When I awoke in the morning it was raining. The woman in the Tourist Office was right about the weather.
The Dutch bloke had left. I hope his feet heal.
I headed into town for a coffee and croissant. In the café I meet a Dutch couple riding to Paris to see the end of the Tour de France. I am sure Holland must be empty this time of the year.
Down the river Meuse
I was on the Meuse River. I had read that this is one of the best cycle routes in this part of France. What I had read was correct.
The trail basically followed the river on dedicated cycle paths or small roads.
I passed through a couple nice little towns.
Meeting Blokes from Seattle
I stopped in Furmay for lunch. I got into conversation with three blokes from Seattle who were riding from Amsterdam to Paris.
We ended up riding together as I headed south. I had a couple interesting chats with the blokes as we rode along. I like Seattle and like to speak to people that live and work there.
They were stopping in a small town called Montherme. It looked pretty good. I stopped by the Tourist Office to ask about accommodation. The woman in the office said that the camping site was very good. She was right.
I set up my tent and headed into town for a meal. Unfortunately the two restaurants were ‘complete’ – that is full.
Cheap Meal
I ended up buying a salad and bottle of wine from a supermarket and headed back to the campsite.
I got into a conservation with a Scottish couple while I was having my meal. They thought I was “sensible buying a salad from the supermarket (rather than eating in restaurant), as French cooking isn’t very good”.
I like Scotland, however if there were any two countries that were at the opposite end of the continuum with respect to standards of restaurant cooking, it would be France and Scotland. I have to say Scotland is definitely at the crap end of the continuum.
Apart from their rather curious view on food, the couple had some interesting things to say about Scotland and its relationship with the rest of the UK.
Flickr Link
https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/1Ti0Ba
Garmin Link
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/839191694
billrider2013 