Day 6 Sezanne to Troyes

Day 6 Sezanne to Troyes

Rested, well breakfasted, and once again packed, I set out full of hope for an interesting and relatively easy day. I wasn’t disappointed. In fact Troyes surpassed my expectations. It was a truly magnificent city full of old timber framed buildings and narrow streets. It was cycle friendly too with its cycle lanes and signs allowing cyclists to cycle up one way streets.

The route from Sezanne to Troyes was flat. I was beginning to wonder what had happened to the flat part of northern France. This was it – La plaine Champenoise stretched as far as the eye can see only undulating gently. The other thought that kept striking me was, “Where are all the cyclists?” To date I have passed two tourists and a French cyclist out for his daily run. Not many in five days of cycling.

Today was great, I set off in a lovely 20 degrees which had reached 30 degrees by 11 and 36 degrees by the time I reached Troyes at lunch time. You would think that it would be far too hot and it is if you stop but while you are bowling along the air keeps you reasonably cool. The barrier cream seems to be doing its job and I am not too red. The bum cream is doing its job too and its not too red there either. ( how could he see? Think mirrors.) 

L'aube

canal du nord

It was a day of rivers and a canal. I crossed the river Aube twice the canal du Nord several times and the river Seine a few times as it wound through the villages.

la seine

On the way to my F1 hotel which as usual is set in the middle of the back of beyond of nowhere I passed a stark war memorial to the massacre of the whole of the village of Bucheres by the Nazis in World War 2. Women children and all of the men of the village were killed.

The rage of the sculptor seemed to pour from each letter of the inscription which read (translated to the best of my ability)

 “ This monument bears witness to Hitler’s crimes against a whole population men women and children savagely assassinated a whole live village in flames these crimes are inexplicable the French remember you”

 It didn’t half put my inability to find the F1 hotel into perspective.

There are no buses and I can’t face the thought of a 20 km round trip back into Troyes but it is definitely on the list for another visit.