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Archive | May, 2025

Pouilly-en-Auxois

We rode south and then turned north after leaving Dijon and riding towards Pouilly-en-Auxois. We were along canals the entire ride today, out of the vineyards for now, however still very scenic and tranquil. We are now on the Canal de Bourgogne trail. We saw some other cyclists, a few walkers, but not many other people once we were 10kms away from Dijon. We did see lots of herons and ducks along the canal and quite a few house boats that appear to be for tourists to rent, some very posh looking. We rode past many locks on the canal and with each one we rose about 2-4 meters, for a total of 333m from Dijon. Likely it is faster to travel by bike along here as each time you come to a lock in a boat you would have to go through the process. We didn’t find many services along the route and had to look hard for an open cafe in a canal side town. Also once we arrived in Pouilly we struggled to find some supper as the restaurant that is connected to our hotel is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and unfortunately we arrived on a Tuesday. One other restaurant in the area is closed until July and another only serves midday meals. So our gourmet meal tonight was take out pizza… This is one of the places where we don’t have an apartment with a kitchen so we have to be creative.

We will be on the Canal de Bourgogne for several days so we got to know its interesting features and history. It is a critical 242km link in the overall canal system running from the English Channel to the Mediterranean Sea. It was used commercially from its inception in 1833 until late in the 20th century. Where we are now in Pouilly-en-Auxois which is the highest point in the entire system at 378m so there are many locks needed to get here from the south and then heading north for the descent as well. The most interesting bit to me is the 3337m long canal tunnel built right under the town and still in use. Before self powered barges they used many inventive methods to pull the boats through, ending in an electric tug which only went out of service in the 1970s. There is a tourist boat that goes through the tunnel but unfortunately not until July.

The weather was a bit sketchy the next day but we managed to ride to Mont St. Jean without getting too wet, a hill town with a fortress and church. The countryside here is very hilly so once you leave the canal-side, up up you go. A group of E-cyclists were also visiting the village and they cheered for us after completing the steep ascent on our non E bike. That evening we had to walk a couple of km out of town to find an open restaurant of the truckstop variety. We do what we must.

Now it is Thursday and we have had a really good day with great sunny weather, a lovely two chateau ride, and finishing with a very good meal in our hotel’s restaurant. Our outlook on Pouilly-en-Auxois has improved. Still, breakfast for Tara was oatmeal with applesauce while I ate pain au chocolat from the boulangerie next door. We did both sit out in the sun having morning coffees in the bar across the street though.

Our first chateau was the Chateau de Chateauneuf on top of a large hill with a single 12% grade switchback to get there. Chateauneuf is charming and the chateau has largely been reconstructed for tourists coming in. It is one of those iconic medieval castles with turreted towers and foreboding walls. The second chateau was in Commarin, just a few kms down the road. It had a different vibe to it as it is still inhabited by the same family who has owned it for 900 years. It is also one of the few chateau spared damage from the French revolution, the revolutionaries being out to destroy anything to do with royalty. It also still has a filled moat, no alligators but very large carp to keep the weeds and bugs down.

Tags: chateau, france, travel

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Categories 2025

Beaune and Dijon

27 May

We left Chalon sur Saône on a rainy cool morning but luckily the rain was light, let up fairly soon, and the ride to Beaune was less than 50kms. The first half of the ride was along a canal and the latter in the vineyards. This is the first vines we’ve seen on this trip and they are everywhere, no ground left empty. It’s very clearly a major industry here. We are riding right through the vineyards on roads also used by the vineyard workers but mostly we just see other cyclists as it is a designated cycle route. We are rarely on the roads with the cars.

Beaune is a lovely small city and a major tourist centre for people looking to do wine tasting and touring. There’s definitely some high end accommodations and restaurants here for some of the wealthier travelers, maybe those shipping expensive wine back home. Our accommodations are more modest but usually very comfortable. We are here to enjoy the scenery and do a little tasting once we’re done riding for the day. We found another walking tour to do around the old city and then visited a museum/hospital/chapel, the Hôtel Dieu, built in the 15th century that stayed in service until the 1980s! One evening for dinner we were able to find some beef bourguignon, and it was très tasty.

The ride from Beaune to Dijon was entirely through vineyards and the small communities that support the wine industry. It is very scenic and a cyclist’s dream to ride here. There are many chateaux dotting the countryside as well and many have beautiful polychromic ceramic roof tiles. The churches also often have this style of roof, it is very burgundian. The weather was good today for riding, about 20, mostly sunny and not much wind. It has been a bit cool and wet so today was appreciated.

Our accommodation in Dijon is another apartment close to the centre so this is handy for tourist activities as well as having our own kitchen for lunches, breakfasts and some suppers rather than having to buy all the meals. Unfortunately we found there was no hot water! Our host explained that the water only heats at night (!) so if it runs out (previous tenants) you have to wait until morning. He suggested we forget about this issue by drinking the bottle of wine he supplied. We found more walking tours here to help us get acquainted with the sites. We also visited the Musee Beaux Arts which was very good as the art collection is housed in an historic Duke’s palace dating from the middle ages so we also got some history along with the art on display. We learned about a famous sculptor from here, Francois Rude, who sculpted one of the 4 friezes on the Arc de Triomphe, and saw many of his works. We were also able to climb a tower (Tour Philippe le Bon) in the same palace to get a spectacular view of the city. This was guided so we learned a bit more about the history of the area. The owl (here called chouette rather than hibou) is a good luck symbol for Dijon, we’re not quite sure why, but they are everywhere. There’s one carved into the side of the Notre Dame Cathedral and you are supposed to touch it with your left hand for good fortune.

We waited a bit to start and avoided most of the rain

Tags: burgogne, france, tandemcycling, travel

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Categories 2025

Mâcon and Chalon sur Saone

22 May

Macon was our first destination after Lyon. We stayed in a lovely and spacious apartment above a tea house in the old part of the town and stored the bike in their courtyard under the staircase. We do find that wherever we stay the hosts are very helpful and hospitable about bike storage. We very much enjoyed the lovely warm shower we were able to have to remove the thick layer of dust from cycling a large part of the day on dusty trails. In addition we had access to a washer and dryer so we could start with clean cycling clothes again. It’s the little details that make this kind of travel more comfortable.

We spent the next day on a self guided walking tour of Mâcon and learned about a famous local poet, author, and statesman named Alphonse de Lamartine. We also learned about an important group of WW2 resistance fighters (men and women) who gathered and organized themselves here in Mâcon. Whenever we are in Europe we see so much evidence of the destruction and loss of life that occurred during both world wars and feel very fortunate to have been born when and where we were.

For dinner one evening in Mâcon we ate in La Maison Bois, a building that dates from 1490! The exterior is very unusual with wooden siding and grotesque sculptures of monkeys, unicorns, snakes, and a gryphon. The food wasn’t notable but what was notable is we were helping a couple of other diners with translating the menu and trying to order their food as they knew no French and the waitress knew limited English. Our French is limited so it made us feel smart for a short time. Having bilingual packaging in Canada is good for something.

The next day we left Mâcon for our next destination of Chalon sur Soane. This was a shorter ride of 68 kms, mostly along the Soane river again, but very little of it was unpaved so we stayed cleaner. We continued along the same cycle path, the Voie Bleue, and saw many other cyclists along the way as well as one other tandem. Most of the day was quite pleasant but the last 15 kms we were racing to our destination to try to avoid some nasty looking dark clouds and we made it before we got soaked!

The Soane river is wide and calm so is used for fishing and recreation as well, even water skiing, although we didn’t see any that day. We have seen a number of river cruise boats that stop in these various cities that we are also visiting. It looks like a comfortable way to travel.

In Chalon sur Soane we were again in an apartment in the old part of the city. This one is above a library on a top floor with low ceilings and exposed beams. It’s a good thing we’re not very tall or we would be bumping our heads. The apartment is eccentrically decorated in a wine theme but also well equipped and comfortable. The bike was stored in the hallway on the main floor, locked to the railing.

We spent the day here on another walking tour which took us all over the old part of the city as well as over to Ile St. Laurent across the river. There were many historic buildings to see and we learned about one of the inventors of modern photography who was born here: Nicéphore Niépce, a name that doesn’t really roll off the tongue too easily.

Stopping to smell the roses along the Saone

Tags: cycle-touring, france

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Categories 2025

Lyon and the start

19 May

Our journey to Lyon was on time and uneventful, everything arrived as expected. After a quick tram ride into the city from the airport it was a short walk to our hotel with the bike case and duffle so not too painful. Our goal is always to have a short distance to go with the bike case as it’s big and heavy, so difficult for any mode of transportation other than walking. Thus our choices are limited and not necessarily a memorable location. The room was tiny so we spent the next day or so crawling over the case to get into bed. We were able to assemble the bike in the underground garage and it went smoothly. I am always a bit nervous that some vital part has been forgotten at home or damaged enroute.

Our first day was spent looking around the Fourvière area which is a large hill that looks over the city. There’s a famous basilica and a tower which is visible from everywhere in Lyon. We took the funicular up and down which is always fun. Also on this hill is the original Roman settlement, called Lugdunum, now ruins, which date from 43 BC. These ruins were excavated starting in the mid 1930’s, exposing 2 large theatres and other living quarters.

Below the hill is Vieux Lyon or Old Lyon with many buildings dating from the 15th century. It is full of narrow streets and alleys, mostly pedestrian only, full of quaint shops and restaurants/bouchons which serve Lyonnaise culinary specialties featuring: quenelles (fish dumpling in prawn sauce), sausages, duck, eggs, salads (with eggs) and sweet treats such as praline as well. We took a short guided tour which was very good and described more of the history of Lyon and also we were able to traverse through some “traboules” which are tunnel like shortcuts within buildings between streets for the locals to use. You can’t access them other than on a tour. We also went on a boat tour up and down the Saône for a different perspective on the city. Despite being so old it is a modern city with a lot of new areas being developed.

Lyon’s initial industry was built primarily around the silk trade (now it is noted for chemical industries). The silk is produced and manufactured locally and has been for hundreds of years. We visited a museum about the history of Lyon as well as the silk industry which was very informative. We did see several silk shops in the old town and the ties, scarves and clothing were beautiful.

We left Lyon on a beautiful morning for our first ride of the tour toward Macon. It was a perfect day for riding and 95% on separate cycle paths. The route we are following initially is the “Voie Bleue”. We followed the Saône River (pronounced Sone) for the entire way which meant for a very flat ride and was appreciated as it was a fair distance to go on the first day, almost 85 kms. However, it was enjoyable with many parks, water, toilets and services along the way. We were ready to be done by the end, our rear ends had had enough!

The iconic basilica and tower from the city center

Tags: france, lyon

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Categories 2025

Touring Burgundy

14 May

We are in London currently, to visit Erika and help with a few light renos left over from when she moved in last year. The weather has been sunny and warm, uncharacteristically so, and looks to be about the same in Bourgogne (Burgundy) when we fly to Lyon tomorrow. After getting settled, looking around Lyon and building the bike we will ride straight north. This year’s route follows many established bike routes, either Eurovelo or national trails. Most of these are either river (Saône and Loire) or canal side so not a lot of climbing, but it promises to be very picturesque. We essentially do a 900km counter-clockwise loop around the Parc naturel régional du Morvan, which is slightly mountainous, so the hills are always close by if we’re feeling strong. This region is, of course, famous for its wines such as Beaujolais and Chablis so we will have good accompaniment at dinner for the fine food of the region … and mustard, lots of mustard from Dijon. Allons y!

We spent 4 lovely days in London replacing 5 door handles and doing paint touch ups. Erika’s door handles had been performing poorly…once she was locked in her bedroom and had to find an escape. We also attended the musical Benjamin Button, a mother’s and father’s day outing from our daughters. There was time for a few riverside walks/runs as well around Woolich and Greenwich and a Thames clipper ride between those 2 spots. While we were in London we stored our bike at Heathrow, at a cost, but much easier than hauling it to Erika’s on the tube.