Sunday, July 19, 2015
Back in Paris
We rode about 20 miles today, from Versailles (Buc), back to our first hotel in Paris. We got here in time to go see the impressionist paintings at Musee D'Orsay, walk a little along the river and have dinner near Notre Dame. Tomorrow we box up our bikes and the next day we head home.
Our final days in France
We rode our bikes to the Chartres train station and took the train to Versailles. We rode about 30 minutes by bike to our hotel room in Buc where we could bus in and out of the Versaiilles palace and park. Our first day we walked the park and visited Marie Antoinette's hamlet and the Trianon. Yesterday we toured the palace and fountains. It was a Saturday so the park was filled with beautiful music.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Rode about 60 miles today
Today's ride had extra miles because of our trip to Belleme, and because we decided to ride further for our lodging options. Today marks the end of carefree riding and adventure. Tomorrow we ride a short distance to Chartres ( we are in Illiers Combray). We'll stay there in air conditioning during the hottest predicted day, then Versailles by train, and bike to Paris. Probably no more camping, and that is where we had some of our best experiences.
Today we rode in the Perche region, Very big hills, beautiful landscape. We don't get as many pictures on those days that take all our energy!
We are crashed in our hotel room right now and can hear the local band leading this town's Bastille Day parade. Too tired to do it again tonight. Last night we had great fireworks after parading. In one of the towns we visited today, there was the biggest garage sale we have ever seen, lining the medieval roads! Very festive, lots of families.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Rode a short day to Belleme where the town will have fireworks tonight for Bastlle Day.
We loaded up on food since tomorrow is a holiday, and watched a motor cross parade a while ago. Tonight we'll have fireworks! Bastille Day tomorrow!
Saturday, July 11, 2015
A day behind the Tour de France
Today we rode to Carrouges and we rode part of the route the tour rode yesterday! If we were one day quicker, we would have joined the cheering crowd!
Bagnoles de l'Orne
Friday we rode a shorter day, getting a late start because of sleeping long in Domfront. We also knew the next stretch would be hilly and didn't want to hit it in the heat of the day. Bagnoles de l'Orne is a beautiful spa town on a lake with another beautiful municiple campground. Last night Glenn played guitar with our camping neighbor. She played those great traditional accordion songs. She lives in Brittany on the coast.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Some great cycling from Combourg to Ducey
We set out from Combourg's municiple campground after a newspaper interview by the camp hostess, a gift tin of biscuits, and a video by our hostess of us riding away waving. We were definitely welcomed there. Our ride took us through back roads of Brittany, full of Catholic influence. We ended our day in Ducey where we could get a good start on the veloscenic route back to Paris.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Almost back to Mont St Michel
Tomorrow we finish a great loop ride we found from Londly Pllanet. Great sites, lots of history, variety in landscape, good roads, lots of off road green ways, good food, and good people! After tomorrow we wifi begin the veloscenic bike route back to Paris - lots to see and lots of miles to go. We have been able to ride freely, not knowing where we will lodge, but have had no problems and great accommodation. Tonight we are camping in Comburg's municiple campground - good secure grassy place withcleanbathrooms and showers, on a lake across from a castle that we hope to tour in the morning- 9 euro. Amazing!
Monday, July 6, 2015
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Mortain
We ended up staying two nights in Mortain, due to rain. The office of tourism was across the street, and we got great maps for the rest of our route to St Michel, which was well marked all the way. They also gave us a great walk around town and we saw an old abbey, German bunkers and an American war memorial, a waterfall (the town is situated on a steep hillside that was part of a St Michel pilgrimage route where the island can be first seen, and for German and allied strategies).
Just Glenn and I on part 2 of our trip
The day we left Bayeux we first visited the city's history and art museum, since our bed and breakfast hostess said it was very good - it was! It started with early tools, had artifacts from the Bronze Age and worked up to modern art and the area's porcelain and lace making. Everything was from the local area. It made a late start for setting off toward Mont St Michel, but worth the delay.
We rode on a very well marked bike route that day so navigation was never an issue, but it was a hard 32
Miles with heat (88 degrees), wind, hills and our load. As it tends to happen, when you climb big hills, you get good views and great descents. Normandy landscape was spectacular. Once again an office de tourism gave us good advice - green, shady camping in Cohagnes with a guy who could serve up a sandwich and beer. We left early the next day to head for Vire, not expecting to get far because of continued heat, but in Vire a couple in spandex, no body fat, riding a tandem told us that our next portion of our route to St Michel Wes's a voice verte, a greenway, with lots of shade. So we continued, and on the route we were joined by a fellow who was excited to talk to two Americans on his cycle route. He told us we had two more Kim's of gentle uphill, then could ride all the rest of the way to Mortain down hill. We ended up riding 52 miles that day and got great lodging advice from our new friend (he rode with us, speaking his bit of English, and me, my bit of French, for about 10 or 15 km).
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