Good morning! We just wanted to make another note about France before we leave this beautiful city.
I know that our posting last night may have sounded a bit dreary but the weather aside France is absolutely stunning. We are very anxious to get some pictures downloaded becase words just can not describe how very beautiful it is here! The flowers are amazing!!!! Hydrangeas grow wild here and the most vibrant blues, pink, lavender, and even magenta! The small roads that we travel on go through a small village about every 12-15 K. Each village has a large Cathedral as it's center and then everything else is built around it. As we pedal through these villages we are greeted with smiles and lots of Bon Jour,s.
Yesterday Sherry did the laundry which was somewhat commical. It was a trial and error process. They have one central pay point for the machines. You put your money in then push the button that coincides with the machine you are going to use. Sounds pretty simple, Right? Well it is except that you have to place the clothes in the machine BEFORE you push the select button because as soon as you push the button the washing starts. The machine is a front loader so once it starts you can't open the door!
One other thing that we forgot to add to yesterdays blog. On friday night when we finally made it through 82 miles of wind and rain to the campsite the first thing Bob wanted to do was use the bathroom............well after 5 min Sherry got a little worried and went looking for him. As she approached the restrooms she could hear loud banging!!!!!!! Poor Bob, the handle on the door had broken and he was stuck in the bathroom! Sherry had to find the man who runs the campground then explain to him through gestures (There wasn't a translation in the French handbook that covered "stuck in the toilette") He finally understood and came to rescue Bob! They ended up practically tearing the door off before they got him out!!!!!!! The perfect end to a very wet and cold day! I guess that is why they call it "adventure cycling"
That,s all for now we'll update again as soon as we can and hopefully get some pictures out to you:
Bob and Sherry
Saturday, June 23, 2007
France!
Hello from Angouleme, France. It has been a wet, windy, hilly and cold 5 days. But do not feel sorry for us; besides Bob crashing in England; he had a small problem with a curb, the curb won! But he rode away with a smile on his face and only a few little bumps; Sherry got bit on the foot by a dog within the first 10 miles in France; on day 2 Sherry had a big crash which she rode away from but had some really BIG scrapes and bruises and maybe a broken arm?!?!? But she is a pretty tough cookie and we are still pedaling...........
On day one in France we met a lovely woman at the auto parts store who invited us to stay at her home: How's that for French hospitality! She even cooked us dinner and breakfast and refused to take any money! It was a wonderful first day in a strange country where we don't even know the language.
The past three days we have put in some good miles, although if it was up to just Bob we would have gone even FURTHER! 400 miles of hills, wind (15 -25 MPH head winds) rain and cold. I think we already mentioned the riding conditions but we feel they warrant repeating.
Tonight we find ourselves in the most amazing town. Angouleme is very quaint, the bulk of the town is accessible only by foot. It is especially wonderful as this will be our first night not spent in the tent, rain, wind, and cold! (oh, I think we already mentioned the weather)
Camping in France is really very nice. The campgrounds are well equiped, clean and quiet: And most importantly they are very inexpensive: So far we have kept our daily budget to under 20euros/day! But not tonight...............we are really going to treat ourselves well tonight: Poor Bob's sleeping pad developed a LEAK! We attempted a repair but alas it did not work: He has spent 4 nights on the cold hard ground! Tonight he gets to pick which side of the bed he is going to sleep on!
The laundry is done! Blog site updated! E-mails answered! Showers taken! So good bye for now we are on our way out the door to have some PIZZA (our first dinner in france not cooked on a campstove) and oh yes some MORE wine: Wine is the one thing we have not gone without! Lots of Frances version of 3 Buck Chuck but much better can be found at any store! And we have been trying out a different one each night!
We have lots and lots of pictures to share but right now our growling stomachs take precidence!
Some interesting tidbits
1.4 dollars = 1 euro
Camping per night = 6 euro's
1 french bread baguette = .20 euro's
A nice bottle of vino = 3.50 euro
A new sleeping pad = 27 euro's!!!!!
Laundry = 3.50 for wash, and 4 euro's for a dry.
Oh, and the French people seem very friendly to us when we tell them we are American!!! That was a surprise...... I guess it is okay to start buying yoplait yogurt and Evian water again!!
Bon Soir!!!
Bob and Sherry
On day one in France we met a lovely woman at the auto parts store who invited us to stay at her home: How's that for French hospitality! She even cooked us dinner and breakfast and refused to take any money! It was a wonderful first day in a strange country where we don't even know the language.
The past three days we have put in some good miles, although if it was up to just Bob we would have gone even FURTHER! 400 miles of hills, wind (15 -25 MPH head winds) rain and cold. I think we already mentioned the riding conditions but we feel they warrant repeating.
Tonight we find ourselves in the most amazing town. Angouleme is very quaint, the bulk of the town is accessible only by foot. It is especially wonderful as this will be our first night not spent in the tent, rain, wind, and cold! (oh, I think we already mentioned the weather)
Camping in France is really very nice. The campgrounds are well equiped, clean and quiet: And most importantly they are very inexpensive: So far we have kept our daily budget to under 20euros/day! But not tonight...............we are really going to treat ourselves well tonight: Poor Bob's sleeping pad developed a LEAK! We attempted a repair but alas it did not work: He has spent 4 nights on the cold hard ground! Tonight he gets to pick which side of the bed he is going to sleep on!
The laundry is done! Blog site updated! E-mails answered! Showers taken! So good bye for now we are on our way out the door to have some PIZZA (our first dinner in france not cooked on a campstove) and oh yes some MORE wine: Wine is the one thing we have not gone without! Lots of Frances version of 3 Buck Chuck but much better can be found at any store! And we have been trying out a different one each night!
We have lots and lots of pictures to share but right now our growling stomachs take precidence!
Some interesting tidbits
1.4 dollars = 1 euro
Camping per night = 6 euro's
1 french bread baguette = .20 euro's
A nice bottle of vino = 3.50 euro
A new sleeping pad = 27 euro's!!!!!
Laundry = 3.50 for wash, and 4 euro's for a dry.
Oh, and the French people seem very friendly to us when we tell them we are American!!! That was a surprise...... I guess it is okay to start buying yoplait yogurt and Evian water again!!
Bon Soir!!!
Bob and Sherry
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