strawberries topped by a delicious crème brûlée sauce. Amazingly, we awake hungry. A sunny blue sky becomes misty as we climb up into cornfields and pastures dotted with pale coloured cows. As we approach Valmy (known for a battle in 1792 in which the revolutionary army defeated the Prussians), I can see how a battle might have been fought in this open and undulating land. Soon we see signs of other wars, a French cemetery and signposting for an American cemetery. The wind is behind us and we seem to fly along at 15mph heading NE for Reims. A road which turns into a dirt path (a short stretch after Somme-Bionne) does its best to slow us down but soon we are back on a paved road. Fortunately we see a food van parked along the road at la Croix-en-Champagne. We reach it just before it takes off and manage to buy some yogurt, ham and pastries. Yesterday, as we went through part of Lorraine, I had noticed that the towns were full of shops, unlike those of the Champagne region. Now, back in Champagne, I wondered what people did - the answer is these small vans offering canned goods, fresh breads, meats and cheese. The vans go through the villages honking their horn and stopping every ½ a kilometre. Very friendly and with normal prices. I was pleased to catch up with this roaming grocery store. Later in the day we reach the vineyards of Champagne. The land, though it seems steep on a bike, is more gently undulating then the Jura Mountain vineyards. The other difference is the obvious wealth of the nearby towns in Champagne and the mileposts arranged along the vineyards which mark out all the well-known names. We climb yet again, the Montagne de Reims, with views from the top of a very big city. It is a 4-mile ride to the centre and we are grateful it is a Sunday with little traffic. The Cathedral is amazing - covered in larger-than-life statues with giant gargoyles. The height of the cathedral is more clearly seen from the interior where there are even more statues in the niche covered walls. The beautiful glow from the stained glass complements the soaring stone interior. A more than usually pedestrianised town centre is relaxing to walk through. We have dinner and stay in a hotel which we visited briefly a few years ago when we were returning to Paris on the train from Charleville on a Rimbaud investigative tour. Reims cathedral is lost in the mist when we leave this morning. The perfectly geometrical planting of poplar trees form an interesting picture with the mist swirling between plantings. Swallows gather, swoop and dive as we stop to eat breakfast. We cross the Aisne again. This time it is wider but just as muddy as the day before. Grape harvesting is in full swing with Romany caravans (most with satellite dishes) lining the tracks between the vineyards. Huge harvesting machines of various shapes clamber down the road beside us. There is a surprising number of cornfields, now denuded and being covered in manure, in this region, but we realise this is what keeps the prices high for champagne wines. The mist never clears while we are cycling so we miss the views from the ridgeways and hilltops (one at over 13% which we both zip up). Then we start seeing Laon Cathedral on the skyline, shining in the emerging sunshine above the plain we will soon climb out of up a well graded road to the crescent shaped promontory which houses this lovely town where everything in the ville haute is classed a "historic monument". We enter through the 12th century gate and go up to the Cathedral, seeing its spires over the rooftops of 15th, 16 and 17th century houses and shops. A three star hotel which Champfleury mentions in a novel (he was born and grew up in Laon) adds to our literary connections. We sip a hot chocolate while sitting outside on the square facing the Cathedral. It is reminiscent of Reims with its equally fantastic exterior. Huge stone oxen stand proudly leaning over the top towers and Mary looks down from on high. It is a 12th century structure, a predecessor for Reims and Notre Dame de Paris. There are many unique features - the galleries, the transept and 12th century strained-glass windows (the Rose Window has motifs signifying each of the Liberal Arts). A face of Jesus painted on wood is on view with the letter dated July 3rd 1245 describing this gift from Rome. We walk along the Ramparts and see other sights in this wonderful town. There are many amazing places for sale but cars park on the sidewalk and narrow roads with no sidewalks are used by cars which go thundering down the cobbled streets regardless of pedestrians. You have to plaster yourself to the wall to prevent getting hit! However, we manage to get to and from the restaurant in our hotel where we eat a lovely salmon roulade with herb dressing, duck with broiled peaches followed by strawberries in a chocolate basket with cream. Everyone in the dining room appears to be British or American. The concierge tells us about the last visit of the Tour de France, 15 or so years ago. Heavy mist again so we miss views of Soissons. The D17 after Epagny takes us into wooded hollows and lovely valleys. Each village and hamlet has a public wash house, now unused but maintained by the local community. The towns become wealthier and we pass more chateaux. At a lunch stop we are noticed by the local school bus driver who is on his lunch break. He asks, "Professionnels?" when he finds out we have cycled up from Montpellier. He seems serious! (If he knew how long it took us...) He admires the bikes, noticing everything from the gears to the brake-pads, and asks Graham quite a few questions about their construction. Somewhere on a high plain on a tiny road near Mareuil, which is east of Epagny, we complete our thousandth mile. Compiegne Forest, which we have cycled through before from a different direction, is as refreshingly green and open as before. This time we see a stag ambling across the road. We take the time to stop in the clearing (which wasn't a clearing at the time) where the Armistice was signed at the of World War I (and where the French surrendered to the Germans in 1940). The railway car is closed on Tuesdays so we don't see much more than a disused rail line. The woods, full of beech and oak, are enjoyed at varying speeds as we attempt to avoid the roads around Compiegne. This requires trudging through the woods for about a mile (we should have just braved the traffic for a couple of miles) before finding the bike track but it is a lovely autumnal day and we have plenty of time - or so we think. We arrive and first try the hotel we stayed in last time but find it is full, as is every other hotel in town. Finally we find a single room which is normally used as a seminar room (one wall is all glass and ideal for an exhibitionist - it looks out onto the street) in a BestWestern hotel. Not ideal but affordable and plenty big. We have a good dinner at the hotel we knew before (Rôtisserie du Chat qui Tourne - under new management) and enjoy a salmon salad followed by grilled salmon and then pears in caramel sauce. Nine hours on the bike and eight hours of rain summarise the day. We have cycled 69 of the planned 75 miles. We make it to Gournay-en-Bray, cold and wet. Our only sightseeing has been a brief eating stop under cover of the ancient market hall in Gerberoy, one of the "100 prettiest villages" in France. Its vine-covered houses in a hilltop setting with views over the countryside explain the award. (Often, however, other villages in the vicinity of these "Plus Beaux Villages" are just as pretty and attract fewer tourists.) Unfortunately, it is Wednesday so the hotel and restaurant are shut. This forces us back onto the muck covered roads and we arrive at the hotel in Gournay, wet and covered in filth. The town is unremarkable but we find a good restaurant and shower! Rain has disappeared as we wake up late - 8:20 - the clock has decided it is tired as well. By the time the bikes are clean and we are fed, yet again, it is 10am and the traffic jam has long since disappeared from this small town. The hints of lovely views from the day before are now realised in the sunshine with blue sky overhead. A warm autumnal air adds to the promised loveliness of the "pays de Bray". Farms originally built in the 16th -18th century are well maintained with neat kitchen gardens bordered by masses of flowers. Contented black-eyed cows watch us cycle by as they munch on emerald green pastures. The locals are very friendly and wave from their front porch. "Bonjour" is called out from the roadside and drivers leave masses of room. The roads are quiet, the wind is behind us and the terrain is easy until Forges-les-Eaux but not too difficult even after that. It may be a sign of fitness that I am coping well with only 6 gears since the bike, like the clock, has decided enough is enough! Only the middle set of gears is working so I am glad there are no extreme hills even though there are some steep gradients which make me wish I had a few more gears. I feel terribly emotional as we near and then enter Dieppe, our final French destination after over 1800 kilometres and 1100miles of cycling. We find a hotel overlooking the sea and pay a bit extra to have a view and a balcony. The splendor of the blue/green sea, so different from the deep blue of the Mediterranean, is reason enough to enjoy, at last, a glass of champagne! We've done it - and we enjoyed it! Postscript 1 Friday, 28th September: At 12:30 we are in the queue for the catamaran with one other touring cyclist who has been away for 80 days cycling up from Barcelona. A smooth run with nice views of the sparkling water. Newhaven rail station is less than ½ mile from the port so no problems getting the 14:42 to Lewes. Change there, then again at Gatwick. Standing with our bikes all the way but no reservation fee to pay. Home by 7pm. Garden provides us with dinner. Postscript 2: Accommodation For the first time this year we tried out some Chambres d'hôte which are very upmarket B&Bs (like those in the USA). The people running them don't seem to need the money but that doesn't mean they are cheap. Rivalling UK prices at 40-47 pounds per night for two people. Cash only, no credit cards, breakfast is served from 9am or later (you are supposed to be on holiday if you stay in these places!). It is nice to stay in large elegant private homes but you have to make other arrangements for dinner. It helps relieve "hotel fatigue". Twice, we found hotels closed for the season or closed on Sundays and Mondays. Otherwise, pre-booking seems unnecessary even though we only just managed to get the last room in one place (after cycling 52 miles) and were lucky to find a one star hotel open in another town (after cycling 62 miles). Size of room, quality of décor, cleanliness, quality of bathroom facilities rarely had much connection with the price even though the £16 hotel room did have large slabs of wallpaper peeling off in the bathroom and the dustiest mirror ever seen on a landing. We've had our own terrace, a balcony, views of 11th century storage barns and a view of olives being harvested by a family. |