All this "sur Saone" stuff you would think that I would catch a glimpse of the Saone but as far as I am aware I saw it once when I crossed it in incredibly busy Chalon s S and again just before I crossed it into incredibly busy Villefranche s S.Today began badly and ended well with mostly good bits in between. Having not slept very well for the noise of whatever was running around making scraping sounds in the attic above my bed I was looking forward to a good breakfast for my €6. I couldn't believe it when I was presented with a pot of coffee with hot milk and two pieces of toast with two butters and two jams. As I rode away into the morning sunshine I was determined to put it down to experience and not let it cast a cloud over an otherwise cloudless morning. However it was chilly and I soon had my waterproof jacket on to stay warm.
The countryside could have been Fife if the cattle hadn't all been horned and white. It reminded me of Balbirnie without the golf course and the posh hotel. As the morning wore on the countryside began to change from leafy and green to a bit more hilly and burned up and France in summer like. I was riding parallel to the motorway and route national and railway line which are all fairly close together following the valley of the Saone on a quieter but still lorry filled D933. I passed more cyclists today than on the whole of the rest of the trip including a female tourist who later sat at the table behind me at lunch. The etiquette appears to be to acknowledge other cyclists en route as subtly as possible - a little nod or a "bonjour" swallowed as it is uttered or the merest hint of a wave. I was dying to turn round and ask her where she had been and where she was going and to share stories: however I decided that since she had parked next to my bike and since she could see that I was dressed as a cyclist if she wanted to swap stories she would speak to me. It didn't happen. She was a vegetarian so we wouldn't have had much in common to share anyway. I didn't really want to speak to her anyway.
You can guess why I stopped here ( apart from it being 12.00) It was a good omen. The meal was as good as last night's was bad. The blackboard said (in French obviously) choice of two starters two main course wine included €12 it didn't sound bad. The tables were all laid out neatly and locals were already eating at 12.05. The menu was on the blackboard. Quiche salad or terrine forestiere followed by roti de porc or steak de foie persille.The extended family at the next table made me think of the family that I am missing at home
. But you will all still be there when I get home "In Sha'allah". So after a really nice rose with my terrine and beautifully dressed salad I tucked into my parsley garnished liver steak which oozed blood but was as tender as can be served with creamed mash. Not my favourite but I watched the workers at the next table and decided that they would know what was goodso I tucked in.Delicious. not bad for €12 I thought then the cheese course came. A plate of five or six cheeses help yourself and all the bread you could want. Then dessert and yes "mousse au chocolat" was one of the choices but so were home made "tartes aux pommes" and then coffee. Incredible value and excellent simple food. Just what you hope for every time you stop.Would I be able to pedal after such a meal? Yes after a few kms I was back in my familiar if somewhat pedantic groove. Villefranche s S came at about 3pm but it was so busy that I couldn't conceive of staying the night and I didn't have the heart for heading back the way I had come on the opposite bank to find the F1 type hotels.
Remarkably most of the above are fine. My knee is grazed but in full working condition showing no signs of swelling or seizing up as I write this. The bike seems to be fine - the gears are a bit noisier but nothing that a good clean won't fix. The handlebar tape is torn and the panniers scratched and dirty but I was very lucky. One moment's lack of thought could have brought this all to a premature conclusion. But it didn't and my reward is a nice Logis between Villefranche and Lyon in Beaujolais territory with air conditioning, a pool and a lovely terrace for tonight's meal for €5 more than last evening's disaster. I'll get back to F1's but it is nice to be up the ladder a couple of rungs.
I have begun to slip into a comfortable habit. Rise at 7am. Breakfast at 8am having washed and shaved. King of shaves is fantastic stuff. Two drops in the hand is all it takes to make your skin so oily it is virtually impossible to cut yourself. Gillette is heaved when I get home! On the road for 8.30 and spin gently at first until the legs warm up. Coffee stop is between 10.30 and 11.00 depending on terrain and availability. Lunch is between 12.00 and 1pm depending on whether it is to be sit down or boulangerie. On arrival at the hotel I wash out the top and shorts I have been wearing plus one other item and hang them to dry usually at the window. The various pieces of electronic equipment have to take their turn to be charged using my one 2pin adapter. first I transfer the day's photos and then I write my blog transferring it all to the net if wi fi is available and working. Dinner is at 8pm and I allow myself a carafe of wine, when I specify 50cls I get looks suggesting I need to contact AA.
Today has been sunny from morning till now. It has been a good day and I am in excellent fettle all around. it is still my intention to brave the centre of Lyon for a couple of days r and r before setting off down the Rhone Valley to ....... I am not entirely sure - eventually Raissac but maybe a few days in Montpellier?
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