After our disagreements with the GPS directions yesterday and admittedly we had the extra challenge of multiple river valleys and changing traffic conditions we tackled the maps again and headed off to explore more of the French Riviera / Cote d’Azur. The traffic this morning was reasonably quiet and we explored the little village and surrounds of St- Jean –Cap-Ferrat where there is serious money evident in both the spacious residences on land and yachts and cruisers on the water. We had a coffee looking out over the harbour and pondering how the other half lives.



Looking back over Nice as we head for St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

The water we have seen both close up and in the distance all along the coast has been crystal clear and where there is sand on beaches (very few) we could see the shadows of the boats on the ocean floor. As the depth increased it just became more deeply blue. Spectacular!

After coffee we headed for Monte Carlo in the Constitutional Monarchy of Monaco and oop a day found heaps of traffic very quickly in the maze of tunnels under the city and finally found a car park and left the bikes and came upstairs to find ourselves straight in front of the Casino would you believe!



The Monte Carlo Casino where we walked into the foyer to ogle at the spectacular building and left without spending any money so a lot richer than a lot who left throughout the day no doubt



The view from the McDonalds window (arguably the best one in the world) where we lunched, again, ahead of a lot of the punters

From Monaco we headed off again to find Eze where we sat and had a very expensive drink of juice on the hotel terrace in the ancient city overlooking all of what we had visited in the morning and varying shades of Blue Mountains disappearing in the distance in the magnificent blues and turquoises of the Mediterranean Ocean. WOW! So not what we would normally do and loved every minute of it.

The old bodies appreciated having a bit of chill time yesterday afternoon so we felt ready for the ride this morning and headed out of town in the wrong direction. DUH! Selected the wrong address in ‘Favourites’. We had to continue on up the mountain for quite some distance before we found a spot to pull over and do a ‘U’ turn but on our descent the whole of Gap was laid out in front of us in the bright sunlight unlike the rain shrouded view we got yesterday. This experience more or less set the tone for the rest of the day, that is to say, getting lost, seeing spectacular sights in spite of that, trying to decide where the GPS was actually trying to send us and where the hell Roussillon which was supposed to be a via point was anyway?



On the road - Les Mees in the distance to the left

Despite all these trials and tribulations we had a cracker of a day. The scenery changed from lush mountain backdrops with the start of autumn tones differentiating tree shapes on the mountain sides to rugged limestone outcrops and bare stone mountainsides and finally rugged stunted growth between cliff and valley walls leading to olive groves and stony fields.



Looking towards our coffee stop in Les Mees which along with the rest of the village was wrapped around the bare rock of the mountain behind

After an incredible ride with views to die for to our left, right, straight ahead and in the rear vision mirror we stopped for coffee at Les Mees, where the locals seemed amused with our rudimentary French in the little bar cum coffee shop cum betting agency and town meeting place. Then we headed off through a series of glacial valleys with spectacular wind tunnels between narrow walls and broad stony valleys and everything in between. We lunched at St Andres les Alpes and again enjoyed the narrow winding streets and quaint surroundings. We didn’t need to get to where we planned….other than our hotel of course, because everything was spectacular.



An Aussie biker in France looking like a black Michelin Man compliments of the waterproofs which we needed for the chill factor today throught the mountains

It was good to get to Nice and see the ocean which is a spectacular blue though the beach looks like a building sight with great chunks of rocks and gravel..…we are clearly spoilt with our beautiful sandy beaches in Australia!



The beach at Nice - This section is reserved for our Hotel complete with restaurant bar and boardwalk

Bits and Bobs:

Was a bit of a challenge getting wet bike jeans and the like dry yesterday. To get enough heat happening to do it meant a hot steamy room so finally opted for air dry and live with the result so we could breathe. The hotel caters for motorbike riders with free parking for 'Motos' and last night with our 2 there were 43! The majority were the Lucerne (Switzerland) HOGS group and others from all over the world.....literally, not just us. There were some great bikes and paint jobs. Candy for Norms eyes.

RIP

We toasted little Peggy Bell last night at dinner as it was the first Anniversary since her death. I’m confident she would have been pretty chuffed with her daughter and adopted son this trip….as she always was. Sadly missed.

Last nights’ accommodation:

Ibis Gap
5/7 Boulevard Georges Pompidou
05000 Gap France

Another budget Hotel but very nice and a very friendly and service oriented staff who even sorted a yummy snack for us when we returned from tramping around town without finding anywhere open to have lunch. Nicely refurbished room and dinner and breakfast were also quite acceptable.

There was much thunder lightning and rain overnight and the day started very dark under low cloud and it pretty much rained from when we left Annecy to our arrival in Gap. But…….the scenery was spectacular in spite of it!

Talk about sensory overload. We rode up and down mountainsides, overlooked wide and narrow valleys with little settlements drifting up from the lowlands to more rugged slopes and then forest taking over and continuing to climb to the rugged rocky escarpments, bluffs and cliff type mountain walls. We even saw evidence of some old Roman Forts which we recognised from our trip through Switzerland and parts of Italy last year. For good measure we passed a number of Lakes with some rugged glacial streams as well complete with the massive litter of rocks and tree trunks not to mention galloping muddy water.

The weather was so brutal that travel especially on the narrow winding mountain roads once off the motorways was slow and at times torturous and not at all conducive to stopping to take pictures of the spectacular views. In fact, often the views were shrouded by a gossamer veil of rain and mist and where there should have been mountain tops there were mostly cotton wool looking caps of cloud. In spite of all this, we met dozens of bikes so that confirmed again what awesome bike riding the roads provide, just a shame the weather was so rough so that very little attention could be turned to the view. In spite of that we oooh’d and aaah’d and wow’d our way through the mountains and gratefully arrived to a hot shower and got the gear off at about 1.30pm.



The only picture I took today in Gap to prove we were not the only silly people out on bikes

I thankfully stayed dry everywhere apart from the bottom of one jean leg and thermal leg…and squishy wet socks in my boots but Norm had a serious wet butt and back of thighs where he sat. Our hands had a bit of a broiled appearance from the combination of wet gloves and heated hand grip warmers. In spite of this the last of the ride in was very cold and my knees were aching by the time we got here. I was grateful for my leather vest and thermal tights and will also don my polar fleece jacket tomorrow as it is supposed to get to 0 degrees overnight and I’m sure we saw a dusting of snow on one of the Alps in view of our walk this afternoon….oh and yes, once the bikes were parked under the hotel (with many others’ I might add) it stopped raining and hasn’t rained since. Ya gotta love Murphy!

Bits and Bobs:

We actually got to within 12 kms of the Swiss border yesterday and watched the planes climbing out from the Geneva Airport as we walked across the motorway to the café for lunch.

Last nights’ accommodation:

Best Western International Hotel
19 Avenue Du Rhone
74000 Annecy France

This was a budget choice but still close to the old city. The staff was warm and helpful and the breakfast yummy but the rooms were very small and in need of a refurbish to match the nice new bed linens.

We donned the wet weather gear after a forecast of lightning and thunderstorms but really only experienced road spray from wet roads so the trip felt hot and humid until we got into the Alps when the temperature was more tolerable. The ride here was wonderful and even if Annecy was a dive the ride itself would have been worth the effort. We started out through rolling fields of corn and dried off sunflowers with green leafy lines across the land where the roads snaked their way across the surface. We soon came to more hilly ground reminiscent of some of our Swiss tour last year then we entered a huge tunnel and when we emerged found ourselves launched into a massive rugged mountain range and wound our way around the mountainside on massive viaducts and more tunnels and ever impressive views. WOW WOW WOW!!!



Annecy - the old Prison - supposedly one of the most photographed sites in France

From there on we alternated between rugged mountain views, picturesque villages perched on the side of mountains and glacial lakes. What a knock out. The view you miss when you fly!
Once we arrived in Annecy we stowed the bike gear and headed off on foot to discover the old part of the town which was spectacular to say the least. The views were just beautiful between some wonderful old buildings and views down to and on Lake Annecy (the second largest Lake in France). We tramped for several hours, explored Annecy Castle dating back to the 13th Century and had a drink then had some dinner before we returned to the hotel feeling somewhat pooped.



A pretty canal view through the old town towards Lake Annecy

Looking forward to more spectacular views on our travels tomorrow but the forecast is looking seriously cold and wet……..anyone would think we were in the Alps!



Looking across lake Annecy

Bits and Bobs:



A picture for Phil and Gareth....a shop next door to our hotel. There were a lot of muso types hanging around outside a club type door as we returned to our hotel so not sure how much sleep we will get.

Last nights’ accommodation:

Hotel De La Poste
5 Boulevard Clemenceau
Beaune France 21200
http://www.hoteldelapostebeaune.com

A lovely rambling old hotel comfortably situated across the road from the moat and ancient city walls and one of the entries to the old Village of Beaune. There has been a hotel on this site since the 1660's. The staff were terrifically friendly and helpful and the rooms tastefully decorated and comfortable. The public spaces of the hotel were stately and welcoming. Great Ambience. A nice stay.

We have seen some beautiful sights today of whimsical chateau’s complete with maidens towers, multiple church’s in villages and as many different versions of French cottages and manor houses as you could imagine but nothing compares to the unspoiled beauty of the little village of Beaune. It is a great credit to its people and its municipal authority. That doesn’t mean we didn’t see a lot of other beautiful things but Beaune is the pick as far as buildings go.



One of the lovely buildings in Beaune

It was lovely to see the many different varieties of grapes in the acres of vines draped across the landscape with some leaves starting to change colour and others still very green. We rode and walked around many little villages including on the back streets with lots of views of grape harvesting machinery in garages under houses and the smell of fermenting grape juice was everywhere and of many different strains of fragrance. Quite delicious really and the flower boxes everywhere were spectacular with massive begonias’ and impatiens as well as lovely leafy vine type things which were a great contrast.



Looking into the Hotel Garage (in the dark) as I kit up before we headed off in the morning

We are back at the hotel now (only a little damp) and warming up in the bar before we have dinner here. We are dining here tonight in their lovely dining room which is a series of five separate rooms made into one. Quite delightful, in fact the whole building is delightful with lovely leafy garden spaces with splashes of colour and beautiful period furniture. Yum!



Streetscape in Dijon

After setting the GPS for the Railway Station in Dijon so we could get good parking for all we discovered that they are installing a monorail (or something) throughout the CBD and heaps of the streets were dug up and railed off which meant on our way to and from we kept being directed to intersections and streets we couldn't access. Once we were out of there we then found entries to Motorways blocked off as well. At some stage we stopped at some traffic lights and Norm asked how I was doing? I told him my response couldn't be published. Fair dinkum, the fact that we don't have two-way communicatin between bike helmets has probably saved the marriage.....on more than one ocassion!

Didn’t sleep well overnight. I had a really sore hip from too much walking yesterday and the nerves were building for getting out of Paris in spite of all the positive self-talk. I swear if the quick trips to the loo are going to be routine before departure each day I will be a mere shadow of my former self on my return!...not a wholly bad thing but a crappy way to do it…if you’ll pardon the pun.

Norm was determined to get an Iconic / Recognisable French shot of us with our bikes in front of the Eiffel Tower before we headed out of Paris. How hard could it be? We keyed in the address to the GPS and headed off and thankfully found the traffic not all that heavy or pushy. We parked the bikes and figured out where to stand to get the entire Tower in and started to eyeball passers-by to see who would do the picture taking being conscious all the time that we would likely be asked to move on at any time. The answer to the ‘how hard can it be?’ question was ‘apparently impossible’….even from the woman who proudly told us she had the same camera. End result is that the test one Norm took was the ONLY one with the whole Tower so have cropped and included that.



Nola standing her ground in front of the Tower

We had a great time in Paris. We loved everything we saw and found the people and communities we moved amongst to be very friendly and welcoming. We were relieved that the traffic was surprisingly light and although a bit weird on some streets and intersections, as in the dividing lines for lanes apparently being more a ‘suggestion’ rather than a ‘requirement’, didn’t feel unsafe and we were soon on the Motorway and heading south through magnificent sweeping vistas of farmland and forest on our way to Beaune.

We took a break at a roadhouse and waited for Sharon and Ken to catch up with their car then headed off together. We came straight to Beaune and wandered around the beautiful old walled city before we had a delicious dinner and came back to the hotel to fall into bed. We have two nights here so will explore more of the surrounding towns and countryside tomorrow. The old bodies decided today they hadn’t fully recovered from hanging on in gale force winds on our way from Calais to Paris so it will be good to have a quieter day tomorrow. The town is remarkably well preserved and feels a bit like stepping into an ever changing picture postcard.



Part of the Hospices De Beaune - Musee de l'Hotel Dieu which was both a magnificently well preserved building and also served a valuable purpose of being a world renowned and progressive Hospital from 1453 until 1971 when a new hospital was built to replace it. They retained the retirement homes only. We toured through much of the building including many of the wards / chapels, the kitchen and the pharmacy. Very impressive.

Bits and Bobs:

Sometimes it’s hard to maintain even a hint of femininity on the bike but check out the serious ‘Bike Bling’ I found in the window of the ‘Wedding Dress Couture’ shopfront close to the hotel! I didn’t arrange to have it shipped home….not sure how the sparkly bits would survive having bug guts washed off them and to be truthful it’s not really my style. Ah well.



Last nights’ accommodation:

Citadines St Germain Paris
53 Ter Quai Des Grands
Paris France 75006
http://www.citadines.com/en/france/paris/saint_germain_des_pres.html
A lovely Apartment Hotel on the banks of the Seine and a convenient distance to all the highlights of the city. Compact apartment type accommodation with direct internet access and beautifully comfortable bed…..ahhh!. Nicely maintained, quiet for sleeping and very friendly and helpful staff.

Another full day of exploring started with grabbing a day pass on the metro train (great value as we zig zagged our way all over Paris all day) and a visit to the Eiffel Tower including a ride up to the very top in the lift and a look at the magnificent panorama of Paris at our feet. As if that wasn’t enough to make us gasp who should we run into than a friend and fellow Women in Supply Chain (WISC) member Jennifer and her husband Steve from Melbourne. Now what would be the chances of that? I know we both work in the area of logistics but that’s ridiculous, cracked me up!



The photo to prove it from the top of the Eiffel Tower looking towards the Arc de triomphe

From there we headed back to the Louvre as it was close to the hotel and Sharen and Ken got their ipad issue sorted at the apple shop in the Louvre and we went back to collect our Museum pass’s I had left in the room safe..…only to find I had already put them in the backpack..…so I forgot that I didn’t forget or something. Anyway the Louvre was awesome and we saw the Mona Lisa in person as well as a lot of other beautiful things not to mention the building itself including some of the apartments occupied by Napoleon which were quite beautiful.



An interesting view of window cleaning at the Louvre

From there it was off to Museum Dorsey which was the original Railway Station in Paris until the platforms were no longer long enough to cater for modern trains. Such a blessing the building wasn’t scrapped, it is a magnificent structure and I enjoyed the sculpture and seeing many paintings I had studied in my school days by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Manet, Gauguin, Lautrec and many others. The building was a beautiful space and we were surprised that there is no reference to it having been the railway station…a major oversight in our opinion and somewhat disrespectful for its actual history. Opportunity lost.

Having walked our poor little legs off we decided NOT to return to see the Eiffel Tower with the lights on but to find a restaurant close by to dine at so we can be in better shape to tackle a big day tomorrow as we head out of Paris.



Notre Dame Cathedral from the land then from the Seine. Cannot believe that I would see this in person after studying it in my History of Art lessons all those years ago. Just beautiful!

Who would have thought that these two scared weird little country kids would ever be here in Paris and seeing the sights we have seen today? Not the two little country kids I can assure you and it’s only just starting to sink in that we really rode into the heart of it….been as high as a kite all day and just about needing to pinch myself to be sure it is real….there’s a bit of life left in the old girl yet!



The Eiffel Tower (as if you didn’t know)

We have had a great day exploring this lovely overall clean and well maintained city which is quite something given the age of so much of what we have been moving amongst. We have spent a good part of the day on two hop on hop off bus tours and then a boat cruise on the Seine.



A work shot – one of the many barges on the Seine passing the Louvre Museum. This one had 7 x 40 foot containers on board but has a capacity of 12. Very impressive.

We saw gravel, sand, cement, scrap steel and several rubbish barges not to mention dozens of other boats and restaurant boats and barges and river cruisers which would cater for thousands of people….and I mean that. In one spot there were 15 coaches lined up off loading their charges to barges. Quite a busy and effective highway!

To top it all off a lovely dinner at an Italian Restaurant around the corner from our hotel.



L – R Ken, Norm, Nola, Sharen

We left Marshside after a welcome cup of tea and headed off in the rain to the Folkestone tunnel. It rained all the way and was accompanied by gusty wind and a fair bit of water on the road for good measure so the travel was slow and while we had allowed plenty of time to get there we only had time to buy a Panini and some juice for breakfast which we took onto the train.

My nerves were getting the better of me and I seriously needed to get some miles under my belt in France to prove to myself I could do it without skating down the motorway on my face as I did last year. I felt really ill by the time I got to Folkestone and my instructions to Norm were that as soon as we got off the train and it was safe to do so would he please pull over in case I needed to be sick. By the time we rode out of the train and got onto the motorway I felt a lot better and next thing Norm pulled over and I told him I was okay and we could keep going but he reminded me we hadn’t put the electronic toll tags onto our arms so we had to dig them out and put them on. They have thankfully worked well so we haven’t had to try and get wallets out with gloved fingers so a positive outcome.

We didn’t get much rain on our way down to Paris but the wind has been ferocious and it was high on the endurance rather than enjoyment scale throughout. We stopped for a coffee and fuel then lunch which was as much about giving the poor old bodies a chance to recover as needing fuel or food.

I was feeling like I needed to get off the bike again about 30kms from Paris when we struck around 4kms of stop start roadwork’s which took us a good 45 minutes to move through by which time I was drenched in sweat in my waterproofs so I was dry on the outside and dripping on the inside. The trafic finally opened up then hello we were onto a massive multi-lane freeway complete with tunnels and huge volumes of traffic and that’s how it was until we turned off to get to our accommodation on the banks of the Seine just across from the Louvre. What were we thinking!!!!



Norm unstrapping the cases on the banks of the Seine…by the way we got a number of toots and thumbs up with passing traffic after seeing the Aussie sign which was good. It is French for ‘Australians on tour’

Sharen and Ken had arrived earlier in the day and met us at the foyer and we stowed our gear, had a hot shower and headed out for a walk around the Louvre then got some grocery supplies and brought them back here before walking a short distance down the street for a beautiful dinner. They were as exhausted as we had been the first night we arrived and we weren’t much better. We both ache all over our shoulders and back from holding the bikes up today and I feel a bit like Neanderthal man with arms hanging down to my ankles….well at least that’s how it feels. The bed is looking pretty good at this point.



On the bridge crossing over the Seine to the Louvre…the thing that looks like a light pole over my left shoulder is the top of the Eifel Tower

Last nights’ accommodation:
North Stream
Marshside
Canterbury Kent CT3 4EE

Delightful family cottage in a lovely leafy garden complete with family atmosphere and comings and goings of past and present residents. Superb ambience, hospitality, food and locality and a short walk to the local pub. Will have to come back here! (Phil said WHAT?!!) Ha ha....Thanks Phil and Jean, been a delight to catch up.

We woke to a sunny wet morning, had a leisurely breakfast complete with a visit by Pedro the village peacock and headed off to explore the Canterbury Cathedral. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip which was a real WOW experience from the moment we rounded the first corner as we approached and saw the massive towers and spire rising above the rooves of the village. The old village is magnificent with cantilevered buildings jutting out over lanes and streets and ancient timber skeletons visible amongst the brickwork. The sort of thing my childhood story books were full of so seems very surreal. We lit a candle and said a prayer for family members past and present and for all those caught up in the September 11 tragedy before we left the cathedral then gratefully sat and ate lunch in the sunshine surrounded by ancient buildings as we texted Sharen and Ken who we thought should be about to reach Kuala Lumpar on their way to meet us in Paris. When we got home we got a reply to say they were, so starting to feel real now.



Village view Canterbury

I’ve been preoccupied with preparations for our departure to France tomorrow. We’ve packed and repacked the bags and minimised the gear we will carry on the bikes and in the back pack so we can be ready to just get up and go in the morning. We have to be at Folkestone no later than 7.50am.The trip on the train in the tunnel is about 25 minutes then we have a ride of just over 3 hours to Paris. I will be pleased to get the first day’s riding in France out of the way…..feeling somewhat apprehensive so need not to think too much more about it so I can just relax and do what needs to be done.



An Aussie biker at Canterbury Cathedral