My marathon man is doing the full distance today. 46 kms without any missteps or deviations. I am in a small town about half way waiting for him in a bar hoping he will arrive because the natives are very lively. It is Bastille day and I expect, by the exuberance, that the drinking began early. I don’t think these places get a lot of ...
Ruth:Today started very well with a breakfast of quiche, coffee and pan au chocolate. I love French bakeries. The sky was overcast for the first hour of riding but after a stop at a cafe and reading for a while I was caught in a torrential storm. Gord said it just passed over him in about 5 minutes, but I must have been riding the ...
Drawing by Otto Dix at Peronne MuseumRuth:Yesterday and today we have been in the heart of the Somme. It is hard to comprehend the scale of lives lost in this small area of France. Comprehension requires rationality and for this War I can find none. If the First World War is to be remembered it must be remembered for it’s horror and utter senselessness. If ...
It is amazing what a beer in the sun can do to ones spirit. The via Francigena may have lucked out. I arrived in Peronne after another wet and cold ride to the sun! I am sitting in a bar looking at the chateau thinking that perhaps it is too soon to bail on this trip and head south. We started seriously talking about heading ...
This is a picture of Arras before it was demolished in the first world war. It was restored perfectly brick by brick with German war reparations. July 11, Ruth:Ok I really was not going to talk about the weather but today the heavens have poured out on us. I am writing this in a Bus shelter in Gomiencourt, where I had over optimistically hoped for ...
We stayed at Abbaye Saint Paul for a night on either side of our Brussels trip. Père Hotellier was very warm and welcoming. He not only let me leave my bike and trailer, but also told us just to leave our stuff in our room and take the key with us to Brussels. He also seemed quite pleased with the chocolates we brought him. From ...
We stayed at the Abbaye Saint Paul in Wisque last night where we left my bike and trailer to make a little side trip to Brussels to spend two nights with our friend Béatrice. The journey today involved a 9km walk to Saint-Omer and a planned 4 hour stop in Lille, before heading to Brussels. Lille was lovely, but I was tired and a bit ...
Ruth:You have no doubt heard of the tour de France, but have you heard of its hearty grandmother the tour de valise? The true test of ovaries of the France racing tours demands that you not only cycle impressive distances daily of around thirty kilometers, but that you also pull a samsonite suitcase ( la valise ) over unsurfaced roads. This is not a race ...
Ruth:It was a beautiful and varied day. We followed a Canal to Guines. There we confirmed our remaining route with an extremely helpful young man at the tourist office. I was not sure if I should take the road or the Via Francigena, but he not only reassured me that the VF would be better, he printed us detailed maps of the forest we were ...
Gordon - We walked/rode together from Canterbury to Dover yesterday. It was about 36 km, including a few extra kilometers caused by losing our route. The way is not well signposted, and everyone who has written about the Via Francigena (VF) has mentioned the route finding difficulties.The walk was beautiful, passing through an agricultural landscape dotted with small villages. We were particularly taken with the ...