May 28, 2011
My ride today was a nice peaceful one rolling through small towns and fields. It was uneventful for the most part and I covered about 60km to get to my destination of Arbois. After waking up and eating, I loaded up my bike and hit the road. Getting out of Besançon was easy and the weather was perfect for riding. I saw lots of people touring and going for day rides in Alsace and on the canals... It sure died down today and will probably continue to stay like that for a bit. Its more of a remote area and most of the towns im heading to have populations of under a 1000 people. The town is very nice and so is the campground. It's situated right next to the municipal pool but I think I'll leave that for the kids... I don't want to be the creepy guy by himself splashing around with the teenagers and tweens haha. Arbois is known as the wine capital of the Jura and its vin jaune (yellow wine). Its made using a long undisrupted fermentation process (6 years and 3 months), which gives it's distinctive colour and taste. Arbois is also known as the town where the Pasteur family settled in 1827 and where Louis Pasteur experimented. There is a house where you can go view his lab, workshop and all the other rooms.
The rest of the day will contain me eating and prepping for tomorrow.
Special note: it's Kaitlyns birthday today! Shes 21 and legal everywhere! Be sure to wish her a happy birthday.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Besançon
May 25, 2011
I left Cernay early in the morning and instead of heading north to Colmar, which is the last day of the planned ride in my guide I decided I would head south west to Besançon. I knew of a canal going from Mulhouse to Besançon so I went south until I hit that. The canal was easy easy riding and obviously traffic free so I was able to cover a lot of ground. The day was not completely uneventful though. I got my first flat tire... I've been expecting one to come. I'm just glad it came on a nice day and I wasn't tight for time. I haven't fixed many flats so it took close to 30 minutes, but i did it perfect. I then rode on to the city of Montbéliard and camped in a town called Mandeure for the evening which was 15 km south. In total I rode around 90km.
May 26, 2011
The plan today was to make it to Besançon and prepare for a 6 day ride covering The Jura of France. I started out early and found the canal bike path again and followed that for a while. Following the signs I then changed course and started following the Doubs River. The scenery quickly started to change as I went. Steep lush and rocky hills started jutting up beside me and it was a really nice change from the Alsace region. I rode along the river and was joined by some rain later in the day that wasn't too heavy and arrived in Besançon around 6 pm. As I came into town, a huge fort came up on the horizon. It was perched up on a high hill with two rivers cutting around it. It was a good start to the city, knowing that they had some sights to see. The fort at first glance is one of the most impressive I've seen yet. After finding the tourist office I took off with my new maps to my campground and set up. I'm along the river so that's nice... But I'm also 5km from the city center. I grabbed dinner, read for a bit and passed out. I had covered 109 km and was very tired from the last three rides I've done.
May 27, 2011
I was tired today, so I slept in and took the day mostly easy. I rode into town around 11 ish, grabbed a bite and decided to check out the fort/citadel that I had seen. It is great to look at from a distance and from inside the walls... But how it's being run doesnt do it justice. After paying admission I climbed up the high walls and checked out the views. It gave me a great idea of what the area is like. After that I decided I would check out museums inside some of the buildings. I went to the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation first. The museum focussed on the rise of Nazism and fascism and the French resistance movement in WWII. Much of the information was very interesting and gave a different perspective on the war. However, the museum didn't flow particularly well and I found the self guiding info scattered and hard to connect to the material. Still interesting though. I then went to the Musée Comtois, whose focus is on local traditions. It was good, but mostly fluff. The rest of the Citadelle was completely cheapened by it being made into a zoo of sorts. There was an aquarium, a noctarium, and an insectarium all of which were largely unimpressive. I realize it's an attempt to make the place family friendly and bring more people in... But I found it cheesy. It took away from some of the sites that could have been seen, such as the citadel as it would have looked during it's prime or more history. Seeing some monkeys from Africa climb around the walls took away the effort that was put in to designing the Citadel and it's true purpose. I felt as if it was disrespectful to the lives that were lost there... Not worth my money.
Anyways, I then decided to head to a bike shop (because I still hadn't found anything that had worked on my bike, and I could tell my spokes were straining. I went to a shop on the river Doubs and alas... My search was over. I found a nice front bag that worked with my large handlebars. The shop owner was great and I signed his guestbook and he put my picture beside it... Really cool little shop. Some people from Quebec had been there just a few days before.
After that I decided to head back to camp, eat and get ready to set out tomorrow. I'm itching to see what The Jura has in store for me. I don't know when I'll come across wifi again, hopefully soon.
Thanks for taking time to read!
I left Cernay early in the morning and instead of heading north to Colmar, which is the last day of the planned ride in my guide I decided I would head south west to Besançon. I knew of a canal going from Mulhouse to Besançon so I went south until I hit that. The canal was easy easy riding and obviously traffic free so I was able to cover a lot of ground. The day was not completely uneventful though. I got my first flat tire... I've been expecting one to come. I'm just glad it came on a nice day and I wasn't tight for time. I haven't fixed many flats so it took close to 30 minutes, but i did it perfect. I then rode on to the city of Montbéliard and camped in a town called Mandeure for the evening which was 15 km south. In total I rode around 90km.
May 26, 2011
The plan today was to make it to Besançon and prepare for a 6 day ride covering The Jura of France. I started out early and found the canal bike path again and followed that for a while. Following the signs I then changed course and started following the Doubs River. The scenery quickly started to change as I went. Steep lush and rocky hills started jutting up beside me and it was a really nice change from the Alsace region. I rode along the river and was joined by some rain later in the day that wasn't too heavy and arrived in Besançon around 6 pm. As I came into town, a huge fort came up on the horizon. It was perched up on a high hill with two rivers cutting around it. It was a good start to the city, knowing that they had some sights to see. The fort at first glance is one of the most impressive I've seen yet. After finding the tourist office I took off with my new maps to my campground and set up. I'm along the river so that's nice... But I'm also 5km from the city center. I grabbed dinner, read for a bit and passed out. I had covered 109 km and was very tired from the last three rides I've done.
May 27, 2011
I was tired today, so I slept in and took the day mostly easy. I rode into town around 11 ish, grabbed a bite and decided to check out the fort/citadel that I had seen. It is great to look at from a distance and from inside the walls... But how it's being run doesnt do it justice. After paying admission I climbed up the high walls and checked out the views. It gave me a great idea of what the area is like. After that I decided I would check out museums inside some of the buildings. I went to the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation first. The museum focussed on the rise of Nazism and fascism and the French resistance movement in WWII. Much of the information was very interesting and gave a different perspective on the war. However, the museum didn't flow particularly well and I found the self guiding info scattered and hard to connect to the material. Still interesting though. I then went to the Musée Comtois, whose focus is on local traditions. It was good, but mostly fluff. The rest of the Citadelle was completely cheapened by it being made into a zoo of sorts. There was an aquarium, a noctarium, and an insectarium all of which were largely unimpressive. I realize it's an attempt to make the place family friendly and bring more people in... But I found it cheesy. It took away from some of the sites that could have been seen, such as the citadel as it would have looked during it's prime or more history. Seeing some monkeys from Africa climb around the walls took away the effort that was put in to designing the Citadel and it's true purpose. I felt as if it was disrespectful to the lives that were lost there... Not worth my money.
Anyways, I then decided to head to a bike shop (because I still hadn't found anything that had worked on my bike, and I could tell my spokes were straining. I went to a shop on the river Doubs and alas... My search was over. I found a nice front bag that worked with my large handlebars. The shop owner was great and I signed his guestbook and he put my picture beside it... Really cool little shop. Some people from Quebec had been there just a few days before.
After that I decided to head back to camp, eat and get ready to set out tomorrow. I'm itching to see what The Jura has in store for me. I don't know when I'll come across wifi again, hopefully soon.
Thanks for taking time to read!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
The Climb
May 24, 2011
The day started with a quick visit to a boulangerie where I grabbed a quick breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. For 20 km after that point I rode only up towards Col de Schlucht. The road wasn't necessarily steep but it definitely gets draining after a while. The road was lined with a dense forest at the bottom which slowly got thinned out to the almost bare col at just under 1200 meters... I started at 220 meters in Munster. After taking in the views I continued on and and joined the Route de Crêtes which was built during WW1 to supply the French troops who were fighting on the front. This road rolled on and provided spectacular panoramas of small alpine towns and lakes. I also rode past 3 or so ski areas which were not overly impressive.
After another 20 km I arrived in Le Markstein and took a break with a bottle of coke that was sure to give me a little extra kick in order to summit the Grand Ballon that was looming in the distance. It was 7 kilometers to get there but I didn't find it too bad until I got 1 km away. At that point the road rose sharply and I found myself in granny gear working to keep my legs spinning up the incline. The road was covered in places with names of riders who have rode in the Tour de France in the past when the route has come this direction. After a couple more minutes of work I summited the Grand Ballon (fittingly named for it's round shape) which was at 1424 meters. I enjoyed my time at the top and snapped a couple pictures but I was excited about my descent. I put on my jacket for the initial descent and shoved off. The ride down started off great but was quickly interrupted by some small goats who decided to hang out on the road. I weaved my way through them and while most of them scattered a few of the bolder ones lowered their heads at me. I'm glad they decided not to charge.
The rest of the descent was carefree and a lot of fun. I reached a maximum of 60 km/HR and enjoyed leaning in and out of the turns as they came. I unfortunately found myself close to the bottom in Willer-Sur-Thur faster than I would have liked. I found a bike path close to the river and rode that to the nearby town of Thann which is where I had planned to camp for the night. After stopping at the tourist office I was informed like before that the campground was not open yet and that a town a couple kilometers away had one. So I hopped on my bike and headed to Cernay and set up camp. The rest of the night was uneventful.
The day started with a quick visit to a boulangerie where I grabbed a quick breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. For 20 km after that point I rode only up towards Col de Schlucht. The road wasn't necessarily steep but it definitely gets draining after a while. The road was lined with a dense forest at the bottom which slowly got thinned out to the almost bare col at just under 1200 meters... I started at 220 meters in Munster. After taking in the views I continued on and and joined the Route de Crêtes which was built during WW1 to supply the French troops who were fighting on the front. This road rolled on and provided spectacular panoramas of small alpine towns and lakes. I also rode past 3 or so ski areas which were not overly impressive.
After another 20 km I arrived in Le Markstein and took a break with a bottle of coke that was sure to give me a little extra kick in order to summit the Grand Ballon that was looming in the distance. It was 7 kilometers to get there but I didn't find it too bad until I got 1 km away. At that point the road rose sharply and I found myself in granny gear working to keep my legs spinning up the incline. The road was covered in places with names of riders who have rode in the Tour de France in the past when the route has come this direction. After a couple more minutes of work I summited the Grand Ballon (fittingly named for it's round shape) which was at 1424 meters. I enjoyed my time at the top and snapped a couple pictures but I was excited about my descent. I put on my jacket for the initial descent and shoved off. The ride down started off great but was quickly interrupted by some small goats who decided to hang out on the road. I weaved my way through them and while most of them scattered a few of the bolder ones lowered their heads at me. I'm glad they decided not to charge.
The rest of the descent was carefree and a lot of fun. I reached a maximum of 60 km/HR and enjoyed leaning in and out of the turns as they came. I unfortunately found myself close to the bottom in Willer-Sur-Thur faster than I would have liked. I found a bike path close to the river and rode that to the nearby town of Thann which is where I had planned to camp for the night. After stopping at the tourist office I was informed like before that the campground was not open yet and that a town a couple kilometers away had one. So I hopped on my bike and headed to Cernay and set up camp. The rest of the night was uneventful.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Strasbourg to Munster
May 20, 2011
Rest day... Laundry etc.
May 21, 2011
Today I left Strasbourg. I got a late start but it was a short day as I only had about 55km to cover.
I took the morning easy, as I said before and went into Strasbourg to buy some maps and breakfast. Unfortunately, the map store suggested in the lonely planet cycling France guide had close. The edition I have is from June 2009 and this is the second time this has happened now; I'm thinking it's not the best time to be in the map business and I don't expect the margins were very big in the first place.
Anyways, my route took me through the first 20km beside a canal from Strasbourg to Molsheim. Although it was some of the easiest riding I've done yet it was some of the most peaceful being away from roads.
The route after this point turned south and I hit the head of the Alsatian Wine Route just after the town of Rosheim. Speaking of Rosheim, the cathedral their had a wedding going on so I didn't visit. But outside on an elevated corner of the church there was a lion with his paws on mans shoulders. Apparently, the lion is protecting the man from the temptation of the secular world.
After Rosheim, I headed into the Mecca or the Vatican City of the Riesling world. I passed vineyard after vineyard between villages and had some beautiful view of the area. My ride was supposed to end in Barr. However, when I showed up to the tourist office I was informed that one campground in town was closed till June and the other was blocked off by road construction till around 8pm that night (it was about 4:30pm at the time. I decided with the help of the lady at the tourist office to head to the nearby town of St. Pierre where I could find camping right away. After about a 15 minute ride I got to St. Pierre, set up, had dinner and passed out early knowing my longer ride tomorrow would come soon enough.
May 22, 2011
I had about 70km of riding to do today along with a couple side trips so I got up early and hit the road as soon as I could. The best part about the Alsatian Wine Route is that nearly every town is connected by bike routes. This makes the ride so much more peaceful and enjoyable. The only problem is that the bike paths can prove to be very hard to find. I spent probably 15 minutes of my day just trying to find tue best route, but it was worth it.
To start my day I headed back to the Barr tourist office where my ride was set to start. I rode through many small towns (all ended with a stein or ein) which are no more than a couple kilometers apart. There were lots of degustation (wine tasting) signs out but I decided I should at least wait till noon.
After stopping for lunch in one of the towns I took a side trip to a chateau. The name right now is escaping my mind and I don't really feel like looking it up. However, like many of the chateaus in the region it was built high up on a hill to protect it from attacks. The ride up was 5km and rose over 550 meters. Although the road only went up, it still was not overly steep and only peaked in grade around 10%. It's still the longest climb I've had to do yet. After I got to the top the panoramas gave great views of the valley below and the small towns scattered about. I walked up to the restored chateau, paid my fee and started a small self guided tour which provided me the gist of the history and uses of the chateau. It would be amazing to see it when it was actually in use.
After the tour I had a quick snack at the top and prepared for my ride down. The day was close to 30 degrees but the ride down was all shaded and the wind would be cold so I threw on my windbreaker and headed out. The trip down definitely paid off for the work I had to put in to get up there. There were lots of corners and hairpins which kept me on the edge of my seat and no cars came up behind me the whole way down so I was able to utilize the whole half of the road.
After getting to the bottom I realized that the time I had taken for lunch and the side trip to the chateau had eaten up a good portion of my day and I still had close to 50km to cover. I decided I would stop little and skip another option I was considering seeing that involved seeing some storks... Im not to worried that I missed it.
My journey took me through more and more towns and vineyards. Some of the towns get similar after a while but they all have some subtle differences that switch them up. At about 4pm I decided it would be pretty bad if I went through all these vineyards and didn't go to a tasting. I stopped in at the first tasting sign I saw and tried several different wines (even some Grand Cru Rieslings which was a treat). I also decided to buy a bottle to enjoy with whatever I was eating at camp that night. The rest of the day cruised by and I entered the Munster Valley at around 6:30pm and was joined by a fairly strong unwelcoming headwind. This slowed down my already tired legs and I finally rolled into camp around 7:30 and got everything set up. I grabbed a quick meal to go and quickly passed out after most the Riesling was gone. After a day of biking my body can't handle much when it comes to liquor.
May 23, 2011
Today my legs were pretty cooked so I decided to take a rest day before tackling the Grand Ballon which peaks at about 1500 meters (I'm at around 400 meters right now). iI also needed to get some supplies because my some of my day to day stuff was running out. Gonna take it easy, eat well and get ready for my biggest climb yet.
Rest day... Laundry etc.
May 21, 2011
Today I left Strasbourg. I got a late start but it was a short day as I only had about 55km to cover.
I took the morning easy, as I said before and went into Strasbourg to buy some maps and breakfast. Unfortunately, the map store suggested in the lonely planet cycling France guide had close. The edition I have is from June 2009 and this is the second time this has happened now; I'm thinking it's not the best time to be in the map business and I don't expect the margins were very big in the first place.
Anyways, my route took me through the first 20km beside a canal from Strasbourg to Molsheim. Although it was some of the easiest riding I've done yet it was some of the most peaceful being away from roads.
The route after this point turned south and I hit the head of the Alsatian Wine Route just after the town of Rosheim. Speaking of Rosheim, the cathedral their had a wedding going on so I didn't visit. But outside on an elevated corner of the church there was a lion with his paws on mans shoulders. Apparently, the lion is protecting the man from the temptation of the secular world.
After Rosheim, I headed into the Mecca or the Vatican City of the Riesling world. I passed vineyard after vineyard between villages and had some beautiful view of the area. My ride was supposed to end in Barr. However, when I showed up to the tourist office I was informed that one campground in town was closed till June and the other was blocked off by road construction till around 8pm that night (it was about 4:30pm at the time. I decided with the help of the lady at the tourist office to head to the nearby town of St. Pierre where I could find camping right away. After about a 15 minute ride I got to St. Pierre, set up, had dinner and passed out early knowing my longer ride tomorrow would come soon enough.
May 22, 2011
I had about 70km of riding to do today along with a couple side trips so I got up early and hit the road as soon as I could. The best part about the Alsatian Wine Route is that nearly every town is connected by bike routes. This makes the ride so much more peaceful and enjoyable. The only problem is that the bike paths can prove to be very hard to find. I spent probably 15 minutes of my day just trying to find tue best route, but it was worth it.
To start my day I headed back to the Barr tourist office where my ride was set to start. I rode through many small towns (all ended with a stein or ein) which are no more than a couple kilometers apart. There were lots of degustation (wine tasting) signs out but I decided I should at least wait till noon.
After stopping for lunch in one of the towns I took a side trip to a chateau. The name right now is escaping my mind and I don't really feel like looking it up. However, like many of the chateaus in the region it was built high up on a hill to protect it from attacks. The ride up was 5km and rose over 550 meters. Although the road only went up, it still was not overly steep and only peaked in grade around 10%. It's still the longest climb I've had to do yet. After I got to the top the panoramas gave great views of the valley below and the small towns scattered about. I walked up to the restored chateau, paid my fee and started a small self guided tour which provided me the gist of the history and uses of the chateau. It would be amazing to see it when it was actually in use.
After the tour I had a quick snack at the top and prepared for my ride down. The day was close to 30 degrees but the ride down was all shaded and the wind would be cold so I threw on my windbreaker and headed out. The trip down definitely paid off for the work I had to put in to get up there. There were lots of corners and hairpins which kept me on the edge of my seat and no cars came up behind me the whole way down so I was able to utilize the whole half of the road.
After getting to the bottom I realized that the time I had taken for lunch and the side trip to the chateau had eaten up a good portion of my day and I still had close to 50km to cover. I decided I would stop little and skip another option I was considering seeing that involved seeing some storks... Im not to worried that I missed it.
My journey took me through more and more towns and vineyards. Some of the towns get similar after a while but they all have some subtle differences that switch them up. At about 4pm I decided it would be pretty bad if I went through all these vineyards and didn't go to a tasting. I stopped in at the first tasting sign I saw and tried several different wines (even some Grand Cru Rieslings which was a treat). I also decided to buy a bottle to enjoy with whatever I was eating at camp that night. The rest of the day cruised by and I entered the Munster Valley at around 6:30pm and was joined by a fairly strong unwelcoming headwind. This slowed down my already tired legs and I finally rolled into camp around 7:30 and got everything set up. I grabbed a quick meal to go and quickly passed out after most the Riesling was gone. After a day of biking my body can't handle much when it comes to liquor.
May 23, 2011
Today my legs were pretty cooked so I decided to take a rest day before tackling the Grand Ballon which peaks at about 1500 meters (I'm at around 400 meters right now). iI also needed to get some supplies because my some of my day to day stuff was running out. Gonna take it easy, eat well and get ready for my biggest climb yet.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Strasbourg
Where to start with Strasbourg.
The city seems to have it's own unique feel from the rest of the cities I've been in so far. Considering how it's right on the German border the city is infused with the two cultures from food to drink to language. When i woke up, my first priority was to figure out a solution for my bike. Getting around by bicycle was a breeze. Strasbourg is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in France and I would agree. I have never seen so many bike lanes! However sometimes it was hard to find a place to lock your bike up because every rack and light post is taken. I knew I needed to get my tired trued again which wasn't a big deal so I dropped it off at a shop and went exploring. The first stop I went to was Strasbourgs massive cathedral. Like Metz it is also the center piece of the city where everything spreads from. The gothic architecture was similar to the previous cathedrals, but through it's intricate details it set itself apart from the rest. (I hope to add pictures soon, i haven't been around a computer lately).
I then let my feet take me over to Petite France which is a set of a couple small islands right on the river. The houses were those out of a storybook. They all went up two or three stories and were half timbered like one would expect to see high in the hills or tucked deep in the forest. I went into a restaurant and I ordered my first taste of the Riesling wine that the Alsace region is so well known for and ate a true Alsatian meal. The wine was actually light, crisp and even a little spicy which which was a nice change from the overly sweet ones that are usually found in Canada. However, since it was my first Riesling here I'm not gonna be quick to judge the others I taste. My main dish of my meal consisted of a huge pile of sauerkraut accompanied by a huge thick slice of ham/backonish meat, German sausage and two other meats which I can't recall right now. The meal was huge and I couldn't finish all of it. However it definitely hit the spot. To top it off as I sat there, I could hear off in the streets somewhere someone playing Que Sera, Sera in the most stereotypical French way possible. It was a good finish to lunch which took nearly an hour and a half.
After leaving the restaurant, the midday heat which was close to 30 degrees was not cooperating with my very full stomach. I decided to head to a park close to some of the old covered bridges that were built before WW1 and sit in the shade. Unfortunately, the bridges were under renovation so I only really got a small idea of how they really look, but the shade was nice. After sitting for a while it was time to go get my bike so I took my time walking the streets taking in whatever was on the way. Once I got my bike I shopped around for something to move the weight forward on my bike for when I left Strasbourg... But nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted it to. I know after riding the past 4 days or so that the couple changes I made with shifting weight around seemed to work. Nevertheless, this is the last major city for a while as I head south towards The Jura and The Alps so I want to ensure that I won have too many issues. I'm gonna try again today at a bunch of bike shops and see if I can come up with something. Hopefully head out tomorrow or Sunday down the Alsatian wine route.
The city seems to have it's own unique feel from the rest of the cities I've been in so far. Considering how it's right on the German border the city is infused with the two cultures from food to drink to language. When i woke up, my first priority was to figure out a solution for my bike. Getting around by bicycle was a breeze. Strasbourg is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in France and I would agree. I have never seen so many bike lanes! However sometimes it was hard to find a place to lock your bike up because every rack and light post is taken. I knew I needed to get my tired trued again which wasn't a big deal so I dropped it off at a shop and went exploring. The first stop I went to was Strasbourgs massive cathedral. Like Metz it is also the center piece of the city where everything spreads from. The gothic architecture was similar to the previous cathedrals, but through it's intricate details it set itself apart from the rest. (I hope to add pictures soon, i haven't been around a computer lately).
I then let my feet take me over to Petite France which is a set of a couple small islands right on the river. The houses were those out of a storybook. They all went up two or three stories and were half timbered like one would expect to see high in the hills or tucked deep in the forest. I went into a restaurant and I ordered my first taste of the Riesling wine that the Alsace region is so well known for and ate a true Alsatian meal. The wine was actually light, crisp and even a little spicy which which was a nice change from the overly sweet ones that are usually found in Canada. However, since it was my first Riesling here I'm not gonna be quick to judge the others I taste. My main dish of my meal consisted of a huge pile of sauerkraut accompanied by a huge thick slice of ham/backonish meat, German sausage and two other meats which I can't recall right now. The meal was huge and I couldn't finish all of it. However it definitely hit the spot. To top it off as I sat there, I could hear off in the streets somewhere someone playing Que Sera, Sera in the most stereotypical French way possible. It was a good finish to lunch which took nearly an hour and a half.
After leaving the restaurant, the midday heat which was close to 30 degrees was not cooperating with my very full stomach. I decided to head to a park close to some of the old covered bridges that were built before WW1 and sit in the shade. Unfortunately, the bridges were under renovation so I only really got a small idea of how they really look, but the shade was nice. After sitting for a while it was time to go get my bike so I took my time walking the streets taking in whatever was on the way. Once I got my bike I shopped around for something to move the weight forward on my bike for when I left Strasbourg... But nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted it to. I know after riding the past 4 days or so that the couple changes I made with shifting weight around seemed to work. Nevertheless, this is the last major city for a while as I head south towards The Jura and The Alps so I want to ensure that I won have too many issues. I'm gonna try again today at a bunch of bike shops and see if I can come up with something. Hopefully head out tomorrow or Sunday down the Alsatian wine route.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Post #2
May 9, 2011
My legs were feeling the day before so I decided I would explore some of the cellars filled with champagne underneath Épernay which in total run over 110km. The first champagne house I went to was the Mercier champagne house. The Mercier family is one that has always pushed the envelope when it comes to promotion. They made one of the first promotional films to ever come out France, hosted a car rally in their cellars (not a single bottle was broken) and they made one of the largest oak barrels in history for the Paris world fair. The tour for their cellar consisted of sitting on a small train with an audio guide explaining details along the way. After the tour we got to the good stuff where I got to taste both their Brut and Brut Rose champagnes and a Mercier vintage champagne from the year 2006. They were all excellent, especially the vintage.
After Mercier I went to Moët & Chandalon who is the worlds largest producer of Champagne. I did there tour which was by foot and learned some more interesting facts about champagne and the very strict process. I got to taste their Brut.
If a champagne house releases a Brut or Brut Rose champagne without a specific date then you are drinking grapes over the past three or four years so that the taste is similar from year to year. If you are drinking a vintage champagne you will get a specific year that the grapes were grown... Which also comes with a larger price tag. Even more expensive is if you get vintage champagne from a Gran Cru vineyard where you are ensured that you are drinking the finest grapes that the champagne house has to offer. The most expensive bottle I saw was a 1999 Vintage Dom Perignon at Moët & Chandalon for a mere €2550. Not the cheapest stuff.
May 10, 2011
I decided to do the Montagne De Reims ride today based out of Épernay. This ride was about 55km and took me through the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne. The bike was great and during the mid-day heat I was able to bike in the shade of the forest. Now the word Montagne (mountain) in the park I was in really wasn't a mountain, the highest I got was 283 meters and Épernay is at 80 meters. But still the ride was great as I rode through more small villages and throug Grand Cru Champagne vineyards (high-quality vineyards). I also came upon a bunch of small dwarf trees near the peak of my ride. No one knows how the got there but they are alive because they can reproduce sexually... I have no idea how that works.
After the mutant trees I saw more vineyards, a windmill in it's most stereotypical form (which also acted as an observatory in WW1) and a light house that is now a museum, but used to be an open air dance floor and theatre. I had a steep 2km climb (13% gradient) out of the villages of Ludes and after some riding in the forest had a 4km ride downhill all the way to Épernay.
May 11, 2011
This day I took it easy and planned my trip over the next couple days to Verdun.
May 12, 2011
With the plan of heading to Verdun I set out with my loaded bike. However, I did not even make it close. With the weight on my bike I started breaking spokes which in turn untrued (probably not a word) my tire. This forced me to stop in Chalons-en-Champagne and get my bike fixed. By the time I was ready to hit the road again it was too late to continue. I stopped at the campground and examined what I had packed. After throwing some stuff away I hoped it would do the trick. I planned to make it to Verdun the next day.
May 13, 2011
Unfortunately, the problem did not go away. I started heading towards Verdun and only made it to St. Menehould. I again had to get some spokes fixed and my tire trued. However, my bike would not be fixed until the next day at 9 am, so I explored the town and set up at the campground.
May 14, 2011
I knew I wanted to make it to Verdun, so I was willing to put up with another day of problems in order to make it there. I tried one more small fix which involved me moving a couple kilograms forward on the bike to spread out the weight. It wasn't the most optimal option but I just wanted a good day of biking. I managed to cover about 60km of biking without a single problem so I hoped the trouble was behind me.
Upon arrival in Verdun I headed to the tourist office, got some maps and set up camp. I ate a restaurant that serves every dish on the menu with potatoes. Definitely hit the spot. The weather was a little rainy and windy which put an even heavier tone on the city.
Verdun seems like it's been hit hard economically recently, the town center is nice (obviously driven by tourists) but away from that all the shops and houses really look worn down. The whole area is pretty somber taking into account the history and once you head east from Épernay it's easy to see where the money is (in champagne). Unfortunately for Verdun I don't know if they have a lot going for them.
May 15, 2011
Verdun was one of the main battlefields during WW1. The battle went from february 21 to December 18, 1916 and was the longest battle fought during the war. In the last 2 years of the war 800,000 soldiers (400,000 French and nearly as many German, along with other countries) lost their lives near Verdun. I decided to take a day ride to see the sites it had to offer. I saw a couple of the major forts used during the war and visited memorials and cemeteries as well. One of the museums I went to told the story of Verdun over 300 days, 300 000 dead and 400 000 wounded. I saw a memorial that marked the extent of the German advance, the site of a town that was completely leveled to the ground and learned a lot about the war that I did not know about. I went to one site called Tranchée Des Baïonettes, where two companies of the 137th Infantry Regiment were apparently buried alive when oncoming shells covered their position with mud and debris. Several hundreds of their bayonets were found several years later sticking up out of the ground. The site is still untouched. Very sobering day.
In the evening I went to a small traditional French restaurant with the the checkered red and white tableclothes and all. I ordered off the plat du jour, receiving escargot for an appy and the house beef for my main. The escargot were awesome but my main...was, well, interesting to say the least. The server brought my meal on a cutting board of sorts and plopped it down in front of me. What I found was a bed of fried potatoes on a bed of lettuce on my left which looked appetizing and on my right finely cubed raw beef along mixed in with veggies and and a raw egg broken in half sitting on top. As I raised my head to look around the whole restaurant was looking at me. So I pretended it was exactly what I ordered, poured the egg on top and dug in. The meal was actually pretty good, it even tasted as if it had a hint of wasabi in it. It became too heavy after a while and I had to stop. I finished my meal with a small chocolate pastry and went back to
camp. It was bugging me the whole way back what had just happened and how I had completely misjudged what i had ordered for dinner. Upon return to the campsite I asked the lady at front desk what exactly I had eaten by explaining the ingredients. She promptly told me in french that I had eaten "a good french meal." I went to bed to settle my stomach.
May 16, 2011
The ride to Metz which was about 50ish km went perfect! I'm happy about not having to deal with the crazy spoke issue. After pulling in and checking into the campground I took a quick siesta and decided to walk around for a change.
The layout of Metz (pronounced Mess) was one of the best I've seen. It had not near the craziness of Paris but had all the zeal. The massive spikey Cathedral was tr centerpiece and the streets of cafes, restaurants and shops spread from. I went and saw their new art center called Centre Pompidou-Metz and the architecture on it was amazing. I strolled around and just enjoyed the evening stopping in at a North African restaurant to eat a huge belly busting meal.
May 17, 2011
I made the biggest bike of the tour yet going from Metz to Sarrebourg covering 105km. I stayed about 8 km out of town on a small lakeside campground and ate some food from a local boulangerie and promptly passed out. It felt good to make that much ground.
May 18, 2011
This was another large day of biking as I covered 85km from Sarrebourg to Strasbourg which Is right along the German border. The day was very hot but i got treated with my own bike path heading into the city. After finally finding the tourist office I went to my campground which is only 3km from the city center and set up. I was pretty drained from the distance covered and the heat so I hid in the shade and did some reading. Tomorrow I will cover Strasbourg and will be heading out on the Alsatian wine route within the next couple days. Gonna look at a solution to spread the weight out more on my bike.
My legs were feeling the day before so I decided I would explore some of the cellars filled with champagne underneath Épernay which in total run over 110km. The first champagne house I went to was the Mercier champagne house. The Mercier family is one that has always pushed the envelope when it comes to promotion. They made one of the first promotional films to ever come out France, hosted a car rally in their cellars (not a single bottle was broken) and they made one of the largest oak barrels in history for the Paris world fair. The tour for their cellar consisted of sitting on a small train with an audio guide explaining details along the way. After the tour we got to the good stuff where I got to taste both their Brut and Brut Rose champagnes and a Mercier vintage champagne from the year 2006. They were all excellent, especially the vintage.
After Mercier I went to Moët & Chandalon who is the worlds largest producer of Champagne. I did there tour which was by foot and learned some more interesting facts about champagne and the very strict process. I got to taste their Brut.
If a champagne house releases a Brut or Brut Rose champagne without a specific date then you are drinking grapes over the past three or four years so that the taste is similar from year to year. If you are drinking a vintage champagne you will get a specific year that the grapes were grown... Which also comes with a larger price tag. Even more expensive is if you get vintage champagne from a Gran Cru vineyard where you are ensured that you are drinking the finest grapes that the champagne house has to offer. The most expensive bottle I saw was a 1999 Vintage Dom Perignon at Moët & Chandalon for a mere €2550. Not the cheapest stuff.
May 10, 2011
I decided to do the Montagne De Reims ride today based out of Épernay. This ride was about 55km and took me through the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne. The bike was great and during the mid-day heat I was able to bike in the shade of the forest. Now the word Montagne (mountain) in the park I was in really wasn't a mountain, the highest I got was 283 meters and Épernay is at 80 meters. But still the ride was great as I rode through more small villages and throug Grand Cru Champagne vineyards (high-quality vineyards). I also came upon a bunch of small dwarf trees near the peak of my ride. No one knows how the got there but they are alive because they can reproduce sexually... I have no idea how that works.
After the mutant trees I saw more vineyards, a windmill in it's most stereotypical form (which also acted as an observatory in WW1) and a light house that is now a museum, but used to be an open air dance floor and theatre. I had a steep 2km climb (13% gradient) out of the villages of Ludes and after some riding in the forest had a 4km ride downhill all the way to Épernay.
May 11, 2011
This day I took it easy and planned my trip over the next couple days to Verdun.
May 12, 2011
With the plan of heading to Verdun I set out with my loaded bike. However, I did not even make it close. With the weight on my bike I started breaking spokes which in turn untrued (probably not a word) my tire. This forced me to stop in Chalons-en-Champagne and get my bike fixed. By the time I was ready to hit the road again it was too late to continue. I stopped at the campground and examined what I had packed. After throwing some stuff away I hoped it would do the trick. I planned to make it to Verdun the next day.
May 13, 2011
Unfortunately, the problem did not go away. I started heading towards Verdun and only made it to St. Menehould. I again had to get some spokes fixed and my tire trued. However, my bike would not be fixed until the next day at 9 am, so I explored the town and set up at the campground.
May 14, 2011
I knew I wanted to make it to Verdun, so I was willing to put up with another day of problems in order to make it there. I tried one more small fix which involved me moving a couple kilograms forward on the bike to spread out the weight. It wasn't the most optimal option but I just wanted a good day of biking. I managed to cover about 60km of biking without a single problem so I hoped the trouble was behind me.
Upon arrival in Verdun I headed to the tourist office, got some maps and set up camp. I ate a restaurant that serves every dish on the menu with potatoes. Definitely hit the spot. The weather was a little rainy and windy which put an even heavier tone on the city.
Verdun seems like it's been hit hard economically recently, the town center is nice (obviously driven by tourists) but away from that all the shops and houses really look worn down. The whole area is pretty somber taking into account the history and once you head east from Épernay it's easy to see where the money is (in champagne). Unfortunately for Verdun I don't know if they have a lot going for them.
May 15, 2011
Verdun was one of the main battlefields during WW1. The battle went from february 21 to December 18, 1916 and was the longest battle fought during the war. In the last 2 years of the war 800,000 soldiers (400,000 French and nearly as many German, along with other countries) lost their lives near Verdun. I decided to take a day ride to see the sites it had to offer. I saw a couple of the major forts used during the war and visited memorials and cemeteries as well. One of the museums I went to told the story of Verdun over 300 days, 300 000 dead and 400 000 wounded. I saw a memorial that marked the extent of the German advance, the site of a town that was completely leveled to the ground and learned a lot about the war that I did not know about. I went to one site called Tranchée Des Baïonettes, where two companies of the 137th Infantry Regiment were apparently buried alive when oncoming shells covered their position with mud and debris. Several hundreds of their bayonets were found several years later sticking up out of the ground. The site is still untouched. Very sobering day.
In the evening I went to a small traditional French restaurant with the the checkered red and white tableclothes and all. I ordered off the plat du jour, receiving escargot for an appy and the house beef for my main. The escargot were awesome but my main...was, well, interesting to say the least. The server brought my meal on a cutting board of sorts and plopped it down in front of me. What I found was a bed of fried potatoes on a bed of lettuce on my left which looked appetizing and on my right finely cubed raw beef along mixed in with veggies and and a raw egg broken in half sitting on top. As I raised my head to look around the whole restaurant was looking at me. So I pretended it was exactly what I ordered, poured the egg on top and dug in. The meal was actually pretty good, it even tasted as if it had a hint of wasabi in it. It became too heavy after a while and I had to stop. I finished my meal with a small chocolate pastry and went back to
camp. It was bugging me the whole way back what had just happened and how I had completely misjudged what i had ordered for dinner. Upon return to the campsite I asked the lady at front desk what exactly I had eaten by explaining the ingredients. She promptly told me in french that I had eaten "a good french meal." I went to bed to settle my stomach.
May 16, 2011
The ride to Metz which was about 50ish km went perfect! I'm happy about not having to deal with the crazy spoke issue. After pulling in and checking into the campground I took a quick siesta and decided to walk around for a change.
The layout of Metz (pronounced Mess) was one of the best I've seen. It had not near the craziness of Paris but had all the zeal. The massive spikey Cathedral was tr centerpiece and the streets of cafes, restaurants and shops spread from. I went and saw their new art center called Centre Pompidou-Metz and the architecture on it was amazing. I strolled around and just enjoyed the evening stopping in at a North African restaurant to eat a huge belly busting meal.
May 17, 2011
I made the biggest bike of the tour yet going from Metz to Sarrebourg covering 105km. I stayed about 8 km out of town on a small lakeside campground and ate some food from a local boulangerie and promptly passed out. It felt good to make that much ground.
May 18, 2011
This was another large day of biking as I covered 85km from Sarrebourg to Strasbourg which Is right along the German border. The day was very hot but i got treated with my own bike path heading into the city. After finally finding the tourist office I went to my campground which is only 3km from the city center and set up. I was pretty drained from the distance covered and the heat so I hid in the shade and did some reading. Tomorrow I will cover Strasbourg and will be heading out on the Alsatian wine route within the next couple days. Gonna look at a solution to spread the weight out more on my bike.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
First post
Sorry for anyone who has been checking this... It's hard to keep up on this and im not huge on paying for internet so im waiting for free wifi. But I'm writing everything on paper and it will make it here eventually. Here's the beginning of my adventure in France. Enjoy.
Its still a ways behind, but a start indefinitely.
May 4, 2011
Well I've been neglecting this blog since I set out for my trip and I decided I should probably put it to some use. I've been in France now for just over a week and every minute of it has been both surreal and amazing.
My flight from Calgary to Montreal then to Charles de Gaulle went very smooth and the Air Canada staff were great. I was planning on catching some sleep, but that did not come close to happening as excitement pumped through my veins through both flights. Upon arrival I quickly exited the plane, cleared customs (which involved only a stamp of my passport and no questions asked) and then grabbed my luggage and my bike box. I knew that Air France offered some some express buses into Paris (I was in the suburb of Roissy) so I took my stuff to the bus that was heading to the Arc de Triomphe, paid my 15€ and hopped on. The trip went quickly and when finally we approached the famous traffic circle around the Arc I got my stuff together and grabbed a taxi to a campsite in the nearby Bois de Boulogne. Once at my camping spot I quickly set up my tent and assembled my bike which thankfully was in the order I sent it in.
Once settled I decided it was time to get my grips on the French roads and see for my self what the priorité à droite (priority to the right) was all about. The cars were all whizzing past and with me being jet lagged it wasn't the best combination. But I eventually found a nearby bank, boulangerie (bakery), and a supermarket that would keep my stomach satisfied while I was in Paris. I spent the rest of the day getting my site ready and passed out early so I could tackle Paris properly the next day!
May 5, 2011
I have never had the privilege of experiencing jet lag until this point in my life. I awoke at 4am and was wide awake ready for the day to start. I decided to do some reading on the sites I had planned for the day and then I hopped on my bike by 5:30am.
I didn't plan an exact route to the Eiffel tour which was my first stop... But I knew the general direction, so I figured that would suffice. After about 10 minutes of biking I saw the tip of the tower appear over the buildings in front of me. I Peddled faster and quickly came upon the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine which offered some amazing panoramic views of the Seine, Madame Eiffel and the city beyond. I was there practically by myself and with the Eiffel tower glowing in the orange morning light it couldn't have been more picturesque. After snapping a couple pictures I realized my stomach was grumbling at me so I found a nearby covered market and grabbed my first crepe and croissant in France.
I decided that I wanted to see the Eiffel tower from it's base so I whizzed down some of the still quiet city streets and found my way to the base of the tower. The Eiffel tower paired with it's neighbouring Parc du Champ de Mars was great to see.
Going up an elevator to the top of the tower didn't exactly interest me, (since I knew I was already gonna climb the steps of the Notre Dame) so I moved on.
The base of the Eiffel tower was the starting point of the Paris Orientation bike outlined in my cycling france Lonely planet guide so I took their directions from there. I headed to the esplanade des invalided and the Eglise du dome (where Napoleon lays) and took in the sights. There was also the musee de l'larmé, but that didn't open for another hour. Before too long tourist buses pulled up and unloaded mobs of people armed with cameras unloading their film on the nearby sites. I decided to move on.
My orientation of Paris then took me through various bus lanes and bike lanes to the louvre. I hesitantly tied my bike up and headed inside. I had already decided what the main sites I wanted to see were so I grabbed a map and with the help of the lonely planet made a quick tour. I stayed for 3 hours and saw all that I wanted too along with a couple surprises so I was satisfied.
After the louvre my stomach was grumbling so I headed to a small restaurant called Le Hangar (which proved very difficult to find), but I made it eventually. After being seated I asked "Qu-est ce que voussoirs conseillez? (what do you recommend?). The waitress asked me if I liked kidney and I said sure even though I've never tried them. It turned out to be awesome, and i washed it down with some vin rouge.
The next stop I went to was the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is free to go into the world heritage site and it did not cease to impress. It's amazing they were able to build something of such enormity so long ago. I also opted to pay the 5€ to take the steps up to the top of the cathedral. It was worth every penny as I got beautiful panoramas of the city skyline, visited the gargoyles and saw the massive bell.
The day had been very warm and I was tired so I headed back to the campsite, grabbed some food and fell asleep.
May 6, 2011
This day was slower compared to the previous one. I decided It was time for me to head out to the rest of France and what else It had to offer. I knew I would see more of it when I return for my flight home. First things first though... To roam the countryside I was going to need maps so I set out to a find a suggested map store. I road through the streets with better navigation and even tackled the traffic circle surround the Arc de Triomphe... That was a rush. When I got to my destination it soon came to my attention that the store I was looking for had been converted into a coca-cola store. I then had to head to my second option close to the Notre Dame. After getting my maps and an average lunch at a cafe I headed back to camp, catching some sights along the way.
My supper consisted of some baking and a quiche from a nearby boulangerie and of course red wine.
I planned my trip out of Paris.
May 7, 2011
I lied, there was no chance I was getting out of Paris... At least not without a more detailed map. So I decided to get out to Épernay, France I would take the train. It was a good decision. I biked to the Gare de l'est and bought my ticket for 15€. The train ride was only just over an hour and upon arrival I went to the tourist office and got some local maps and seeked out the campground. The services at the campground were way better than Paris and it was a third of the price which was a bonus. I took the rest of the day easy and planned my next couple days.
May 9, 2011
Out of Épernay the lonely planet has a couple bike rides laid out. I chose one called the Valée de la Marne which took me through the home of the one and only Dom Perignon in Hautvilliers. I explored the abbey where it is believed he first created champagne and I stood at the foot at his tomb which is just in front of the altar. The rest of the ride took me through rolling scenery highlighting champagne plantations and small sleepy towns. The countryside was beautiful and the trip as a whole was entertaining. I covered about 60km of the champagne region.
Its still a ways behind, but a start indefinitely.
May 4, 2011
Well I've been neglecting this blog since I set out for my trip and I decided I should probably put it to some use. I've been in France now for just over a week and every minute of it has been both surreal and amazing.
My flight from Calgary to Montreal then to Charles de Gaulle went very smooth and the Air Canada staff were great. I was planning on catching some sleep, but that did not come close to happening as excitement pumped through my veins through both flights. Upon arrival I quickly exited the plane, cleared customs (which involved only a stamp of my passport and no questions asked) and then grabbed my luggage and my bike box. I knew that Air France offered some some express buses into Paris (I was in the suburb of Roissy) so I took my stuff to the bus that was heading to the Arc de Triomphe, paid my 15€ and hopped on. The trip went quickly and when finally we approached the famous traffic circle around the Arc I got my stuff together and grabbed a taxi to a campsite in the nearby Bois de Boulogne. Once at my camping spot I quickly set up my tent and assembled my bike which thankfully was in the order I sent it in.
Once settled I decided it was time to get my grips on the French roads and see for my self what the priorité à droite (priority to the right) was all about. The cars were all whizzing past and with me being jet lagged it wasn't the best combination. But I eventually found a nearby bank, boulangerie (bakery), and a supermarket that would keep my stomach satisfied while I was in Paris. I spent the rest of the day getting my site ready and passed out early so I could tackle Paris properly the next day!
May 5, 2011
I have never had the privilege of experiencing jet lag until this point in my life. I awoke at 4am and was wide awake ready for the day to start. I decided to do some reading on the sites I had planned for the day and then I hopped on my bike by 5:30am.
I didn't plan an exact route to the Eiffel tour which was my first stop... But I knew the general direction, so I figured that would suffice. After about 10 minutes of biking I saw the tip of the tower appear over the buildings in front of me. I Peddled faster and quickly came upon the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine which offered some amazing panoramic views of the Seine, Madame Eiffel and the city beyond. I was there practically by myself and with the Eiffel tower glowing in the orange morning light it couldn't have been more picturesque. After snapping a couple pictures I realized my stomach was grumbling at me so I found a nearby covered market and grabbed my first crepe and croissant in France.
I decided that I wanted to see the Eiffel tower from it's base so I whizzed down some of the still quiet city streets and found my way to the base of the tower. The Eiffel tower paired with it's neighbouring Parc du Champ de Mars was great to see.
Going up an elevator to the top of the tower didn't exactly interest me, (since I knew I was already gonna climb the steps of the Notre Dame) so I moved on.
The base of the Eiffel tower was the starting point of the Paris Orientation bike outlined in my cycling france Lonely planet guide so I took their directions from there. I headed to the esplanade des invalided and the Eglise du dome (where Napoleon lays) and took in the sights. There was also the musee de l'larmé, but that didn't open for another hour. Before too long tourist buses pulled up and unloaded mobs of people armed with cameras unloading their film on the nearby sites. I decided to move on.
My orientation of Paris then took me through various bus lanes and bike lanes to the louvre. I hesitantly tied my bike up and headed inside. I had already decided what the main sites I wanted to see were so I grabbed a map and with the help of the lonely planet made a quick tour. I stayed for 3 hours and saw all that I wanted too along with a couple surprises so I was satisfied.
After the louvre my stomach was grumbling so I headed to a small restaurant called Le Hangar (which proved very difficult to find), but I made it eventually. After being seated I asked "Qu-est ce que voussoirs conseillez? (what do you recommend?). The waitress asked me if I liked kidney and I said sure even though I've never tried them. It turned out to be awesome, and i washed it down with some vin rouge.
The next stop I went to was the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is free to go into the world heritage site and it did not cease to impress. It's amazing they were able to build something of such enormity so long ago. I also opted to pay the 5€ to take the steps up to the top of the cathedral. It was worth every penny as I got beautiful panoramas of the city skyline, visited the gargoyles and saw the massive bell.
The day had been very warm and I was tired so I headed back to the campsite, grabbed some food and fell asleep.
May 6, 2011
This day was slower compared to the previous one. I decided It was time for me to head out to the rest of France and what else It had to offer. I knew I would see more of it when I return for my flight home. First things first though... To roam the countryside I was going to need maps so I set out to a find a suggested map store. I road through the streets with better navigation and even tackled the traffic circle surround the Arc de Triomphe... That was a rush. When I got to my destination it soon came to my attention that the store I was looking for had been converted into a coca-cola store. I then had to head to my second option close to the Notre Dame. After getting my maps and an average lunch at a cafe I headed back to camp, catching some sights along the way.
My supper consisted of some baking and a quiche from a nearby boulangerie and of course red wine.
I planned my trip out of Paris.
May 7, 2011
I lied, there was no chance I was getting out of Paris... At least not without a more detailed map. So I decided to get out to Épernay, France I would take the train. It was a good decision. I biked to the Gare de l'est and bought my ticket for 15€. The train ride was only just over an hour and upon arrival I went to the tourist office and got some local maps and seeked out the campground. The services at the campground were way better than Paris and it was a third of the price which was a bonus. I took the rest of the day easy and planned my next couple days.
May 9, 2011
Out of Épernay the lonely planet has a couple bike rides laid out. I chose one called the Valée de la Marne which took me through the home of the one and only Dom Perignon in Hautvilliers. I explored the abbey where it is believed he first created champagne and I stood at the foot at his tomb which is just in front of the altar. The rest of the ride took me through rolling scenery highlighting champagne plantations and small sleepy towns. The countryside was beautiful and the trip as a whole was entertaining. I covered about 60km of the champagne region.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)