Day 30. Paris by bike.

Day 30. Paris by bike.  34 km.

After an unexpectedly good night at the StayCity apartment, we set off across Paris on the Mmes Dawes who were very sprightly sans baggage. Destination Roseraie du Val-de-Marne or Roseraie de L'Haÿ in L'Haÿ-les-Roses, south of Paris. 

This is a very famous rose garden with13,100 rose bushes (3200 varieties) and was the first garden in the world dedicated exclusively to roses. The garden has modern French and foreign roses on one side, the formal rose garden with a reflecting pool in the center, and the old garden roses and classic roses on the other side. The huge dome covered by one variety, Alexandre Girault, makes a central focal point. There is a big emphasis on the vertical element with many very effective pergolas, arches and various other structures. The roses are arranged in 13 formal gardens each with a different theme.

While many of the old varieties were past their best and there was a lot of disease, especially black spot, as a result of the poor weather and water-logging, it was still worth the trip. To get there we followed the instructions of Garmin who was in a friendly mood for a change. She took us straight through the centre of Paris past the Notre Dame and out the other side. 

On the way back we stopped off at the Luxembourg Gardens and then stuck to the left bank of the Seine past the Musee d'Orsay, crossing over to Jardin des Tuileries. From there we cycled on the the cobbles of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in the thick of taxis to reach the Arc de Triomphe.  

Mission accomplished - time for bottle of bubbles. We enjoyed the Blanc de Blanc from Copin Champagne House which we had carried with us from Verneuil. 

Day 29. Trilport to Paris

Day 29. Trilport to Paris. 60km, 4h18.

After our French breakfast of breads and jams (no distance sustaining eggs) with our friendly hostess we set off on the busy road into Meaux. There we stopped at the cathedral and the adjacent Bousset Garden, a walled garden with mixed borders and clipped hedges in the shape of a bishop's mitre, dating back to 1642.

Finding an easy route into Paris was quite a concern. There was a bit of information on the web about a cycle path along the Canal de L'Ourq, an old canal coming from an area north of Chateau Thierry. We were not sure where to find it, but the TI in Meaux gave us directions, and we got onto the pathway near the Railway station. The canal follows a tortuous route to Claye Souilly. This section is mostly a muddy jeep track, but in reasonable condition, and fortunately it wasn't raining. Thereafter it straightens out and is paved, so we had an easy traffic free run to Place de Stalingrad in Paris. We could not believe our luck. 

From there Garmin kicked in and we found our accommodation near the Gare de l'Est without a problem. The only reasonable accommodation we could find for 1 night was a studio apartment, Staycity. What a pleasant surprise: friendly, clean and well-equipped, ability to self-cater (roast chicken and roast potatoes from the supermarket across the Boulevard Magenta, with a good value Burgundy Chardonnay) and importantly a secure garage for the bikes.

But first we went down to the corner pavement cafe for a celebratory Grimbergen beer. That's P2P done - 1780 kms. A great trip and we loved every moment. Four countries (if you count Luxembourg); interesting histories - much of it very sad, but important to see; lots of pork and potato, but a few excellent and memorable meals; great scenery - the weather could have cooperated a bit more although the cycling conditions were mostly fine; lovely wines - the German whites were a revelation; good company - so good to have Pat and Andrew with us for ten days; only two punctures and a few minor gear issues, but importantly no accidents or illness; good cycle paths or quiet roads, with a few challenges thrown in.

All that remains is an obligatory cycle down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées - with the Paris traffic to make it a bit more interesting. 

Bousset Garden. Beheading was once common in France. Wonder why this lady was sent to the guillotine.

The "weeping rock" in Bousset Garden.

Along the Canal de L'Ourq.

Further along. Very muddy in parts, but no cars.

A welcome signpost - on the right track.

Boulle on the banks.

Quayside as we arrive in Paris.

Cheers!!

Day 28 Chateau Thierry to Trilport

Day 28 Chateau Thierry to Trilport. 52km, 3h25.

It was rather wet and grey when we started off this morning. We had to weave our way through the fun park down to the river. The site of the carnival had been cleaned already and it was a pleasure cycling through it. (Except that Ian took a tumble when his front wheel slid on an electrical hose pipe so the locals learnt a bit of Afrikaans).

Unfortunately the path along the river did not last for very long and we turned up onto the D969 which was a bit busy, Ian set the Garmin and it took us on small secondary roads through the vineyards. Once we crossed the river we cycled through wheat, and maize fields with a view of the vineyards which stayed with us until just before Trilport.

At Saacy sur Marne we stopped to pick up a Pain and delicious cheese and pate from the local Charcuterie. We are back in the France that we know and love, a Boulangerie and Charcuterie in every village. We just made it in time, as they close at 12:00. One has to plan quite well if you want to buy a picnic en route.

We had a hilly second half of the day through small villages until we arrived at what Garmin indicated was our accommodation for the night. There were no Chambres d'Hote signs and the area looked a bit crummy. Ian checked the info in Garmin and it had taken us to the wrong village,

It has the same postal code as the village we had booked in. We had another 4 km to go, downhill this time.

Triport is an industrial village on the outskirts of Meaux, both parents of the family we are staying with, work in Paris. This means a 1:30 journey by train one way quite a thought to travel 3 hrs a day to your job. 

They were very accommodating as they allowed us to heat our pre cooked lasagne in their oven and to eat it at their dinning room table, while they watched Spain being beaten by Italy.. 

We are in Brie cheese country, Meaux is famous for the Brie de Meaux that is made here, simply delicious.

Leaving our interesting overnight B&B

The ultimate touring bike. Saw it in the main square in Chateau Thierry.

Day 27. Boursault to Chateau Thierry.

Day 27. Boursault to Chateau Thierry. 45km. 3h00.

An early morning disagreement with Garmin, who planned a very hilly ride for us away from the Champagne Villages, had us silence her. We followed the map along a very scenic route on both sides of the River Marne. Being a Sunday, the route was quiet. We had a clear morning with a light breeze with a small village every few kilometers. 

Initially we had a stream of cyclists in the opposite direction, taking part in what looked like a team cycle race. For most of the day we stayed in the vineyards, with a few famous names like Paul Roger cropping up. We stopped in the village of Verneuil for a tasting at Jaques Copin Champagne House. They had an Blanc de Blanc - dry with strong mineral characteristics. We splurged on a bottle for a special occasion. It will hopefully be worth carrying the extra kilograms. 

After a great morning of cycling with lots of interest along the way, we reached the old town of Chateau Thierry as the weather began to turn and the rain set in for the afternoon. We took refuge in a riverside restaurant we we enjoyed a delicious meal of lamb shank and pot au fuer (beef stew with marrow bones) with excellent Leffe beer.

We could not book into our accommodation until later, but there was a big fair, the Fete of St Jean, an annual event honoring Jean de la Fontaine (born in Chateau Thierry in 1621). He was the writer of hundreds of fables still read to children throughout the French-speaking world. Cartoons from his fables are seen all over the town. We watched military bands, a dance school performing on a stage in the main square and even a Scottish band playing bagpipes. 

Our accommodation for the night was in a small Chambre d'Hote just off the the main square up a little alleyway. It was an eclectic place owned by a slightly eccentric artistic woman - lots of over the top decoration, but old world and charming. We had a baguette and cheese supper before heading down into the town to see the fair. It was a real fun fair in the old sense - lots of rides for children of all ages, including hectic vertical catapults and all sorts of emetic experiences. It was great to see so many people of all ages having such fun - ice-cream, candy-floss, and Canada-Dry.

At 11.00 pm the crowd congregated on the Marne River bank. There was a long-winded speech over in French over the PA system thanking everyone involved in the festival from St Jean himself to the lady who painted the mayor's wife's toenails. Then followed the most spectacular fireworks display either of us have ever seen, also all reflected in the water.

Great cycling conditions through the wheatlands with vineyards on the south-facing slopes.

We stopped here for a tasting.

Mme Dawes feeling the effect of the local produce.

Our interesting B&B.

A real fun fair.

Day 26 Rest Day Boursault

Day 26 Boursault rest day.

We did a bit of exploring in the village and discovered the charming  Chateau de Boursault. It was built by the widow Cliquot ( from Verve Cliquot) in the late 1843, in the Neo Rennaisance style and is a little gem. We arrived at 11:15 and asked if we could taste their Champagne, the young gentleman was only too happy to give us a tasting. He explained that the Champagne is made from the vineyards within the Chateau walls and that the grapes are organically grown. We tasted the Tradition Brut, Blanc de Noirs and the Millesime 2002 which was excellent. The Millesime was unusual for a vintage Champagne, as it only had Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the blend, no Pinot Meunier. It was one of the best Champagne we have ever tasted (WWS 9). The Blanc de Noir was only Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunièr which was new to us as we do not have this blend in South Africa.

Pat and Andrew picked us up at 12:15 as we had arranged to have a farewell lunch in Damery a village close to us. We met Kerry and Jane at Restuarant Au Bateau Lavoir, it was wonderful to catch up with them. It will be quite different cycling without Pat and Andrew, it was fantastic being with them for the last 10 days.

We arrived back at our Chambres de Hote to find 10 rowdy Belgians who were in Champagne for the Promenade de Champagne. This event takes place each year and people walk for 10 km through the vineyards of Champagne tasting and sampling the food from the region. This explains why we had so much trouble trying to book accommodation in Epernay.

Our land lady bought us some delicious pate and cheese for supper. We weren't t sure that she had understood when we asked her to buy us some supper, but it turned out well. We enjoyed our picnic on the terrasse outside, as it was a beautiful evening.

The Belgians were a jovial bunch and we chatted to them for quite a while before heading off to bed. They however were in a party mood and partied late into the night.

A fine tasting of Chateau Boursault champagne.

Chateau de Boursault built by the widow Cliquot.

View from our lunch restaurant. 

Life is Good.

My favourite French car.

Ròses are out in Boursault.

The exuberant Belgian party livening up our pic is supper.

Day 25. Chalons en Champagne to Boursault

Day 25. Chalons en Champagne to Boursault. 58km. 3h56.

As our hotel was on the outskirts of Chalons we found our way easily down to the Marne canal. The cycle path hugged the canal; an easy flat cycle mostly on asphalt, but with a long section of muddy single track. I had to concentrate quite hard with the canal a meter to my right.

We stopped a a few quiet villages along the way. As we approached Epernay, the vineyards appeared to our right, planted on the famous limestone hills of Champagne. We arrived in Epernay at lunch time for a good plat de jour, before Kerry arrived after her overnight flight from Cape Town and then train from Paris to join us. After catching up over a cup of coffee, we said goodbye to Pat and Andrew after 10 days of most enjoyable cycling together. We will certainly miss their easy companionship and interesting conversation. 

On our somewhat confused way out of Epernay, we stopped at Charles Mignon Champagne House, a small winery making a very ordinary Champagne for which they charged us a lot for a small glass. We then had a straight cycle along the busy D3 through a few small villages, before a steep ascent to the charming village of Boursault, where we are staying at a small winery / Chambre d'Hote, Les Imperiales. We struggled to raise anybody on our arrival, eventually getting through to the back of the property where the owner was building a deck around his pool. 

While there are roses growing in most gardens and on many walls, this village was not the origin of the Boursault Rose. It was named after a breeder by the same name of dubious character - he

We had a relaxed evening picnic in their garden with a very enjoyable bottle of Les Imperiales Brut. (WWS 7). Our first mosquitoes of the trip.

On the Canal de Lateral du Marne.

We left Pat and Andrew in Epernay after 10 days of good cycling and good fun.

We had to show the Mmes Dawes the home of Moët et Chandon.

Looking back as we climbed to Boursault.

Day 24. Beaulieu to Chalons en Champagne.

Day 24 Beaulieu to Chalons en Champagne. 63 km. 3:43

We started with a short steep descent to our route which took us over rolling hills, through fields of maize, wheat and canola. We were reminded of how big the country of France is. The Argonne area is very much like our wheat growing area of the Ruggens, rolling hills and various shades of green cladding the hillsides like a patchwork quilt as far as the eye could see.

We cycled on small secondary roads for most of the way until we got close to Chalons de Champaign when we had to do a short distance on the D3 which is quite a big road with vehicles traveling at high speed. We found it quite disconcerting, although the drivers have been very considerate.

Once again we did not see a Boulangerie or Charcuterie until we got to L'Epine. There was a 15 C Gothic Church that had been renovated by the EU. We finally found a Patisserie and bought a delicious onion quiche for lunch.

The last few villages we cycled through before we reached Chalons en Champagne had new houses and well maintained gardens but we did not see anyone there. This is probably where people live and commute to work. Completely different to what we had experienced in other regions in France.

Garmin did not disappoint us and gave us excellent directions to our accommodation,Hotel Montreal, on the outskirts of Chalons en Champagne, after a very hot day's cycle (32 deg). We struggled to find accommodation on Booking.com and had to settle for this businessmen's hotel, which was actually quite comfortable although the rooms were small. It was unfortunately 3 km from the Centre de Ville.

We managed to take a bus to the city centre and had a look around. It was an active Roman trading centre 2000 years ago. The most memorable buildings are the 13 C Church of St Ettienne, Hotel de Ville, Place de le Republic and the  beautiful 16th C coulombage house that the tourist office is housed in. We walked down to the river and had a drink in the place de la Republic.

We wanted to have some supper, but it is always a difficult decision to make, not knowing which places are good. I asked a lady sitting next to us and she recommended the Restuarant next door, Le Boule, which turned out to be absolutely wonderful. The boys had a burger and I had chicken and lamb rissole casserole. As the buses stop running at 20:00, we got the waiter at the restaurant to call a taxi for us. It was such a good plan as we were all tired after our hilly hot cycle.

Day 23. Pareid to Bieuleau en Argonne

Day 23. Pareid to Bieuleau en Argonne. 85 km. 5h11.

No wind and a clear sky as we set off from our charming Chambre d'Hote. The host gave us directions along small roads to the battlefields. We passed through cherry and mirabelle orchards, and a few small villages before turning up into the forests of the Verdun plateau. Jen's gears were playing up so we had to stop a few times few roadside maintenance.

The plateau north of Verdun was the scene of the most protracted single battle of World War One. 300 days, 300000 lives lost, over 450000 seriously injured. This madness happened exactly 100 years ago, and there are still areas where nothing grows, and nobody lives here. Most of this large plateau is forested, but is still covered with the remains of trenches, shell holes and unmarked graves. There is very eerie atmosphere about it. 

We stopped at Fort Vaux, which was the site of a protracted French defense. There is a new Verdun Memorial, which is a museum with audiovisual presentations. Here there is a huge painting of desperate scenes in the trenches. We moved on to the Douaumont Ossuary which houses the remains of 130000 French soldiers. Stretching out in front is a vast cemetery of 16000 graves with white crosses each with a red rose bush. It gives some indication of the scale of things. A somber but worthwhile experience.

We had a rapid descent off the plateau, only to get caught up in the traffic of the rather dismal industrial area and small towns on the outskirts of Verdun. We eventually found a sparsely stocked supermarket to buy rolls and tuna for lunch. We found a good picnic spot next to yet another national cemetery from WW1.

There is a confusing network of roads through the surrounding hilly countryside. Garmin was put to the test and passed with flying colors (the GPS and I are now on first name terms) as we were directed along quiet country roads through very pretty villages. We had a quite a few honest climbs, and long sweeping downhills through large expanses of wheat and ripe canola. There is an amazing sense of space.

We then had a good climb through a forest before reaching the attractive village of Bieuleau and our overnight stop with its incredible view over most of France. A lovely restaurant owned by a Belgian couple - could not resist the steak tartare, which for some reason was called Boeuf Americaine, accompanied by a very agreeable Cote Du Rhone.

Day 22. Amneville to Paried

Day 22 Amneville to Paried. 56 km. 3:49

What an eventful day we had. We are now off the cycle routes and onto small secondary roads. We popped in at the TI at Amneville-les-Thermes to find a route to Verdun. They were not very helpful and could only direct us along the main highways. Ian set the GPS and it found a beautiful cycle route all along the Ohne River to Moineville. The scenery was beautiful through forests and meadows. In Moineville we could not find a small road to take us to Paried where we were spending the night. Only big highways, the GPS sent us round and around in circles and finally took us back to the route along the river, where we turned back from earlier as it petered out. We ended up following an unpaved road which steadily deteriorated to  a single muddy track along the river. It was a challenge keeping a heavily laden touring bike on a muddy and rocky track. We were slipping and sliding all over the show and made our way slowly through bushes where we were

garroted  by vines growing over the path. We passed under a bridge where they were crushing stones,causing a deafening noise, where we had to push our heavily laden steeds up a steep slope onto the road. Andrew and Pat made it through quite easily on their Budnitz bikes with  Rohloff hubs.

We licked our wounds, and cleaned ourselves up as we were splashed with mud and continued along the D316 to Conflans- en -Jarney. We had not gone very far when I felt the tell tale signs of a flat back tyre. We tried pumping it up but it was flat in no time again. Ian and Pat changed it for me. Fantastic to have mechanics on tour! They found the culprit, a thorn embedded in the tyre which was removed with difficulty.

The next section was through bleak towns which have been badly affected by the recession, no Bolangerie, coffee shop or Charcuterie. We stopped at Friauville to eat our packed lunch and there was not even a beer to be found. 

 

We left as is it started raining and pressed on for about 10 km in heavy rain. We had not seen a supermarket, bolangerie or charcuterie since we left Amneville. Our accommodation for the night has a kitchen, and it a Chambres de Hote in a small farming village. At the turn off to our accomodation, we stopped to ask an old couple if they knew if there was a restaurant or a supermarket nearby, they said that the next supermarket is 30 km away in Verdun. We decided to continue to the Gite and see if the proprietor will provide us with dinner. As we cycled along for the next 6 km we heard a friendly hoot and got a friendly wave from the old couple we had spoken to earlier. They insisted on driving ahead of us slowly to show us the way to our accommodation.

What a little treasure. No dinner was included but there was a small kitchen that we could warm up 4 quiche Lorraines, vegetable soup in tetra pack, bread and pate - a feast!

Ian and the boys could wash the bikes, we could hang our washing out on the line to dry in the garden and we could also sit in the garden and catch up on admin. The proprietress was very friendly and helpful. A group of six elderly French people arrived and picniced next to us, such a lovely relaxed homely place.

An unexpected path along the river.

What a pleasure - no cars.

Forests along the river.

And then a surprise: mud, hills and brambles. A challenge on a touring rig.

The price of off-road cycling.

A great overnight stop. Farm accommodation.