September 19, 2017
Day 1 - Saintes to Royan
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We were up early and anxious to get going. We briefly met the couple that belonged to the other tandem. They were Belgian and were on their way to Spain. They seemed somewhat surprised that we were "only" going to Royan!
Starting out on the first day is always a nervous time for us. It takes some adjustment to being on the bike in a strange place with the extra weight of the baggage.
We wiggled through the streets of Saintes with only a few navigational hiccups. We soon found ourselves out of town and climbing up out of the river valley onto a rolling plain.
We were using a new navigation system (see the Introduction page for details) that caused some stoker panic from time to time. (Robin is the navigator but I make up the routes). In cases where there were quick turns in succession, she wasn't getting enough information soon enough to keep us on track. So we spent some time doing u-turns and being mildly lost. But not seriously. And it was beautiful country to be lost in!
Our goal for the morning was a Gallo-Roman tower out in the middle of a vineyard. We had a lovely ride across farmland and through forests and eventually tripped over the tower - right where it was supposed to be. There's no plaque or explanation for the tower - it just sits there - 1500 to 2000 years after it was built.
We continued on to Saujon and had a picnic lunch on a bench in the center of town. Then on to meet the sea - actually the estuary of the Garonne river. We turned left, went over a hill or two, and coasted into the center of Royan.
We stopped along the marina for a drink to celebrate our first day out, and then went in search of our hotel "P'tit Dej-Hotel Royan Corrina". It turned out to be a really lovely family-run small hotel. They found space in their shed for our tandem and we spent the afternoon lazing around before venturing out for Indian food for dinner.
A successful first day on the bike!
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 74 km (46 miles)
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