July 16, 2006
Day 18: Pierrelatte - Villeneuve-les-Avignon: From where we left off
We pack up our new gear, it's so small that it all easily fits in our bags and on the racks, and set off for the train station. We are taking a train back to Pierrelatte, where we stopped cycling on Friday - don't want to cycle those same kilometers again.
At the station in Valence we are treated royally. The ticket office isn't open this early on Sunday but the station master says not to worry, we can purchase the tickets on board, he even takes the trouble to explain our situation to the conductor of the train. He also leads us officially across the tracks to our platform, crossing the tracks is otherwise prohibited, so that we don't have to lug our loaded bikes up and down the stairs. As we pull out, he waves good-bye.
We're in Pierrelatte at 8 a.m., hungry for breakfast. In small cafés that only serve coffee it's quite acceptable to bring your own pastries. We choose our favorites from the bakery next door, croissants and raisin muffins, and settle down for a good café crème before we hit the road. The day starts out flat, we have tailwinds, some traffic, it's not always scenic.
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When we reach the the famous ancient Roman Triumphal Arch in Orange, it is for me one of those historic moments of our the trip . Did we really ride our bikes here? A great feeling.
Orange is lovely with its shady squares, old facades and narrow streets. And it's very hot, too hot for sightseeing. We are now in Provence - it's drier, hotter, and flatter.
We find a campground about 10 kilometers before Avignon. We expect Avignon to be crowded and the next day we see that we were right. This place is strange. It's brand new and resembles a desert. Bushes and hedges are still diminutive and the ground is parched, dry grass and dust. We have a hard time finding a scanty patch of shade for us or our tent. But there are two mini swimming pools. I think this is what is called a holiday village. In the evening they offer dinner, the popular 'moules-frites', mussels and french fries, and entertainment, a band. This is an experience, and later we see that it is not untypical for French campgrounds on the week-ends.
At night it doesn't cool down much, our tent is pretty small and our thermarests kind of thin - our initiation.
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2 years ago
Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,071 km (665 miles)
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