14 August Bordeaux to Agen by car!
Part 4 of the trip begins! We had to return to the GoSport shop this morning to correct an error in the purchase of two cycling jerseys the night before. They didn't charge us the sale price for Norm's jersey so we got a 22euro refund. Then on to the Peugeot dealer to pick up our chariot for the Jo & Rodney part of the trip. The only problem there was that they had no owner's manual for the car and couldn't find the wheel changing tools which they were required to show us before we left. The agent had to phone the Peugeot factory to get the answer! The tools were very well hidden beneath a panel under the passenger seat, but the agent had to download a portion of the owner's manual for us from the Peugeot UK website. Norm, of course, likes to read all the details, but it was just enough information to sort out how to use cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, and radio controls on the steering wheel.
15 August - Agen to Bordeaux to Cap Ferret to Castagnede
We drove back to Agen for another 2 nights with the Rodriguez family - more lunch, more apero, more dinner, more jolitility. We had a fairly early start on Sunday for the drive to Bordeaux to meet Jo & Rod. Norm dropped Vee off at the railway station, then found a car park a few blocks away. J&R had arrived by the time Norm walked back to the RR station, so their bags were humped back to the car for a quick take off.
The drive to Cap Ferret for lunch was a bit longer than planned, with big traffic jams going into the beach area on the last day of the main summer holiday weekends. Lunch was at Cafe Pinasse, our table only cms from the sand. Foie gras, chipirons, langoustines, oysters, stuffed squid, souffle Grand Marnier and champagne, then back on the road to Castagenede for a superb dinner at La Belle Auberge with Carlos & Elliane while Mireille and Perrot slaved away. After dinner we followed them to their lovely house on the hill above Castagnede. They bought the house with only the walls and roof intact, infested with bats and beasties and transformed it into an incredibly comfortable and tasteful home. We didn't have too much time to be impressed that night - way too much eating this day and no cycling. Tomorrow will have to be different!
16 August - At Castagnede
A light breakfast with the Guells, then bike assembly and testing. A 30 km morning ride via Sauveterre and Salies de Bearn to lunch at Auberge de Fountaine in Loas, owned by Mireille and Perrot's sun for another gourmet lunch of foie gras, oysters, fish, man melon and trout, before an easy 30 km afternoon ride back to the Guell's. We drove down to La Belle Auberge for a swim and for Norm to internet the payroll, then back to the Guell's for a late dinner with Carlos &Eliane and Mireile and Perrot when they finished work. Grilled green chilis with wild ham, followed by langoustines and lobster, accompanied by a bottle plus a magnum of champagne. This luxury can 't go on!
17 August - Castagnede to Arette - 80 kms
We got a reasonable early start with lots of best wishes and deep thanks for all the hospitality we have enjoyed over the last two days. Both couples are incredibly kind and generous - we look forward to seeing them again in New Zealand, perhaps for the rugby world cup.
Norm drove to Arette to leave the car and baggage while Vee, Jo and Rod cycled over the long hill to Mauleon. Norm cycled via Tardets to meet them there for lunch before joining them for the ride back to Arette via Barcus - 74 kms for J,R and V. This was a hilly day and was a good warm up for the first pass tomorrow. Hotel L'Ours in Arette was disappointing, with reasonable rooms but a very plain dinner. The proprietor, a former competitive cyclist who set the world 10 and 50 km track tandem record in the seventies, cast his eye over our bikes and did not approve - especially of the side on which side the front quick release was fastened. Oh well.
18 August - At Arette - 64 kms
Today's ride was Jo & Rod's first real test. We had thought of doing Cold d'Erroymendi for lunch in Isabena, then back over Col de Soldet, but the Soldet road on the Spanish side was closed for construction, so we took the valley road from Larrau to St Engrace and Soldet instead. This was probably enough, as it was very hot - 37c. The 22 km downhill to Arette was a welcome cooling break!
We couldn't face another Hotel l'Ours dinner, so we drove to Larrau for dinner at Etchemaite, the hotel in which we had hoped to stay instead of at Arette. Wonderful dinner and very refined cuisine.
Another hot night meant no one getting a very good night's sleep.
19 August - Arette to Argeles-Gazost - 50 kms
A 50 km car boost to Bielle meant a reasonable distance for this hard day in the heat. Vee, Jo, and Rod climbed Col d'Aubisque while Norm drove to Argeles-Gazost, unloaded the bags, then biked up to Col du Solour for a light lunch before meeting the others a short way along the road to Aubisque. Another stunning downhill to Argeles and our quaint Hotel Beau Site. Dinner was at Hotel Miramont, our old favourite where we were remembered by staff.
20 August - at Argeles - 78 kms
We had a unanimous vote for an easy day today after two consecutive over-the-col days. We biked down the bike path to Lourdes and Rod and Norm visited Cycles Abres while Jo & Vee bought large swags of chocolate as thank you gifts for Carlos & Iliane and Mireille and Perrot. After lunch at a pub, we all returned to Cycles Abres for a buying spree of local cycling jerseys. We cycled past the Ste Bernadette grotte, got chased away by the guards, then to Betherame to photo the chapel and back to Argeles. Dinner in our neighbourhood - just across the road for simple meat and vegetables.
21 August at Argeles - 103 kms
An early-ish start for the grand col du Tourmalet, passing and being passed by lots of cyclists. It took us nearly 3 hours to all arrive at the top, but it was not too difficult or dis-heartening for anyone. Rod and Norm had celebratory beers at the top, then down the hill to Bagnieres de Bigorre for lunch in the place in front of the baths. The troops were a bit bum and leg sore by this time, so the 40 kms back to Argeles were fairly slow. Dinner at a pizza parlour tonight and early to bed.
22 August - Argeles to Sarlat by car
A not-very-adventurous day's driving - 455 kms - to our Chambres d'hote at Sarlat. This was a big disappointment as the pool had been emptied due to leaks and need for maintenance and the house had crumbled a bit since Vee inspected it last year. The hostess had had a major traffic crash with a major foot injury, so this may have compromised the standards. No one slept very well because of noisy plumbing and wildlife - centipedes, BIG wasps, and mosquitos.
23 August - at Sarlat 82 kms
We made an early decision to move to the nearby Hotel de Mas des Peches. We paid a bit extra for having spent only one night at the CdH, but it was well worth it.
Very modern facilities, a fine swimming pool and air conditioning. Today's bike ride was to Montignac via Salignac and St Amand Coly to sign up for an English language tour of Lascaux II for Jo & Rod. We visited Roque St Christophe on the way back and Vee, Jo, and Rod explored the troglodyte town while Norm guarded the bikes, beer in hand. Back via Marquay, then a delicious dinner at Relais de Cinq Chateau.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Cycle tour phase 4 - the Pyrenees
It's just over a week since the last post - not a lot of Wifi in the Spanish wopwops, but lots of kilometers.
6 August - Castelnau-Magnoac to Bagneres du Luchon - 85 kms
From Castelnau we cycled up the valley of the Louron to Arreau and over the Col de Peyresourde - another classic Tour de France pass, with a few 9pc pitches to test our luggage-carrying fitness. Norm could have used a lower gear or two, but no real problems except the heat. We were sweating buckets and stopping at every water source to fill up the bottles. The downhill glide into Bagneres du Luchon was fab, with memories of Marco Pantani zooming down at 90 kmh+, while we held it below 70.
We stayed at our new favourite - Hotel des 2 Nations - which is just off the main tourist street. Excellent accommodation and food for the money, though without the spectacular view we used to get from Jardin des Cascades. The restaurant was heaving with people and one waitress to very efficiently serve 16 tables with at least 3 courses and a few resets.
7 August - Bagneres du Luchon to Sort, Espagne - 107 kms
This day started cloudy, for a change, and ended in torrential rain.
We climbed Col de Portillon, another frequently used Tour de France pass, into Spain through cloud and mist. We kept expecting rain, but when we descended the switchbacks into the Vallee de Vielha the sun reappeared. Col de Portillon is a lovely winding road through the forest and meadows, but Vallee de Vielha is a major truck route with a long tunnel at the top. Not salubrious cycling, but the shoulders have been much improved in recent years and it was no threat or inconvenience. At Vielha, we turned left to cross the Port de la Bonaigua at 2072m - not much traffic and just a few ski villages dotted along the way. The weather started to deteriorate just after the last ski village and we turned on our lights to be seen in the fog, but it didn't start to rain until we started downhill into the Vall d'Aneu. By the time we reached Escalo, it was pouring with rain and visibility was again a problem, so we stopped for half an hour in a bus shelter and finally retreated to a hotel with the idea of spending the night. Alas the only room left was a 200euro suite! I'd rather freeze, thanks, so we headed down to our original destination - Sort. The hotel Vee used last year for 42euros was in August of this year 75euros. We found a Casa Rural in the village for 40 euros which was comfortable enough. Fortunately we didn't eat there and didn't see the cockroaches in the dining room until the morning. Dinner was at a very popular mini-chain Catalin restaurant with good salads and huge main courses.
8 August - Sort to Serraduy - 107 kms again.
Breakfast from a panateria with coffee at a cafe overlooking the river and the sun was out again. We had two fairly hard climbs today in red-rock country on almost deserted roads. The last climb took us through Bonansas into the Valle de Isabena. We had hoped to stay in the abbey where Vee stayed last year, but that was July, this is August! No rooms available when she phoned ahead, so we stopped a few kms short in Serraduy, where we had the perfect hotel room - spacious, double doors onto the balcony over the river, lots of pillows, small bathtub, lots of hangers. Big storm overnight turned the river to chalky-grey with silt and knocked out the Wifi access. The position, the welcome, the reasonably priced food made it worthy of a return visit. After settling in in the afternoon, we cycled sans-baggage to Roda de Isabena so Vee could show me the hotel and restaurant in the abbey.
9 August - Serraduy to Torla - 96 kms
Copious breakfast and rather a boring climb up the Vallee de Lierp, but a rollicking downhill into Campo for 2nd breakfast, then up a boring 9pc climb on the main road and down into Arro. Thoughts of lunch but no facilities. The tiny road from there to Laspuna via Las Molinas felt very much like the high desert of Southern California - rudimentary vegetation and road surfaces and nobody around. The one side street of Las Molinas was dressed up for a fiesta, with balloons and streamers. Only facility was a much-need fountain.
Lunch finally happened a Laspuna, but we had to wait for a table at a restaurant with a fabulous view over the high valleys up to the rocky outcrops of the Ordesa. We then found, quite by chance, what was the highlight of this part of the trip - a miniscule but paved gorge road through towering cliffs, cut into overhanging galleries and echoing with waterfalls and the rushing river. Fortunately it was one-way - it was hard enough to get past the gawking motorists going our way! It's just compensation for the closing of one of our other favourite roads, the Grand Goulets in the Vercors. After climbing out of the gorge, the tiny road continued trough the village of Fanlo and down another steep twisty downhill to the Vallee de Broto, where we headed up to the road end and Torla. Vee stayed here last year but, again, we were unable to use last year's Chambre d'hotes, so we found a hostal with a cheap room and had an adequate menu del dia for 15euros, wine included.
10 August - Torla to Hecho - 99 kms
Bread and biscuits at the hotel, then climb to Puerto de Cotefablo and rip-roaring downhill into Biescas for tortilla and rellenos, then down the main roads into the dry valleys to Jaca and Puente la Reina de Jaca. You can see why the Spanish explorers like the California valleys - long, hot dry stretches of riverbed and rolling dry hills. The Valle de Hecho was some compensation - shady and cool. An easy 100 kms today to save our energy for tomorrow. Stayed in the same Casa Rural where Vee stayed last year but, alas, the Michelin restaurant was again fully booked, so settled for a mediocre bar menu to fill the hole.
11 August - Hecho to Urroz-Villa - 130 kms
Vee said this would be an easy day! Lots of climbing to Anso and up the valley to Zuriza where we resorted to a campground lunch amid hordes of hikers and climbers, then cross-grain to Isaba, Portillo de Lazar, Alto de Remendia and Garaioa, before pointing the front wheels downhill again heading for the Pamplona area. It wasn't all downhill though, with two hot climbs to and through tunnels on new road created when the lovely old country road was flooded by a giant reservoir. In the town of Agoitz, just below the dam, there was lots of new home construction in quite a remote place. There was a factory or two, but where will all the people come from to fill the housing? Sounds like Arizona! The last 10 kms were hot, dry and headwindy, but once we found the hotel in Urroz, it was worth it. A hot dusty little village, but the hotel was a beautifully renovated ancestral home with hand-painted murals on some walls and the best fittings and fixtures. Dinner was delicious and the welcome charming.
12 August - Urroz Villa to ??? - 140 kms
We had planned on catching the train from Pamplona to Irun to see Erin and visit the Mariscos owned by our friends the Guells, but the with schedule disruptions caused by floods down south and no information on whether they would take our bikes on the trains, we decided to bike it. We thought it would be less than 80kms, but with construction detours and being forced onto side roads to avoid tunnels, it was 100 kms by the time we spotted Erin in the main street. We had a great catch-up and a few snacks and drinks before we headed off to find accommodation. This turned out be no mean feat! All the hotels in Hondarebbia, Hendaye, Ciborne, and St Jean de Luz were full, so after biking 15 kms along the Cornice de Basque in the dark, we caught the train to Dax. NOBODY goes to Dax, so we figured we would have no problems finding a hotel there. Except that Fiesta was on there and the town was heaving! No rooms at any of a dozen hotels. Fortunately we met a local just before midnight who guided us to the refuge for pilgrims on the Chemin de St Jacques who contacted the warden who opened it up for us. Hot shower, bunk beds, then an hours conversation in the morning before catching the train from Dax to Bordeaux to begin phase 5 - our travels with Jo and Rodney. Heaps of bicycles on the train, but there's always room for a couple more - 9 bikes in space designed for 4, no problem once you organise the troops! Tonight we are in a hotel just across the road from the train station and will eat again in the Rue de St Pierre before we collect the rental car tomorrow.
More soon!
6 August - Castelnau-Magnoac to Bagneres du Luchon - 85 kms
From Castelnau we cycled up the valley of the Louron to Arreau and over the Col de Peyresourde - another classic Tour de France pass, with a few 9pc pitches to test our luggage-carrying fitness. Norm could have used a lower gear or two, but no real problems except the heat. We were sweating buckets and stopping at every water source to fill up the bottles. The downhill glide into Bagneres du Luchon was fab, with memories of Marco Pantani zooming down at 90 kmh+, while we held it below 70.
We stayed at our new favourite - Hotel des 2 Nations - which is just off the main tourist street. Excellent accommodation and food for the money, though without the spectacular view we used to get from Jardin des Cascades. The restaurant was heaving with people and one waitress to very efficiently serve 16 tables with at least 3 courses and a few resets.
7 August - Bagneres du Luchon to Sort, Espagne - 107 kms
This day started cloudy, for a change, and ended in torrential rain.
We climbed Col de Portillon, another frequently used Tour de France pass, into Spain through cloud and mist. We kept expecting rain, but when we descended the switchbacks into the Vallee de Vielha the sun reappeared. Col de Portillon is a lovely winding road through the forest and meadows, but Vallee de Vielha is a major truck route with a long tunnel at the top. Not salubrious cycling, but the shoulders have been much improved in recent years and it was no threat or inconvenience. At Vielha, we turned left to cross the Port de la Bonaigua at 2072m - not much traffic and just a few ski villages dotted along the way. The weather started to deteriorate just after the last ski village and we turned on our lights to be seen in the fog, but it didn't start to rain until we started downhill into the Vall d'Aneu. By the time we reached Escalo, it was pouring with rain and visibility was again a problem, so we stopped for half an hour in a bus shelter and finally retreated to a hotel with the idea of spending the night. Alas the only room left was a 200euro suite! I'd rather freeze, thanks, so we headed down to our original destination - Sort. The hotel Vee used last year for 42euros was in August of this year 75euros. We found a Casa Rural in the village for 40 euros which was comfortable enough. Fortunately we didn't eat there and didn't see the cockroaches in the dining room until the morning. Dinner was at a very popular mini-chain Catalin restaurant with good salads and huge main courses.
8 August - Sort to Serraduy - 107 kms again.
Breakfast from a panateria with coffee at a cafe overlooking the river and the sun was out again. We had two fairly hard climbs today in red-rock country on almost deserted roads. The last climb took us through Bonansas into the Valle de Isabena. We had hoped to stay in the abbey where Vee stayed last year, but that was July, this is August! No rooms available when she phoned ahead, so we stopped a few kms short in Serraduy, where we had the perfect hotel room - spacious, double doors onto the balcony over the river, lots of pillows, small bathtub, lots of hangers. Big storm overnight turned the river to chalky-grey with silt and knocked out the Wifi access. The position, the welcome, the reasonably priced food made it worthy of a return visit. After settling in in the afternoon, we cycled sans-baggage to Roda de Isabena so Vee could show me the hotel and restaurant in the abbey.
9 August - Serraduy to Torla - 96 kms
Copious breakfast and rather a boring climb up the Vallee de Lierp, but a rollicking downhill into Campo for 2nd breakfast, then up a boring 9pc climb on the main road and down into Arro. Thoughts of lunch but no facilities. The tiny road from there to Laspuna via Las Molinas felt very much like the high desert of Southern California - rudimentary vegetation and road surfaces and nobody around. The one side street of Las Molinas was dressed up for a fiesta, with balloons and streamers. Only facility was a much-need fountain.
Lunch finally happened a Laspuna, but we had to wait for a table at a restaurant with a fabulous view over the high valleys up to the rocky outcrops of the Ordesa. We then found, quite by chance, what was the highlight of this part of the trip - a miniscule but paved gorge road through towering cliffs, cut into overhanging galleries and echoing with waterfalls and the rushing river. Fortunately it was one-way - it was hard enough to get past the gawking motorists going our way! It's just compensation for the closing of one of our other favourite roads, the Grand Goulets in the Vercors. After climbing out of the gorge, the tiny road continued trough the village of Fanlo and down another steep twisty downhill to the Vallee de Broto, where we headed up to the road end and Torla. Vee stayed here last year but, again, we were unable to use last year's Chambre d'hotes, so we found a hostal with a cheap room and had an adequate menu del dia for 15euros, wine included.
10 August - Torla to Hecho - 99 kms
Bread and biscuits at the hotel, then climb to Puerto de Cotefablo and rip-roaring downhill into Biescas for tortilla and rellenos, then down the main roads into the dry valleys to Jaca and Puente la Reina de Jaca. You can see why the Spanish explorers like the California valleys - long, hot dry stretches of riverbed and rolling dry hills. The Valle de Hecho was some compensation - shady and cool. An easy 100 kms today to save our energy for tomorrow. Stayed in the same Casa Rural where Vee stayed last year but, alas, the Michelin restaurant was again fully booked, so settled for a mediocre bar menu to fill the hole.
11 August - Hecho to Urroz-Villa - 130 kms
Vee said this would be an easy day! Lots of climbing to Anso and up the valley to Zuriza where we resorted to a campground lunch amid hordes of hikers and climbers, then cross-grain to Isaba, Portillo de Lazar, Alto de Remendia and Garaioa, before pointing the front wheels downhill again heading for the Pamplona area. It wasn't all downhill though, with two hot climbs to and through tunnels on new road created when the lovely old country road was flooded by a giant reservoir. In the town of Agoitz, just below the dam, there was lots of new home construction in quite a remote place. There was a factory or two, but where will all the people come from to fill the housing? Sounds like Arizona! The last 10 kms were hot, dry and headwindy, but once we found the hotel in Urroz, it was worth it. A hot dusty little village, but the hotel was a beautifully renovated ancestral home with hand-painted murals on some walls and the best fittings and fixtures. Dinner was delicious and the welcome charming.
12 August - Urroz Villa to ??? - 140 kms
We had planned on catching the train from Pamplona to Irun to see Erin and visit the Mariscos owned by our friends the Guells, but the with schedule disruptions caused by floods down south and no information on whether they would take our bikes on the trains, we decided to bike it. We thought it would be less than 80kms, but with construction detours and being forced onto side roads to avoid tunnels, it was 100 kms by the time we spotted Erin in the main street. We had a great catch-up and a few snacks and drinks before we headed off to find accommodation. This turned out be no mean feat! All the hotels in Hondarebbia, Hendaye, Ciborne, and St Jean de Luz were full, so after biking 15 kms along the Cornice de Basque in the dark, we caught the train to Dax. NOBODY goes to Dax, so we figured we would have no problems finding a hotel there. Except that Fiesta was on there and the town was heaving! No rooms at any of a dozen hotels. Fortunately we met a local just before midnight who guided us to the refuge for pilgrims on the Chemin de St Jacques who contacted the warden who opened it up for us. Hot shower, bunk beds, then an hours conversation in the morning before catching the train from Dax to Bordeaux to begin phase 5 - our travels with Jo and Rodney. Heaps of bicycles on the train, but there's always room for a couple more - 9 bikes in space designed for 4, no problem once you organise the troops! Tonight we are in a hotel just across the road from the train station and will eat again in the Rue de St Pierre before we collect the rental car tomorrow.
More soon!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Santana Danube Tour summary
OK, so let's sum up the Santana Blue Danube tour.
First, I have to say that it was very well organised by Santana. The boat provided a moving hotel for the guests, without the need to pack and repack repeatedly. The cabins (we were on the lowest deck) were adequate in size and well equipped. Vee was a big fan of the air conditioning as the outside temperatures were mid-30s. The food was plentiful, with heaps of choices and a good standard of preparation and presentation. The service was good considering the number of people to be served and the fact that just about everyone came in at the same time. i guess that normally on a river cruise people wander in in smaller groups, while a Santana tour is a group thing.
The breakfast buffet offered a huge variety, from smoked meats to fresh omelettes, with a bread buffet offering everything from white toast to kugelhof. Also available were cereals, yoghurts fruity or natural, fromage frais et sec, bain marie scrambled eggs, sausage, as well as smoked fish and fresh fruit. Lunch buffets were similarly bountiful, lots of crudities, salads, cooked meals, etc. Dinners were ordered at the table from an ever-changing table d'hote menu with chef's recommendations and plenty of choices. Draft beer and house wines were plentiful, if you could catch the eye of the waiter, and a fuller wine list was available. I'm sure no one went hungry!
The middle reaches of the Danube offer lots of historical sights - castles, walled towns, abbeys a go-go, but the natural scenery becomes a bit plain as you leave Vienna.
We took the Wolfgang rides, with Wolfgang Haas, the European Santana distributor, as guide and found the pace at times challenging - we're tourists after all - and the company varied and pleasant. I would think that the riders doing the shorter rides might be a bit bored with the riverside scenery as opposed to the Wolfpack hills, but no one mentioned it. A few years back we cycled the Danube from the Black Forest to the Donauwerth and that part was very scenic but of course wouldn't accommodate a floating hotel!
Anyway, bravo to Bill and Jan and Robert and Wolfgang for a well planned and enjoyable trip.
At the end of the trip we were transported to Budapest airport. Our reorganised bike bags were just underweight and the flight to Paris was just a few minutes late. Unfortunately, that few minutes - combined with a 50 minute wait for the half-hourly Air France bus - meant we missed our train from Paris Montparnasse to Agen by 10 minutes. An expensive ten minutes as it meant we had to catch the next TGV and pay a 96 euro supplement. Ah well, it was still cheaper than if we hadn't booked at all.
Our stay with old friends in Agen was delightful as always, and we ate and talked way too much over 3 days.
Now we are back on the road, having ridden our single bikes from Agen to Castelnau-Magnoac 124 kms in 35c+ heat. Our hotel tonight is a simple Logis de France - Hotel Dupont. The meal was copious and reasonable quality and the wine (St Mont 2006) was excellent. Tomorrow we hit the Pyrenees, with a 90 km jaunt over Col de Peyresourde to Bagneres de Luchon before we cross over to Spain.
Photos soon!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Long delayed update
21/07/09 Epinal to Fouchy
The heat returns - one temperature sign showed 37c at 1 pm. I suspect that was exaggerated, but we are back to consuming 2-3 litres of water per day. We stayed close to the forest for today's ride to benefit from the shade. We ended up on some interesting roads, including unsealed and very steep. It was a good workout after the last few days of valley and rolling roads.
After crossing the hills of the Vosges, we stopped at the first Logis hotel we came across - it was almost time for the Tour stage to finish. The hotel wasn't offering it's usual menu that evening - instead it was a 12euro guinguette with ham and salads a go-go, drinks and desserts extra. The food was excellent - like a pot luck picnic but prepared by professionals. . It's a regular Tuesday night thing for them, and it attracted more than 140 people from the surrounding villages. It was a great event - the music got people dancing, with lots of happy kids running around. Near as we could tell, we were the only non-French attendees - It's the sort of evening you'd seek out if you knew how to find it. We stretched the budget and had 2 half-litre jugs of Cote d'Rhone at 2.20 euros each, and we had 3 desserts between us.
22/07/09 Fouchy to Barr
The purpose of today's ride was to get us close enough to Strasbourg so that on Thursday we could get there in the morning to disassemble the tandem. We had were thinking about Rosheim on the river Bruche, but we liked the look of Barr when we passed through, so we stopped early and found a Chambre d'Hote through the tourist office. Since the hostess was out shopping and wouldn't be home for a few hours, we left the luggage with the women at the tourist office and did a circuit without baggage to Mt St Odile, a former abbey on the top of a 600m hill. The view was magnificent and the buildings impressive. The most impressive thing though, was that the hotel and restaurant run by the abbey are dirt cheap - a double room with WC down the hall was 32euros! The major part of the hotel was being rebuilt, so it might have been a construction-time special. Whether it would have been worth hauling the luggage up that hill to stay there is another question.
We dined on the terrace outside a winestub and had escargot and sandre (fish) in riesling sauce, kugelhof glace for dessert and a bottle of bubbly - Cremant d'Alsace.
23/07/09 - Barr to Strasbourg
We're used to the French weather being relatively stable - you don't very often get the four-seasons-in-one-day effect we love in New Zealand. Today was an exception with overnight thunder and rain at Barr, a bright sunny morning, then a torrential downpour in Strasbourg just as we had ducked into a cafe for lunch. The bike disassembly went smoothly but drew the usual crowd of gawkers. The poor bike was filthy dirty after the rain and occasional dirt roads - thank goodness for Singapore airlines socks - perfect bike cleaning mitts.
Dinner was at another winstub, just around the corner of Crocodil - our favourite Michelin star restaurant (though they've lost their 3rd star in recent years.) It was closed for remodeling - not that we could have afforded to eat there now! The winstub was very busy while most others were quiet, so we must have chosen the right one. Norm had pork knuckle with choucroute and sauteed potatoes and mille feuille of red fruits, while Vee had rabbit en cocotte with a yummy game sauce and tart myrtille. Talk about Bluetooth (or blue teeth!)
24/07/09 - Strasbourg to Vilshofen
A short night as we had to catch the TGV to Charles de Gaulle airport at 06:11. If only all travel could be as simple as this! We arrived 30 minutes before departure, rolled up to the train at 05:55 and stacked our suitcase and panniers in the luggage racks and relaxed into our reclining seats. Espresso from the bar car and a smooth ride at TGV speeds.
Then, of course, we arrived at the airport! It wasn't easy to find the right check-in desk and when we did, two agents were handling all the check-ins for an Airbus 318, including 8 seriously disabled passengers in wheelchairs. Add to that a two-hour delay while the plane was replaced due to a fault and busing us around the airport to another gate and a missed train to Vilshofen because of traffic delays on the transfer bus and we arrived in Vilshofen to find our room had been given to someone else. We wangled another room and we are now comfortably showered and looking forward to dinner at a nearby biergarten.
SANTANA Vacations Danube Cruise
This will be a holiday from our holiday. Instead of having to repack our stuff everyday and carry it all on the bike, we will be safely ensconced for a full week in the cabin of the Amadeus Royal, a river cruising hotel by Luftner Cruises which will follow us down the Danube. Each day will offer a choice of easy rides down by the river, or harder rides through nearby hills. We'll opt for the hilly rides whenever we can so we can spend time with our friend Wolfgang, who plans the hard rides.
All meals are provided on the boat - breakfast and lunch are buffet, while dinner is sit-down-and-order, but in informal style. They offer lots of choices at each meal and wine and beer are included. The days start early and formalities finish early, though the bar will remain open until the last passengers stumble off to bed.
As usual, the Santana group will be an assortment of a few serious riders, a few long-time touring riders, and the balance will be social riders who do a few kms each day, but hit all the shops and cafes along the way while showing off fancy bikes and equipment. Our is not THE cheapest and oldest tandem, but we're not far from it. Still, I reckon ours has done as many kms as any on the trip.
25/07/09 Vilshofen to Passau
No cycling today, just bike assembly in the morning, a spot of shopping, and then down to the dock to await the arrival of the river cruise boat Amadeus Royal and the Santana cycle tour. The tour started in Prague with bus transport to Vilshofen with a stop for lunch at the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. The boat was early - arriving before midday - and the buses were late - arriving 2 hours after the scheduled time of 2.15 pm. Then it was bike assembly on a grand scale with 68 tandems needing to be assembled on the top deck of the boat. Bill & Jan McCready, owners of Santana, had a team of experienced tandem hands to help the owners with
assembly, so Norm did just a bit of dirty work while Vee chatted with various fellow travellers. Drinks and Bavarian snacks were served in the Panorama Bar at the pointy end, then dinner at the square end. Food and wine were good but not exceptional, but we met more of our companions and a jolly time was had. The boat cabins are well equipped, functional and comfortable - a good place to unpack our gear, hang things on hangers, and not have to repack for a week.
It was particularly good to see Wolfgang again after several years - he is working as hard as ever but still looks dangerously fit. Tomorrow will tell the tale - he will lead the long riders up a few hills away from the river.
26/07/09 Passau to Linz
Early start - as will become normal - Generous breakfast buffet. The majority of riders choose the shorter option which is all along the river, while we opt for the Wolf Pack - stronger riders who follow Wolfgang over the hills. Another big buffet for lunch, though we had to bolt it as we arrived a bit late. The afternoon was not so hilly and we met up with some non-Tour friends of Wolfgang who live in Linz and gave us a quick tour of the hillier parts of town, followed by ice cream in the platz in in front of the "new" church - 1830.
Just time to shower and change before dinner which is ordered at the table. Good but not star-quality food and lots of it. The bar is quite expensive, so we just hang out unless Robert is buying!
27/07/09 Linz to Vienna
Another frantic breakfast and it's off with the Wolf Pack again. Slightly steeper and much faster ride today with 10 instead 8 tandem teams of yesterday. Another bolted lunch when Bill calls for Wolf Pack to be ready in 10 minutes. We are last to leave, so we get slightly lost and refound before trying to catch Wolfgang - a hopeless cause. We pause at the bottom of the hill below Aggstein Castle which Wolfgang and Pack were visiting in the shade of a cafe. As soon as the drinks arrive, so does Wolfgang. 8 km race to the Spitz ferry before most of the tandems opt for the short ride while we enjoy a great climb and downhill into Krems for wine apertif in a 1000 year old cellar. We buy a bottle of Grunver Veltner for enjoyment in our cabin.
Norm did the wages before dinner, thinking we'd get to McDo to use the wifi - however, the boat departed before dinner. We paid almost 10 euros to use the ship's very slow internet to do the business, then look at Wolfgang's photos of his house in the Italian lakes.
28/07/09 layover in Vienna
Grace matinee while the majority of riders bus to the Schonbrunn Palace for the Marionetten Theatre. It's not as corny as it sounds, but Norm has been to three performances with AYH groups, so we opt to cycle into the city and book some opera tickets. The Stadt Oper is, of course, quiet in the summer, but we found a performance of Zeller's "The Bird Seller" at the Palace Theatre which is a delightful romantic comedy and the singing and music were wonderful. We took tram and Underground to and from the opera, arriving back for the end of the Kareoke and pyjama party which suffered by comparison.
29/07/09 Vienna to Komerom
The day started with a 15 km ride on an island in the Danube without cars - a veritable bicycle motorway, followed by a detour to the ancient village of Bad Deutsch Altenburg. A 2000 year old arched gate set against a backdrop of 21st century windmills - no offended sensibilities here!
The lunch boat was at nearby Hainburg - a welcome respite from the 33c heat! After lunch we visited the rest of the historic monuments in town before departing on the easy bike path along the river to Brataslava, a Communist showplace of dreary housing towers and abandoned buildings. We had a beer and ice cream in the leafy cobblestoned lanes while waiting for the boat to catch up. We would have had time for a stroll after dinner, but the air conditioned cabin was too tempting. The boat sailed for Komerom at 11.00 pm.
30/07/09 Komerom to Visegrad
The Wolf Pack was swollen to 15 tandems, but it was only a short jaunt to morning coffee at Tata, at the foot of a lake over which loomed the Esterhazy Palace. We pushed ahead of the group with three other tandems and climb three good hills before lunch at Estergom. The villages remind us of France 30 years ago, with very modest houses and small shops and cafes. Lunch stop is shortened by the boat we are rafted to, so we hurry off the boat to join the Wolfpack at the magnificent Basilica. After enjoying the coolth of the church for longer than strictly necessary, it's an easy ride along the river to Visegrad. Before dinner we are marched to "Solomon's Tower" for a medieval tournament and everyone has a go with the weapons. Norm was relegated to the chair of nails, as if being Bill's friend for 45 years wasn't torture enough! A good time had by all, followed by the usual dinner at the more civilised hour of 8.00 pm.
31/07/09 Visegrad to Budapest
No long ride option today. The first segment is 8 km to a ferry crossing where only one boat was operating instead of the promised two, so it took nearly an hour to get everyone across. We were in the second to last boat and enjoyed the company of some of the slower riders for the first time. The morning beer stop was at Szentendre for a poke around the tourist shops before the ride into Budapest with a local guide to help us with the twists and turns. We were the red lantern for our group and kept having to stop for a team from Canada who had trouble with the bumpy surface and tight manoevering, another team that dropped their timing chain three times before allowing Norm to readjust it, and the couple test-riding Bill's top-of-the-line tandem who suffered a puncture. A bit annoying for the guide, but it allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the view.
A nice long nap in the afternoon was followed by a folklore music & dance performance in Budapest - very athletic performance and a short walk for Vee & Norm around the parliament buildings and basilica before dinner.
Sorry we haven't posted any photos for a while - that will have to wait until we next have a free or cheap wifi connection.
The heat returns - one temperature sign showed 37c at 1 pm. I suspect that was exaggerated, but we are back to consuming 2-3 litres of water per day. We stayed close to the forest for today's ride to benefit from the shade. We ended up on some interesting roads, including unsealed and very steep. It was a good workout after the last few days of valley and rolling roads.
After crossing the hills of the Vosges, we stopped at the first Logis hotel we came across - it was almost time for the Tour stage to finish. The hotel wasn't offering it's usual menu that evening - instead it was a 12euro guinguette with ham and salads a go-go, drinks and desserts extra. The food was excellent - like a pot luck picnic but prepared by professionals. . It's a regular Tuesday night thing for them, and it attracted more than 140 people from the surrounding villages. It was a great event - the music got people dancing, with lots of happy kids running around. Near as we could tell, we were the only non-French attendees - It's the sort of evening you'd seek out if you knew how to find it. We stretched the budget and had 2 half-litre jugs of Cote d'Rhone at 2.20 euros each, and we had 3 desserts between us.
22/07/09 Fouchy to Barr
The purpose of today's ride was to get us close enough to Strasbourg so that on Thursday we could get there in the morning to disassemble the tandem. We had were thinking about Rosheim on the river Bruche, but we liked the look of Barr when we passed through, so we stopped early and found a Chambre d'Hote through the tourist office. Since the hostess was out shopping and wouldn't be home for a few hours, we left the luggage with the women at the tourist office and did a circuit without baggage to Mt St Odile, a former abbey on the top of a 600m hill. The view was magnificent and the buildings impressive. The most impressive thing though, was that the hotel and restaurant run by the abbey are dirt cheap - a double room with WC down the hall was 32euros! The major part of the hotel was being rebuilt, so it might have been a construction-time special. Whether it would have been worth hauling the luggage up that hill to stay there is another question.
We dined on the terrace outside a winestub and had escargot and sandre (fish) in riesling sauce, kugelhof glace for dessert and a bottle of bubbly - Cremant d'Alsace.
23/07/09 - Barr to Strasbourg
We're used to the French weather being relatively stable - you don't very often get the four-seasons-in-one-day effect we love in New Zealand. Today was an exception with overnight thunder and rain at Barr, a bright sunny morning, then a torrential downpour in Strasbourg just as we had ducked into a cafe for lunch. The bike disassembly went smoothly but drew the usual crowd of gawkers. The poor bike was filthy dirty after the rain and occasional dirt roads - thank goodness for Singapore airlines socks - perfect bike cleaning mitts.
Dinner was at another winstub, just around the corner of Crocodil - our favourite Michelin star restaurant (though they've lost their 3rd star in recent years.) It was closed for remodeling - not that we could have afforded to eat there now! The winstub was very busy while most others were quiet, so we must have chosen the right one. Norm had pork knuckle with choucroute and sauteed potatoes and mille feuille of red fruits, while Vee had rabbit en cocotte with a yummy game sauce and tart myrtille. Talk about Bluetooth (or blue teeth!)
24/07/09 - Strasbourg to Vilshofen
A short night as we had to catch the TGV to Charles de Gaulle airport at 06:11. If only all travel could be as simple as this! We arrived 30 minutes before departure, rolled up to the train at 05:55 and stacked our suitcase and panniers in the luggage racks and relaxed into our reclining seats. Espresso from the bar car and a smooth ride at TGV speeds.
Then, of course, we arrived at the airport! It wasn't easy to find the right check-in desk and when we did, two agents were handling all the check-ins for an Airbus 318, including 8 seriously disabled passengers in wheelchairs. Add to that a two-hour delay while the plane was replaced due to a fault and busing us around the airport to another gate and a missed train to Vilshofen because of traffic delays on the transfer bus and we arrived in Vilshofen to find our room had been given to someone else. We wangled another room and we are now comfortably showered and looking forward to dinner at a nearby biergarten.
SANTANA Vacations Danube Cruise
This will be a holiday from our holiday. Instead of having to repack our stuff everyday and carry it all on the bike, we will be safely ensconced for a full week in the cabin of the Amadeus Royal, a river cruising hotel by Luftner Cruises which will follow us down the Danube. Each day will offer a choice of easy rides down by the river, or harder rides through nearby hills. We'll opt for the hilly rides whenever we can so we can spend time with our friend Wolfgang, who plans the hard rides.
All meals are provided on the boat - breakfast and lunch are buffet, while dinner is sit-down-and-order, but in informal style. They offer lots of choices at each meal and wine and beer are included. The days start early and formalities finish early, though the bar will remain open until the last passengers stumble off to bed.
As usual, the Santana group will be an assortment of a few serious riders, a few long-time touring riders, and the balance will be social riders who do a few kms each day, but hit all the shops and cafes along the way while showing off fancy bikes and equipment. Our is not THE cheapest and oldest tandem, but we're not far from it. Still, I reckon ours has done as many kms as any on the trip.
25/07/09 Vilshofen to Passau
No cycling today, just bike assembly in the morning, a spot of shopping, and then down to the dock to await the arrival of the river cruise boat Amadeus Royal and the Santana cycle tour. The tour started in Prague with bus transport to Vilshofen with a stop for lunch at the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. The boat was early - arriving before midday - and the buses were late - arriving 2 hours after the scheduled time of 2.15 pm. Then it was bike assembly on a grand scale with 68 tandems needing to be assembled on the top deck of the boat. Bill & Jan McCready, owners of Santana, had a team of experienced tandem hands to help the owners with
assembly, so Norm did just a bit of dirty work while Vee chatted with various fellow travellers. Drinks and Bavarian snacks were served in the Panorama Bar at the pointy end, then dinner at the square end. Food and wine were good but not exceptional, but we met more of our companions and a jolly time was had. The boat cabins are well equipped, functional and comfortable - a good place to unpack our gear, hang things on hangers, and not have to repack for a week.
It was particularly good to see Wolfgang again after several years - he is working as hard as ever but still looks dangerously fit. Tomorrow will tell the tale - he will lead the long riders up a few hills away from the river.
26/07/09 Passau to Linz
Early start - as will become normal - Generous breakfast buffet. The majority of riders choose the shorter option which is all along the river, while we opt for the Wolf Pack - stronger riders who follow Wolfgang over the hills. Another big buffet for lunch, though we had to bolt it as we arrived a bit late. The afternoon was not so hilly and we met up with some non-Tour friends of Wolfgang who live in Linz and gave us a quick tour of the hillier parts of town, followed by ice cream in the platz in in front of the "new" church - 1830.
Just time to shower and change before dinner which is ordered at the table. Good but not star-quality food and lots of it. The bar is quite expensive, so we just hang out unless Robert is buying!
27/07/09 Linz to Vienna
Another frantic breakfast and it's off with the Wolf Pack again. Slightly steeper and much faster ride today with 10 instead 8 tandem teams of yesterday. Another bolted lunch when Bill calls for Wolf Pack to be ready in 10 minutes. We are last to leave, so we get slightly lost and refound before trying to catch Wolfgang - a hopeless cause. We pause at the bottom of the hill below Aggstein Castle which Wolfgang and Pack were visiting in the shade of a cafe. As soon as the drinks arrive, so does Wolfgang. 8 km race to the Spitz ferry before most of the tandems opt for the short ride while we enjoy a great climb and downhill into Krems for wine apertif in a 1000 year old cellar. We buy a bottle of Grunver Veltner for enjoyment in our cabin.
Norm did the wages before dinner, thinking we'd get to McDo to use the wifi - however, the boat departed before dinner. We paid almost 10 euros to use the ship's very slow internet to do the business, then look at Wolfgang's photos of his house in the Italian lakes.
28/07/09 layover in Vienna
Grace matinee while the majority of riders bus to the Schonbrunn Palace for the Marionetten Theatre. It's not as corny as it sounds, but Norm has been to three performances with AYH groups, so we opt to cycle into the city and book some opera tickets. The Stadt Oper is, of course, quiet in the summer, but we found a performance of Zeller's "The Bird Seller" at the Palace Theatre which is a delightful romantic comedy and the singing and music were wonderful. We took tram and Underground to and from the opera, arriving back for the end of the Kareoke and pyjama party which suffered by comparison.
29/07/09 Vienna to Komerom
The day started with a 15 km ride on an island in the Danube without cars - a veritable bicycle motorway, followed by a detour to the ancient village of Bad Deutsch Altenburg. A 2000 year old arched gate set against a backdrop of 21st century windmills - no offended sensibilities here!
The lunch boat was at nearby Hainburg - a welcome respite from the 33c heat! After lunch we visited the rest of the historic monuments in town before departing on the easy bike path along the river to Brataslava, a Communist showplace of dreary housing towers and abandoned buildings. We had a beer and ice cream in the leafy cobblestoned lanes while waiting for the boat to catch up. We would have had time for a stroll after dinner, but the air conditioned cabin was too tempting. The boat sailed for Komerom at 11.00 pm.
30/07/09 Komerom to Visegrad
The Wolf Pack was swollen to 15 tandems, but it was only a short jaunt to morning coffee at Tata, at the foot of a lake over which loomed the Esterhazy Palace. We pushed ahead of the group with three other tandems and climb three good hills before lunch at Estergom. The villages remind us of France 30 years ago, with very modest houses and small shops and cafes. Lunch stop is shortened by the boat we are rafted to, so we hurry off the boat to join the Wolfpack at the magnificent Basilica. After enjoying the coolth of the church for longer than strictly necessary, it's an easy ride along the river to Visegrad. Before dinner we are marched to "Solomon's Tower" for a medieval tournament and everyone has a go with the weapons. Norm was relegated to the chair of nails, as if being Bill's friend for 45 years wasn't torture enough! A good time had by all, followed by the usual dinner at the more civilised hour of 8.00 pm.
31/07/09 Visegrad to Budapest
No long ride option today. The first segment is 8 km to a ferry crossing where only one boat was operating instead of the promised two, so it took nearly an hour to get everyone across. We were in the second to last boat and enjoyed the company of some of the slower riders for the first time. The morning beer stop was at Szentendre for a poke around the tourist shops before the ride into Budapest with a local guide to help us with the twists and turns. We were the red lantern for our group and kept having to stop for a team from Canada who had trouble with the bumpy surface and tight manoevering, another team that dropped their timing chain three times before allowing Norm to readjust it, and the couple test-riding Bill's top-of-the-line tandem who suffered a puncture. A bit annoying for the guide, but it allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the view.
A nice long nap in the afternoon was followed by a folklore music & dance performance in Budapest - very athletic performance and a short walk for Vee & Norm around the parliament buildings and basilica before dinner.
Sorry we haven't posted any photos for a while - that will have to wait until we next have a free or cheap wifi connection.
Monday, July 20, 2009
blog catch up 17-20/07
17/07/09 - Nantua to Doucier
After three weeks of great weather we were due for some rain and today we got it! We left in cool cloudy weather, but the rain started about lunch time. We quickly disappeared into a cafe for a coffee and, when the rain settled in, we stuck around for lunch. We didn't feel up to the full menu du jour, so we just ordered salads and dessert, but it still cost as much as the menu! It passed an hour or so, but it was still raining lightly when we left. Light turned to steady turned to heavy and we were thoroughly soaked by the time we got to our hotel in Doucier. The room was small, but the welcome and the shower warm, so we recovered while watching the Tour and had a yummy but simple table d'hote dinner of smoked trout entree, joue du porc, and tarte fine aux pommes with vanilla ice cream.
18/07/09 - Doucier to Sampans
More rain this morning, and we were in no hurry to leave. The weather was predicted to clear by afternoon, so we had a latish breakfast and hung around the hotel lobby until the rain eased off. When we recovered the tandem from the garage we found our first puncture of the trip. That was soon dealt with and we cycled straight through to Arbois - you don't feel much like stopping when it's cold and intermittantly sprinkling. A festival of the organ was going on in Arbois, and an excellent jazz group was performing under the arcades in the square with a small crowd listening and sampling Arbois wines. We lunched in a small pizzeria as the sun came out. The afternoon ride to Dole skirted the Foret de Chaux through lots of charming little villages. At Dole, we consulted the tourist office and booked into a charming Chambre d'Hote in nearby Sampans. The hostess recommended a restaurant in another village, reached by walking up a forestry road. The hotel was full of Tour de France personnel - the Tour stage ended that day in Besancon 40 kms away.
19/07/09 - Sampans to Villersexel
The fine weather returned today but we needed a new map, so it was back into Dole then along the Doubs river through more flowery villages with running fountains and springs everywhere. This is obviously on somebody's published cycle route as we saw plenty of cycletourists. One was hauling a Bob trailer cycling from Belgium to Italy in five days, averaging 200 kms/day. Yoiks. A new High-Speed train line connecting the Rhone and Rhine Valleys is being built through here, and while it's a major project it's much less disruptive than a motor way. It's quite interesting to see how it progresses from one end of the valley to the other.
We happened upon a very nice Logis de France hotel - lovely quiet room facing the river, excellent food (V entree - salad with giant prawns, N - salad with warm Morbier cheese, both mains Magret de Canard), and a charming hostess. This will be a good place to return to for circuits without luggage.
20/07/09 - Villersexel to Epinal
Just another day in cycling paradise - all green roads, from the Doubs valley to the Moselle, with little traffic and a short distance on an old railway bike path. One 600 m pass just to liven things up. Today (and yesterday) were over 110 kms, but perfect tandem country - rolling hills through green fields and forests. We picniced on a bench overlooking a chateau with the river in the foreground. Lots of little lakes and ponds in this area, of which Vee took quite a few photos - i'll try to post some tomorrow.
The last time we were in Epinal we ate at the star restaurant, more expensive than this year's budget allows, so we ate outside a small restaurant across from the cathedral. They weren't expecting to be so busy on a Monday, but waitress and customers were all relaxed and the food was great (V - fish soup and brochette of quail breasts and legs, N - escargots and "assiette du trois petite cochons" pork three ways.) A memorable night.
After three weeks of great weather we were due for some rain and today we got it! We left in cool cloudy weather, but the rain started about lunch time. We quickly disappeared into a cafe for a coffee and, when the rain settled in, we stuck around for lunch. We didn't feel up to the full menu du jour, so we just ordered salads and dessert, but it still cost as much as the menu! It passed an hour or so, but it was still raining lightly when we left. Light turned to steady turned to heavy and we were thoroughly soaked by the time we got to our hotel in Doucier. The room was small, but the welcome and the shower warm, so we recovered while watching the Tour and had a yummy but simple table d'hote dinner of smoked trout entree, joue du porc, and tarte fine aux pommes with vanilla ice cream.
18/07/09 - Doucier to Sampans
More rain this morning, and we were in no hurry to leave. The weather was predicted to clear by afternoon, so we had a latish breakfast and hung around the hotel lobby until the rain eased off. When we recovered the tandem from the garage we found our first puncture of the trip. That was soon dealt with and we cycled straight through to Arbois - you don't feel much like stopping when it's cold and intermittantly sprinkling. A festival of the organ was going on in Arbois, and an excellent jazz group was performing under the arcades in the square with a small crowd listening and sampling Arbois wines. We lunched in a small pizzeria as the sun came out. The afternoon ride to Dole skirted the Foret de Chaux through lots of charming little villages. At Dole, we consulted the tourist office and booked into a charming Chambre d'Hote in nearby Sampans. The hostess recommended a restaurant in another village, reached by walking up a forestry road. The hotel was full of Tour de France personnel - the Tour stage ended that day in Besancon 40 kms away.
19/07/09 - Sampans to Villersexel
The fine weather returned today but we needed a new map, so it was back into Dole then along the Doubs river through more flowery villages with running fountains and springs everywhere. This is obviously on somebody's published cycle route as we saw plenty of cycletourists. One was hauling a Bob trailer cycling from Belgium to Italy in five days, averaging 200 kms/day. Yoiks. A new High-Speed train line connecting the Rhone and Rhine Valleys is being built through here, and while it's a major project it's much less disruptive than a motor way. It's quite interesting to see how it progresses from one end of the valley to the other.
We happened upon a very nice Logis de France hotel - lovely quiet room facing the river, excellent food (V entree - salad with giant prawns, N - salad with warm Morbier cheese, both mains Magret de Canard), and a charming hostess. This will be a good place to return to for circuits without luggage.
20/07/09 - Villersexel to Epinal
Just another day in cycling paradise - all green roads, from the Doubs valley to the Moselle, with little traffic and a short distance on an old railway bike path. One 600 m pass just to liven things up. Today (and yesterday) were over 110 kms, but perfect tandem country - rolling hills through green fields and forests. We picniced on a bench overlooking a chateau with the river in the foreground. Lots of little lakes and ponds in this area, of which Vee took quite a few photos - i'll try to post some tomorrow.
The last time we were in Epinal we ate at the star restaurant, more expensive than this year's budget allows, so we ate outside a small restaurant across from the cathedral. They weren't expecting to be so busy on a Monday, but waitress and customers were all relaxed and the food was great (V - fish soup and brochette of quail breasts and legs, N - escargots and "assiette du trois petite cochons" pork three ways.) A memorable night.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
July 16 - Annecy to Nantua
The street music only went until about 11.00pm last night, but some of it was actually quite bad, at least to Norm's tin ear. Perhaps it could be chalked up to less than perfect acoustics, echoing around the buildings and canals. It's cool that you can wander from one venue to another, listening to the efforts of different groups, all without formality - no scheduled times, no tickets. In the case of the venue nearest the hotel, the musicians decided it was too hot in the square in front of the church, so they relocated to the arcades a couple of blocks away. The facade of the church bears testament to a miracle - a woman who had no children prayed to St Francis, who sent down a white dove and she bore a son. Halelujah and you, butcher's delivery boy, wipe that smirk off your face!
Our accommodation the last three days was very simple, but about half the price of the recommended hotels in town. 3rd floor, no lift, loo down the hall, small shower and washstand in the room, but comfortable bed and tiny balcony over the canal. Friendly staff, central location - it was worth saving the money to spend on the meals.
Today's ride took us over familiar territory, but new roads. We invested 2euros in a map of the Annecy agglomeration, which saved us the anxiety of trying to find our way out of town - a worthy investment. We avoided the nasty surprises waiting at the end of bike paths that go nowhere. The bulk of the ride was up a long, hot valley leading up to the Jura plateau, with frequent stops of immerse ourselves in fountains while searching for a shady picnic spot. Toward the end we joined a main road which has been bypassed by a spectacular motorway which towers over the valley on high viaducts. Fine engineering, as is the rebuilding of the railway through the same valley (between Bellegard sur Valiserene and Nantua) to improve the link between Paris/Lyon and Geneva.
Tonight we're at a rather luxe hotel in Nantua, right on the shore of the lake with all the mod cons including air conditioning. Vee has made a few phone calls this afternoon, so we're booked in for demi-pension tomorrow night at Doucier and booked in for Sunday lunch on 16 August at Pinasse Cafe in Cap Ferret after we pick up Jo & Rodney from the train in Bordeaux.
The meal tonight was excellent - Retour quality - chilled cream of white asparagus soup with smoked salmon mousse, fillet of omble (lake fish) with a sorrel sauce, apricot clafoutis with home-made caramel ice cream accompanied by a Petit Chablis.
After dinner, we had a stroll along the lake and had a look at the memorial to the deportation of Jews. It was particularly poignant with the music of a violin in the background, played by a young girl from one of the campervans parked along the lake. How many of the young deportees had played?
Our accommodation the last three days was very simple, but about half the price of the recommended hotels in town. 3rd floor, no lift, loo down the hall, small shower and washstand in the room, but comfortable bed and tiny balcony over the canal. Friendly staff, central location - it was worth saving the money to spend on the meals.
Today's ride took us over familiar territory, but new roads. We invested 2euros in a map of the Annecy agglomeration, which saved us the anxiety of trying to find our way out of town - a worthy investment. We avoided the nasty surprises waiting at the end of bike paths that go nowhere. The bulk of the ride was up a long, hot valley leading up to the Jura plateau, with frequent stops of immerse ourselves in fountains while searching for a shady picnic spot. Toward the end we joined a main road which has been bypassed by a spectacular motorway which towers over the valley on high viaducts. Fine engineering, as is the rebuilding of the railway through the same valley (between Bellegard sur Valiserene and Nantua) to improve the link between Paris/Lyon and Geneva.
Tonight we're at a rather luxe hotel in Nantua, right on the shore of the lake with all the mod cons including air conditioning. Vee has made a few phone calls this afternoon, so we're booked in for demi-pension tomorrow night at Doucier and booked in for Sunday lunch on 16 August at Pinasse Cafe in Cap Ferret after we pick up Jo & Rodney from the train in Bordeaux.
The meal tonight was excellent - Retour quality - chilled cream of white asparagus soup with smoked salmon mousse, fillet of omble (lake fish) with a sorrel sauce, apricot clafoutis with home-made caramel ice cream accompanied by a Petit Chablis.
After dinner, we had a stroll along the lake and had a look at the memorial to the deportation of Jews. It was particularly poignant with the music of a violin in the background, played by a young girl from one of the campervans parked along the lake. How many of the young deportees had played?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
15/7 at Annecy
Not so much a blog today as a blob - two blobs actually.
We did the Tour de France time trial route around the lake, just to see what the boys will be up against. It's only about 45 kms. There are a few ups and downs, particularly when they climb Col de Bluffy. It's an easy climb as long your not trying to average 50 km/h, but the downhill from there into Talloires is pretty technical for a TT bike - expect to see aluminium, not carbon, rims on this TT. The rest is pretty flat and the crowds will be huge - there are lots of vantage points and this is mecca for holidaying French, Germans, and Dutch anyway.
We didn't even bother to stop at Marc Veyrat's restaurant to look at the menu. The Michelin guide (3 macarons) shows menus & a la carte about 270 euros! Marc Veyrat looks like the Michael Jackson of the culinary set, with black hat, black robe and sunglasses, but he's the celebrity chef of the moment over here, famous for cooking with weeds.
We ate sensibly at Les Oliviers in the nifty little nook that is Cour Pre-Carre, a tiny square with 6 restaurants, probably all owned or leased from the chef of Ciboulette, the one-star of the bunch. If so, he's got the market covered from Pizza to Haut Cuisine. Oliviers is the traditional restaurant of the bunch. Vee had aubergine crumble and fillet of red mullet and Norm had terrine of salmon two ways and figottini. Probably the best meal we've had since Val Flerui at Lans en Vercors and not expensive.
We've taken to ordering pichets of wine at dinner and buying the good wines for our afternoon aperitifs. Why pay 30 euros a bottle at a restaurant when similar wines are available at the supermarket for 6?
Street concerts going on around the old town tonight. Too loud to stand and listen to, but we get good reception in our little hotel room overlooking the canal!
Tomorrow we pack up again and head towards the valley of Ain river - no major hills (we think) but nice rolling country climbing back up to the Jura.
We did the Tour de France time trial route around the lake, just to see what the boys will be up against. It's only about 45 kms. There are a few ups and downs, particularly when they climb Col de Bluffy. It's an easy climb as long your not trying to average 50 km/h, but the downhill from there into Talloires is pretty technical for a TT bike - expect to see aluminium, not carbon, rims on this TT. The rest is pretty flat and the crowds will be huge - there are lots of vantage points and this is mecca for holidaying French, Germans, and Dutch anyway.
We didn't even bother to stop at Marc Veyrat's restaurant to look at the menu. The Michelin guide (3 macarons) shows menus & a la carte about 270 euros! Marc Veyrat looks like the Michael Jackson of the culinary set, with black hat, black robe and sunglasses, but he's the celebrity chef of the moment over here, famous for cooking with weeds.
We ate sensibly at Les Oliviers in the nifty little nook that is Cour Pre-Carre, a tiny square with 6 restaurants, probably all owned or leased from the chef of Ciboulette, the one-star of the bunch. If so, he's got the market covered from Pizza to Haut Cuisine. Oliviers is the traditional restaurant of the bunch. Vee had aubergine crumble and fillet of red mullet and Norm had terrine of salmon two ways and figottini. Probably the best meal we've had since Val Flerui at Lans en Vercors and not expensive.
We've taken to ordering pichets of wine at dinner and buying the good wines for our afternoon aperitifs. Why pay 30 euros a bottle at a restaurant when similar wines are available at the supermarket for 6?
Street concerts going on around the old town tonight. Too loud to stand and listen to, but we get good reception in our little hotel room overlooking the canal!
Tomorrow we pack up again and head towards the valley of Ain river - no major hills (we think) but nice rolling country climbing back up to the Jura.
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