I stopped for lunch today in a pizzeria…in fact I was shocked to find a pizzeria/bar open along the canal.

I was wet, hungry, maybe a little grumpy…so rather than stand in the rain and try to force down a stale baguette, I decided to treat myself. Most of this trip I have ended up snacking during the day in all sorts of locations…my meal usually consists of a baguette, cheese, and saucisson…cheap and cheerful. I’ve eaten in bus shelters, parks, cemeteries, on the side of the highway and other comfortable places…but I haven’t actually stopped and had a meal in a restaurant since Raoul and I went to that creperie back on day 1 or 2 of the trip…it’s alway been a meal on the go somewhere.

Today I needed the rest, the warmth, the comfort food.

Pizza, a glass of red, and an espresso later, I was ready to get back on the bike path.

About 10km from my destination for the day, Agen, something fantastic happened…I rode by two bicycle tourers! I saw them coming my direction…you could tell they were carrying a lot of gear from miles off…and since I hadn’t seen any other cyclists all day I figured the only ones stupid enough to be out in the rain would be tourers. We approached each other, smiled, waved and then…that was it. They went there way and I went mine…I regretted immediately not stopping my bike…and forcing them to stop as well ‘where are you from? where are you going? how long have you been on the road?’ My head was filled with questions and regret. They were the very first cycle tourers I’d come across on my trip so far…on day 24. It would have been nice to know who they were and what they were up to.

They had a ‘Stop Climate Change’ sign strapped to the back of their bikes and both were riding recumbent…so perhaps a reader know two recumbent cyclists that were touring on the Garonne in the south of France on the 10th of November.

Anyway…it made my day. It really did.

This evening I am being hosted by Sofiane and Sandra in Agen. They are both mathematics teachers originally from Bordeaux….dinner was great (as you can see below) and packed full of carbs for my day tomorrow. The ride to Toulouse in 100+kms so should be a good day – even though it is forecast to rain…

Here are some pictures from the day:

what's wrong with this picture?

92km Bicycled Today

1459km to Date

Today was by far the most difficult day of riding.  The rain was sporadic and light – so it wasn’t a problem.  But the headwind was tremendously strong and unforgiving.  I spent the entire afternoon pushing against the invisible obstacle…it was awful…yet funny…I mean, knowing that you have another 40km of headwind ahead of you, you have to find the funny side of it – otherwise you just start to go nuts.  So I sang…I sang some Queen, some Sublime, some Toto…hehe…it helped…the cows heard me too.

At times, I was in my lowest ‘granny’ gear, on a long flat stretch, pushing into the wind at a whopping 8km/hr.  Yup…that was fun…really fun…

I only covered 70km today, but it took me almost 6 hours instead of 4, and the effort that a good day of 120km would take.

But before that – I did have a nice morning.  Yohann and I had an early start – fresh orange juice, baguette and jam and then set off.  Yohann was keen to show me the Marais, a beautiful area of canals and nature.  There were great bicycle tracks, and although wet, it was really fun cycling to start the day.  This also highlights one of the great benefits of Couchsurfing…through meeting people I would never normally come in contact with, I am able to see places I would never normally visit.

Yohann treated me for lunch in a little restaurant where I was to try the local speciality – white beans with bread, garlic, and ham.  Brilliant.

From there we parted ways and I continued into the wind – while he probably enjoyed a tailwind for his ride home.

Yohann was fantastic company and again it was great to spend some time with another cycle tourer and share stories.

Another plus for today was that I hit the 1000km mark for my trip!  It should have felt better, but I hit 1000km on a long drab road, doing something like 8.6km/hr into a hurricane…so I stopped, took a picture, sang a little rendition of  ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’, and carried on.

This evening I am in La Rochelle hosted by another Couchsurfer.  It’s nice here.  I’m happy to have a chilled out evening to catch up on the blog, answer some emails and get some good rest.  Tomorrow I will take the day off of the saddle in order to explore La Rochelle.

Oh yes…and the knee – the pain is gone.  I think adjusting the seat height really did the trick.

Another beautiful day in France...

70km Bicycled Today

1030 to Date

Today was a rest day with Tanya, Raoul, and little Miro. It certainly was nice not to be on the cycle and just spend some time exploring Normandy (my body is enjoying the recovery day as I ease into this mission of mine.) We packed up our gear and threw the bikes on the back of the rental car (handy bike rack – thanks Dot) and took off for a few hours drive around Normandy.

All loaded up!

On the recommendation of a friend we spent some time on Omaha Beach and visited the American Cemetery (thanks Peps). A worthwhile visit for anyone touring in that area.

The American Cemetary - Omaha Beach

After the coast and the D-Day beaches we went to Bayeux to grab some lunch which we found in an incredibly charming wine bar…the kind of place where the waiter is also the bar man and the cook. There is only one thing on the menu – today was steak served with mushroom risotto – perfectly rare, excellent cut, and he cooked it on a griddle behind the bar. Lunch was fantastic. Informal, good value, and excellent atmosphere.

mmmmmmmm......

Raoul approves

We spent a little while enjoying the town – but decided to skip some of the touristy bits as we wanted to drive up to Honfleur to find a place to stay for the evening and grab some dinner. Tanya had a quick wizz around on her iphone to find a cheap yet recommended hotel. The best one was already booked up completely, but her rational was – ‘go to the hotel with the best reviews, and if they are full ask them where we should stay’ – exactly what we did.

What we got was an incredibly charming little B&B – La Cour Sainte Catherine, run by a wonderful woman named Liliane. Truly a gem of a place that was once an convent, then a cider distillery, and now a bed and breakfast to die for. Something we never would have found without asking.

La Coure Sainte Catherine

The Courtyard of the B&B

Honfleur is a very very charming port town – totally kitted out for the tourist…galleries, great restaurants, jazz bars – definitely the kind of place I’d like to visit again when I am not on a mission to get out of the north of France and find some warmth in the south!

Honfleur

The Family in Honfleur

Honfleur - What more can I say?

For dinner – well, we treated ourselves and I totally blew my budget (frogs legs, steak tartar…heavy beef day, seafood stew, salted marrow – was a feast for all). It has been hard to keep the budget in control the last two days – especially as I have been with friends who are on a slightly different mission than me. And also with a three year old in tow, the roughing it camping thing isn’t exactly appealing for a autumn ‘holiday’.

Tanya, pleased with her choice

Beef - it's what's for dinner

So that was the day…nice, sightseeing, good food, cider, calvados…what more can you ask for.

On a personal note, I’ve started to realize how under prepared I am for this journey – my 10 – 15 euro a day budget was far too optimistic and the idea of camping through the wet season was sort of ludicrous.  I guess this whole adventure sort of started out as a way to meet new people, experience new cultures in depth, and challenge myself…something I’ve sort of ignored is that it’s cold – camping sites are closed and those that are open are really only filled with camper vans and not cycle tourers. (I know a lot of you guys on www.cyclechat.co.uk warned me about this, but I guess I just had to get out here and realize this for myself).

The funny thing is that I’ve gone on this bike tour of ’self discovery’ for an adventure, but realize mentally I’m still dealing with the same shit I might have been trying to leave behind.  As Raoul put so eloquently ‘where ever you go, there you are.’

Ok – so it’s early, early days here. I think I need to sit down and look at my route a little. I’m not going to focus so much on camping until I get further south where the weather is more hospitable and I find campsites with people in them.

My main focus now is to look at couchsurfing.com and hostels as the main source of shelter. This means I will be surrounded by new people all the time – hopefully be in towns that aren’t ‘closed’ for the season – and through the couchsurfing network, get to know the towns I stay in a little better.

Before I continue south – I need to take a quick trip into Paris for the company I used to work for – a small job there means a little extra time on the road later on. I hope to continue south on Sunday, and will leave from Rouen…

If you have been following along so far – thanks…I really do appreciate it.

0km Bicycled Today

308km to Date

Today was cold…really cold…I don’t know what happened, but the chill just came in and it was a tad uncomfortable…really motivated me to head south as quickly as possible…  Can’t wait to see the Med!

As we negotiated our way from Dieppe to Rouen, Roaul and I took a few round about ways.  Gorgeous country side…great apricot croissants!

On ou journey, we made a quick stop to get some water in and put on some gloves when a french cyclist on a road bike pulled up, Beniot.  He tried to start some conversation, but quickly realised that this was pointless…my French is useless.  After a few failed attempts at conversation we did get across that we were headed to Rouen.  We showed him our route on our map, but he was quick to point out to us that there is a far prettier route than we had chosen.  Rather than explain it to us, he actually led us…for over 35km!  Truly amazing.  I found it absolutely encouraging that another cyclist looked after us so much.  It was great to not worry about the map, get my head up and just enjoy the ride…although is was a little cold. (I can feel the windburn on my face and neck tonight!)

Beniot, our cycling savior

We stopped in Cleres for a crepe and a coffee to warm up before heading the last 20km or so to Rouen.

Crepes and Coffee in Cleres

Once in Rouen, we made the decision to stay in town – fancied going out for a pint and a meal…and so cold we’d rather not camp tonight (although I do appreciate it could get colder later and I will need to face this demon anyway).  There is no hostel in Rouen, so a cheap hotel it is.

After a greasy kebab and a drink I’m exhausted and ready for bed.  I’m in the hotel now punching this out on my laptop…my legs are burning (the good kind of burn – the kind where you know you’ve done something good), my eyes are heavy, I’m ready for bed…and it’s only 8pm!  Hehe…looking forward to a nice sleep.

75km Bicycled Today

140km to Date

Today was filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows…and now as I sit in my tent about 2.5 km outside of Dieppe, my body aches and I feel emotionally drained, I’m nervous, yet excited about the days ahead.

Yesterday, I had a great roast with my friends Tanya and Raoul.  Raoul and I went over final details as we had decided to tour together for a few days before Tanya drives to meet us in France. The general plan is that Tanya will meet us at a campsite near Bayeux, and then the three of us, plus their three year old boy would have a few days to do some sightseeing before I set of f on the rest of my trip.

Things went well…I finished my packing late last night, had a great dinner with close friends, and got in bed at about midnight.

Our ferry left Newhaven for Dieppe this morning at 8am. That meant that we needed to start cycling from Brighton at about 6.30am to make the ferry with comfortable time to spare in case we ran into any problems.

My send off this morning….incredible. After an early start at 5am, Raoul came over and we then made our way to Brighton’s newest (and best, might I add) coffee shop, Ground. One of the co-owners, Rick (also a fellow Oregonian), opened shop early for us and at 5.45am a small party of friends congregated to wish us well over Rick’s ridiculously delicious coffee.

Ground Coffee Shop, Kemptown Village, Brighton

Ground Coffee - It's 5.45am...it's still dark out

Firing up the coffee machine

the leaving party - thanks to 'Ground' for opening early for us!

Set for departure!

It's dark, it's cold, it's 6am...I'm leaving

After some hugs and tears Raoul and I set off, followed by friends on cycles who followed us all the way to the ferry terminal at Newhaven. I as write this it seems ages ago already! It was dark out when we left and it’s dark again now…I’m curled up in sleeping bag, with laptop.

The departure party on the way to Newhaven...sunrise imminent.

Arrival at Newhaven

Farewell England

After the ferry, an early morning whisky and pint, we arrived  Dieppe with good time to put some miles in and explore the Normandy country side.

We set off well, making good time…the small roads were fantastic and riding was brilliant. The Surly handled well – even better when fully loaded might I add. Our plan wasn’t exactly to go far but to enjoy the ride and set up camp early…well…we found an operating campsite…but perhaps a little to early…so we decided to ride on…and on…and on…and then found another campsite, but it wasn’t open, and another which wasn’t open…and so on. I won’t bore you with all the details, but we put in about 40km of riding in France…and we are currently camped about 2.5km from where the ferry dropped us off in Dieppe! What a wild goose chase!

And we're off...only to camp 2.5km from here...after a 40km ride!

But all is well, we had great apricot croissants and lovely baguettes.

One thing that has really hit me today, is the realization of being on my own for so long. I suppose it’s not the miles that scare me or the weather, but the endless days of loneliness. Perhaps that isn’t something I really need to worry about as I’m sure I will meet other tourers on the road, and I intend to use couch surfing quite a bit…but I do miss my friends already…and without a set date to see them again and the open road ahead of me…the anxiety of loneliness had taken seat in the pit of my stomach…it does scare me.

I am so grateful that my friends Tanya and Raoul have decided to send me off by joining me for a few days….that really does help.

First tea break

Day 1 campsite

65km Bicycled Today

65km to Date

Trondheim, Norway

The last few days I’ve been in Trondheim, Norway visiting some friends and family before I set off on my little trans-Europe adventure and there is something here that I want to show you all.

Unbelievably – or perhaps rather believably (and incredibly scandi-civilized) – they have installed a bicycle lift for one of the hills in central Trondheim.

No – I shit you not. Basically it operates something like an escalator. You position youself next to the track, put your right foot on the elevator platform, you left foot stays on your bike and off you go. You don’t exactly zip up the hill at an impressive speed, but nevertheless, you do get to the top without breaking a sweat.

However, I am told that the lift is a necessity as it is almost impossible to ride up this hill in the winter…even with studded bike tires! (Yes, I can assure you it’s true – they use studded bike tires and cycle through the winter!)

The operating instructions and lift at the bottom of the hill

The lifts operating instructions

The bike lift and formidable hill...hehe

Bike lift in action...

At the moment I think I will be heading down the French coast – take in some sights of special interest along the way – until I get to Bordeaux. From there, the journey will cut inland along the Canal du Garonne, connecting with the Cana du Midi and dumping me nicely into Narbonne on the French Rivierra.

From here I intend to work my way west along the coast, cutting across Northern Italy (and will try to avoid mountains – if you’ve been there please let me know if this is going to be possible, the avoiding mountains bit, not to keen on camping in the snow!), Slovenia, and into Croatia. I’ll head into Zagreb for Christmas and New Years and bunker down with my family there, have a hot meal, put some fat on the bones and sleep in a bed!

I’m not sure what route I will take from there….either continental through Bosnia, Serbia, and straight on till Turkey (as the crow flies as much as possible), or…if it’s bloody freezing there at that time, I’ll hug the coast and take the long way through Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and then Istanbul.

We’ll. The plans can change, I don’t have any obligations to be anywhere…so let’s see what happens!

Below is my proposed route. Feel free to comment if you have any suggestions on this – I need all the help I can get!

View Proposed Route – Brighton to Istanbul in a larger map