July 23-26, 2011
Well, the trip has come to a close. I leave tomorrow at 4pm and I will make sure I get to airport early. I've had 3 months to do stuff here... I don't want to risk anything.
France has been very good to me. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend 3 months. I have seen lots of the country over 5200km but there is still so much more. I hope I can come back.
Over the past three days I've seen a couple sites but mostly I've done shopping. Paris is astronomically pricey!!!!!!!! Lots of super nice stuff, but expensive. It's been interesting to try to find proper gifts. But I did it.
I also got hit by a car. Like my previous crash I got up and biked away with only scuffs and bruises. I've been very lucky.
I cant believe im gonna say it... The classic end to travel statement... Time went so fast and I wish I had more of it. However, it's nice to know I have family and friends at home.
The French people have been great. As a biker I have one suggestion... Lock up your rabid dogs.
I've had nice weather my past couple days and I'm satisfied with how it's been all trip.
Alas, thank you so much to all of you who read these past 3 months. It means a lot that you take time to read.
Goodbye France.
Until next time.
-Bryce
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Back to Paris
July 22, 2011
Today the sky's cleared. They took their time and waited till the afternoon, but right now I'm sitting under the evening sun writing this post.
Today I went to the Caen-Normandy 'Memorial' Cité de l'histoire pour la paix. I spent 5-6 hours in the museum reading through all of the information starting from the end of WW1 going all the way to the end of the Cold War. This is easily the best museum I have ever been to. There was a really good mix of information all presented in various mediums. I have never crammed so much into my brain.
The museum also featured two films in movie theaters where one showed some amazing/uncensored footage of the D-Day landings.
It completely floors me to even imagine jumping out onto the beaches that day when the gates drop in front of you and machine gun fire is coming straight at you!
The other focussed on war in general while asking for peace among nations.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Was gonna head to Paris today but my time was eaten up in the museum.
I'm heading to the gare early tmrw and will have a 2 hour train ride back to my starting point.
In Paris I will be seeing a couple more sights and making sure I'm prepared to get home. I have to get a bike box for my bike and I need to get all my gifts now because I couldn't haul anything with me.
I have already planned my return trip to France! There is just so much to see!
Today the sky's cleared. They took their time and waited till the afternoon, but right now I'm sitting under the evening sun writing this post.
Today I went to the Caen-Normandy 'Memorial' Cité de l'histoire pour la paix. I spent 5-6 hours in the museum reading through all of the information starting from the end of WW1 going all the way to the end of the Cold War. This is easily the best museum I have ever been to. There was a really good mix of information all presented in various mediums. I have never crammed so much into my brain.
The museum also featured two films in movie theaters where one showed some amazing/uncensored footage of the D-Day landings.
It completely floors me to even imagine jumping out onto the beaches that day when the gates drop in front of you and machine gun fire is coming straight at you!
The other focussed on war in general while asking for peace among nations.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Was gonna head to Paris today but my time was eaten up in the museum.
I'm heading to the gare early tmrw and will have a 2 hour train ride back to my starting point.
In Paris I will be seeing a couple more sights and making sure I'm prepared to get home. I have to get a bike box for my bike and I need to get all my gifts now because I couldn't haul anything with me.
I have already planned my return trip to France! There is just so much to see!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The price of freedom
July 20, 2011
You'll never guess what happened today!
It rained... All day.
Now I know those of you in Calgary and most of Western Canada have had your share of rain this summer. But you're not the ones camping and cycling everyday.
I waited for a break in the rain in the morning and set out. my energy level was way down and I didn't feel that motivated. I looked at my map and knew I had over 100km to do and I just didn't feel up to it.
To fix my energy level I grabbed a chocolate bar. Might not be the best in the long run but I need a kick.
To fix the distance problem I broke up my day into small goals. I would simply set my sights on the next town or two and take it from there.
Finally, after playing in the rain and climbing some sizable (which I was not expecting) I arrived on the outskirts of Caen. I followed the signs to the tourist office, grabbed my city maps and got pointed in the direction of the closest campground which was about 10km away.
After setting up I quickly went to get food and took the evening easy.
After over 5 hours in the saddle and 110km covered, sleep came easy with a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur.
July 21, 2011
After awaking to more rain today I thought I was gonna lose my mind. I think the weatherman realized this and decided to lay off.
About 10am the rain stopped and I took off for the beaches of Normandy. Today I was doing a loop so I left my stuff at camp. Once I reached the coast I first came to Sword beach which is where the British 3rd Infantry came ashore. There wasn't much there save a memorial or two so I moved on. It's been over 60 years since Operation Overlord occurred and time has taken it's toll. You can barely tell that vicious battles were fought all over the coast. There are a couple gun turrets and scars on the ground but if someone didn't know about D-Day it would simply be another resort coast.
After Sword Beach I reached Juno Beach which is where the Canadian Infantry came ashore. It is here that our countries finest bravely fought for the freedom of France and Europe. Just as everywhere else time has hidden what really happened here but the only Canadian Museum in the area called Centre Juno Beach has saved a small piece. Upon arrival there is an old German bunker and other contraptions from the war spread around. Juno beach is also where General Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill came ashore shortly after the landings.
The museum is run by Canadian students and I felt very welcome inside. The girl who helped me at the front desk had just graduates from the U of A. There was a tour of the beach happening so I got a ticket for that as well as the museum. The tour of the beach was great and it really brought the scene to life... Especially touring a part of the German bunker.
The museum was also great and I loved hearing all of the Canadian stories!
It ate up pretty much all my day so I turned around back to camp. I would have loved to see Utah and 'Bloody Omaha' beach but they were a ways away. Maybe some other time...
It is really moving what happened here that long time ago. I was proud to see my flag waving every couple hundred meters in the wind! What our country did to step was admirable and should never be forgotten.
Our country made some blunders in the war such as not acting sooner and rejecting immigrants that should have been accepted. But when push came to shove we were on the right side of the battle.
We are lucky to live in the days we live in. War is an ugly thing.
You'll never guess what happened today!
It rained... All day.
Now I know those of you in Calgary and most of Western Canada have had your share of rain this summer. But you're not the ones camping and cycling everyday.
I waited for a break in the rain in the morning and set out. my energy level was way down and I didn't feel that motivated. I looked at my map and knew I had over 100km to do and I just didn't feel up to it.
To fix my energy level I grabbed a chocolate bar. Might not be the best in the long run but I need a kick.
To fix the distance problem I broke up my day into small goals. I would simply set my sights on the next town or two and take it from there.
Finally, after playing in the rain and climbing some sizable (which I was not expecting) I arrived on the outskirts of Caen. I followed the signs to the tourist office, grabbed my city maps and got pointed in the direction of the closest campground which was about 10km away.
After setting up I quickly went to get food and took the evening easy.
After over 5 hours in the saddle and 110km covered, sleep came easy with a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur.
July 21, 2011
After awaking to more rain today I thought I was gonna lose my mind. I think the weatherman realized this and decided to lay off.
About 10am the rain stopped and I took off for the beaches of Normandy. Today I was doing a loop so I left my stuff at camp. Once I reached the coast I first came to Sword beach which is where the British 3rd Infantry came ashore. There wasn't much there save a memorial or two so I moved on. It's been over 60 years since Operation Overlord occurred and time has taken it's toll. You can barely tell that vicious battles were fought all over the coast. There are a couple gun turrets and scars on the ground but if someone didn't know about D-Day it would simply be another resort coast.
After Sword Beach I reached Juno Beach which is where the Canadian Infantry came ashore. It is here that our countries finest bravely fought for the freedom of France and Europe. Just as everywhere else time has hidden what really happened here but the only Canadian Museum in the area called Centre Juno Beach has saved a small piece. Upon arrival there is an old German bunker and other contraptions from the war spread around. Juno beach is also where General Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill came ashore shortly after the landings.
The museum is run by Canadian students and I felt very welcome inside. The girl who helped me at the front desk had just graduates from the U of A. There was a tour of the beach happening so I got a ticket for that as well as the museum. The tour of the beach was great and it really brought the scene to life... Especially touring a part of the German bunker.
The museum was also great and I loved hearing all of the Canadian stories!
It ate up pretty much all my day so I turned around back to camp. I would have loved to see Utah and 'Bloody Omaha' beach but they were a ways away. Maybe some other time...
It is really moving what happened here that long time ago. I was proud to see my flag waving every couple hundred meters in the wind! What our country did to step was admirable and should never be forgotten.
Our country made some blunders in the war such as not acting sooner and rejecting immigrants that should have been accepted. But when push came to shove we were on the right side of the battle.
We are lucky to live in the days we live in. War is an ugly thing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Northern Brittany
July 15, 2011
Bastille day took it's toll... Rest day!
July 16, 2011
The rain has returned after a couple nice days and it hung around till about 9am. I quickly packed up my stuff at that point and hit the road planning to head north. After heading inland from the coast a couple kms the land started to roll and was lush and green. The coast has been nice, but a change is always good.
Throughout the day I travelled on small sealed roads past small towns and farms. It rained a lot, but not constantly. Usually 30 minutes of every hour was rain. It wasn't heavy rain and the day wasn't cold so I couldn't complain. Once I got close to Nantes I had to cross the Loire river. I caught a small (and free!) flat decked boat with some cars and was quickly transported to the other side. The tide was coming in so it was interesting how the boat had to maneuver to get to the other side. Once across the rain started to get progressively heavier so I decided to start looking for campgrounds. I came across one in a small town just west of Nantes and quickly set up my stuff trying to keep everything dry. I heated up some ratatouille that I bought and huddled in my tent for the rest of the night. Covered around 105km today
July 17, 2011
It was still raining this morning so I laid in my tent and planned my route. During a break in the rain I quickly packed up and started out north again. My goal was to make it close to Rennes.
The rain today was a little less steady... But when it did rain, it poured. My MEC jacket has been amazing this whole trip. Its practically the same thing as Gore so I keep dry but not stuffy.
The day was mostly uneventful except for the rain and I covered another 105 km.
Near the end of the day I was trying to find a campground so I consulted an area map in a town center. I learned that there was one about 10 km east so I headed that way. Upon my arrival I found the campground had been shut down even though it was still on the city maps and there were signs pointing to where it used to be. I asked some locals where one was nearby... What I actually asked (because I dont know how to say nearby) was is there camping beside the town, but they got the point. They sent me another 5 or so km east to Paimpont.
On the way I found a supermarket that was open on a Sunday which was a huge score. I was planning on eating bread and peanut butter (which I found again yesterday). Paimpont is set in the Forêt de Paimpont which is where the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table arguably originated. The stories are thought to have been brought in from offshore but... I don't really care that much anyways. Theres not much to see. However, the forest was dark and dewey and it is a perfect setting for a story such as King Arthurs.
The campground was small and cheap. Nuff said!
July 18, 2011
I awoke again to rain and started to wonder if it was going to stop at all during this trip. Like yesterday, during a break in the rain I quickly took everything down and loaded up my bike. As I was leaving I took a look at the group who had just arrived across the road from me. It was 4 adults and probably 15-20 kids most likely on a summer camping trip of sorts. Just as they split the kids into groups to set up the tents the rain started again. As I pulled away there were all these kids trying to figure out how the tent works while the stress levels could be seen rising in the adults. No one had appropriate rain gear and I'm sure it was a while before everything was set up. Great start to their trip... I felt bad, but also couldn't help but laugh. It seemed typical to me that all the kids would be soaked and complaining 10 minutes into the trip. I'm sure the chaperones had a lot of fun keeping them all in order.
I set out north-east towards the legendary Mont St. Michel Abbey which I figured was right around another 100km. The ride had less rain than the past couple days which was nice. Brittany is just as I pictured it would be. Endless rolling green hills, forests and farm land (which is remarkably stinky
I might add) It's beautiful, but so far it's been quite cold and obviously rainy.
About 18km from the abbey I finally came over my last hill and began to drop into the flats that were at sea level. Alas, on the horizon was the abbey rising up seemingly perched on nothing. I couldn't help but smile and pedal faster. Upon arrival of the causeway that connects the abbey to the mainland I snapped a couple quick pictures and took in the jaw dropping view... It was like nothing I have ever seen! I headed to my campground which was within walking distance of the island abbey. I knew I'd be visiting the abbey in the morning so I rested. For any of you that have never seen a picture of Mont St. Michel google it now!
When I arrived at my campground I was greeted by an older couple from holland who had parked their RV in my spot by accident. I took their spot right beside and they quickly offered me a couple beers. The man said that I needed a beer for each leg and I couldn't have agreed more.
For dinner I bought food from an overpriced super market and didn't really enjoy what I had. However, I tried my first taste of Brittany Cider and it made up for the crappy food.
July 19, 2011
I got up around 7:30 this morning and grabbed my baking before walking the 2km causeway to the abbey. It rained again all night so the majority of my stuff has had no chance to dry out. Can't do laundry if you can't hang the clothes... I'll stop here.
Once inside the inner ramparts I walked along the street that curved along the island pitching up steeply. The streets are no more than 10 feet wide and it sure is a sight to see.
I got up to the abbey doors with only a couple people ahead of me. I was glad i got there early before the midday swarms came. The abbey doors opened at 9 and I paid my admission and grabbed the audio guide.
The history of the abbey dates all the way back to 708 when a sanctuary was built on Mont-Tombe (tombe in Latin meaning raised place) in honour of the archangel Michael. It was continually built throughout the centuries and was unesco listed in 1979. There is so much history to the place that I'm not willing to write much more. Go to Wikipedia.
The abbey was through and through stunning. The architecture and the views from every angle are worth every penny. The audio guide was great too! When I was in the abbey I could see more rain coming my way across the bay and I wondered if I was ever gonna get a break!
After the tour I walked back along the causeway and grabbed a sandwich. I also visited a couple exhibits on some of the work that is going on at the abbey right now. The causeway that was built I believe around 50 or so years ago has affected the natural movement of the tides therefore taking away from the Monts marine setting and leaving salt marshes all around. Because of this there are several measures being taken to return the abbey to it's original beauty. A small dam has been installed that will help push the sediment back out into the bay and it isn't an eye sore at all which is nice. There is also a pedestrian foot bridge been put in that will allow the water to fully encircle the abbey once again and take away the ugly car parks right in front of the island. I would very much like to return in 40 years to see the difference. The work is supposed to be done by 2012, but pushing the sediment out naturally will take many years.
After my visit I had a nap during another shower and then packed up my stuff in some very rare sunshine. I hit the road with low expectations and travelled about 40km to Brécéy. I had a little more rain but was able to do some laundry. I hope it dries!
Tomorrow I will cover about 80 or so km to Caen which will be my jumping off point for the D-Day beaches. The town is also supposed to have some awesome museums. After my ride to Caen and my ride to the beaches that will be all for my touring trip. From Caen I will return to Paris by train, stay in the city for three days and then fly home on the 27th of this month. It's been an amazing trip and it's nice to know it's not quite over yet. It looks like I will cover just over 5000km by the time I leave.
Time passes too fast.
Bastille day took it's toll... Rest day!
July 16, 2011
The rain has returned after a couple nice days and it hung around till about 9am. I quickly packed up my stuff at that point and hit the road planning to head north. After heading inland from the coast a couple kms the land started to roll and was lush and green. The coast has been nice, but a change is always good.
Throughout the day I travelled on small sealed roads past small towns and farms. It rained a lot, but not constantly. Usually 30 minutes of every hour was rain. It wasn't heavy rain and the day wasn't cold so I couldn't complain. Once I got close to Nantes I had to cross the Loire river. I caught a small (and free!) flat decked boat with some cars and was quickly transported to the other side. The tide was coming in so it was interesting how the boat had to maneuver to get to the other side. Once across the rain started to get progressively heavier so I decided to start looking for campgrounds. I came across one in a small town just west of Nantes and quickly set up my stuff trying to keep everything dry. I heated up some ratatouille that I bought and huddled in my tent for the rest of the night. Covered around 105km today
July 17, 2011
It was still raining this morning so I laid in my tent and planned my route. During a break in the rain I quickly packed up and started out north again. My goal was to make it close to Rennes.
The rain today was a little less steady... But when it did rain, it poured. My MEC jacket has been amazing this whole trip. Its practically the same thing as Gore so I keep dry but not stuffy.
The day was mostly uneventful except for the rain and I covered another 105 km.
Near the end of the day I was trying to find a campground so I consulted an area map in a town center. I learned that there was one about 10 km east so I headed that way. Upon my arrival I found the campground had been shut down even though it was still on the city maps and there were signs pointing to where it used to be. I asked some locals where one was nearby... What I actually asked (because I dont know how to say nearby) was is there camping beside the town, but they got the point. They sent me another 5 or so km east to Paimpont.
On the way I found a supermarket that was open on a Sunday which was a huge score. I was planning on eating bread and peanut butter (which I found again yesterday). Paimpont is set in the Forêt de Paimpont which is where the stories of King Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table arguably originated. The stories are thought to have been brought in from offshore but... I don't really care that much anyways. Theres not much to see. However, the forest was dark and dewey and it is a perfect setting for a story such as King Arthurs.
The campground was small and cheap. Nuff said!
July 18, 2011
I awoke again to rain and started to wonder if it was going to stop at all during this trip. Like yesterday, during a break in the rain I quickly took everything down and loaded up my bike. As I was leaving I took a look at the group who had just arrived across the road from me. It was 4 adults and probably 15-20 kids most likely on a summer camping trip of sorts. Just as they split the kids into groups to set up the tents the rain started again. As I pulled away there were all these kids trying to figure out how the tent works while the stress levels could be seen rising in the adults. No one had appropriate rain gear and I'm sure it was a while before everything was set up. Great start to their trip... I felt bad, but also couldn't help but laugh. It seemed typical to me that all the kids would be soaked and complaining 10 minutes into the trip. I'm sure the chaperones had a lot of fun keeping them all in order.
I set out north-east towards the legendary Mont St. Michel Abbey which I figured was right around another 100km. The ride had less rain than the past couple days which was nice. Brittany is just as I pictured it would be. Endless rolling green hills, forests and farm land (which is remarkably stinky
I might add) It's beautiful, but so far it's been quite cold and obviously rainy.
About 18km from the abbey I finally came over my last hill and began to drop into the flats that were at sea level. Alas, on the horizon was the abbey rising up seemingly perched on nothing. I couldn't help but smile and pedal faster. Upon arrival of the causeway that connects the abbey to the mainland I snapped a couple quick pictures and took in the jaw dropping view... It was like nothing I have ever seen! I headed to my campground which was within walking distance of the island abbey. I knew I'd be visiting the abbey in the morning so I rested. For any of you that have never seen a picture of Mont St. Michel google it now!
When I arrived at my campground I was greeted by an older couple from holland who had parked their RV in my spot by accident. I took their spot right beside and they quickly offered me a couple beers. The man said that I needed a beer for each leg and I couldn't have agreed more.
For dinner I bought food from an overpriced super market and didn't really enjoy what I had. However, I tried my first taste of Brittany Cider and it made up for the crappy food.
July 19, 2011
I got up around 7:30 this morning and grabbed my baking before walking the 2km causeway to the abbey. It rained again all night so the majority of my stuff has had no chance to dry out. Can't do laundry if you can't hang the clothes... I'll stop here.
Once inside the inner ramparts I walked along the street that curved along the island pitching up steeply. The streets are no more than 10 feet wide and it sure is a sight to see.
I got up to the abbey doors with only a couple people ahead of me. I was glad i got there early before the midday swarms came. The abbey doors opened at 9 and I paid my admission and grabbed the audio guide.
The history of the abbey dates all the way back to 708 when a sanctuary was built on Mont-Tombe (tombe in Latin meaning raised place) in honour of the archangel Michael. It was continually built throughout the centuries and was unesco listed in 1979. There is so much history to the place that I'm not willing to write much more. Go to Wikipedia.
The abbey was through and through stunning. The architecture and the views from every angle are worth every penny. The audio guide was great too! When I was in the abbey I could see more rain coming my way across the bay and I wondered if I was ever gonna get a break!
After the tour I walked back along the causeway and grabbed a sandwich. I also visited a couple exhibits on some of the work that is going on at the abbey right now. The causeway that was built I believe around 50 or so years ago has affected the natural movement of the tides therefore taking away from the Monts marine setting and leaving salt marshes all around. Because of this there are several measures being taken to return the abbey to it's original beauty. A small dam has been installed that will help push the sediment back out into the bay and it isn't an eye sore at all which is nice. There is also a pedestrian foot bridge been put in that will allow the water to fully encircle the abbey once again and take away the ugly car parks right in front of the island. I would very much like to return in 40 years to see the difference. The work is supposed to be done by 2012, but pushing the sediment out naturally will take many years.
After my visit I had a nap during another shower and then packed up my stuff in some very rare sunshine. I hit the road with low expectations and travelled about 40km to Brécéy. I had a little more rain but was able to do some laundry. I hope it dries!
Tomorrow I will cover about 80 or so km to Caen which will be my jumping off point for the D-Day beaches. The town is also supposed to have some awesome museums. After my ride to Caen and my ride to the beaches that will be all for my touring trip. From Caen I will return to Paris by train, stay in the city for three days and then fly home on the 27th of this month. It's been an amazing trip and it's nice to know it's not quite over yet. It looks like I will cover just over 5000km by the time I leave.
Time passes too fast.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sorry for the delay
July 7, 2011
After a late and a late start I set out for the Arcachon Basis around 1. The route was very flat and very boring! Well at least for the first 80km of the trip. The last 20km was close to ocean so that was nice.
Once I got to my campground I was tired so I strolled around town and ate.
I want to say thanks again to Robin, Baptist, and Sara for being so great to me! I will never forget you generosity.
July 8, 2011
Today I took my time biking around the Arcachon basin. I eventually settled in the town of Arcachon and went to the Dune Du Pilat. It the largest sand dune in europe and is located 8km south of Arcachon. It stretches north and south for 3 km and it reaches around 115m high. The dune is moving at 4.5m a year to east. This movement has allowed it to envelope trees, a road junction and a hotel.
The hike to the top provided amazing views of the ocean and dark green pine forests as far as I could see eastward.
July 9, 2011
The camping has been expensive in this area cause it is very touristy! I was hoping it would start to get a little but cheaper for me today but it only did a bit.
After packing up I set out to the tip of Arcachon and my bike and I tested our sea legs on a quick ferry ride over the Arcachon basin to Cap Ferret. The town of Cap Ferret was also very nice pinned in between the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the tranquil basin. I went north from there to a beach called Truc Vert and checked into a campground who was nice enough to lower their rate for me. The last couple days have been very cloudy and not exactly beach weather which is too bad considering where I am. It is also raining pretty much every night while I'm sleeping. Since I'm so close to the beach everything is sandy and it's getting everywhere... Makes such a mess.
July 10, 2011
I set out north from Truc vert today and stuck to the coastline. There was a bikepath that stretches all the way from Biarritz in the south to point de grave north of me. The path started out very well and it was nice smooth asphalt. But, all of a sudden, with no warning, it fell into complete disrepair. The path was completely broken down save a small strip barely 3 inches wide. It was super rough and I never should have been riding on that crap. There was no way off of the path unless I backtracked around 20km and I only had a little to go to my next town. The bikepath is there for forestry service and really isn't for a road bike. I should have asked someone what it was like, but this is the first time this trip I've come across a bike path that's unrideable. Once I reached the next town which was lacanau ocean I peeled away from the road (after truing my wheel) and went back with the cars. I continued heading north along inland lakes and summer camp like towns.
I settled in a campground covering about 85km on the day. When I checked in though the campground was full. The lady at the front desk told me I could stay on her plot, which was both a little weird and very nice of her.
July 11, 2011
After getting a good start I stopped for another ferry at point de grave. After reaching the other side which is the town of Royan i approached a couple other touring guys who appeared my age. They turned out to be from Plymouth in England and were doing pretty much my route northwards. I asked if they wanted to ride for the day and we set out. We went through some cool fortified towns and settled in Rochefort which used to be a big naval base for the French! We set up our stuff and had a small barbecue which was awesome. Tasted so good.
July 12, 2011
It rained fairly hard over night and in the morning so we took a rest day. The town of Rochefort has some good museums we checked out and we also went out to ile d'aix which Napoleon once stayed on. We checked out the house he stayed on while on the island which is now a museum.
We took the evening easy and got prepared to ride again tomorrow.
July 13, 2011
We hit the road by 9 and after working our way out of the city we continued along the coast. We passed through the beautiful centre ville of la Rochelle and kept heading north.
The coastline in this area wasn't the prettiest I've seen. I hope it gets better soon. We tried to stay more inland for the afternoon. We settled in a small town about 100km away from Rochefort!
Traveling with some companions has been great. So nice to talk in the evening. Nathan and Charlie are both in their early 20s and just finished school like me. They're easy to be around and it's a nice change for me.
July 14, 2011
Bastille Day!!!!
On this day in 1789 the masses took to the streets and stormed the Bastille. The French Revolution had begun.
We departed and rode 80km up the coast to Les Sables D'Olonne and stopped at the tourist office. We chose to stay another 15 or so km in a campground close to a couple medium sized towns.
For the evening there were festivities happening in town so we cruised into town and watched a cover band play a concert. It was a fun evening!
Tomorrow I set out on my own again.
After a late and a late start I set out for the Arcachon Basis around 1. The route was very flat and very boring! Well at least for the first 80km of the trip. The last 20km was close to ocean so that was nice.
Once I got to my campground I was tired so I strolled around town and ate.
I want to say thanks again to Robin, Baptist, and Sara for being so great to me! I will never forget you generosity.
July 8, 2011
Today I took my time biking around the Arcachon basin. I eventually settled in the town of Arcachon and went to the Dune Du Pilat. It the largest sand dune in europe and is located 8km south of Arcachon. It stretches north and south for 3 km and it reaches around 115m high. The dune is moving at 4.5m a year to east. This movement has allowed it to envelope trees, a road junction and a hotel.
The hike to the top provided amazing views of the ocean and dark green pine forests as far as I could see eastward.
July 9, 2011
The camping has been expensive in this area cause it is very touristy! I was hoping it would start to get a little but cheaper for me today but it only did a bit.
After packing up I set out to the tip of Arcachon and my bike and I tested our sea legs on a quick ferry ride over the Arcachon basin to Cap Ferret. The town of Cap Ferret was also very nice pinned in between the crashing waves of the Atlantic and the tranquil basin. I went north from there to a beach called Truc Vert and checked into a campground who was nice enough to lower their rate for me. The last couple days have been very cloudy and not exactly beach weather which is too bad considering where I am. It is also raining pretty much every night while I'm sleeping. Since I'm so close to the beach everything is sandy and it's getting everywhere... Makes such a mess.
July 10, 2011
I set out north from Truc vert today and stuck to the coastline. There was a bikepath that stretches all the way from Biarritz in the south to point de grave north of me. The path started out very well and it was nice smooth asphalt. But, all of a sudden, with no warning, it fell into complete disrepair. The path was completely broken down save a small strip barely 3 inches wide. It was super rough and I never should have been riding on that crap. There was no way off of the path unless I backtracked around 20km and I only had a little to go to my next town. The bikepath is there for forestry service and really isn't for a road bike. I should have asked someone what it was like, but this is the first time this trip I've come across a bike path that's unrideable. Once I reached the next town which was lacanau ocean I peeled away from the road (after truing my wheel) and went back with the cars. I continued heading north along inland lakes and summer camp like towns.
I settled in a campground covering about 85km on the day. When I checked in though the campground was full. The lady at the front desk told me I could stay on her plot, which was both a little weird and very nice of her.
July 11, 2011
After getting a good start I stopped for another ferry at point de grave. After reaching the other side which is the town of Royan i approached a couple other touring guys who appeared my age. They turned out to be from Plymouth in England and were doing pretty much my route northwards. I asked if they wanted to ride for the day and we set out. We went through some cool fortified towns and settled in Rochefort which used to be a big naval base for the French! We set up our stuff and had a small barbecue which was awesome. Tasted so good.
July 12, 2011
It rained fairly hard over night and in the morning so we took a rest day. The town of Rochefort has some good museums we checked out and we also went out to ile d'aix which Napoleon once stayed on. We checked out the house he stayed on while on the island which is now a museum.
We took the evening easy and got prepared to ride again tomorrow.
July 13, 2011
We hit the road by 9 and after working our way out of the city we continued along the coast. We passed through the beautiful centre ville of la Rochelle and kept heading north.
The coastline in this area wasn't the prettiest I've seen. I hope it gets better soon. We tried to stay more inland for the afternoon. We settled in a small town about 100km away from Rochefort!
Traveling with some companions has been great. So nice to talk in the evening. Nathan and Charlie are both in their early 20s and just finished school like me. They're easy to be around and it's a nice change for me.
July 14, 2011
Bastille Day!!!!
On this day in 1789 the masses took to the streets and stormed the Bastille. The French Revolution had begun.
We departed and rode 80km up the coast to Les Sables D'Olonne and stopped at the tourist office. We chose to stay another 15 or so km in a campground close to a couple medium sized towns.
For the evening there were festivities happening in town so we cruised into town and watched a cover band play a concert. It was a fun evening!
Tomorrow I set out on my own again.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Bordeaux and beyond
July 5, 2011
Later in the evening yesterday I met a couple French guys around my age who were also bike touring. We chatted for a bit using a mix of broken English in french... Their English was better than my French though haha. We were both heading to Bordeaux the next day and they were staying at a friends flat for a couple days. They ended up inviting me to stay with them in Bordeaux and we would ride there together the next day.
So this morning we hit the road by 8 and covered 115km to Bordeaux on back roads and a convenient bike path for the last 40km or so. The ride went well and it was nice to have company during the breaks.
We rolled into Bordeaux just before three. I liked the city right away. To give you an idea in 2007 half of the city was Unesco-listed. That made it the largest urban world heritage site! All the buildings and streets make it feel like I'm walking in a constant time warp.
After arriving we heading to our accommodation which is right in the thick of it all. The apartment is very old, but had so much character. It's hard to explain what it looks like haha. I dont think i would do it justice. After getting settled and fed we lounged around for the afternoon and I got to sit on a couch and watch tv haha. I haven't had either since I left. The tour de France was on tv, it felt weird watching it and knowing it was occurring 500 or so km up the coast from me.
In the evening we walked around Bordeaux looking at the flood lit buildings. We spent most of our time hanging out by the river. There were lots of people out and about cause the weather stays so warm late into the evening. It was a really cool evening.
I was super tired by the end of it all and fell asleep in seconds in my own bed :)
July 6, 2011
After waking up and hanging out for a bit I decided to get lost in the city today. I mostly strolled around the city taking in the architecture, cathedrals and shops. Bordeaux is home to the longest European pedestrian shopping strip. It had lots of great stores, but again I don't have room for shopping haha.
I also went to the apple store here to get my iPhone looked at. It decided to pooch out on me a while ago and I'm not sure why. Big kudos for apple. After they tried to get it fixed and couldn't they simply pulled out a new one and gave it to me. Pretty much every place you go to tries to place the blame on you. Apple didn't even ask me a question about what happened or anything. But it's not like it was beat up or anything.
However, there was trouble getting it activated with Telus and stuff because of being in France or what not. Should be good to go tmrw though.
I am gonna stay another night here in Bordeaux because they offered for me to stay longer. I will probably leave tomorrow morning to the coast. Only 21 days left so I gotta keep moving.
Bordeaux has been flat out amazing. Having company obviously has made it even better. But the city is alive and in general gives off a good feeling. It's geared towards interactions between people. But it's always easier to do that in a nice warm climate.
Later in the evening yesterday I met a couple French guys around my age who were also bike touring. We chatted for a bit using a mix of broken English in french... Their English was better than my French though haha. We were both heading to Bordeaux the next day and they were staying at a friends flat for a couple days. They ended up inviting me to stay with them in Bordeaux and we would ride there together the next day.
So this morning we hit the road by 8 and covered 115km to Bordeaux on back roads and a convenient bike path for the last 40km or so. The ride went well and it was nice to have company during the breaks.
We rolled into Bordeaux just before three. I liked the city right away. To give you an idea in 2007 half of the city was Unesco-listed. That made it the largest urban world heritage site! All the buildings and streets make it feel like I'm walking in a constant time warp.
After arriving we heading to our accommodation which is right in the thick of it all. The apartment is very old, but had so much character. It's hard to explain what it looks like haha. I dont think i would do it justice. After getting settled and fed we lounged around for the afternoon and I got to sit on a couch and watch tv haha. I haven't had either since I left. The tour de France was on tv, it felt weird watching it and knowing it was occurring 500 or so km up the coast from me.
In the evening we walked around Bordeaux looking at the flood lit buildings. We spent most of our time hanging out by the river. There were lots of people out and about cause the weather stays so warm late into the evening. It was a really cool evening.
I was super tired by the end of it all and fell asleep in seconds in my own bed :)
July 6, 2011
After waking up and hanging out for a bit I decided to get lost in the city today. I mostly strolled around the city taking in the architecture, cathedrals and shops. Bordeaux is home to the longest European pedestrian shopping strip. It had lots of great stores, but again I don't have room for shopping haha.
I also went to the apple store here to get my iPhone looked at. It decided to pooch out on me a while ago and I'm not sure why. Big kudos for apple. After they tried to get it fixed and couldn't they simply pulled out a new one and gave it to me. Pretty much every place you go to tries to place the blame on you. Apple didn't even ask me a question about what happened or anything. But it's not like it was beat up or anything.
However, there was trouble getting it activated with Telus and stuff because of being in France or what not. Should be good to go tmrw though.
I am gonna stay another night here in Bordeaux because they offered for me to stay longer. I will probably leave tomorrow morning to the coast. Only 21 days left so I gotta keep moving.
Bordeaux has been flat out amazing. Having company obviously has made it even better. But the city is alive and in general gives off a good feeling. It's geared towards interactions between people. But it's always easier to do that in a nice warm climate.
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