Here, in this section Travel journal, you can follow the saga of our trip. We promise we will often put our bike aside and ride our computer to recount all our adventures.
We will be two riders but we want you to travel by our sides and share with you all the kilometers we will go through!
Monday, July 1st, 2013. The alarm clock first sounded like an assault… The last preparations had substantially shortened our night, so that we were still a little bit weary when we woke up. At 9 am, everything was ready: bikes were set to the millimeter and all of belongings were packed in our bike bags. We left Léo’s house and started riding towards the official place of our departure: the Capitol Square, in the center of Toulouse. We knew that each pedal stroke brought us closer to the launch of our adventure. Little by little, the excitement was rising. We entered Toulouse and speeded up. And all of a sudden, the Capitol was in front of us…
Our meeting with Pierre Cohen, the mayor of Toulouse
Thursday 25th April 2013. From Moissac to Fontenilles (near Toulouse).
The last day of our 500km-training.
Twice, our awakening is not the one expected. The first time, a wild boar is plowing the earth next to the tent. The second, a roe deer is rubbing its head against the tent canvas. It is at least what our sleepy senses give us to think… The third one is the good one: the sun has already left the horizon, cocks and hens gambol freely, and the pony quietly eats the grass around. The nature is already active, and it’s time to follow its example.
Patricia already went to work and the rest of the household sleeps. The animals are the only ones seeing us leaving. We get back the banks of the canal and start the last 80 kilometers of our journey. We have been riding for only a few minutes when we catch sight of a roe deer which is having its early wash in the water of the canal. It is only 20 meters of us. We approach a little more, but suddenly it panics, rushes to the opposite bank, goes out of the canal, and disappears in two jumps.
Graceful despite the fear
Wednesday 24th April 2013. From Fourques sur Garonne to Moissac.
As the first rays of sunshine illuminate our tent, the bird tweets start tickling ours eardrums. Our couscious mind slowly regains control over our unconscious, and when we finally open our eyes, we wonder whether the sun or the birds is behind our waking.
We pack our stuff and, as promised, we ring Joseph and Marie’s doorbell so as to take the breakfast together. Good morning Joseph, good morning Marie! (Matteo is awake but staring at the cartoons on the TV) . We come inside and again we are surprised and touched by their generosity …
“I’ve made coffee and there’re also few croissants for you “
Coffee, croissant and the company of such nice persons … There is nothing better for breakfast! Energy for the body… and, even more, for the spirit!
We are about to leave when Leo realizes that the left side of his luggage rack is broken and the other side is about to break. We can not turn a blind eye on that, the smallest shock would completely break the rack and the wheel would simply be blocked. Fortunalty Joseph has more than one trick up his garage and he comes back with a solution. We insert thin metal rods into the framework and we are ready to ride again!
We can now get back on our way along the canal, but not before taking a picture of our savior !
We hope that you will like this picture, thank you Joseph !
Tuesday 23rd April 2013. From Bordeaux to Fourques sur Garonne.
We leave Bordeaux by following the northern bank of the Garonne, on a bicycle lane at first, then on a secondary road. Considerable change: the countryside now welcomes few hills and finally offers us the soft relief that we were waiting for until then. Vineyards, however, are unchanging and keep coming out turn after turn… But wait, don’t you see these white flowers? Yes, this is it, cherry-plum trees!… It would seem that other fruit trees, annoyed by such a dullness, finally decided to put their two cents in the landscape… And it is not to displease us!
We ride sometimes on roads, sometimes on narrow paths. We have to move forward, but leaving the asphalt to find earth and pebbles is a pleasure to which we are willing to succumb. We do not travel by bike to keep cars company!
We cross Cadillac, then Langon and, in early afternoon, we arrive at Castets-en-Dorthe. The “canal along the Garonne” opens in front of us, perfectly rectilinear. Its banks were turned into a bicycle lane and are now car-free… and horse-free, which is pretty funny since it used to be towpath!
Just before Cadillac, we cross Rions (which means “let’s laugh” in French)… I’ve got you, you’ve got me by the chin… 😉
Monday 22nd April 2013 – From Saint-Julien-Beychevelle to Bordeaux.
François and Virginie invite us to have coffee at their house. They even ask us to stay until tonight, promising us a royal meal : rib steaks cooked in the regional way, with their boletus and red wine ! We would like to accept such a kind invitating, but we are expected at Bordeaux, where we will meet Arnaud, Léo’s brother, and his girlfriend Anaïs. But François turns intentionally a deaf ear and keeps repeating:
“Hey, tonight, it’s rib steaks, boletus and wine!”
This sentence becomes both funny and touching. But eventually, we leave each other. They head towards their vineyards. We head towards Bordeaux. We say to each each other “See you soon!”, and maybe the future will give reason to us…
