Friday, October 29th
Avignon to Montpellier 110km
Today the weather was sunny and got progressively windier and grayer. Amie and Erin rode their bikes, McKayla took a train (still ill). Erin listened to Jack Johnson and Guster while riding, Amie listened to her entire iPod on shuffe, McKayla did not listen to anything. That's about it, we ate some snacks and saw a lot of French farmland It was pretty boring. Montpellier has a lovely town center (just like all others). There is more poverty in Montpellier however. The hostel was awful, we shared bunk beds with middle-aged homeless women. We ate pizza and ice cream for dinner. Yay.
Saturday, October 30th
Montpellier to Perpignan via train
Today the weather was pouring rain. Amie and Erin and McKayla took a train to Perpignan. Amie wants you to know that the train was free because no one was checking tickets due to the striking (and not because we pulled any crazy turn-stile jumping moves). We bought a map of spain and a new camera chip, so pictures will be happening again. For dinner we microwaved vegetables and lentils and soup. The hotel is cheap and modern. Tonight we will finally enjoy a Religiuese before leaving france, tomorrow we will go to Spain if the weather cooperates. Goodnight.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
"Guess what?! Breakfast is included tomorrow." "YESSSSSSS"
Wednesday, October 27th
Valence, France to Avignon, France 147km
We got a bit of a late start this morning, after a sleep in and usual long breakfast we ran into some bike troubles. We thought our pump was broken (its been on the fritz for a few weeks now), but upon going to a nearby bike shop and getting our tires filled by an air compressor pump, we realized Amie just had a flat tire (which she promptly changed in the amount of time it took me, Erin, to get my tires filled by the air compressor). By 11am we were on the road, following the Rhone river south. The sun was out and we had a nice tail wind, we cruised through the first 50km in under two hours.
We stopped outside Montalier to eat lunch at a playground where we made a new friend, Valentin. He was about 6 years old and we learned he was on "fete" from school (they have a two week school vacation right now). He likes basketball (more than biking) and his dad drives a tractor. It was a bit depressing realizing we could barely hold a conversation in French with a six year old.
We navigated te rest of the to Avignon like old pros. I felt really strong, I was worried that two weeks without any serious bike touring would take its toll, but instead it left my biking muscles well rested. It was a good day for a 150km (90 mile) ride, the longest yet of our tour (and my farthest day ride by 10 miles). However, we thought the ride was going to be shorter (we didn't really look at the map scale too closely) so it was getting dark as we approached our hostel. Seeing the sun set across the Rhone was beautiful and seeing the chateaus of Avignon all lit up was a wonderful way to end the day. Plus, exercising at dusk, especially when tired, gave me intense nostalgic feelings of fall ski practice. At school we are always fighting the sunset, trying to get in another 10 minutes of rollerskiing before dark. However, at school we also always go to Thorne dining hall for dinner right after practice. We were quite hungry upon our arrival (hence Amie's ecstatic exclamation to hearing we would get breakfast included in the morning). We whipped up a delicious chili to top off the day, we're getting pretty good at this...
Thursday, October 28th
Avignon layover ride 50km
Another beautiful, sunny morning. Unfortunately McKayla woke up feeling very sick (we've all been battling little colds for the past few days). We attempted to get her on a train to Sommieres,where we intended on biking for the day. However, due to the strikes there was absolutely no way for her to get to Sommieres (or Nimes, or Montpellier, or Marseille) with her bike today. Too ill to even bike back to the hostel where we stayed last night, we found a cheap hotel right next to the train station and checked in so McKayla could go back to sleep. Amie and I did a loop along the Rhone again, it was warm enough to ride in a t-shirt today for the first time in 3 weeks! Although I woke up this morning amped to bike tour again (I wasn't even sore from yesterday, not even my sit bones!!), it was probably a good thing we didn't ride all the way to Sommieres. I didn't realize how tired I was until we got going, so Amie and I just leisurely enjoyed our 50km ride.
When we rode back into town there was a strike occuring in the city; at first I was nervous it would be unsafe. However, the strike was very civil and reminded me more of a parade than the riot I was expecting. There was music and marching and lots of police supervision. Afterwards we explored Avignon. The downtown area is surrounded completely by a large fortress, anyone know the history?! It's very unique and has a charming feel. We cooked up some vegie soup for dinner and then enjoyed fresh pastries for dessert. I got a chocolate mousse thing dipped in more chocolate with bits of chocolate cake, it was scrumptious. We were looking for a Religiouse, a favorite of my friend Grace, but we were unsuccessful in finding one... we'll have to try again, darn.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring us, we'll have to see how McKayla is feeling and if the trains are running again!
Valence, France to Avignon, France 147km
We got a bit of a late start this morning, after a sleep in and usual long breakfast we ran into some bike troubles. We thought our pump was broken (its been on the fritz for a few weeks now), but upon going to a nearby bike shop and getting our tires filled by an air compressor pump, we realized Amie just had a flat tire (which she promptly changed in the amount of time it took me, Erin, to get my tires filled by the air compressor). By 11am we were on the road, following the Rhone river south. The sun was out and we had a nice tail wind, we cruised through the first 50km in under two hours.
We stopped outside Montalier to eat lunch at a playground where we made a new friend, Valentin. He was about 6 years old and we learned he was on "fete" from school (they have a two week school vacation right now). He likes basketball (more than biking) and his dad drives a tractor. It was a bit depressing realizing we could barely hold a conversation in French with a six year old.
We navigated te rest of the to Avignon like old pros. I felt really strong, I was worried that two weeks without any serious bike touring would take its toll, but instead it left my biking muscles well rested. It was a good day for a 150km (90 mile) ride, the longest yet of our tour (and my farthest day ride by 10 miles). However, we thought the ride was going to be shorter (we didn't really look at the map scale too closely) so it was getting dark as we approached our hostel. Seeing the sun set across the Rhone was beautiful and seeing the chateaus of Avignon all lit up was a wonderful way to end the day. Plus, exercising at dusk, especially when tired, gave me intense nostalgic feelings of fall ski practice. At school we are always fighting the sunset, trying to get in another 10 minutes of rollerskiing before dark. However, at school we also always go to Thorne dining hall for dinner right after practice. We were quite hungry upon our arrival (hence Amie's ecstatic exclamation to hearing we would get breakfast included in the morning). We whipped up a delicious chili to top off the day, we're getting pretty good at this...
Thursday, October 28th
Avignon layover ride 50km
Another beautiful, sunny morning. Unfortunately McKayla woke up feeling very sick (we've all been battling little colds for the past few days). We attempted to get her on a train to Sommieres,where we intended on biking for the day. However, due to the strikes there was absolutely no way for her to get to Sommieres (or Nimes, or Montpellier, or Marseille) with her bike today. Too ill to even bike back to the hostel where we stayed last night, we found a cheap hotel right next to the train station and checked in so McKayla could go back to sleep. Amie and I did a loop along the Rhone again, it was warm enough to ride in a t-shirt today for the first time in 3 weeks! Although I woke up this morning amped to bike tour again (I wasn't even sore from yesterday, not even my sit bones!!), it was probably a good thing we didn't ride all the way to Sommieres. I didn't realize how tired I was until we got going, so Amie and I just leisurely enjoyed our 50km ride.
When we rode back into town there was a strike occuring in the city; at first I was nervous it would be unsafe. However, the strike was very civil and reminded me more of a parade than the riot I was expecting. There was music and marching and lots of police supervision. Afterwards we explored Avignon. The downtown area is surrounded completely by a large fortress, anyone know the history?! It's very unique and has a charming feel. We cooked up some vegie soup for dinner and then enjoyed fresh pastries for dessert. I got a chocolate mousse thing dipped in more chocolate with bits of chocolate cake, it was scrumptious. We were looking for a Religiouse, a favorite of my friend Grace, but we were unsuccessful in finding one... we'll have to try again, darn.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring us, we'll have to see how McKayla is feeling and if the trains are running again!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Reunited
Amie and I (Erin) were able to make it to Valence, France to meet up with McKayla today! Our original plan was to meet up in Marseille tomorrow, but due to the train strike, oil strikes in Marseile, and other circumstances we really wanted to get to McKayla today. Amie got into Lutry with just enough time to hug Nadine and Jerry and grab her bike before we headed back to the train station. We made it to Genevia without a problem, but then our next train to Valence was cancelled. We hitched another train to Lyon and then were able to get a train to Valence (it was late and slow, but we made it!).
We were all very happy to see each other again. Our time apart has made us realize how lucky we are to be traveling together. Plus we keep saying how excited we are to get back into the bike touring routine. Tomorrow we'll bike to Avignon and then we'll make our way southwest toward Spain.
We were all very happy to see each other again. Our time apart has made us realize how lucky we are to be traveling together. Plus we keep saying how excited we are to get back into the bike touring routine. Tomorrow we'll bike to Avignon and then we'll make our way southwest toward Spain.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Almost like sailing (123 km) Lyon to Valence
Hi all, I'm going to keep this blogpost brief because I'm thoroughly exhausted from a long day, but I just wanted to fill everyone in on our whereabouts and plans.
I spent the day riding downwind along the Rhone from Lyon to Valence. With the wind at my back, I felt like my bike had a motor. I hit 60km/h on several flat sections (that is faster than my usual downhill speed), and I exceeded the driving speed limit in a few towns! I honestly felt like I was sailing on a run with the wind propelling me forward as I pedaled just for kicks. I think my arms might be sore tomorrow because I had to continually brace myself when huge gusts almost blew me over. I watched the kilometers fly by on my computer, and I made it to Valence by mid-afternoon. When I crossed the bridge over the Rhone before entering the center of Valence, the wind was so powerful that I had to walk my bike. I started biking across, but soon realized that I would surely fall over if I kept biking. I had trouble keeping balance even as I walked. A woman was walking her dog ahead of me, and the dog could barely move because he/she was being pushed into the railing along the bridge (she eventually started running just to get it over with). I've never biked in such strong winds!
Erin couldn't make it to Valence today because of the French train strikes, so she and Amie will meet me here tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to riding with them again!
All the best, McKayla
I spent the day riding downwind along the Rhone from Lyon to Valence. With the wind at my back, I felt like my bike had a motor. I hit 60km/h on several flat sections (that is faster than my usual downhill speed), and I exceeded the driving speed limit in a few towns! I honestly felt like I was sailing on a run with the wind propelling me forward as I pedaled just for kicks. I think my arms might be sore tomorrow because I had to continually brace myself when huge gusts almost blew me over. I watched the kilometers fly by on my computer, and I made it to Valence by mid-afternoon. When I crossed the bridge over the Rhone before entering the center of Valence, the wind was so powerful that I had to walk my bike. I started biking across, but soon realized that I would surely fall over if I kept biking. I had trouble keeping balance even as I walked. A woman was walking her dog ahead of me, and the dog could barely move because he/she was being pushed into the railing along the bridge (she eventually started running just to get it over with). I've never biked in such strong winds!
Erin couldn't make it to Valence today because of the French train strikes, so she and Amie will meet me here tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to riding with them again!
All the best, McKayla
Rain = Train (after 50k of chilly biking)
Yesterday - Sunday, October 24
Today didn't go according to plan, but that tends to happen when it's cold and rainy. My goal was to bike all the way to Lyon, but about 20 km into my ride I had to take a detour up and over a mountain. This took some time as you might imagine.
I had been cruising along route D1075, following the cycling directions I had found online, until I discovered that the next route I planned to take was not at all suitable for me and my bike. I checked my map for an alternate route, turned around, and within a couple of kilometers I was biking north, about 80 degrees in the wrong direction, up "Col de la Placette." It's only a 587 meter climb, but it sure felt a lot harder than any section of Chamrousse. The rain, the cold, the weight of my panniers, and the fact that I wasn't really taking the most direct route made me anxious that I might never make it to Lyon. After conquering the grueling "col", I cruised down the other side and headed in the direction of Voiron. By the time I reached this little city, my finger and toes where completely frozen. I booked it over to the train station and hopped on the next train to Lyon.
Within an hour I was in the center of the city. I easily found my hostel in the old section of Lyon by crossing both the Rhone and Saone (a major tributary of the Rhone). The hostel is located on a steep hill that overlooks this huge beautiful city. The view is impressive even on this dreary Sunday.
I just took a nice warm shower and spread out my wet clothes on the radiator. I'm going to spend the evening making sure I know exactly where I'm going tomorrow. I'm very excited to meet up with Erin! We will spend the next few day biking to Marseilles where we will reunite with Amie!
Today didn't go according to plan, but that tends to happen when it's cold and rainy. My goal was to bike all the way to Lyon, but about 20 km into my ride I had to take a detour up and over a mountain. This took some time as you might imagine.
I had been cruising along route D1075, following the cycling directions I had found online, until I discovered that the next route I planned to take was not at all suitable for me and my bike. I checked my map for an alternate route, turned around, and within a couple of kilometers I was biking north, about 80 degrees in the wrong direction, up "Col de la Placette." It's only a 587 meter climb, but it sure felt a lot harder than any section of Chamrousse. The rain, the cold, the weight of my panniers, and the fact that I wasn't really taking the most direct route made me anxious that I might never make it to Lyon. After conquering the grueling "col", I cruised down the other side and headed in the direction of Voiron. By the time I reached this little city, my finger and toes where completely frozen. I booked it over to the train station and hopped on the next train to Lyon.
Within an hour I was in the center of the city. I easily found my hostel in the old section of Lyon by crossing both the Rhone and Saone (a major tributary of the Rhone). The hostel is located on a steep hill that overlooks this huge beautiful city. The view is impressive even on this dreary Sunday.
I just took a nice warm shower and spread out my wet clothes on the radiator. I'm going to spend the evening making sure I know exactly where I'm going tomorrow. I'm very excited to meet up with Erin! We will spend the next few day biking to Marseilles where we will reunite with Amie!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)