It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

…it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had…

Day 26 (still) – the fat lady

But there wasn’t a fat lady singing. We left the écluse and headed towards Montauban. We were going to ride along the Tarn, but about 3 kms later the road was closed, en réparation. This time we found a small road to ride on, with no trucks. We arrived in Montauban faster than last time. I…

Day 26 – until the fat lady sings

Today is the last day of the bicycle trip. Even if I still have five more days in France. The riding along the two canals will be completed this evening. I know it will be hard. Not because there are uphills, nor obstacles, but because it has been such a wonderful trip. And the moment…

Day 25 – the king and his domain

Waking up among vineyards, been there, done that. Waking up among vineyards and wine barrels, today is my first time. It is so wonderful to wake up in a domain, but to wake up at a domain where the owners are so welcoming is a complete treat. We had a wonderful breakfast and then I went to…

Day 24 – if they only had a heart

Morning came and I still had a leg, that was good news. Itched like hell but the thing hadn’t get any worse. With the wind against us once more, we went back to the canal to visit and photograph the two écluses we had missed the day before because of time. It was right after…

Day 23 – two flies, a wasp, a singing frog and a whale walk into a bar

We left our humongous bathroom and our little room and went in search of coffee and a wi-fi (le we-phee). After a couple of days with no connection I didn’t want to wait any longer to update the blog. So, at 10:00am we walked into a bar, they call it a tabaquerie, but let’s face it,…

Day 22 – you say tomato, I say tomate…

It is always hard to leave these great bed and breakfasts. I want to stay for a few days, just enjoying them without having to leave after one night, but this time is not always possible. Our petit déjeuné, bicycles ready, and a quick visit to Bram and his weekly market before going back to…

Day 21 – behind the wall

Every good thing must come to an end. I thought I couldn’t hate that phrase more than I already do, but I hated it even more this morning when I knew I had to leave Adam and Isabelle’s wonderful and welcoming place. It was a cloudy morning, which was going perfect with the farewell mood. Adam…

Day 20 – out of the loop

Wake up Alice dear! After a good night asleep in our charming B&B, and realizing it was not a dream, we went down for breakfast.   It was so nice. Henri Salvador singing in the back, the sun coming through the window, freshly baked bread, and a cup of coffee. The Inn is actually very beautiful, clean, and with…

Day 19 – the mad hatter’s tea party

An uneventful day. We started with a wonderful petit déjeuné on the veranda at the Maison Eloi Merle, in Olonzac. The wind was finally calmed enough to start riding forward instead of backwards, and by 10:00am we were next to the waters of the canal du midi.   At La Redorte we stopped for lunch at…

Day 18 – travel + leisure – travel = leisure, pure leisure

Waking up with the sun coming through the window, and the smell of fresh brewed coffee will get me up and at them in no time. Plus the thought of croissants, home-made jams, fresh fruit and juice, well, what can I say. We were the first ones at the table. Still a windy day so we had…

Nouveau larousse illustré

Def: chute de branches chute\ʃyt\féminin