After spending my final couch surfing at night at Jean-Pierre’s I had an early start to head to Dreux. According to the Viamichelen guide is was about 120km away…so I wanted to good time to make it before sunset – and I also intended to stop in Les Andeley and Giverny to visit the Monet Museum…well that was the intention anyway…
Leaving Jean-Pierre's - Rouen to Dreux
As I set off, I made a 10km error trying to negotiate my way out or Rouen, climbing up the wrong hill, getting too the top, and then realising that the roads didn’t match my map at all! A was pretty irritated by my stupid mistake so early in the day, but never mind – it meant that I had a nice 5 or 6km downhill to take me back to where I was…
From there things went smoother. My map negotiation skills were definitely improving!
The first part of the ride was very much an uphill/downhill experience – cycling into river valleys and them out of them…into them…and out of them – it started driving me nuts – every time I enjoyed a nice downhill – I knew I would need to climb almost immediately after! So I played a little ‘tension/relaxation’ game in my mind…trying to ‘enjoy’ the tension of the uphill…so then to reap the ‘reward’ of the relaxation of the downhill. And things improved…
I had lunch in Vernon – close to Giverny (which I didn’t make it too as I was pressed for time). Lunch consisted of baguette and tuna pate…with some Tabasco…love the tobasco…followed by an apricot danish and I was off…
Lunch on the River in Vernon
But then…the fields started…
I hit a plain of farmland that was nothing but fields…fields as far as the eye could see…and the road was straight….exciting…
Fields...how about them fields
In Druex I am being hosted Anne-Claire and Ludo. They are a very hospitable couple with lots of stories to share. Something of globe trotters really. The thing that fascinated me the most was their journey across eastern Europe…on foot. They walked something like 900km from Poland right down through to Slovenia over a three month period!
It was good to share experiences about solo travel with them…the silence of the days, broken up by new interactions in the evening…
Well…all is well…It is now the morning of my 10th day. I am off to Chartres today (only 35km or so)…so an easy day, but this allows me to do some sightseeing between here and there…if there is any!
120km Bicycled Today
443km to Date
1 Comment
nice adventures- seems like you’ve found your swing. We’re off to the sealife centre to hunt sharks and then of course, to see what apricot danishes we can find!