March 3 - 7 - Across France in 14 Days - Brittany to Switzerland
March 3 - Huelgoat to St. Brieuc
James' parents contributed greatly to the pleasantness of our stay so a HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU TWO!!!!!
Bicyclette eager to head off, despite the extra 4.5 kg of gear which will be shed in Switzerland. Cannot wait! Soo heavy!
And yes, did we ever feel every ounce of luggage that day. After literally living a couch potato lifestyle for three months, the hilly up-and-down landscape of France's outermost tip sure gives those muscles a painful wakeup call.....and just over 100 km of it too. We got to stay with that nice family again near St. Brieuc who makes delicious bread with heritage wheat varieties which they grow themselves. We had a pleasant evening exchanging more travel stories from all over the world.
THANK YOU LAURA AND FRANCOIS FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY AND FRIENDSHIP. IT WAS SO GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN. GOOD LUCK WITH THE SHEEP CHEESE AND THE HOUSE HUNT!
March 4 - St. Brieuc to Mont St. Michel
Another long but gorgeous day. We took a small detour through a town called Dinan. It has a wonderful, historic downtown, of which we only got to see a little bit because we were on a tight schedule, unfortunately. We really should have arranged for some accommodation here and made the trip to Mont St. Michel in two days instead of one. So, if any of you ever head out to this part of the world, Dinan is definitely worth a stop. Below, walking through the streets of Dinan.
Three months ago when we rode from Paris to James' parents' house, we came by Mont St. Michel but the days were too short then allowing no time to explore this mysterious island. This time we arrived at Mont St. Michel with hours to spare until sunset so we had a quick look around. It was quite lovely but rammed with tourists from all over the world and the small streets filled with crazy expensive shops which took away from its historic feel. But, I am still glad we got to see it, walk up to the cathedral and back down because it has still retained a lot of its charm.
March 5 & 6 - Mont St. Michel to Chateau Gontier to La Fleche
The third day was tough because our legs had finally realized that they were no longer lounging on the couch but hauling 60 lbs of luggage across the French country side, 100 km every day. Our rear ends were also rather tender at this point, not to mention the annoying head wind that loyally accompanied us all day! Needless to say, the most rewarding photo was taken that evening after we had set up camp in a kind farmer family's hay barn (above).
Next day, the weather was slightly varied and our dear headwind still had high hopes of making friends with us (no chance buddy). We had hoped to reach James' friends' place in Dissay-sous-Courcillon today but the outlook was not good. We soon agreed to reach their house a day later than anticipated. That allowed us to ride two shorter days, to rest our legs and bums a bit and not stress about the wind as much as we had before. Below, view of a chateau on the Loir River (NOT the Loire River!, that one was in the next valley)
When we got to La Flèche it started raining and because we had covered enough distance to make it to James' friends' the next day we decided to look for a camping spot. Next to some houses there was about a one acre pine grove which we thought would be good to camp in. We asked at one of the houses if they would mind us camping in the grove across the street and the older lady kindly gave us permission. So off we went into the woods and set up camp. About an hour later we heard footsteps approaching and at first we thought it may be someone coming to ask us to leave. It turned out to be the lady's daughter who came over to invite us for a hot drink, a snack and to stay in their spare bedroom. How nice!!
We packed up, moved over to the house and spent a fun evening with the family. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU ALL FOR THE WARM, DRY BED AND YOUR HOSPITALITY. IT WAS GREAT TO MEET YOU!
March 7 - La Fleche to near Aubigne-Racan
After a dry and warm night in La Flèche, we rode on towards Le Lude where we came past Château du Lude. Unfortunately we could not get the best view of it because the main gate was closed for the season but I still like the shot I got of it below.
Another gorgeous building along the way.
Further on we came past a Gallo-Roman historic site called Aubigne-Racan. There were remains of a market place, a bath house, a temple and here we are in the old theatre. It is funny to think that many hundreds of years ago roman actors recited their lines right where my bike is parked in this photo.
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