To Sens

May 29, 2022

We like our room here in Joigny. We really got lucky and are in the last room at the far end of the hotel, on the ground floor. It’s almost like camping out, but with a good mattress and a warm shower - we can look out the door of our ‘tent’ and watch the waterfowl walk or fly by. The greylag geese are back, but the big surprise is when a moorhen walks up from the pond about thirty feet from our window.

A common moorhen wandered past our bedroom window. Surely a very good omen for the day.

Yesterday’s was such an easy ride - 23 miles, mostly on flat, smooth pavement alongside the Yonne, with only a modest bit of climbing at the end. We’re getting soft and spoiled and won’t know what to do with ourselves when we come to the hills of Yorkshire.

Today’s ride looks just like yesterday’s, but even easier. Another flat 23 miles along the Yonne but without even those hills at the end. Susan, Suzanne and János will read about these two days and wonder why we saved all these easy miles until after we split up.

With such a minimal ride ahead and an uncertain check-in time (we’re waiting to hear back from our host), we take our sweet time getting underway and don’t leave the room until nearly eleven. Very nice - linger over breakfast and then sit in the room reading the blogs, looking up from time to time to see if the geese are back again.

It’s chilly still when we start out, on a day that will never get much above 60. We have a nice tailwind to push us away from the hotel which we’ll very quickly come to regret - our ride starts with a short ride south to the bridge, after which we cross over and head north into a wind chilling enough that we never take off our long sleeve jerseys and by the end I’m driven to putting on my coat.

Image not found :( — It’s Mother’s Day in France.

Today’s destination, Sens, was hoses as a last minute decision. We were originally booked in Montargis, a pretty empty town almost due west of here. I forget for sure why I picked this place, but I imagine it was because it split the distance evenly for this and the following day to Melun. Fortunately ever-vigilant Rachael thought to see if there’d be anyplace open for dinner on a Sunday evening at the end of a four day holiday weekend. Finding none, we checked with our host-to-be in Montargis yesterday. She confirmed that we wouldn’t find anything but fast food in walking distance and generously offered to let us cancel at no charge.

So, Sens it is. It’s less strategic, leaving us with a fifty miler tomorrow, but it’s flat and the weather forecast is promising so it shouldn’t be a problem. And of course Sens is a cathedral town, an important place with much more to see than we’d find in Montargis. We should have chosen it in the first place.

So what else is there to say about a flat 23 mile ride down a lazy river, especially after a previous day much like it? Not much, but it was great. It was especially uplifting to see all the families out biking along the path and having picnics by the water.

Always worth stopping for scenes like this.

Canal life isn’t always as easy as you might imagine.

Our ride is almost totally flat today, but there are some hills around if you wanted to seek them out.

Some of the hills have interesting features up top, making them look worth a detour up.

We stopped for lunch on a bench in the sun, sheltered by the wind. We had company - a tern that kept circling up and down the river. Terns are a tough subject - 20 shots and this was the best I could come up with.

Video sound track: Body and Soul, by Keith Jarrett

We stop for lunch about four miles shy of Sens, and Rachael texts our host to notify her that we are nearing town. Our room is still being cleaned we’re informed but should be ready by three, about an hour from now. She sends us self check-in instructions and will text us when it’s ready, and then just ten or fifteen minutes later she lets us know it’s ready already. Perfect - we can settle into our apartment early enough in the day for Rachael to fit in a walk while I stroll through the town.

Sens looks like a fine small town to explore and the apartment is wonderful, immediately making us sorry we haven’t planned a multi day here. And to think we nearly didn’t come here at all! If we make it back through here we’ll stay longer next time and certainly stay in this same apartment - a large, roomy one bedroom affair with both a washer and a dryer. We could live here.

A few hours later Rachael is back from her walk and I from my meanderings through town; and an hour after that finds us walking across town to a Thai restaurant, one of the few places open tonight. Along the way we look up in amazement at the cathedral and spectacular Hotel de Ville and wonder if we should try to cancel our stay in Melun, stay here a second night, and just catch the train to Paris.

Our apartment has a problematic access if you’re lugging a bike up the stairs, but it’s only one flight and not as bad as it looks here. Another argument for 20” wheels.

We’re in agreement: life is beautiful, today at least.

Heart

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Ride stats today: 23 miles, 300’; for the tour: 2,174 miles, 107,800’

Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 2,202 miles (3,544 km)

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Bob KoreisJust realized you’ve passed through Chablis country. Better quality/different than what we get from CA. Try any?
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Bob KoreisYes. It was all white.
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2 years ago