Oysters to come

September 19, 2023

Loop ride to Mornac sûr Seudre

Introductory day. We met our bikes, I power-assisted my way up whatever hills we had, and we got our first glimpse of the Vélodyssée as it twisted its way past one little beach after another. Between times there was a visit to Mornac sûr Seudre, dubbed one of France's prettiest villages, a failed attempt at oysters for lunch and blue grapes ready for harvest beside the almost empty roads. All in all, a most successful day.

The adventure had started late as we watched dark clouds roll in and realised that the forecast of zero percent chance of rain was a cruel and outrageous lie. It rained hard in the morning, wimpishly delaying our departure, but by noon we had perfect short-sleeved biking weather, with a stiff tailwind for what seemed like well over half the ride. I rather like my borrowed Vivax bike, which I'm calling Vivian for the duration of the trip. But I only used about 20-30 percent of the battery, so there's plenty of extra oomph to come.

Vivian, the stealth ebike. Her battery is hidden in the little seat post bag.

Our ride started with a diversion to an electronics store to pick up a phone charger and something that works with French wall sockets. Yes, I brought the wrong adapter. Silly me.

Then across country to Mornac, which is lined with restaurants, craft stores, tourists and pretty views.

Restaurant offered moules fries (mussels with fries), but we rejected that idea in favour of oysters. Oops.

But our chosen destination was an oyster farm with a restaurant overlooking the oblong oyster beds.

Farm was fermé (closed) sadly, and madame did not take kindly to four foreigners wandering past the fermé sign and taking pictures of the view. The oysters will have to wait.

Highlights:

The ride home along the smooth separated bike paths of the Vélodyssée. The empty country roads and twisty village cobbled streets. The fact that Vivian and I overtook others on the hills. Nope, that never happens in the real, non-power assisted world.

The sporting look, my biking buddies say

An early Vélodyssée view. Nice clear signage

Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 41 km (25 miles)

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