France Belgium Netherlands Germany May 1998
Belle Francais and as we go further north everything becomes more civilized to the point of not so interesting. We tossed around the idea of doing Tunisia (due the weather here being so bad), being between Libya & Algeria the only way to get there is fly but no the plan was to travel up through Europe so here we are and doesn't that arch look familiar, no we aren't in Paris. Cafes abound, looking out from our hotel french balcony, we think there must be one cafe for every two people, they are so well patronized however.
Bordeaux, An important city of 250,000. Huge five streets of markets in the Esplanade Des Quinconces and zebra crossings everywhere with very well kept parks. We found the best place for an old Jag. Mary fell in love with this massive statue complex of horses with webbed feet, mermaids and cherubs.
Opposite were the food stalls where we ate some frits with sugar that this bloke squeezes out from this machine. Rob & Mary all donned up and ready for a days cycling to the coast. Previously having laid out the stuff on the bed and repacked ready for the next leg which is shooting over to the west coast, up and over to the La Loire valley and off to Amiens, north of Paris. We have already spent time in Paris on a previous European tour so we will give it a miss this time.
Wow! The weather was improving and so were the roads or should one say special cycle tracks miles from the traffic, (sometimes). This was heaven and after all our previous cycling we just couldn't believe it. Only one downside though. It was so nice and easy that Rob kept nodding off (falling asleep) as he cycled. Not possible you say, well a horse can sleep standing up. Note the cycle track lost the plot a bit as we headed through the forests. We had certainly diserved this luxury and it continued all the way up the west coast pretty much until mouth of the La Loire river, just south of Royan.
The sun is shining and the temperature is 35c so its bikini time and relaxing in the sun at Airvault, not for long though as there is plenty to see as we cycle through the most dramatic yellow flower fields from which Rape seed oil is obtained and used in the manufacture of margarine and the like.
It would be great to say we took a detour to the jungles of the world but we may have as as this privately owned zoo housed all their animals and birds in such a life like setting complete with humidity that it was almost like being there. Great photos eh! Snapped from a bit of a movie we took of the place. The big bird is the Sth American Condor by the way.
Not French bikes but a unique way of carrying the baguette which seems to be the national food. A great day for cycling with wide roads but no separate cycle path (thats a treat to come). Mary outside a troglomite house which are common around central France and are homes made by cutting out the sand stone. Vineyards sprawling across the landscape.
Mary telling a story early in the morning, on video, as we camp beside a river. Ha Ha Small French village streets were not designed for trucks (or cyclists). They call Amien 'The Venice of the north', cute though. French African students strut their stuff in Amiens.
Belgium
We were lucky to have met Odile whilst she was on a cycling holiday of Portugal and she invited us to stay with her should we go to Amiens, which we did, and loved it. Northern France is so different to the south. The houses are red brick not gray stone and the area is much busier than south of say Paris (which we avoided due having been there before).
After leaving Amiens it was off cycling beside the Somme river, to the coast. Not such a good idea because north to Boulogne it was very hilly and busy so once at Calais we turned inland then up into Belgium and here is Rob at the most unimpressive border. Belgium seems to only be happening on the motorways and bigger cities as the villages going north are very quiet. Good cycling lanes all through Belgium which I think most people do not realize. We gained as usual, a much better impression of Belgium this time around unlike our previous visits to Brussels and the like.
Netherlands
Welcome to The Netherlands, well you would think they would have a sign saying that at the border but no, almost nothing but the Euro sign (a circle of stars). It was great to visit the province of Zeeland for which New Zealand was named after, and yes it too seemed like the land of the long white cloud (Aotearoa). Massive canals of course but great, no, perfect, cycling conditions all around The Netherlands and we mean perfect. After what we have been through even the 12 lanes of Rotterdam with us of course taking the cycling route next door, was a treat. Right through Rotterdam by cycle was not that bad considering it is one hell of a place, mostly ruined by the Germans in World War 11 it had none of the charm of other cities but it makes up for it by being one of the worlds busiest ports and industrial centers.
The Huge Dams lining the west coast dwarfed the surroundings, cute houses but funny little quirks like the Gnomes.
Germany
With rain most days (see how dark the the photos are) it is hard to take movies & shots of places so hence our cycling through Northern Germany (only about 600kms anyway), was not exactly a great photo essay opportunity. It was however punctuated by the sites of the following but quite frankly it didn't blow us away with excitement.
Germany is a great one for Nuclear power plants and overhead power lines which seem to be everywhere, just like the last time we traveled the country which was by train. This time however it is by bicycle and sure enough it was the same up north. Interesting how there were no border crossing signs from The Netherlands so it wasn't until we were well into it that we realized something was different, i.e. the houses looked different and were significantly larger than we saw in The Netherlands. The North of Germany we found to be rather ordinary with large farms,huge houses and barns but this time in red brick. The shots above depict this quite well with Mary pacing the pavement waiting for Rob to stop shagging around filming the place.