0km of 3042km so far…

I took the day off today, the last one in France, to see the city of Nice and get some rest.

First thing in the morning, I visited the nearby hospital. It’s about 4 days now that I am feeling a mild pain on my right knee and of course it is a side effect of all this cycling. I was prepared to spend the entire day in the hospital waiting, but in less than an hour I was out. I was given a cream and I think I should now on take it very easy. I just hope it doesn’t get any worst and have to stop my trip.

I didn’t cycle at all today, but I walked for 4-5 hours all around the city. After the hospital I visited the near by Modern Art Museum of Nice, which happened to have a very good and free exhibition of Robert Longo. After going through all the galleries of the temporary and permanent exhibition, I also went up the roof which has a nice view of the city.

I then wondered around the old part of the city with the typical small alleys and the numerous cafes and restaurants. I walked up the north east hill, next to the old city, which has a castle, a cemetery and the best view of the city.

I went down again to the old city for some lunch and after I bought a few things from a bike shop, I went back to the hostel for more rest.

After dinner and a beer, I went back to the old city for a last wonder around. All these little alleys were packed with people. Even the smallest bar and restaurant had customers and it is not even the peak season. Nice is a very beautiful and lively city and I am glad I spent my last night of France here. It’s been a month and a half in this country, so it’s a little pity leaving it as I was just started getting used to it and becoming more fluent with the language.

Looking for the breakfast

I went through the beautiful center of Frejus one more time before I continued to the east by the coastal road. Frejus is connected with Saint Raphael, another old city, but I didn’t see much of it apart from its beaches.

A helicopter carrier by the Saint Raphael

It was the third day in a row that I got my rear inner tube punctured. I fixed it and finally came to the conclusion it is because of the protective tape that keeps moving around and revealing the spoke holes. I added more celotape on top of the tape and also I also bought a new protective tape, so if it happens again, I’ll fix it once for good.

Most of the road today was a little up and down by the coast, going in parallel with the train lines. The environment was dominated by the red rocks and a few steep cliffs. It seems to be another popular route for road cyclists as I saw many on the way, but not as friendly this time as the majority of them didn’t even bother looking at me.

The railtracks on the bridge

The scenery on the way

More beaches and red rocks

- You parked it wrong!

After a sandwich for lunch, I entered the famous for its film festival city of Cannes. I visited the theater where the festival is taking place and had a quick look around. But other than that, I wasn’t that impressed. The long beach was just below the main road and the train lines, not very ideal for relaxing. The city it self was full of posh hotels, casinos, big cars  and expensive bananas.

No red carpet for me.

Somebody is keep walking with his hands.

Antibes

I got back on the bike and continued east. On the way I passed the very nice village of Antibes, just before I entered Nice. I was a little worried going to another big city, but this time things were pretty easy, as I just followed the coast which has a big and well maintained cycling lane.

3000km powered by bananas!

Today’s destination was Frejus by the sea, but I decided not to continue on the coastal road to avoid the hills. I made my way north east of Toulon up one single hill and for the rest of the day it was mostly pleasant downhills.
All nice and pleasant until my rear tire went flat again. It was on the exact same spot with two days ago, where the inner tube touches the 5th spoke’s hole on the rim. I couldn’t see anything wrong with it, or something sharp that might have caused it. I covered that spot with loads of tape and the patch it self will hopefully prevent this from happening again. I then put some music to my mp3 player to restore my mood and continued cycling.

The entrance at Cuers

With this incident and that kebab in Cuers that took 20 minutes to appear on my table, I lost a couple of hours of my day and I was worried I won’t make it to my destination. But wasn’t much of a problem, as each little village on the way had a camping site.
Today’s route wasn’t that interesting, mostly because the road I chose run in parallel with the motorway and the scenery didn’t change much. All the villages I visited though had some really nice streets with colourful houses and very narrow alleys.

The little train

Noting new, just vines

That's not a tree. Look closer and you will see some antennas

Le Muy

At around 6pm I was in Frejus, late enough for the tourist office, but not for the town hall to ask for the map of the city and directions for one of the many camp sites. The city has also very nice streets and I noticed many Roman ruins on the way. The camp site it self is alright for 2 stars, but for 22 euros during the off season, it is the most expensive one I’ve been so far. Thanks to my excellent bargaining skills, I dropped the price to 15. I bet tomorrow in Nice, they will be even more expensive, so I may as well go to the hostel.

Frejus

The main church

Surely this colour combinatoin didn't came out randomly

Roman remains

Just after dinner in the tent

Overlooking Cassis

Cassis is  surrounded by hills and that’s why the camping was full of rock climbers. In the morning I had to go down to the center and buy a few things, so right after I had to climb a very steep road. Then looking for the road I needed to take to the next town, I got confused and tried two different roads for a couple of kilometers, both uphill and both wrong. Then I realized the road was down the village, close to its center. So there I was, first thing in the morning going up and down the mountains for no reason.
Even from the day before I was feeling a little tired and was thinking about taking the day off. Cassis was too small though to spend a whole day, so I decided to take the day off in Toulon which has a few more things to see and wasn’t that far away anyway.

One of the bays I went through

At midday I stoped at Bandol and bought some pate and a few other goods for a picnic style lunch at its port by the luxurious yacht. Since Toulon wasn’t more than 20km away and it was still early, I decided to take my time, have a drink at a cafe with wifi, until it gets a little cooler.

The small port of Bandol

As I was leaving, I noticed my back tyre needed some air. I pump it up, but a few kilometers down the road it went completely flat. I took it out and found the hole, which this time was on the inside. The protective tape was a little misplaced and I believe one of the spokes puncture it. It worries me a little though, as it’s the back wheel that was grinded on the tarmac the other day. Anyway, I fixed it and I moved on.
Once again, I got a little confused with how to locate the road I wanted. There were two roads to get to Toulon, each going around the different side of a hill. One of the passing drivers helped me to find it and suggested to take the upper one as it is faster. When I got to Toulon though I realized that the camp site is not actually inside the town but at the nearby town at the west. I ended up doing an extra 10km to find Seyne on the other side of the hill and close to where I was talking with that driver. That’s one of the reasons I am still in France, even if I’ve just reached my initial estimation of kilometers. But who said I am in a hurry?

Sunrise by the camping

I woke up earlier than normal as the night before I had collapsed straight after my dinner. Today’s day was all about Marseille. I didn’t want to spend the night there, just to have a quick look, so I am glad I wasn’t that far away. Even though, it took me three hours to get into the city, because of the hills that I had to go up and all the highways I had to avoid.

A nice but louder way of traveling

I knew Marseille is a big port but only when I first saw it after exiting a small tunnel, I truly appreciated its scale. In order to get to the center, I had to go through its massive port, under highways and loads of construction sites. It was a little hard and didn’t really enjoy cycling there. At the center it was extremely busy, with loads of tourists and had a massive traffic jam. I kind of wanted to leave straight away, but in the end I did stay for a few hours, to eat some lunch and wonder around a little bit.

First view of Marseille

Looks like a human made beach

One of the street in the city

The old port

A market

As I was about to leave, I noticed my front brand new tire was flat, even if it claims to be bulletproof. I repaired it quickly and started cycling again to the south. On the way out of the city, I stopped briefly to see one of Le Corbusier’s building that is build there. I am sure there should be an apartment open to visitors, but it was getting late in the day to look for it.

Le Corbusier Meuble Court

and the famous Modulor

Marseille from the near by hill as I was leaving

Right after I exited the city, I started climbing the nearby hill to pass to the other side. My destination was Cassis, for which I heard it is a nice fishermen village with a camping. I found it, put my tent and after my dinner I went for a walk in its center and its nice port.

For all those that think that cycle touring is dangerous, hard and way too much effort, I met two German girls in the center that are on their bikes for the last month, cycling all around France, going up and down the mountains and sleeping in the wild. Rosy and Antonia are 19 and 20 years old and they still have another three weeks to go. I wish I had started touring at that age.

]]> http://blog.ch3.gr/day-40/feed/ 1 http://blog.ch3.gr/day-36/ http://blog.ch3.gr/day-36/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:40:34 +0000 Georgios http://blog.ch3.gr/?p=694 99km of 2466km so far…

The Mediterranean was still there in the morning

From early in the morning it was rather warm, so I knew it would be a hard day. After a short stop at the post office to mail a few things back home, I started cycling north-east. By accident I came accross the Canal du Midi again, so I didn’t miss the opportunity to ride its last 10km, which were equally beautiful with the rest of what I’ve seen.

Once again, at the Canal Du Midi

and the tarmac cyclepath next to it

The canal took me straight to one of my destinations, to the city of Adge. The old city, like many others I’ve visited, was full of small alleys and nice squares. I stopped for a light lunch and a break to read my book.

Adge

...and its streets

Next stop was Sete for which I’ve heard good things as well. To go there, I took a 13km road which is on a very thin strip of land between the sea and a big basin.

The road to Sete and the city at the background

The city is all around the hill. On the south side, the one I was coming from, is just a resort with many big hotels and facilities. On the other side I found the older part of the city. Sete is a fishing town with a port full of big fishing boats and the distinct smell of fish.

Sete

It was getting late and I wanted to go to Villeneuve-les-Maguelone to camp, because it’s only 10km away from Montpellier and I wanted to avoid getting into the big city. As I was looking for my way out of Sete, I saw a bike shop and I thought I should fully pump the back tire after the puncture I had three days ago. When I did so, I realized that the tire had a massive split and it was the inner layer that was holding it together. Luckily I was in a bike shop with many spares, but unfortunately it didn’t have the exact size I wanted. The tire was 25mm thick and the shop had 23mm and 30mm.  Thinking about all these off tarmac routes I’ve taken, I thought it should be better to get the 30mm one. I put it on, pumped it up and off I went.

For a moment I thought about celotaping it

Flamingos and many other birds

That's not a commando training center, that's a petit dog school of acrobatics.

As I was getting in to Villeneuve-les-Maguelone, disaster happened. I hit a light bump, then I heard a strange sound, then my back tire burst and then the back rim was grinding on the tarmac! Both the inner tube and the brand new tire were split and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere and too far away from the shop I bought it. I was probable my mistake, because I used the same inner tube which was probable to thin for a bigger tire. I took the inner tube out and put the destroyed tire back on, so at least I can push the bike without further destroying the rim. I asked some kids where the camping is and I started a long walk to get there. Half an hour later I got to the camp site and saw that it was closed because of the season. Great! It was already dark and I needed to find somewhere to sleep. I had a pizza from a little van opposite the street and the lade told me there is a hotel in the village. Having no other option I walked there and begged for a discount. Thankfuly I got it and the owner promised he will drive me to Montpellier to find a bike shop and fix the bike. So let’s see…

After a whole baguette with nutella for breakfast, I packed my bike and joined the Canal du Midi from within the city. I was hearing a lot about this canal for a long time during my trip, so I was very enthusiastic about cycling it this morning.
Canal du Midi connects the Atlantic with the Mediterranean, going through many cities and villages. Along the canal for the majority of its length, there is a path for bicycles and pedestrians, so for about 20km from Toulouse, I was seeing many people cycling, jogging, walking and having picnics.

The canal within the city

One of the many locks

The path by the canal

Since I woke up, there was a complete overcast and I hardly saw the sun during the day. Todays surprise was my first puncture of the trip. After 2200 km, a piece of glass managed to go through the tire and its inner protective layer. I stopped at the side of one of the canal’s lock to have a look and of course half way the repair it started raining. It rained a lot and I had to put my water proofs and ironically the rain stopped just as I started riding again.

The place I had the puncture

pat pat pat.... for pate

One of the small ports

Canal crouse

In total I cycled 50km by the canal, but unfortunately after that distance the tarmac finished, so I had to abandoned it. Cycling on the road and with a nice tail wind I was going faster and I knew I could make it to Carcassonne. On the way I passed through the nice city of Castelnaudary, full of old houses and churches.

Castelnaudary

Luckily I made it to Carcassonne the minute before the tourist information was closing, so I managed to get the information I wanted. As it was wet all day, I was considering the option to stay in a hostel again and after I realized where the hostel is located I decided to stay there and also take the next day off to visit the city.

The old city of Carcassonne

The view from the hostel

Approaching Navarrenx

The main gate

The view of the river by the walls

The houses inside the fortress

I started pedaling again to the next city of Mourenex, where I didn’t find anything interesting to make me stop apart from a self service car wash. It was time again to clean the bike and remember that my gears and chain are nickel and not black. After the wash I put some fresh lubricant and the ride was once again as smooth as when I first bought the bike.

Hi, my name is kitsch!

The road from there onwards, was running parallel to the Pau river, which means it was entirely flat and easy for my legs. I got to Pau early enough to go via the tourist office for a local map and a supermarket for supplies.

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes, was a very strong chemical type smell. Then I remembered the big paper factory I saw the day before as I was entering the town. I wanted to get away as soon as possible, but even if I was up for an early start, it was very humid during the night which meant wet tent and undried clothes. I had to wait about an hour for the sun to warm things up and let me pack my things.

Snail attack on my tent and the bike

After buying a few supplies, I headed back to the forest for another 40km on beautiful cycle tracks. The scenery was pretty much the same with yesterday. Dense pine forest and the occasional view of the sandy beaches. The only difference was the heat which today was unbearable, going up to 35.

Yet another cycle path within the forest

It was very hot at the time

At around midday, I was feeling way to hot, so I invaded a camp site to refill my bottles and throw some water on me on my face. I decided to go to the beach and look for something to eat, but out of my bad luck everything just closed. I find it a little strange that restaurants close at 2pm?

I moved on and on the way I ate all the fruits I bought in the morning plus my emergency almonds. The heat was still unbearable. I decided to leave the cycle track and go faster to the next town and about an hour later I found the relief of a pizza and a cold soft drink.

My plan was to get to Biarritz and maybe get the next day off to take the time and see the city. I passed through Hossegor which is another surfers town and look preaty cool, but I decided to make it to my destination. Unfortunatelly half way through I gave up because of the heat. I found a camp site and went straight in and kind of regreated not staying in the Hossegor, as where I am at the moment there are only a camp sites, a beach and buzzing mosquitos.

Last night I had a couple of beer and went to the tent for sleep late. Just as I was falling asleep it started raining and then the strong wind came and even more rain. Luckily my tent managed to hold strong and the kept the water out but not the noise. I couldn’t fall asleep until it all finished which was around 4am. This morning I woke up late and very tired. Not a good start.

I left the camp site very grumpy and started my way to the forest of Coubre. Ten kilometers on the way, I realized I took the wrong road when I started. I didn’t want to go all the way back, but I tried to find another way and at least see part of the forest. I got lost again and again, got very annoyed and gave up as it was already lunch time. I decided to just go to the next city which was Royan.

While trying to find my way, part of the port in Tremblade

On the way, I did see small parts of the forrest by the sea, which was probable just a small sample of what I missed.

A small section of the forest

Just outside Royan

After such a bad  morning, I wasn’t in the mood for more cycling, so I though I’ll call it an early day, get some food and good rest  and make a new start tomorrow.

Like a junky, stealing wifi from the closed restaurant and surfing out in the rain

Bananas are everywhere!