Sam and Dave’s blog

So it’s day 3 and it hasn’t stopped raining since we left Lyon. Quel horreur!

Day one We left Besançon on Monday lunchtime…very glad as no problems taking the bike on the train. We started cycling about 5pm on Monday once the hail storm (!) had stopped.

Monday’s ride was really beautiful. We followed the new cycle route along the river Doubes. In spite of the rain, the river, the birds and the lush green fields were peaceful and relaxing. The final 20kms were hard work and I’m sure Dave was secretly hoping my legs were like Arnold Schwarznegger’s.

We stayed in Arbois Monday night, in a very boggy campsite. Dave enjoyed digging trenches around our tent at midnight to stop us getting flooded out. Arbois is a pretty town and Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) spent his childhood and holiday there. We visited his very plush house. He was an incredibly intelligent scientist who invented the rabies vacination, pasteurisation and discovered the role of bacteria in hygiene (he was obsessive about washing his hands but helped revolutionise hospital hygiene).

Day two was hard work! We cycled another 60kms but lots of up and down hill. Bit of a problem after the first 2.5kms uphill as not only our legs but more importantly the free-wheel started complaining. Very disconcerting noise. We carried on whilst Dave had kittens about the state of the bike. The ride went through the Forêt de la Joux, full of pinetrees. And we stupidly followed the 20kms detour on the book to see the stunning Sapin President (very old and big pinetree)… it was good BUT NOT THAT GOOD!

Finally we arrived in Nozeroy, a Medieval walled town… apparently the smallest town in France. We were so happy to arrive and had a great fondue in the warmth of a little bar. We tasted the local Vin Jaune (tastes like sherry) and also a spicey wine made from a Medieval recipe.

Day three Today, we went to one of the best bikeshops I’ve seen in a long time. A proper old mustachioed guy took one look at our freewheel and fixed it using parts of a ‘tondeuse’ (lawnmower). His workshop was just like my grandad’s shed!

Anyway, today we’re taking it easy, sheltering from the rain and planning our onward journey via Campagnole. Tomorrow promises to be sunny… horrah!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 11th, 2007 at 3:49 pm and is filed under Diary / Journal, Posts in English. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.