August 2, 2014
Notre Dame de Gravenchon to Brionne: Out of the valley of the Seine and into the rain.
My hotel window overlooked a horse pasture, and a petro-chemical plant, a consequence of being in the Seine valley where the river is still tidal and access to the port of Le Havre is easy for barges bearing petrol, but far enough away from both Paris and Le Havre to not have lost its rural character entirely. I left Notre Dame via the Seine bicycle route, which follows the river very closely for miles. The tide was out and the river banks were a not very appealing mess of mud and old pilings. There were lots of gulls sitting in the sun along the banks, and occasionally a barge would go past. Given how nice the day was, I was surprised that there were so few people on the path. Two couples walking their dogs, one cyclist, and one lone wanderer out for a stroll.
When I got on the bike this morning, I noticed that I couldn't clip in with my right foot. Closer inspection revealed that the screws holding the cleat had stripped completely and the cleat and the screws were lodged firmly in the pedal and not attached to my shoe. I decided to continue the ride because a) there was no bike shop in Notre Dame, and b) it was flat enough I thought I might not need the extra efficiency. But the loose foot still bothered me, so when I got to Caudebec en Caux, I went to the tourist office and asked if there was a bike shop in town. Indeed there was, and in twenty minutes the friendly proprietor had replaced the screws with new ones and reattached my cleat to my shoe and I was off again.
I went about 15 km further to Jumieges, where there is the ruin of an old abbey. The immense pile of stone is surely impressive, but I didn't want to pay to go into a park and see it, so I took some pictures from outside the park walls and ate lunch in a creperie across the road. Leaving Jumieges, I passed the 15th century manor that had belonged to Agnes Sorel, favorite of King Charles VII, and the reigning beauty of the day. There was a recent documentary on TV about her, and recent examination of her remains suggest strongly that the queen had her poisoned, probably with mercury. The house itself is undergoing restoration, so again I had to content myself with pictures of the exterior.
Just down the road from Mme Sorel's house is a ferry which gets you across the Seine. I love these small ferries, and there aren't many of them left. They are free, being maintained by the departments, but as they wear out they are being replaced by bridges. And besides, they can't carry big trucks, which is a plus for me, but not so good from the perspective of the politicians. After the ferry, tHe climb out of the Seine valley began. It was the usual grind, but thankfully, not too long. At the top I got my first taste of rain, and it soon developed into showers. It fell hard enough at one point that I sought shelter in a bus stop. After it let up, I continued to Brionne, where I am booked into another small family hotel. This one is kind of funky, with old furnishings in a very old building, but at least there is hot water and it's dry.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 86 km (53 miles)
Total: 446 km (277 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |