I love how the French have kept the look of their bike signage mainly consistent throughout the country. The classic green and white signs are always easy to spot.

Just a shame you missed the first part of the Via Rhona it is outstanding. We stayed at that same Ibis in a very snug room

That’s really wonderful. We’ve only seen huge gatherings like this a couple of times before, most memorably years ago on the Guadalquivir at Cordoba. They turned the trees white.

And then, like you, I thought they were little egrets. I was wrong though. I think they’re cattle egrets, which do gather in large flocks like this. Note the yellow bills and the yellowish smudge on their foreheads. Little egrets have black bills.

There will be lots more as we continue to head south towards Spain.

Steve is always ready to offer help but hates asking. Dodie is always willing to ask for help, directions, etc.

Yum! We love paella.

Such a great experience. I have benefited many times from similar unsolicited volunteer help while navigating train stations. I have also not been shy about asking for help when I'm in dire straits. Don't be shy about asking for help, I find most folks are more than willing to help out.

What a game changer this story is! Help, Sunshine, Trains be damned ( but necessary) and chocolate ! :)

Huh, google lens suggested a restart but we were too tired to think properly and never considered it might be female, just that it was not red enough. Thanks for the correction.

It was so kind, and they just appeared, grabbed our stuff, asked what track we were going to and headed off. I must admit to a fleeting thought that we might never see our bikes or gear again but it was only a brief thought. Honestly, we would never gave have been able to do it on our own.

Beautiful shot! I think she’s more likely a female black redstart though.

Great news about the help in the train station. People can be so kind.

It is probably an acquired taste, that we have not really acquired.

Rain does indeed mean train. Thanks so much Spellchecker. We probably can only claim a 2 hour credit, since there was nothing restful about getting on to the train! The resting only lasted the 2 hours of the trip itself!!

Sorry we never wrote to thank you for the wonderful lunch meet up. Everything seemed to fall apart later in the day. Thanks for the insights into the quirks of French restaurants and food laws. It is always fun for us to speculate, but even better when we have actual information.