July 11-12, Valence & Montelimar

Finally back in the saddle! After two weeks of being a city girl in Amsterdam and Paris, I was ready to get back on my bike and pedal out of town. I left my Paris hostel around 7 o'clock on Sunday morning (oh how I love biking on Sunday mornings - no traffic!!) and saw a slightly different side of Paris as I navigated towards the Gare du Lyon train station. There was still row upon row of tall statuesque apartment buildings with flowers pouring over wrought iron balconies. There was still the ever-present smell of public urination down every street. But now I saw the many homeless people sleeping along the canal in tent cities and the early morning preparations for the market near Le Bastille.

Luckily, no drama boarding the train today! except for the hassles of lifting one very heavy bike on and off three different trains as I headed first to Dijon, then Lyon, and finally to Valence. The scenery changed from flat fields to rolling hills to dramatic peaks as the train went south and met up with the 'cotes' (hillsides) of the Rhone river. Rows of grape vines were perilously planted on top of steep slopes and medieval castles could be seen from miles away decorating the highest rocky points. Some medieval buildings and walls were in ruins while others were remarkably intact. Each town, small or large, had characteristic light-colored houses with red terra cotta roofs as well as a church with a steeple that rose above all else.

I arrived in Valence after a long 6 hr commute but in good spirits knowing that I was on the road again. But I didn't know exactly where my hotel was! A very helpful train station employee got me a map of the town and pedaling in the right direction. After arriving at the French version of a highway chain motel (much classier than in North America!), I ended up drinking some Heineken and relaxing in front of the hotel's big flat screen TV in the dining room to watch the end of the 8th stage of the Tour de France (poor Lance, seems like he won't be winning this year). Then I returned later for dinner only to watch the World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain alongside a very excited Dutch family on vacation. What fun!

The next day was my first day biking and navigating 'on the fly' using the regional maps. I started early to get some miles in before the heat got too intense. Mile after mile, my energy slowly came back after feeling drowsy for two weeks from my cold. I entered into a zen state of biking bliss as I deeply breathed in the warm and intensely scented air of the countryside. Wow, I felt alive again! Over the day, I got better (ie. after talking to locals + trial and error) at finding good cycling routes on my way to Montelimar. Good biking road = this road looks not too trafficky, not too steep, not a dead end, etc :) I'll tell more about the cycling when I get my pictures online. One thing (mentioned to calm my mom's nerves) was that although French people drive fast, I've never felt so safe on the road! The drivers give you so much room - both cars and trucks would move almost entirely into the other lane and if there was oncoming traffic, they would slow down and wait to pass. It was remarkable. On my way into Montelimar, I stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bought the smallest box I could of nectarines and peaches. Delicious! I ended up eating almost my weight in fruit in the following days to not throw any out!

I clocked in to Montelimar around 2 pm and 63 km. I was happy that I planned lower mileage for biking in southern France so that I didn't have to worry about getting to my destination before dark, even if I made a few wrong turns during the day. It also gave me flexibility to stop and look around places I liked.
After a trip to the grocery store in Montelimar and chit chatting with some ladies over ice cream, I settled in at the hotel and got some much needed rest. Tomorrow, onwards to the beautiful Ardeche region!