Just when you think life could not get any better, you are slammed back to reality and off you go into those dog day afternoons where everything goes wrong. 

It is RAINING!!   No, it is POURING!  And it is COLD!

We took a detour off the River Maas and ended up on the River Waal.  It is a huge river that runs west toward Rotterdam so it is full of huge working barges.

   It all started when the end of my handle bar broke completely off.  Steve says it is because I carry too much STUFF in my handle bar bag so when parked it often falls off balance.  But a lady has to have her STUFF, right?

Fortunately there are hundreds of bike shops around even in the smallest towns.  We found a great one, formally a house and barn and it was full of bikes.  They called around, and got us an appointment for the next day at another farm turned industry, where there was welder.

Half an hour later I had a much stronger handlebar and for only 20 Euros ($25US)

Now I am just riding along minding my own business smelling the flowers along side the corn fields when suddenly I hear a loud BANG followed by a hissing sound.
My trailer tire had a BLOWOUT! 
Now, must I endure the wrath of carrying too much STUFF in my trailer?  

    
No, actually the tires have thousands of miles on them so Steve is feeling a bit frustrated he did not just get new ones before we left.  GRUMP!!!   He sends me off yonder, I am banished to the corn field.   He corrects the problem and his ego and the day are saved. 

Now I am lying in the ‘golden pagoda’ tent enjoying the view across the green lawn grateful we found a place with a picnic table, such luxury.  And admiring all those Dutch campers in their big tents with front porches when suddenly
BANG…HISS
My air mattress has a blow out!
Eating too much? Heavy dreams? What have I done now?

This sign is one we never could figure out.    I say it is a warning that if it is a cloudy day one should just stay in the tent, rest and take the day off.

Good advise.   We should have taken it this day.  We are in a wonderful campground with great facilities, the lady and gents toilets connected by a clear canopy roof.  Turns out  we spent an entire morning waiting for the rain to let up, drying out the tent and connecting to Internet.      

But the day is not lost and we ride on finding shelters along the way, something for both of us waiting just ahead.  For Steve the Apple computer store for me a place to relieve myself…..but wait…..they charge 25c to use the toilet in McDonalds! 
What is that all about?  I almost caused a McFlurry!

Now in the larger city of Nijmegen we find that in three days 40,000 walkers are about to descend on the city for a huge four day, 200km walk out onto the dykes, hiking routes and bike trails.  This is an International event that has taken place for over 50 years.   One man has not missed a year yet and is 82 years old.

Time stands still for no one and the event is drawing near so he head out of town on the special rail/bike bridge for a campground on the outskirts of town.

Fortunately this campground has a small Yert
with warm comfortable chairs, TV and place to cook and eat. But, we can only stay a couple days as the event will be passing by, the Yert a place of rest for weary walkers.
We pitch the tent nearby but take refuge inside the Yert.
Then it begins to RAIN and RAIN!  The temperature drops to 50F.
We are held hostage by the weather for 2 days but we are at least comfortable. It gives us time to search the internet for more boats to inspect.

Okay, now we are back to those Chicken Little days.  Even the chickens stay in the barn we are told, when they know it will rain all day.  But the sun teases us out for just a short time, they begin mowing the grass in the campground. It is now 1 PM.
I say we make a break for it.

Oh no, where is our weather guru, Clark?   What storms are ahead?  Do we batten down the hatches and prepare for a storm? 

This is just too much like sailing.  The weather is so unpredictable.  It is not fit for man or beast.

Even the sheep are running across our path to take refuge under the bridges and the ducks in the fields are laying low.

We duck in with the sheep under a bridge.  What a miserable day.  But like sailing we must keep moving.  It is not a good anchorage.
We are bashing straight into a head wind.  Up ahead is a big black cloud and what looked like a white mist coming toward us, the White Squall.   In sailing you just hold your course so that is what we did.

Steve checks the GPS and sees a safe haven up ahead.  We race down the dyke just as the sky opens up and we follow the chicken right into the barn.  It is raining cats and dogs.  I think I am getting water logged, too much nature.  

Saved by an angel.
We have come to a place called De Engle.  It translates to The Angle.   It is a 5 star restaurant built in 1591 and we are the star guests.  That is until 7 biking women find our anchorage and head in behind us. 

They are all friends, leaving the husbands behind and head out on an adventure from Harlam to Massbracht doing 70km a day.  They range in age for 56 to 76.  What a hoot they were.  Everyone is safe at anchor and celebrating a safe journey….just like sailing!

And of course we will never forget our guardian angle. 
www.de-engel.nl

Back on the bike trail  we pass a farmer in his wooden shoes out in the garden.  They seem to take no notice of the weather, don the right gear and continue on.

We don our wet weather gear and pushed on into the wind and rain crossing the Waal on a ferry.

We meet up with a lady on a bike walking her Norwegian horse, Carl, as we get another break in the weather.

And what a time to find a barge, just moored right there in the rain with a Te Koop (For Sale)  sign on the bow.  We call the number but find it is 17m. Too big. 
Off we go another few kilometers, the sky opens up and we crawl in under a mushroom for a hot chocolate. We are totally soaked once again.

Finally we reach the campground along a spillway with cows across the way and more sheep and ducks.  Of course then the rain lets up.  But we pitch our tent under a big white tent and spread out all our wet gear. 

It turned out a great night, wonderful long hot shower and it rained all night but we were nice and dry inside our double tent.

Only one problem.

  The next morning I found that a slug had slimmed my bike shorts!

Life can turn around in a second.  We take the good with the bad.  If we did not have the bad, we would not appreciate the good?     We never know what will happen next or where we will end up.  That is what makes it a great adventure.

So just when we thought we would have to trade our bike shoes in for some of those wooden ones, used in the wet marshy ground, we have found a safe haven among the chickens, rabbits, miniature horses and meeting some fascinating people.

We are safe now, taking shelter for three days in ‘t Boerenbontje, a
GYPSY CIRCUS CARAVAN
somewhere out in De Biesbosch.

See you in the next blog ‘BIKING DE BIESBOSCH’

There are over 20,000km of paved bike trails in Holland, a bikers paradise.  These trails are mostly flat, run along rivers and dykes, through green pastures, past windmills and nature reserves with hardly a road in sight giving the impression that there are more bicycles than automobiles.  It is truly the most bike friendly country in the world.

We will be riding alongside these free spirited  locals who ride without helmets, have an amazing command of their huge bikes with cumbersome panniers and little tinkling bells that warn us they are passing us by. 

The Fietsroutenetwerk is an integrated patchwork of these routes with a number system that is easy to follow connecting you from one trail to the next.  I bought the ANWB Fietsatlas (bike atlas) for all of Nederland with it’s 1:100,000 scale.  We did find later that the points in the book coordinate with the open source chart program we use on the computer to transfer over to the GPS.  Great for planning and Steve can still use his GPS. 

It was such a relief to enter Holland knowing we would not have to worry about which way to go, just follow the Fietspad (bike trail)  right into all the little Lillyputten villages of thatch roof houses with sculptured yards and gardens full of hydrangeas.

   .  

The bicycling gets us just a bit closer to the culture where we can, for just a few seconds passing by, know there has just been a birth by the displays in the yard for a girl or in the window for a boy.

Or a graduation announced by the school bag hanging from a flag pole

The trails lead us right through the forest on the red pavement then nearing a town will sometimes turn into a duel road sharing with cars that always give us a wide berth.

We could always tell when a town was near when the bike trail sometimes took us onto the roads where instead of speed bumps beautiful planters full of flowers ziz zag the cars down to a slower speed.l 

Our first campground in Holland gave promise that we would be quiet comfortable and surrounded my many other bikers.  The bikers here use their cell phones as a moving map to keep record of their track.  Here Steve helps a teen organize his track by splitting them up  to allow more waypoints. 
Almost like sailing but not quite! 

Maastricht was the first big town we cycled into in Holland. Like many city centers here they have been turned into pedestrian ways with barricades to stop any vehicles from entering but still friendly to walk a bike through.  We notice the noise level with no cars was quite pleasant.

  
It seems the Dutch are more accommodating to bikers than for automobiles as the bikers have the right away in many instances.  Wherever there is a difficult passage for bikes there is always a way around.  They even have elevators around steps.

If you chose to take the steps they have even installed a track for the bike.
A little bumpy on the trailer but it works.

The best part of the bike trails are the caution lights at most of the intersections.  You just push a button and listen to the beeps and watch the cycle turn red or green. 
Just like in Kindergarden safety town. 

The Dutch are also very accommodating to the handicap. In cities there is always room for them and us bikers right alongside the vehicles. 

Back out of the city we find almost no traffic, only a highway of bikers on the designated bike routes, which are sometimes lined with beautiful flower baskets. 

We went through a nature reserve with trees along the canal, through farms of agriculture, horse farms and an occasional deer farm.

There are places to stay along the bike routes.  This Bed and Breakfast on a farm had an outdoor cafe and was 40Euros a night per person.
That is at least $50US a person.
We should hope that included TP in the bathrooms as we notice many campgrounds do not supply that luxury and we must carry our own.

Some of the camp grounds have little cabins to rent with two bunk beds and a hot plate for the same price, 40Euros, but not just per person, for the whole cabin
One place we got a bit sentimental over the 1979 American Airstream stored in the tent area.   We just pitched our tent next to it and felt right at home.

But it is seriously time to see some boats.  We are here in the Netherlands because we have been told the three top names of good steel boat builders are Pedro in Groningen NL, Aquanaut in Sneek NL and Linseen built in Maasbracht NL.  Putting the idea of a barge aside for now we will look at alternatives

Everyone knows the Linseen. It is a family owned business which started in 1949 and has continued to innovate and stand by their product for over 60 years.  It is now in the hands of the third generation.

Their showroom is very impressive inside and out and full of used boats.  Surely we would find what we are looking for here.

Folding work involves the bending of sheet steel components into different radiuses, which creates a taut radius, providing a smooth surface for painting.
Every fold is one welded seam less for a better finish.

The dual cross engine bed is an extension of the longitudinal stringers that run from stern to bow.  This lays the foundation for the low-vibration and low-noise characteristics.

Ed, one of the salesmen, spent the entire afternoon showing us around the factory. More importantly than selling us a boat he sold us on the fine craftsmanship and quality of a Linseen.

There is an advanced portal-type machining center for cutting out interior parts and the Linseen invented Logicam system which insures a flow in mass production.

Of course, the design of the interior is of great importance for the practical value of a boat.  It’s not a question of how many different layouts or, worse still, compromises a boatyard can offer, it’s about how effectively the available space and capacity are used in the original design.

The guest quarters seemed very cramped after s/v Ariel which had room for 6 guests each with a hanging locker, head and big shower.  But we are talking 11m as opposed to 18m. 
A bit over budget here for a new boat anyway, starting at about 250,000 Euros and up. (about $300,000US)  But Ed assured us any used Linseen yacht would retain it’s value and should we decide later on a new one, they would certainly take it at it’s worth to trade up.

Still looking.

We decided to check out some of the used Linseen yachts.

We found the most popular models, called an AK  (aft cabin) had the galley down a step or two from the main saloon and steps down from the aft deck with the cabin below.

We like the island bed but do we really want all those steps up and down?

My favorite so far is the Grand Sturdy 40.9 sudan.  The  layout is all on one level coming into the saloon from the aft deck, galley on one level.  But they have only made 2,  one is in Turkey and the other in Berlin.   No photo as they are just not available. Maybe we are getting just a bit to fussy.

So we leave you here in Roermond at another boat yard full of boats for sale and us still walking sitting down, peddling north, with a list full of boats to stop and see.  The Internet is full of boats for sale, one has over 20,000 listings.
Wish us luck.

We arrived in Belgium just in time for the first day of the
Tour de France

The route actually begins in Liege but we were unaware of the events until we rode right into the town of Serang  where we were diverted onto the course arriving in time to see the riders come up behind us across the bridge in Liege.

While this was a real highlight on our short 3 day trip across Belgium we could feel we were in a totally different country.  Squeezed between France and Holland, Belgium had a feel of it’s own. 

The weather turned cool, an early morning mist lay over the River Meuse
which seemed to stand still, a rather haunting feeling.

The houses seemed bigger, statelier, with huge mansions made of red brick.  Many however seemed to have fallen on hard times.

We rode on, coming into towns where some of churches had steeples that looked very Russian, the people speaking a sort of Flemish dialect.

It seemed very quite, subdued hardly a sole around.

Just before the town of Dinant  we crossed over the river as we saw a line of barges and a marina on the other side and…… it started to rain.

Over a great omelet and steaming cup of hot chocolate we talked with the harbormaster about the boats in the marina and checked out the ones for sale along the wall when the rain let up.

Dinant is huge old city  along the river with fortified castle on the hill. It is known for a famous sax player so the bridge is lined with dozens of enormous saxophones all individually painted in wild colors.   They were having a big jazz festival in July but we were a bit too early.

We noticed a lot of barges, many working barges here in the river, actually many more now that we are in Belgium.  They just barely fit through the locks

We camped just down the river from Dinant and woke to a beautiful sunny day, clear skies and ducks all over the trail in front of us and the river beyond just feet from our tent. I love the sound of all the birds and ducks in the AM while having my tea in the tent.

When the sun comes out  the whole day seems brighter and livelier. Stopping for a drink in the yard of one of the mansions put our heads in a whole new frame of mind.

Even the old working barges seemed to brighten our day.

We were  on the RAVeL or Belgium bike trails all day which were pretty straight, only a few short stints on the road and not much traffic.

 
The trail was great and well marked, except for a strange barricade over one of the bridges we could not get our bikes through.  That is until a lady came along pushed the gate open like a revolving door.
If we could just read the signs!!

We stopped at one place to talk to several boats. One I liked was a 16m Valk-Kruiser that was 24 years old built in 1988. I loved the big back deck .This is just so different than the barges yet we are starting to understand that an aft cabin boat might be just fine as we can still have that aft deck.
Is Belgium, with all it’s differences, introducing us to a whole new way of thinking?

 
Maybe I could even get a barge dog!!!

 
We met Wim and Lida on an old Linseen St. Joseph who are friends with the whole Linseen family  who we were informed build the BEST steel river cruisers at the Linseen Yacht factory in Holland.  It too had the back deck over the aft cabin. It is called a St. Joseph after the patron saint of carpenters.  Steve thinks, if we could just find an older one like these….perhaps?

Rode by lots of big homes and old farms mostly horse farms in Belgium.

In Namur we saw a  neat old house that turned out to be the Youth Hostel. Inside it was all modern and we got a chili for lunch there for 6E each. The cost of the hostel with a card is 28E a person.

But we prefer the camping on such beautiful days.   We arrived at the camp ground this day very tired after a 70km ride.  It was next to a nuclear power plant but it had nice green grass, a picnic table and strong hot showers for only 9E.  Funny how much we appreciate such simple pleasures.

We have no trouble sleeping at night after such a full day and
our dreams are very vivid.

We stop in the bigger towns and shop for food then have a picnic whenever our fuel gets low or there is something worth stopping for. 

Sometimes we pick up treats along the way then find a nice spot along the river for lunch and watch the river traffic go by.

But we have a mission to get to Holland and from here it is only 20km north
We  then take off on a rather straight bike trail, mountains now flattening out,
with the wind at our back….. away we go.  

In no time at all  there was the cutest little outdoor café with all bikers sitting in the sun and having drinks. We immediately sat among them and ordered two great salads. Bikers eat a lot of sea food….they eat anything they see!

It was here everyone was waiting for a little ferry to take us across the river to Holland where the River Meuse is now called the River Maas.

See you in Holland!  

From Charleville-Meziered France the Voie Verte or Green Way bicycle route is an old rail track that goes unbroken for 80km along the River Meuse to Givet on the Belgium border.   Les Ardennes is one of the  most beautiful areas with little villages along the way, picnic tables, an abundance of gardens, old stone bridges, a display of mushrooms, bilberries and blossoming roses.   

Conditions were perfect, the days spectacular and we got to visit with a few barges as they came through the locks in several areas.

You can rent a Peniche for four days to do the Meuse at a cost of  900E and with only half hour instruction.

The lock areas are so well maintained  and signs are posted along the way that there is a lock ahead or a place to tie up for the night.  The river boats carry a device to open the locks automatically

The river sometimes divides so the canal goes around it and narrows into a forested passage lined with huge conifer trees and nestled between mountainous terrain.    The forest was cool with a floor of fern and leafy trees whose leaves fluttered in the wind.  It was easy to relax and just flow along with the barges, our biking being at a comparable speed.   Occasionally we’d pass a fisherman or two.

Towns along the Meuse have been around since the days when river barges plied the river carrying cargo as the main means of transport.  

The trade on the River Meuse, the exploitation of the forest, the beginning of an industry based around the small iron deposit were the only riches of the land until the Industrial Revolution, bringing with it the railway, the canalization of the River Meuse and the improvement of the road work.

Many of the trails or tow paths we ride were used by animals to haul the barges. The canal boat was ‘harnessed’ to the horses by a rope 50 to 100m long attached to the mast.  When overtaking another boat or to avoid obstacles the rope was raised to the top of the mast.  If he did not have his own horses, the boatman would call on the help of “long haul” carters, freelance workers, often peasant farmers, who would lead their horses from dawn to dusk.  A large number of inns and cafes scattered along the Meuse would house the animals and feed the men.  Some canal boats had a stable to accommodate the horses.

Do it yourself haulage was a mode of traction occasionally used to return empty for economic reasons and because there were no horses.  The boatman and, occasionally his entire family, would attach themselves to the haulage rope, called the ‘bircole’ and would pull the boat.  This work was hard and slow and the distance covered at the end of the day rarely exceeded  18 to 20 kilometers. 

We rode along beside this barge of two days.  On the second day we found the barge tied up along the river.  Many of the converted barge owners are very proud of their conversions and love showing you the inside and do not mind us taking pictures.  This owner has had the barge for 47 years.

It was built in 1907 the same year his dad was born and is 19m long.  Originally it was bigger to carry a cargo of sand but he had the center cut out.  The sand was loaded by hand, bit by bit.

He took us inside and the pilot house which was all wood with a big helm and behind it a computer for navigation. Like many of the pilot houses there is a table and setee with double doors opening to the back deck.

The living area was big with wood floors and a new white kitchen.

 
Also it had a new nice bathroom with a seperated glass door shower. It also had  heated tile floors in the bathroom. Many of the boats are now heating the floors with regular electric heating coils like they use in the houses in winter.  Easy to install and ….oh so wonderful we are told.

Off a narrow hall there were three separate small bedrooms one with a washing machine.

But the best part of this boat was in the stern under the pilot house and back deck.  They had decided to leave this area original.  It shows the tiny area where the family lived while hauling the sand.  A small door leads through the engine room and into a passage.  This passage was also the galley and later the left side pulled down to sleep two children. 

  The main living area was only about 6 feet square.  There was a table, a dresser and  seating for four and an alcove with a double bed.

You can see the original date of the boat carved in the wood below the port holes, 1907.

It also  had a wood burning fireplace with a carved mantel.  Today this area is used for gas bottles for cooking and  storage. 

It was hard to imagine an entire family living in this small space, especially during winter.

A hard life.

Today many of these old boats have been converted and a source of interest to us….but are they too big?   After all s/v Ariel was 18m and we want to downsize with less maintenance.  Perhaps we should look at a smaller barge.

Okay, what is this?   It is a barge but it comes from England and is called a narrow boat.  In England, across the channel, the canals are much narrower.
This one is 17m x 2m.
 

Even room for a bathtub but in the one sleeping cabin the bed is made up into a seating area during the day. 

 
I was almost convinced seeing the garden on the top of the narrow boat but I think we have so much to learn and more boats to see. 

Back on the bike trail there is a surprise around every corner.  The river on one side, beautiful houses, gardens and more barges to see.

 
Sometimes it all gets to be a bit overwhelming.

Just when we think we have seen enough along comes one of these beautiful Tjalks an old Dutch barge with the mast down and lee boards up.  They remind me of ‘dragonflies’ hovering above the still water. 

Coming into the towns on the River Meuse was always fascinating and full of history. Here in Charleville-Meziered an old mill is now a museum for a famous French poet, Arthur Rimbaud called Le Vieux Moulin built in 1626.

While Steve rode off to buy camping gas I sat in the center square admiring an old carrousel.

.
. As I rode in alone a group of French cyclist taking photo’s came rushing over to me. I could not speak much French but we communicated and had a few laughs. Funny when Steve is not around how these Frenchmen gravitate toward me…. too bad it was the bike that attracted them.

Coming into Revin the bike route took us  right to the municipal camping for only 8 Euros a night.  We set up our tent just feet from the river behind the hedge. The camp was set among weeping willow trees, flowers and thick green grass, just beautiful.

The town entered History in 762 with the donation of the lands by a German and for one millennium this territory was bordered by two powers, the French Kingdom and the Germanic Empire. For centuries, the inhabitants knew how to take advantage of the natural resources they had in spite of a barren and isolated environment.

The bend in the river had several boats moored up right in town.   We talked to a few of the boat owners and all seemed to agree that we might need a broker and were given a few names.  The three top names of good builders are Pedro in Groningen NL, Aquanaut in Sneek NL and Linseen built in Maasbracht outside Maastrich NL.  We are compiling a list of what we would like as we check Internet and find Holland has hundreds of boats for sale.

As we head north following the direction of the flow of the Meuse we continue on to Givet France where we hear from there the bike route to Rotterdam Holland is another 310km and all down hill.  

We never did stay in another Gite but we were fortunate that the little rain we did get was mostly at night.  It is sad to leave France as we will miss the good food, nice people and the wonderful Foie Gras.

Once we leave France we must pass through Belgium to reach Holland.  Okay, must get going……I am on duck/geese patrol and here comes Steve,

We leave the River L’Oise for the River L’Aisne and cut across inland over battlefields  from the Great War where millions of men fought for control of the ridges that dominates the valley between the  rivers  L’Aisne and Ailette.

After 1918 the old battlefield gradually took on its present-day appearance of farms and villages were rebuilt. We bicycled along this ridge along the River Aisne but today there are miles of beautiful wheat fields with red poppies and little farm houses of yellow stone. The most peaceful ride so far.

Yet the area was the scene of endless trench warfare and for the first time on the French side, the infantry was given tank support which was the beginning of artillery in war.

And after 1920 the battlefields became places of pilgrimages for veterans and families. Now today grandchildren and great grandchildren of these soldiers are coming to show their respect in a boom of tourism.

We met a several French servicemen visiting a memorial just off the highway, one a serviceman in the signal corp and another following in the footsteps of his grandfather.

It was a weekend and we had a couple problems with the bikes so stayed for the market in Siossons and a couple days to rest up and wait for Monday to find a repair shop.

The hydraulic connection for my bike trailer had started to wear and with all the weight bearing down on that one part it was imperative it be fixed.  Steve found a shop that did a great job and at no charge.

Then just as we were about to leave the tire on Steve’s trailer was flat so a change was necessary before carrying on.

The river was full of barges and we were able to meet a few new faces and gather a bit more information.

This New Zealand family on Zambizie were proud of their brand new Piper the brand of barge of our new friends on Arran.  The inside was laid out very different, was bigger but still had us interested.

    Once finally on our way the GPS had us turning around in a circle five different times to get us going the right way.   We crossed the river on a weird suspension bridge then couldn’t find the route again. Back and forth round and round in a few hundred feet then I spotted a trail through a culvert and that was our route.  It was a round metal one with traffic going over the top.  I think it all just confused the GPS.

We rode on back streets most of the day, ‘D’ roads but with little traffic that took us through more small villages this one with red lamp posts and hanging flower baskets then stopped in the next villager for a fresh baguette at the Boulangerie Patisserie.

We were followed along the Lateral canal of the L’Aisne when we came upon our first small lock that gave us an idea just how small a boat we would need to get through.

The trail was then packed dirt along the Lateral Canal after crossing a bridge and we stayed on that for a while then up to Vailly Sur Aisne where we found stately mansions, old historical looking buildings and once again when we entered the door to a restaurant would find a pleasant warm atmosphere for a lunch time meal.

In Berry-au-Bac we chose only the salad bar which included snails and octopus and cuts of cold meats for 8.90E.

It was still early when we arrived at the campground along the L’Aisne in Guignicourt, the sun was shining, a great time to ride.  But the covered swimming pool was too inviting and after days of riding we were feeling more like this is our way of life, slow down and enjoy it.

We never made it further than the sun deck of the pool when we saw three bikers who also just arrived.  They were from Ireland and were doing a pilgrimage called the Confraternity of Pilgrims.  They had our interest.

Elaine, Yvonne and Mike invited us to dine with them in the cabin they rented  behind the pool.  Here we learned more of the pilgrimage and were lavished in typical Irish hospitality with three amazing salads, wine and cheeses.

The three are friends that had met on the Santiago de Compostela the pilgrimage made famous in the states by the movie called ‘The Way’.  Now each year they come together to do a pilgrimage.  This one they are doing by bike which began in Canterbury England and will end in Rome.  It is called the Via Francigena. www.pilgrimstorome.org.uk  and follows the route the bishops took when called to Rome by the Pope.

The hardest but the most enjoyable part of bike/tent camping is all the people we meet.  The hard part is getting on our way.  Hert is an elderly Dutch gentleman who is biking from Holland to southern France for the 17th time doing 80km a day and carrying 45kilos.   Carole from England left a tour in the south and is now on her own heading back home. And Reit from Holland is touring to Basel Switzerland.  She is a teacher of Bicycling in Holland.

We seem to be in an area where our bike route is crossing paths with those on some of the many hiking trails through Europe.   We met two ladies from Belgium, Lisette and Dany who are doing one of the 11 trails of the Santiago de Compostela.  They are staying in Gites, much like a B&B which cost about 35E a night each.

We all had a wonderful time comparing routes and happy to realize that most of the bikers we are meeting are of the gray nomad type, most in their 60’s and some in their 70’s. Nice to know we are in good company.

It was hard to stay focused but we knew we had to keep moving.  We love the silence with only the sound of the wind and the  cows pulling the grass out by the roots. Every day was a new surprise, so with  the wind at our backs and the sun shining we were on our way.

Near Signy L’Abbaye the hills began to get steeper and more frequent but the countryside spectacular.  Then it began to rain.

It was not even noon but Steve spotted a sign that gave promise of perhaps finding a hot chocolate and wait out the rain.  The drive down looked as though we were entering someone’s farm, in fact it was an old dairy farm.

It was an old decrepit place, with wood ceilings, a tiny wooden stair case, shelves of antiques and old candle stick holders, but it did have hot chocolate.  We sat there for an hour but the rain only got worse.
Then at noon a steady stream of people began entering the room and disappearing through a door, coming in out of the chilling rain.  Within an hour over 70 people had arrived. .

It turned out this was also the old mill and it had been converted to an Auberge et Chambres d’Hotes which are rooms in an older establish place and the cost was 50E a night
Obviously they serve a grand Sunday lunch.

Since we had not yet spent a night in any of the French accommodations we took a room for the night.  We were lead back past the old mill and into a modern atrium  where the people had gathered, up a stairway to a sitting room, then down a long hall to our room

It turned out to be a night to remember, a break from our tent and most of all the scene out our window was right out of Stonehenge.

Better not get to used to this.  Time to get back on the bikes and stay focused.

Next we discover some very unusual barges.