More climbing? A foggy memory.: le Salvetat to Castres
Sleeping over a bar is not always easy. I fell asleep at 9, but the night owls woke me at midnight and I lay awake listening to them until closing time at two. Oh, well, it could have been worse. Le Salvetat is not a big town, so there weren't that many late-nighters. I ate breakfast early and was away by about eight thirty. The sun was attempting to break through the clouds and the day looked good.
On the way out of le Salvetat I stopped at the old bridge to get a picture and to determine my route. These old bridges are often quite serviceable, but are two narrow for big trucks that use the roads these days and so they have been bypassed. I wonder if the modern bridges will last as long.
The first climb of the day began just the other side of the bridge. Very quickly I was back into the clouds, er fog, and it just kept getting thicker. This scene is near the summit, but you wouldn't know it by looking. I put my lights on hoping they could be seen in the murk.
I'm one meter higher than yesterday's summit! The descent into Lacaune was freezing. By the time I got there I needed to warm up, so I stopped in a bar for coffee.
My hands were numbed on the descent into Lacaune, and I stopped to warm them over a cup of coffee in a bar. I got the rest of me warmed up on the climb out of town toward Brassac and didn't lose too much of the warmth on the descent into that town. What little cold I did feel was dispelled by the climb out of Brassac, but the weather hadn't improved and I was still in a fog. The turn off to Lacrouzette brought me another foggy descent. All I could think of was a warming bowl of soup. Its a very scenic ride, and must be lovely in the sun, but I was getting too cold to stop and take photos in the murk.
My prayers are answered in fine style at the auberge in Lacrouzette. Soup was on the menu of the day, and look how its served! All you can eat, and it was delicious, with beef and vegetables home cooked of course.
The soup was followed by a very hot Parmentier of duck. Seasoned duck bits with a "crust" of mashed potatoes, sort of like shepherd's pie, but sooo much better. Trivia bit of the day: Parmentier was the French botanist who introduced the potato to France. The dish is named after him and was concocted to try to gain acceptance for this "exotic" vegetable.
I could barely convince myself to eat the dessert that was on hand, but I managed to force down a home-made blueberry muffin and a coffee. Fully fortified, I left the restaurant knowing I could coast all the way to Castres if need be. It did get a little cold on the switchbacks going down, but by the time I reached the city the sun had at last broken through. I pulled into a hotel that was a cut above the place I'd been the night before, showered and went out to have a look at the town.
I didn't look for the usual tourist attractions, but instead let myself wander in the old center. Castres seems to have a lot of late renaissance buildings like this.
The oldest houses line the banks of the Agout. The land sides of these buildings are uniformly dull, but the river facades are a display of individuality and quite striking.
I quite enjoyed Castres, but its not really a tourist-y city. After strolling around and watching the world go by from a terrace over a beer, I found a restaurant that served salads. I needed to compensate for overindulging at noon, so that was the perfect way to finish my day.
Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles) Total: 579 km (360 miles)
