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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment