I'm in France 
(click the
flags and you will get to the pictures of that country)
04-13 I'm in Paris ^_^ Nothing missing. Nothing damaged.
Assemble the bike at the airport and cycle to Paris to my friend's house
near Le Moulin Rouge. Do a bit of shopping: cellphone, guidebooks, maps.
I'm going to follow the channels. It's flat.
04-15 Took the RER to Fontainbleau to get out of Paris.
A few shots of the castle
and on the saddle to the French countryside.
Camped in Dordives. 4°C . I'm the only one here at this time of the
year and by this weather. The camping owner was very nice. He gave me
a few maps and a lot of information. He used to cycle a lot. Couldn't
sleep. Too cold.
04-16 Sleep in a small hotel in Gien . The weather is really
bad. Cold and rainy. It's snowing in the North of France. Did 74 km today.
04-17 Did only 20 km. I'm in Briare. Sunny but cold. The bridge
is really special. Visited the museum.
04-18 Did 77 km. A bit of rain. Slept at Chateauvert.
It's the name of a little castle NW of Nevers. Really really nice. Had
dinner with the castle owners.
04-19 KM 298. I'm sleeping in Gannay-sur-Loire. Not so many Internet
cafés in France ! And difficult to upload anything into the café's
computers.
04-20 KM 362. I'm in Digoin. Using the library's computer. From tomorrow
the weather should be better.
04-21 Roanne. The Loire's lateral channel stops here. The reason : mountains
ahead. So I'm taking the train : Roanne-Lyon-Pierrelatte. Why Pierrelatte?
They don't accept bikes on trains going down to Orange or Avignon.
04-22 Crossing a lot of vineyards. Visit the splendid Roman
theater of Orange. When you are in Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape
what do you do? Of course, taste wine. Passing in front of Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
castle. Will come to see it tomorrow. Arrive in Avignon KM 500.2 Staying
here 2 nights . Laundry to do and rest my legs and a lot to see.
04-23 So many things in Avignon. The magnificent Pope's
palace and the famous Pont
d'Avignon.Visit Saint-Andre's
fort in Villeneuve-lez-Avignon as well. Didn't rest much my legs.
I like very much Avignon.
04-24 Crossed the Pont
du Gard on my bike. Down to Nimes. Not much except the Roman
forum. Finished the day in Sommieres for the medieval
weekend. Great. Took a lot of pictures. The whole town and
its people look like a real medieval village. A lot of activities.
It should be a year round festival. It's a pity I got there only in the
afternoon of the last day. I would have stayed longer.
04-25 Noon. I'm in Montpellier. Had lunch and dinner
with Yutaka. Bonjour Yutaka ! Merci pour la visite guidée de
Montpellier. Hey! Sunny today. I think I'll be able to camp again from
tomorrow.
04-26/27/28 I'm in Cap d'Agde. Staying here 3 nights. The beach is superb
and clean. But the water is still a bit cold. Yeh! I'm finally using my
tent (used it only once after I left Paris). But not perfect. I'm near
the sea, so around 4 o'clock I woke up completely soaked and a bit cold.
The fog usually clears up around 8.
04-29 KM 770 Camping near Beziers. Did 87 Km today ! I'm following the
"Canal du Midi".
04-30 Staying in Carcassonne today. The medieval
fort is huge and awesome. Lot of laundry to do.
05-01 May 1st. All shops in the little villages I'm crossing are closed.
05-02 I'm in Bordeaux. I was planning to go to the beach for a few days
but the weather will be really bad for the next 3 or 4 days. Visited the
cathedral.
05-03 KM 941 Visited Tours
and took the train to Paris.
05-04 Shopping for a plane ticket to Eastern Europe and wander
around Paris. The destination will depend on the price. Can be Bulgaria,
Romania or even Istanbul (Turkey).
05-05 Found a cheap ticket Paris-Varna (Bulgaria). Only 110 Euro and it's
a return ticket. Hum! I don't need the return.
So, three weeks in France. On schedule. Covered almost a thousand
kilometers on my bike and about the same by train. The highlights
: Avignon, Cap d'Agde, Sommières and Carcassonne.
If I had a year I would have done the whole tour (of France) by bike.
But I must be back in Japan mid-August and still have a lonnnng way to
go. Had seen the Loire Valley before so jumped that part. Had to use hotels
instead of camping. So spent a lot more there but payed a lot less than
expected for the plane ticket. France was mainly my training ground before
Eastern Europe. France was a piece of cake compared to what's coming.
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