An Off Day...

I write this little piece at 8:15 Wednesday morning; I forgot to write anything yesterday as the few faithful followers would know. As I look out of the window from the study, I see sunshine and blue sky – unlike yesterday.

We didn’t ride yesterday, due to the threat of weather. 80% chance of rain the weatherman said, along with cool temperatures to make for that perfectly miserable day. At one point the temperature felt tolerable and the question of riding arose, but soon it was raining and blowing and any thoughts of being out in the elements subsided.

We drove to an old mining site where the slag pile is now a hill that people hike to the top of to admire the view of the farming communities and villages that comprise this area. When we reached the top it was raining and the clouds were so low that there was no view to be had.

We also travelled back into Châteubriant in search of a bike shop to see if we could find any jerseys that are uniquely French. No success in that department as the biggest bike shop in town mainly had a small selection of bikes, choice parts and just a few pieces of cycling apparel – nothing that had any kind of printing on it like so many American shops have. No team jerseys, no local club jerseys or even any items with the shop’s name on it. The closest we came was in a sporting goods store that had a bike section; they had some jerseys that were French, but they were also just in a black and white motif. Very boring and unattractive… and also they didn’t have anything in “fat boy” size.

While in Châteubriant we were also looking for some place that might sell mochas (for me… Valerie will take just a strong cup of coffee and be perfectly happy). I’m beginning to think that mochas, lattés or any kind of foo-foo coffee drinks haven’t quite made it to this region of France. I hear rumors that there are Starbucks stores in Paris, but there seems to be nothing here that mimics that kind of shop.

Yes, they have coffee bars and, yes… they have good coffee… I just can’t find my particular style of beverage (although we came fairly close in a bar yesterday afternoon). It seems that a lot of the bars serve alcohol and coffee beverages; it’s your one-stop-shop!

Later in the evening we ventured out with our hosts to find a place to eat. There is a little village called La Touche east-northeast of here (maybe 10 miles???) that had a restaurant they knew of from a few years ago. Apparently it is under new ownership since the last time they were there, but it was open and pretty empty. Either we had arrived after the main dinner rush, it was an off-night, or the locals knew something we didn’t.

The dinner choices were limited and while our hosts speak a little French it was still difficult conversing with the waitress to find out what our dining options were. (Later in the evening the owner came by our table to say hello; he spoke enough English that we could understand whatever concept he was trying to describe. Why didn’t he come by when we were trying to order???)

Dinner consisted of either a cut of beef or a salty tasting piece of fish, green beans and what we in America would call French fries. (I wonder what the French call them?) After dinner came a tray of a few different cheeses to sample, one of which was a fairly big chunk of Roquefort. I tried it, knowing full well I wasn’t going to be putting it on my favorites-list, but it was something that had to be done.

Desert offered a few choices; fruit and syrup (which looked suspiciously like it came straight out of a can of fruit cocktail), chocolate mousse (which was the safest bet for the evening) and something called fromage blanc (white cheese) which had the consistency of a creamy yogurt and was served in a small desert cup with a sugar bowl on the side. Upon first taste it was obvious why the sugar was there.

This morning our hosts have driven north to the coast to pick their daughter up from a ferry that came over from England during the night. We’re here attempting to wake up, and I tried to figure out how to use an espresso machine that they had here at the house. I was perhaps 50% successful as I got the machine to work, made some espresso, steamed some milk and added some chocolate to the works. But in the mocha world, it wasn’t one of the best ones I’ve ever turned out. Perhaps I’ll try again, or maybe I’ll just stick with tea. Our hosts are British; they’ve got plenty of tea.

At Last We Ride...

Today was Monday, and we woke up to a light rain. So much for biking, or at least that’s the way it seemed at the time. We had a late breakfast and then loaded into the car and went into town.

We needed to do some shopping, and one of the things we’re learning is that everything is closed on Sunday, and that many places are closed on Monday or else they open later on Monday. Also… some places close from noon to 2:30 for lunch. Very convenient for people who don’t know the system!

So we picked up a few groceries at a store that didn’t close for lunch and then went for a walk with our hosts up a paved cycle track that was once a railway bed. Lovely scenery while walking through a farming community, and the sun was starting to come out – who could ask for more?

Upon returning to our starting point we had a picnic lunch consisting of some French bread, ham and cheese. After that we resumed our search in town for some open stores. I needed to find some castors for the bike case (United Airlines managed to lose one of them again), a couple of items for the bike and some allergy medication. My hay fever is really kicking in over here. We accomplished our tasks and headed back home, donned our bike clothes and took off for our first ride, somewhere close to 5:00 PM (a little late for a ride of any significance).

We rode into Châteubriant and circled part of the downtown area a few times looking for an elusive bike shop and then rode back home on a slightly different route through a village called Louisfert for a total of 15.5 miles. It is now 9:48 at night while I write this; dinner is over, the sun is still providing light and people are sitting around watching the TV while I try to get this update written and sent up for the blog.

Today’s photo was taken just a few hundred feet away from the house; I just wanted to get some kind of French sign in the picture in a vain attempt to prove that we are really here!

An Easy Day to Get Acclimated...

Good day to those of you who choose to follow along with this blog! Today was much better in the weather arena; we had sun for a while, and then some spotty clouding during the afternoon. It’s now about 6:00 PM local time and the sky is cloudy and the wind has picked up. But for a while it was cycling weather… but of course I had to put the bike together today so we weren’t out actually riding it. But the hard part is over and it’s ready to be taken out for it’s maiden voyage tomorrow, weather permitting of course.

After assembling the bike and then sitting down outside for a lunch that consisted of asparagus soup with French bread and cheese, we were dutifully loaded into the car and driven into the town of Châteubriant. The town, as apparently most of France on a Sunday, was closed. You’ll find a bar that is open, and a bakery and that is all. This made for easy “touristing” with little traffic and few people on the sidewalks.

We managed to see the remains of a castle while we were there and part of the “old town” that was originally behind a wall that encircled it.

I’m treating you with two pictures today. The first is the cottage in which we are staying in La Riolais, and the second is looking over Châteubriant from atop the grounds where the castle is.

French Fried [or] Boy! Are We Tired!

Greetings from France! Yes, we made it here almost 11 hours ago, but I couldn’t find anyplace along the way that offered FREE a wi-fi connection. So we’re finally in La Riolais (somewhere near Chateaubriant) after a “five hour drive” that took much longer! Our host said the roadway signage in France was really bad, and for once he wasn’t kidding!

United Airlines managed to remove one of the four castors from our tandem case, which is better than the last time we flew with them when two of the four castors were not there upon our arrival in Tampa.

The weather today was something best not cycled in. We experienced rain on and off during our drive here, and the wind was abysmal. But maybe with any luck we’ll get the bad weather out of the way and be out cycling soon.

We flew 3 hours from Boise to Chicago, 8 hours from Chicago to Paris and then spent over 8 hours trying to get back here. Add an 8 hour time change and the fact that Valerie slept a little bit on the plane and in the car, but I wasn't so lucky -- it all means that I'm long overdue for some real sleep! So... Bon Nuit!

In Chicago

We are currently in Chicago awaiting our next flight -- "the killer"!  Roughly nine hours of sitting in the same seat, unable to get up and move around much... this should be fun.

At least I hope we have a better class of passengers sitting behind us; Valerie has some adult male who has been constantly kicking the back of her seat, sucking in snot through his nose like he's never been introduced to a handkerchief and who brought his own lunch onto the plane. I think he was eating a Crap Sandwich -- I kid you not!  It was a vile smelling concoction!  

Speaking of vile smelling: next stop, France!  (No... France doesn't stink, but me after 12 hours of fllying without a toothbrush -- stand back!

The photo was taken at Boise's airport; Horizon Airlines has painted one of their planes in the colors of Boise State University, and it was there when we were.

And Away We Go!

They're getting ready to board in Boise; the bag on the ramp closest to the plane is our bike... so we know it will at least be with us to Chicago.  After that?  Who knows!

T - Minus 24 Hours...

In about 24 hours they'll be seating people for the flight from Boise to Chicago, where we'll connect with the next flight to Paris.  The weather here is none-too-cheery; it's raining to make sure that our last work day is a memorable one!

This Is Spring?

May 22... it rained for a good portion of the day, and then THIS began to fall and stick! This is "spring" in Idaho??? At 4:30 PM the temperature was around 36 degrees (F); our drive home had areas with heavy snowfall and the top of one mountain was at near white-out conditions. Yet we got home and, instead of snow, it was just raining. Crazy!

We Choose To Go To France...

"There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say, [France]? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?"

"We choose to go to [France]. We choose to go to [France] in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."

Substitute "the moon" for "France" and you have a brief portion of the speech given at Rice University in Houston, Texas, by John F. Kennedy on September 12, 1962.

We choose to go to France this year to accept an invitation from some dear friends we met in England on our last trans-Atlantic tandem adventure in 1993. While they live in Bristol, they also have a cottage somewhere in France. My knowledge of the country is pitiful, but I'm guessing that we're going to be staying at an area SSE of Rennes... possibly an hour's drive (again, just guessing). Or perhaps it's a five hour's drive from Paris in a southwesterly direction. We'll know more once we're there, or at least I hope that's the case!

We have no set plans for this adventure. We'll probably use their French home as a hub and do a lot of day rides in any given direction. We'd like to visit the beaches and the communities where the allied forces D-Day invasions occurred for the liberation of France from German occupation. We'll probably spend the last day or two in Paris itself doing whatever it is that tourists do.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to communicate regularly via this blog to those of you who take an interest in such things. I will attempt to keep regular posts during our time abroad, but make no guarantees -- I have no idea when or where I'll have access to a computer and/or a Wi-Fi connection. I'll do what I can when I can...

"Baby, you can can-can too." ("Can-Can" 1953 Original Broadway Cast, Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter)

Thanks For the Comments...

Thanks to you who have left comments... it was only now (May 2, 2010) that I actually found them. A little late to respond... but for Russ, we stayed at a hotel called the Parc 55 (roughly at 6th and Market Streets). Public transport is certain a great option in this city, and riding a bike isn't a bad choice either!