geeteetravels

The day came early for us although we slept well enough. We’re still in mid-atlantic time making our way east in our brains. The hotel cost included breakfast, and I find almost all of the hotels I booked for this year’s trip are the same in this regard. Contrast that to France where almost never is it included. We weren’t expecting much as italians are known for having a shot of espresso and a pastry on the run to cover their first meal of the day (colazione). So we were surprised to find a great variety of healthy foods available including a proper espresso or cappuccino served with a smile. Muesli, yoghurt, fresh rolls, cheese, salami, butter, jam, fruit, juice – great! We got a bit carried away in fact so we only snacked at lunch.
Next up on a bit of an overcast day was to get a SIM card with data hookup from one of the several cellular providers. By my research TIM had the best coverage and a good deal for their package so we went to find the local TIM shop, which was only a couple of blocks away. Luckily the sole guy in the shop could understand techno-inglese and we were hooked up and out of there in short order. I bought a rechargeable (pay-as-you-go) SIM for 20euro which included 15euro credit. Their max internet plan is 10euro for a month for 1 Gb (gee-gah-beet said our man) which of course is ridiculously cheap by Canadian standards. It was up and running before we left the shop – cross that challenge off.
We then went and found a grocery store to pick up a bit of food for the road which also turned out to be no problem. Because of her food related exercise induced allergy Tara has to be extremely careful eating while cycling, and she gets very tired of eating muesli with warm yoghurt on a hot day for lunch. We’re trying to branch out from that menu and still stay safe.
Of course the most important activity of the day was getting the bike reassembled. It was sitting in an outside courtyard and the clouds let loose a lot of rain mid-day for a few hours so we had to wait it out. The blue sky reappeared and we quickly got it to look much like a tandem again leaving a few bits off for assembly on the street and trial run in the morning. We actually have to wheel it down a couple of hallways and take it down some spiral stairs so leaving off the pedals and chains to make it easier was our thought.
Having accomplished what we needed we headed out for a leisurely walk around and to find another good Pisan restaurant. We went close by the tower to find an open restaurant. Monday evenings can be bad as most restaurants take that evening off so sometimes you have to head to a more touristic area to get something to eat. No problem, we did well so that’s 2 for 2 for good cheap suppers in Italy.

Bike assembly on the terrazzo.

I love the predictability of the tourists.

Yes it rains in Pisa.

Church alongside the Arno.

Another Arno picture.

Bene, we are here in one  piece, with all pieces accounted for! The trip over went smoothly and according to plan, with a flawed plan I’ll admit. The biggest flaw was the 6 hour layover in Gatwick which was a bit much. We came over via Air Transat, and then popped on to an Easyjet flight to Pisa, after the aforementioned 6 hours. There were no bike or overweight hassles at all, so planning and being at the airport early to avoid the rush does pay off.
We checked into the Hotel La Torre with our limited italian at about 4pm and promptly had a nap. After that a walk was in order to get some fresh air circulating in the system along with some pizza and vino rosso a little later.
Pisa, at least the old town, is not very large so off we went in the direction of la torre pendente of course. By now all the stabilizing and revitalization that had gone on for years is fully complete so the tower is resplendent! I know it’s a huge tourist icon and a bit kitschy in some ways but honestly it is just a gorgeous building now and truly a wonder even if it stood straight.  I do love to watch all the phototakers taking variations of the same ‘holding up the tower’ shot which I took years ago with our girls’ help, too. Tired now, Tara is already asleep. Wish us luck in getting through the jet lag quickly.

Our Air Transat AS330, with new leather seats and the best inflight entertainment system, and cabin crew. Good airline.

Waiting at the Pisa aeroporto stop for the 5 minute train ride into Pisa Centrale, in turn a 5 minute walk to our hotel.

A big queue at this gelato shop, obviously a clue for where we will go tomorrow.

If you look up at the tower like this when the clouds are streaming past quickly from behind you swear the tower is topplng onto you. Or, it could be the jetlag.

More bloody tourists!

Last day’s ride, c’est dommage. We had to cover 76km today but on a fairly flat trajectory except for some rolly stuff close to Toulouse. If we had more time and were not riding or driving we could have had a pleasant wine tasting stop in Gaillac which is a (another) major centre for wine in the south. But riding as we were we took only a pause café and carried on. Our lunch stop coincided with the village of Rabastens where we had a quick look in the local church. Our guide book had pointed out some uncovered and restored artwork from pre catholic reformation times which we should look at. It was impressive with a few horned devils and winged angels in conflict.  Not overly eventful otherwise on the road, not counting the abysmal carnage of the hedgehogs, of course. I counted 8 roadkill before the end of the morning, while Tara preferred to ignore the slaughter.
We zipped back to our Toulousian home base and our accommodating hotelier. He charged us nothing to store the bike case for 3 weeks, allowed us the run of his dining room for assembly and disassembly, and gave us free drinks. A ***** rating from me on booking.com!
Out to dinner for the dernier cassoulet du tour (Tara had a nice chicken, lime, and mango salad), a little more shopping, and a little packing, and we’re physically ready to fly home.

Walking away from the church at Rabastens.

Another day where our ride was shaded by plane trees. Good thing because it was 30+ out there on the road.

Every 10-15km needs a ..ahem.. bum break.

Full time has been called on this trip.

Dining room disassembly.

No cycling today, just hanging around being tourists.  It is nice to rest the legs and not to rush away in the morning knowing you have miles to cover. 
It was a beautiful day in Albi today.  We started off with a bateau ride on the Tarn.  Unfortunately it was strictly French so we didn’t catch too much of the commentary, but enjoyed the views nonetheless.  Next stop was the Toulouse-Lautrec musée where there is a very good collection of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s work.  He was born in Albi and then left to study in Paris as an adult.  He was a sickly man from birth due to a genetic bone disorder then struggled with alcoholism and died very young at 37.  However he was a prolific artist and this museum has works that cover his entire career as well as his contemporaries.  Quite enjoyable!
After an afternoon pause café we wandered around a bit more admiring all the medieval buildings and streets.  The old city has been well preserved and restored. 

The pont-vieux across the Tarn, dating from ~1000ad.

All queued up for the bateau ride.

Its all about HdTL today.

Medieval building well preserved.

As it turns out cold poireaux et roquefort pizza is not that desirable for breakfast so we headed to the supermarché to buy the usual supplies. Today promised to be an easy day’s ride (no, really) and the sun was shining so we were feeling good. Today’s ride highlight was the small village of Ambialet located at a pinch point of an oxbow on the river Tarn. We approached from the North and high above the river where there was a great view of the area. It is a beautiful spot with a chateau sitting right on the narrowest bit between the two parts of the Tarn, but it is also interesting from an engineer’s point of view. What do you do with 2 big water streams, one perpetually a couple of meters higher than the other? Well, for the last millennia you power a mill, but now you make electricity, a tiny hydro-electric station.
After a casual lunch and café in that spot we drifted down the river into Albi. Our hotel is in a nice spot with our room overlooking one of the main squares. The first thing we saw was a large wedding party having photos taken. After the photos the bride and groom and wedding party went through the large crowd (~100) doing the traditional triple cheek kiss. I noticed it was actually everyone greeting everyone else in the same way. Do the math! How many kisses took place? 🙂 Later we would see the same wedding party in the Cathedral St. Cecile, one of the 2 signature attractions of Albi, the second being the museum and gallery of the native Toulouse Lautrec.
The Cathedral is something to behold, said to be the largest brick cathedral in the world, with a few quirky add-ons as well.
We walked around the medieval old town and soon saw there would be music (again!) from various stages being set up, what luck. There was something more though as a group of men arranged part of a tree and a lot of wood for a bonfire. We managed to chat with a man who  explained in rapid french it was the fête de feu de Saint Jean, and there would be music, dancing, a torch procession with children, and the big bonfire. And so there was!

Descending towards Ambialet and the Tarn river.

Water is generated flowing under the chateau you see.

We had to climb, on foot, to get to this viewpoint.

Us, blocking the view.

You can get a sense of the size of the cathedral.

There will be fire tonight.

A band playing traditional occitan music, with people dancing up front.

Children with open torches; could this happen at home?

And finally the big burn.

We left Millau and began our ascent immediately.  We were able to get a good view of the viaduct once out of the city.  It would have been nice to be a bit closer but it would have taken us a fair way off our route and we had a good distance to go so opted not to.  This initial climb was 300m and we thought that would be most of it in the 63km ride.  But we are finding that it is difficult to find accurate altitude data.  We became concerned when we suddenly descended almost 200m into a village and then were faced with another 450m climb out of there and to the top of a pass.  It was a very green and scenic forested area but it took all our energy.  George joked that we surely wouldn’t have to climb up to where the windmills were, but in fact we did, hence all the windmill photos.  Once up top we did basically drop for the remainder of the ride today, passing through more forests and then farm land.  It reminded me of the terrain in Manitoba.
There is another music festival here, in Réquista tonight, again celebrating the beginning of summer. 
(later) So it turns out the quality of the music in tiny Réquista is much better than in Millau! We listened to a 5 piece jazz group, then a chanteur and violinist. All the while we were sitting outside a pub having drinks to go with our pizza from a food truck (très bien) , the only restaurant option available.

Distant view of the viaduc as we climb out of Millau.

Tara dishes out one of our 2 daily chocolate rations. We can't climb hills without it.

By the end of the day it was windmills, more bloody windmills.

Pizza truck, the only game in town.

These jazz boys were terrific!

A beautiful sunny warm morning for a bike ride today. As is our custom we head to a local grocer to pick up supplies for breakfast and lunch. Typically that is: bananas, apricots, nectarines, yoghurt, and a liter of juice, half going in our water bottles. GG also finds a boulangerie for a croissant now and a baguette to have for lunch. Today the grocer had almost no produce; we suspected all the hikers in town had got there before us and made off with the beautiful French apricots we’d been enjoying so much.
Onwards and back climbing right out of town, as expected, to burn off last night’s smoked salmon/goat cheese pizza. We are really(!) developing a taste for chèvre. We knew it should not be a hard day after the initial climb and for once that is the way it turned out. It was hot and we were tempted to jump in the river we were tracking alongside at one point. Great gorge type scenery again, and for the last day on this trip as we cycled out into the wider valley where Millau sits. Millau was on the agenda because of the viaduc, a new bridge which is the highest in the world from its base in the valley to the top of the pylons. See the wikipedia link for all the stats but it is stunning! Wiki link Pictures tomorrow.
It also turns out that on the first day of summer in France there is a  fête de musique, and Millau is no exception. During the evening we wandered over the old town listening to all kinds of music from local bands and clubs, and every old boys rock and roll garage band for miles around. Great fun!

Wild-flowery field.

Tara's cushy office space.

Cantobre - a tiny village perched on a hill, and a great lunch stop.

The view over Millau after climbing the Tour Rois d'Aragon.

Millau was rockin' with all types of music tonight. Love the whole sheep bagpipes!

The rhythm section.

Every garage band in town was on the street.

We started the day with a 6km, 450m climb to the causse Mejean, the plateau at the top of the gorge.  It was a steep hill with many switchbacks and it took about 75 min. to do.  I think it even surprised George how hard it was. He said it wouldn’t be too bad before we started, I was a bit worried by the look of it.  He always says if the map and the terrain differ, believe the terrain.  I have my own version: if what George says and the terrain differ believe the terrain. However
climbing up always gives you marvelous vistas and we were not disappointed.  We rode across the top and then down the other side, again a spectacular view of the Gorge du Tarn below.  While on top we passed an aerodrome where gliders were being launched, quite fascinating to see.  Coming down these steep switchback roads is tricky on this long and heavily laden bike.  We have to use the extra drum brake on the back wheel or the brake pads on the wheels could potentially heat up the tires and cause a blowout.  I also feel a bit uneasy as I have no controls and must trust my captain, which I do mostly. 
After descending from the causse we rode along the bottom of the gorge enjoying the beauty of the mountains, river, cornices and the  pinnacle rock formations. We passed an area where vultures nest in the cliffs.  There were many circling around overhead; maybe they thought we weren’t going to make it.
We were supposed to continue in this fashion until reaching our destination for the evening but once again George and the terrain differed and we had to do some more climbing at the end of the day after already riding 60kms.  We were très fatigué when we finally arrived, 78 kms and a total ascent of 970 m. 
We had a well deserved cold drink as soon as possible once in Meyrueis, although George had difficulty communicating that he wanted a grande biere and got a petite.  We do struggle with French.
For supper we  had pizza with smoked salmon and goat cheese, a big salad, and a chocolate and coconut crepe for dessert.  Yum!

About half way up the 6km climb out of Florac.

Nearly back on top; breakfast calories totally blown already.

Up on the causse where we watched gliders getting towed up into the thermals. At the same time we could see the real master gliders - many eagles.

Switchbacking our way down off the causse.

Gorgeous (pun alert) little town of Maléne on the floor of the gorge.

It was a relaxed start since we were only doing a bit more than 30km after yesterday’s hard slog into the hills. But then as I was pushing a little more air into the back tire with my new pump, pffftttt. No problem, dig out the spare made in France Michelin tube, and away we go … up. Up and up, for the first 13km and 600m vertical. The weather was overcast and rainy in spots so decidedly a change but not really a bother when you’re climbing and sweating anyway. Beautiful mountain (low mountains anyway, still only the altitude of Calgary) country with grazing cattle and goats alongside. All that cheese has to come from somewhere. After the big drop from the top I upshifted and lost the chain. Unfortunately it also got twisted in the jam so it was jumping gears. We made it to our hotel in Florac mostly drifting anyway. Our hotelier did not know of any bike shops and I thought we would need a new chain – ouch! Luckily I found it was only 1 link damaged and I had a spare so un bien réparer et un autre problème résolu.
Florac is a lovely mountain town with a lot of hikers evident. We are in the Cévennes national park so a lot of trails and organization for the tourists.
We took a walk around town but had to duck into a café for an aperitif due to the occasional shower. We also found a very small but well equipped bike shop so I restocked a second spare tube. I could have bought a chain too but declined since we are fixed.
We went for the restaurant in the hotel with good success for dinner. We need high quality fuel to climb up the ridge dominating the town, first thing in the a.m.

You will notice how we are nearly the highest thing around.

Today we looked for a bit of protection from the rain during our lunch stop.

And more rain protection when we were wandering around Florac.

Florac is at the bottom; guess where we go tomorrow.

The spring which is the basis for the town being here historically.