DAY 3 Eventually got up at 0730 and by the time I ate a banana, several Soreen GO bars and drank some water, dismantled the tent and packed the bike it was just after 0800 that I started cycling again. No aches or pains as I hardly did any cycling yesterday due to weather. Weather was cold but sun is trying to come out (please hurry up). By around 0930 the weather is still dry although a wind is starting. Road is still very smooth, no potholes and the gradients are very gentle. Some of the houses are very nice with beautiful flowers on display, animals in the gardens and the people who see you all give you a friendly wave. Not too long before I leave the Avenue Verte (cycle way) and start having to navigate by map!!!. The Avenue Verte is intended to link Paris to London with a cycle way in time for the London Olympics. I think this is a great idea and I am sure it will be well used. I passed many people who were cycling/walking the route so it is good to see it is being used. Stopped for a snack and was joined by a couple of other cyclists who were cycling from Paris to Dieppe. As talk got round to food they sampled my Go bars and thought they were terrific. The kind people at Soreen had donated some bars to me and they certainly keep me going. The other cyclists were surprised that something so good was only available in the UK and they felt it was better than the normal energy bars available (I agree) which are either too dry or too sweet. Cycling on the main roads again was an experience – they were very quiet and the French drivers were very courteous and gave me a wide berth and did not cut in on front of me – this made cycling on the roads a very pleasurable experience. The sighs and sounds were beautiful and the colours were such a joy to see and I wish I could have stopped and taken loads of photographs and to have had the time to do some painting. Most of the morning was cold, some wind and occasional showers. Lunch was an experience. Due to inability to speak French and the people in the restaurant could not speak English I settled for a plain omelette with chips (unhealthy) and a glass of red wine. I think I read somewhere that the red wine is good for the heart so I am making sure my heart has enough energy to keep it going!! I was able to refer to my French/English dictionary just to make sure I had some idea of what I was ordering. The meal arrived – the wine was fantastic, in fact it was so good I had a second glass. The omelette was black underneath and the chips were overcooked, some were very hard. What a predicament – not able to complain as no one will understand me – food not at the right standard. I decided to eat the meal and it was quite good but not as tasty as it should have been. Normally French cuisine is very good so I guess this particular chef was having a bad day. Cycled through some lovely countryside, people working in the fields – it was after lunch and I was going slow to give my food time to settle. A car came up behind me blasted its horn and a little toe-rag of a kid shouted abuse out of the window. The youngster was indicating with his fingers (I think) that I had only one or two miles until the next pub???!!! It was no surprise to see that as the car cut in sharply and disappeared at speed it had GB plates on the back. What is it about Brits abroad – why do many insist on being noisy, rude, arrogant and downright nasty. As a nation we let ourselves down – you just have to watch TV and read papers to see how we behave and the image we give to others. Why can people not remember we are visitors to another country and therefore we should behave and show respect to others. Before people write to me I am talking about all ages, not just the young and I know that more people behave than misbehave.
One of the many sites/views/churches/building that really sticks in my mind is the huge Church at St Germer de Fly – it is spectacular. This Benedictine Abbey was built in 661 by St.Germer, and flanked by the 13th century chapel of Sainte Chapelle. I wish I had some time to go inside – took many pictures and they will be on web site tonight. Thankfully the sun was shining at this time.
When I left my Granny gear on the bike stopped working which meant the hills were going to be hard work – and they were!!!
Around 1630 the rain started and was quite heavy and then would slacken to a drizzle and finally stopped at 1700. Just before 1800 the heavens opened up with a torrential thunderstorm and very strong wind – I found some shelter in a barn in a field hoping it would go off. Thunder and lightening were in the distance so I decided to cycle to the village which I thought was just about 2 miles away. When I arrived I looked like the proverbial drowned rat. A very king Frenchman signalled me over to his van only for us to discover we could not communicate.
He opened the door for me to get out of the rain and then drove me to a man who was just coming out of his house. He was Dutch but could speak some French and a little English. To cut a very long story short they phoned and organised bed and breakfast for me (also got me a discount) at a village approximately 3km away. The guy in the van drove ahead to see the people and when I finally arrived at the house the rain was just stopping. After thanking my new friend I went inside to the lovely site of a bed, shower and all mod cons – such a great feeling.
On my revised schedule I had hoped to get somewhere passed Marines before I stopped but I was still some way (20+ miles) short of that – this means that my last days cycle to Paris is going to be in the region of 65 miles and to be at the Eiffel tower by 1500 at the latest to allow me to catch the train at 1600 to take me to Calais was going to be hard.
After a cup of tea and a very hot shower I went to bed. The cycling gear was all laid out to dry hopefully by the morning.
Before sleeping I reflected on the map and comments Donald Hirsch made – 20 miles of rolling French countryside. This turns out to be 20 miles of short downhill sections followed by large uphill sections and in a couple of places very steep hills. This route is certainly showing off the beauty of the French countryside, and allowing me to enjoy the odd site of people as I cycle through small villages and the occasional shouted friendly greeting and wishes of good luck.
More to follow
Take care and stay safe.
Fascinating to follow your adventures Don. Sorry about the hills - I admit that some people I cycle with seem to interpret my definition of "rolling" as "mountainous". It's all in the eye of the beholder and dont forget that the downhills must mathematically add up to the uphills! The only other thing I can say in my defence is that other routes to Paris I've seen described use the Seine Valley where the tough hills definitely make these look rolling by comparison!
Donald