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.

Day 21. Nittel to Amneville

Day 21. Nittel to Amneville. 81 km. 4h54.

A clear morning - our first in a long time - for Jen's birthday. We had a very pleasant cycle along the right bank, looking across to the vineyards of Luxembourg on the other side. The valley was a lot wider than further downstream.

We detoured briefly in Nennig to try to see a famous Roman floor mosaic of almost 3 million stones. Unfortunately being Monday, and museums being closed on Mondays, we never got to see it. It shows scenes from an amphitheater program. Then a climb up a hill to see a very disappointing so-called Renaissance garden at the Berg Schloss.

We crossed the bridge to Schengen in Luxembourg, where the three countries meet. What was once a small wine farmers' village has become known for the Schengen Agreement of 1985, which allows free movement of people and goods between Schengen countries.

The cycle path continued along the left bank with open farm land, many lakes, locks, barrages, power stations, small bridges and plenty of twisting and turning. We cycled some way with a French fellow who was just setting off from Schengen to ride to Lisbon via the Camino.

Early afternoon we reached Thionville where we stopped to buy a map and test the Grimberger. (Both good). Thionville has some impressive old buildings, but is quite rundown. The northeast corner of France has seen tough economic times - there are many empty shops and boarded up houses.

Just beyond Thionville we turned west off the river, aiming in the direction of Verdun, of World War One significance. After being a bit lost in a few bleak industrial towns, by some luck and help from the GPS and Andrew' internet, we found good accommodation in a resort outside Amneville. They gave us some ice so we're able to cool down a good bottle of Leinert-Veit Riesling Sekt (WWS 7).

Day 20 Trier to Nittel

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Day 20. Trier to Nittel. 28 km.

Our accommodation wasn't as bad as we thought last night. Comfortable beds not as noisy as we anticipated and a good breakfast. We ended up going to Nittel 28 km an easy cycle upstream from Trier. En route we passed the confluence of the Saar and Mosel rivers at Konz and entered the Elbling wine area.

At Wincheringen we came across a rally of Armstrong Siddeley classic cars setting off on their trip. There were 12 of these British hand-built cars together - great to see. According to an American enthusiast who was there for the occasion, there are two of  these cars in SA.

What a special village. We found wonderful accommodation at Weingut Zilliken 2 bedrooms and a shared bathroom, just perfect for us. We had a short cycle around the town and had supper at the restuarant Zilliken. What a wonderful experience. We sat outside in beautiful sunshine and had the most delicious wine and food. As we were about to leave,the winemaker came round to ask us if we had enjoyed ourselves and we said we had and that we were from SA. He was delighted as he had worked at Lindhof winery in Paarl for two harvests.  He gave us an overview of the Elbling wine area which was fascinating.

Elbling is a wine varietal that was grown in this area by the Romans. The terroir is similar to that of Champagne in France with Limestone. Which give the wines the special characteristic. Weiss Burgander and Spat Burgander ( Pinot Noir ) is also grown here. He said that the most expensive wine in Germany is grown in the Saar region. He gave us a special tasting of the 2015 Spatburgunder which was excellent WWW 8 and a delicious Zilliken Riesling semi sweet, WWW9, which is grown in the Saar Valley on 1 hectare which belonged to his grandmother. Such a special experience that will remain with us for a long time. Pat and Andrew treated us to this delicious and special evening - thank you.

View from vineyards above Nittel.

The folk band with song sheets for the patrons at our hotel.

Enjoying the Zilliken Riesling.

A special tasting with the winemaker at the end of the evening.

Day 19. Bernkastel to Trier

Day 19. Bernkastel to Trier. 84 km. 5h15.

Another grey morning as the low pressure system remains settled over Europe, but fortunately only a few drops of rain. We even had a few moments of sunshine when everything warmed up rapidly and the definition of the scenery improved immensely. 

We set off from our smoky, but otherwise good, B&B after good German breakfast. (Fruit, yoghurt, cereal, rolls, boiled egg, cold meats and cheese, jam and coffee). We cycled back across the river to look at the central square of the old town of Bernkastel - very attractive and well preserved. We then snaked our way along the river bank as it winds in tight curves through the hills with vineyards planted on the south facing slopes. The valley had become wider and less steep so there are greater expanses of plantings. We had a few diversions due to the flooding of the river bank. The Moselle is still flowing strongly.

In Piesport we arranged a tasting at Lehnert-Veit Weingut, a family-owned winery now with its tenth  generation winemaker. The winemaker's mother gave us a very informative explanation of their wines as well as the current dynamics of the German wine industry. They concentrate on Riesling but also make a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Kerner, as well as Pinot Noir. We really enjoyed the very elegant 2014 Goldtropfchen Riesling Trocken. The Goldtropfchen vineyard is one of the most famous of the Moselle vineyards, and the name is protected in the same way as Champagne. The sweet botrytis wines last for many decades - as the hostess explained, good marmalade needs lots of sugar to last.

From there it was a flat 50 km cycle to Trier. As we approached this busy city, we passed through industrial areas and were surrounded by highways, but found our way to the impressive old Roman entrance to the old city, the Porto Negra. We walked our bikes through the old city with its famous Hauptmarkt.

The accommodation I had booked was further from the city centre than I had imagined and was in a pretty crumby part of town with a dodgy smoky pub downstairs. Our room is painted bright blue. We had planned to have a rest day here but will definitely be moving on tomorrow. 

Supper was pizza and shishkebabs in the square outside the hotel, accompanied by a an Oster-Selbach Spalese 2009 (WWS 9 - outstanding) and the Lehnert-Veit Goldtropfchen 2014 (almost as good), while all the Hungarians in the area cheered on their team in their Euro2016match. 

Day 18 Cochem to Bernkastel

DDay 18 Chochem to Bernkastel 83 km 4:53

Today the scenery en route to Bernkastel was interesting and varied as we made our way along the Mosel with a patchwork quilt of vineyards clinging to the steep slate slopes. A Schloss was perched on a high hill around every corner and the half timbered buildings had climbing roses creeping over arches and walls in deep reds pinks and white, a beautiful sight. 

The Mosel is filled to the brim and in places has burst its banks which meant that we had to take the high road for about 10 km from Edinger to Alf.

We had a downpour at lunchtime and managed to take shelter in a restuarant until it passed. In Zelltinger 4 km before Bernkastel we stopped at Hotel Zeltinger Hof to buy a bottle of Selbach - Oster Riesling Spatslese 2009. We had requested a tasting at JJ Prumm, but unfortunately they were unable to accommodate us. They said that we would find a good selection of Rieslings from the area here.

We are staying at Weingut Peter J Hauth which is very comfortable and spacious. Pat and Andrew are staying just around the corner. 

We had a glass of the Peter - Jos Hauth 2015 Riesling in their newly opened wine tasting room, which was fresh and pleasant. WWW 6. The custom is for the wineries to open for Strausswirdschaft at 6pm for drinks and snacks much like the Heuringen Shank in Austria. 

The young winemaker, who is the seventh generation to make wine here, offered to take us around his cellar, which was really interesting. His wines are made in fiberglass tanks and then transferred to old oak barrels where they are left to develop depth and character. The barrels are 100 years old and are made from German Oak.

 After a good dinner at Pat and Andrew's Hotel Restaurant St Cues we called it a day.