Day 49 - Merci Beaucoup

Au revoir and merci beaucoup to Jacques and family this morning. 

Au revoir and merci beaucoup France. 

"Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité"

Today's journey: the taxi van, the airport, the plane, the luggage wait in Montreal, the rental car, the 401 and we are home. 

Home in Toronto. 

20+ hours of travel, we are home safe and happy, and we are grateful for our chance to explore France by bicycle. 

Solby Tour de France 2023. FIN. 

Day 48 - Toast!

We woke up this morning and got to make TOAST.  Such a treat. The things you miss and are so grateful for. Toast, with butter melting into it, and yogurt. So great. 

And then we got to work. Deconstructing and reconstructing bike boxes to fit our bikes, and not be too big. 

Measure twice cut once. Ok, but oops. I measured wrong (twice) and had to use some extra tape!!

But we are ready to go to the airport tomorrow, and we even had some time to play. 

Jean (5) and Abel (2) lost the ball over the railing, and Jacques went in search of it. Sadly the hill is steep and the ball is somewhere down down down that hill. Hopefully being enjoyed by someone down there. 

But all is well when there is a red lollipop!

A wonderful day of packing and playing, visiting and reminiscing. 

0 km cycled 

0 meters climbed. 

Home tomorrow. 

Good night. 

Day 47 - We did it!!

Lyon. Our finish line. We made it! 

The final kilometers on the river didn't disappoint with a family of swans there to "wave" us goodbye. 

And some interesting river art... Or so we think?

We were only about 25 km from Lyon, we came in along the Saone. Suddenly we were in a big city, a big city with lots of people, cyclists, and graffiti. 

A total change from what we have been used too. We toured around the old city of cobblestoned streets and narrow lanes. And "took a coffee" at lovely little cafe. 

But it was a Bouchon that we were seeking for our lunch. We found one on the Ile.  Bouchon Les Filles. But when we arrived we were told we could not leave our bikes on the sidewalk in view of the tables inside. We didn't know what to do, we couldn't leave all of our worldly possessions out of our sight, there is no way to lock a pannier. So we took out our phones in search of another option.  The maitre d then returned outside and said we could bring our panniers in the restaurant with us and lock our bikes to the bike rack across the street. The two of us, carrying all our stuff, into a tiny restaurant already overcrowded with tables and people. 🥰

We made it work. Everyone made it work. And we enjoyed a wonderful meal, elbow to elbow with the other patrons, eating way more than we needed, and enjoying every bite. 

Lyon has some elevation. We found it after lunch as we did our own little tour of the island and the city. 

We made our way all the way down the Saone to the Confluence. The Rhone and the Saone coming together. There was some serious wind today. Making the cycling a bit of a challenge. But nice to have at our backs when the sun was shining through. 

This pont is the Confluence between the two rivers. 

And then we climbed towards Jacques and Marion's place. 

Dinner at the neighborhood Bistro was very different than lunch. We didn't have to take our panniers off, but we did have to wait two hours to actually get our food. Oops. But that's ok, all part of the experience. 

We are done. We are happy and healthy and safe and tired. We need some time to reflect. 

2,452 kms. 

Day 46 - Reflections on the way to Trevoux

Today I really thought about all the.things I will miss about France. 

Our day started at the market in Macon. Beautiful stalls filled with fruits and vegetables, cheeses and meats, bread and pastries. Ok, I will miss all of that. 

And then we took the bike path south crossing the Saone, and along east side of the river, and diverted through some fields and small villages. I will miss the rivers, and the swans and herons. The birds are so plentiful here. I will also miss the bike paths and the patient friendly drivers on the roads. 

I will miss the tree lined streets. The trees here are abundant and magnificent. So many old towering, healthy trees and so many varieties. I am quite sure they each have an amazing story to tell. 

And I will miss our post ride beer.

And our camp dinner salad. 

I will miss the focus of task, and the specific objective of each day.  The hours spent riding, taking in all the scenery and having so much time to think. The joy of a new village, a stone wall, a rose bush, a warm shower, and sometimes even a rain shower. 

Tonight on our walk along the river we found the old castle, built at the end of the 13th century 😳 to watch over the river, and take tolls from the traders. As well as a view of the eclectic church, and a beautiful pedestrian bridge. There was a festival going on with lots of kids and dogs, and a petit train made of wooden cars for kids to sit in, and pulled by a ride-on lawnmower. So much fun 

We are actually quite busy when we tour, packing up or unpacking, making a route or changing it, buying a meal, making a meal, eating a meal,  wearing the clothes or washing them, or following the sun to dry them.  Seldom a down moment.

Tomorrow gives us another day to focus on the joys of our Tour de France. 

The stats 

We did some hills today. Short but steep in the heat.  I must say, the legs are pretty good at climbing now. 

With today's kilometers, and adding in the cafe and grocery runs along the way, we have cycled just over 2,400 kms. 

Thanks for following along. 

Day 45 - Rocks and Wine

It was a day of exploration. We left early and headed west, off the Saone and into the hills of southern Burgundy (and the Beaujolais border).

First stop was to find Roche de Solutre. 

From Wikipedia:

The Rock of Solutré (French: Roche de Solutré) is a limestone escarpment 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Mâcon, France, overlooking the commune of Solutré-Pouilly. It is an iconic site in the department of Saône-et-Loire, in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

It was very hot and sunny, and the hills were a bit foreboding, but we managed as we were early in the day and had plenty of water. We got some spectacular views. 

And did some more climbing 

And then circled around the rock before heading to the Chateau. 

We took our picnic lunch and enjoyed some time in the shade on the grounds of Chateau Chasselas.  

We had a tour booked and we were thrilled to find ourselves the only ones there with a lovely bilingual guide Silvie. 

The oldest tower dates to the 14th century, the chateau was originally built in the 1800's. It fell into disrepair but was fully renovated in the 1970's. The current owners (since 1999) created a small winery with 12 hectares of vineyard, and have made it a beautiful wedding space, complete with helicopter landing pad, if you want to arrive in style. 

The back garden had kiwi growing, providing shade for wedding guests.  

We had a little walk in the vineyard and learned of the year round efforts to keep the grapes happy. These are chardonnay grapes, some older vines (they can live to be 80-100 years old) and some newer vines, which take at least three years to produce fruit. 

And the wine cellar. Beautifully cool under the chateau and surrounded by thick walls of stone. It was at least 15 degrees cooler in there, and always is. No AC required.  The barrels are all French oak and are replaced every three years. 

And then we were treated to a wonderful tasting and charcuterie, with Silvie providing all the background of each wine, year, varietal and appropriate pairing. 

Also, famous for a mention in a Monty Python skit (you tube).  

Tomorrow we will continue on our journey towards Lyon.  Today's stats, 1 meter short of 600 😉

Thank you for sharing our adventures. Please leave a comment and your name if you have time.