Paris et La Loire

May 9 - 28:

Putting the bikes together at Charles de Gaulle Airport

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Chombord, Loire Valley

Azay-le-Rideau Camping

Well, the European phase of our travels has begun! We landed in Paris and assembled our bikes at the airport (it took only 2 hours) before venturing into the Mont Martre district near downtown. We had arranged to stay with some fellow cyclists and enjoyed their company before shifting to a lovely youth hostel. During several days, we visited many of the highlights of the City of Light: the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Luxembourg Gardens, Arc de Triomphe and Champs d'Elysses, Notre Dame Cathedral, Rodin and other museums, plus the ancient twisting streets and public spaces. We also used our own or rented bikes to go from place to place or along the Seine River; the bike public rental systems and paths are impressive. We enjoyed the ballet one night - choreographed by Nureyev - and a visit to the Fontainebleu forest and palace.

But we wanted to get cycling, and thus took the 1 hour journey by train to Versailles, site of a fabulous but overly extravagant palace and gardens. A great start to our camping, followed the next night by arrival in Chartres, home of the famous cathedral. A magnificent light show lit up the cathedral and other ancient sites in the city along a designated path. We then headed southwest to the Loire River valley and its famous chateaux (castles and gardens) of Chambord, Chenonceau, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau, and Villandry. Still, we also loved the ordinary small towns with their stone houses, old churches, and curving roads through the wheat and canola fields. We learned about the history of the common people in the Middle Ages as some lived in dwellings carved out of the limestone rock, once the stone for the chateaux had been removed - some people still live in such openings, or at least use them to store farm equipment and age their wine!

Yes, we have been enjoying French cheese and wine, and fresh croissants and pain au chocolat (or raisins) ordered the night before at the campsites. The bike trails and mostly quiet roads have made for good travelling, between 45 and 80 km per day, but the winds from the south and west have been strong at times, slowing us down a few days. Our cycling muscles are starting to tune up as our bodies adjust to our road routines and camping beds, but our butts and hands still get sore near the end of the day as we work out some kinks.

We are now pushing north past Le Mans into Normandy (Normandie) and look forward to the English Channel coast (called Le Manche in France).