Well, it had to happen sooner or later. We woke up this morning to rain. It was a very Vancouver Island day, it never rained particularly hard, but it never stopped either.
We left the hotel early in the morning and loaded up with fuel. We bought enough snacks to last a couple of days, we thought. Turns out, at the end of the day, we have pretty much demolished everything!
The navigation today was straight forward as we simply followed the canal. We stopped after 25 km for a fortifying snack under the shelter of some huge willow trees, next to a lock. Lots of charter boats again today and this looks like an appealing way to see the countryside. They travel even more slowly than the Surly ponies...we leave 'em behind. One thing I am really enjoying about slow travel is seeing the nuances of an area and seeing more than just the touristy bits.
Riding in the rain was fine and our goretex jackets did a great job, as did the waterproof panniers. It wasn't exactly a downpour though, just very steady. Time will tell how the gear works out. We arrived in Strasbourg and followed the bike path to the center of town. Once we had oriented ourselves at the tourist information office we realized we had done a huge circle around the town and could have cut several km off the ride had we only known.
Tourist info sent us to the Etc. Hotel which is right in the thick of things, about a two minute walk to the cathedral. We took a boat tour which was an excellent orientation to the city. Thank you Peter for the suggestion. We both enjoyed it but Keith struggled to stay awake. This is a beautiful city and we decided it is time for a rest day. We are going to spend tomorrow in Strasbourg and exercise our walking muscles. So tomorrow morning we will sleep in and hit the ground walking!
The canal in the rain. The only times today I was ahead of the chief navigator were when he wanted a photo. The rest of the time I was shamelessly tucked onto his back wheel and drafting. No wonder he is so tired tonight. He pulled me all the way to Strasbourg.
And with that in mind, we have an honourary chien of the day, the incredibly handsome Coen, who looks very pleased to be supporting the cause, because it means a walk. His human, Laura, would rather be in the classroom enjoying the kids.
Brett, here is the most beautiful fixie we have ever seen. Wood, with very cool handlebars. Would have brought it home for you but couldn't get it in my pannier. You would love the bike culture here. Bikes go everywhere and no one gets fussed about it the way they do at home. Bikes weave in and out of people and the bike lanes are amazing. We love it. Very cool to watch and take part in. And the drivers! Courteous to an unbelievable degree.
