October 18, 2003
Saturday Oct 18: Arles to Montpellier
I had a nice start to the day by chatting with the owner of the hotel for a while - that was after removing the chunk of aluminum from the trailer tire and patching the tube. But I was inside, and when I looked out - gray but NO RAIN again. How do I do this???
I wandered out of Arles, and was immediately on a quiet-ish country road. It continued to get moreso as I headed into La Camargue. This area had wild pink flamingoes in the marshes, field after field of vineyards, rice, apples, and one beautiful tailwind. My only minor problem was my own block-headed fault - hoping to find a patisserie ..... let's just say that in La Camargue, there is nothing but nothing. Beautiful, but nothing there. This region is where there are marshes and fields where the Rhone meets the Mediterranean.
Just before turning west, I came to Aigues Morte - a beautifully walled city on a canal flowing to the Sea. Then it got kind of dull heading along the coast before turning inland to Montpellier. La Motte is a huge collection of 60's era holiday apartments crammed along the seaside - as great as any other resort like that - especially on a cloudy day.
Montpellier was tricky finding my way in. Without the sun to give me my heading, and not wanting to take out my compass every block, I felt I was going in the wrong direction. But lo and behold, I came to some old walls, and after doing one extra loop I found my hotel, if that is what it can be called. At least I am right in the centre of the Old City and they let me put my bike in the room - I just hope it does not dirty my bike too much!
I headed into the pedestrianized boulevards where there was a religious choir singing Boney M and such, a bunch of karate-break-dancers to some kind of tribal kind of music, a flamenco guitarist (www.elkado.com) who was amazing, and that was only some of what was going on - it kind of feels like Montmartre here, including the scummy looking dregs hanging out begging for donuts. In looking for this internet place, I was kind of thinking to myself I do not think I would want to be lost around here late at night. But I might just be accustomed to smaller towns now.
When I was at the square I saw a couple with loaded bikes and saw that their helmets had maple leaves on them. As it turns out, they are from Vancouver, and are on their first bike tour from Scotland to Greece. We compared a few stories, I got a pic (to be uploaded once I burn the next CD) and they strongly suggested that I follow the canal to Toulouse, so, after wondering whether or not I was going to go to Toulouse, now the Canal du Midi is going to take me there. This couple is camping, so it will be a bit different, but they said it was very beautiful. If it is anything like the quiet roads I have been on the past few days, I am going to love it!!
Tomorrow to Béziers where I will find this canal.
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Today's ride: 77 km (48 miles)
Total: 2,856 km (1,774 miles)
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