Easy riders

September 3, 2019

Montbéliard to Besançon

We leave Montbéliard this morning in the company of the Canal du Rhone au Rhin again and soon meet up with Le Doubs. These two waterways are our constant companions for the day. At times, we have the canal on one flank and the river on the other. Then, after a moment's inattention, the river or the canal will tease us with a brief disappearance.

We are following Eurovelo 6, one of a number of consistently well-marked cycle routes that criss-cross Europe. And it is proving to be easy riding indeed on a day when the winds are fair, the gradient is mostly flat and the sun is not as aggressive as earlier in the week. Today's route is mainly on sealed canal or river paths, with occasional excursions onto minor roads. The Doubs Valley has a reputation for natural beauty and it does not disappoint.

The annoying voice of Google Maps, Ms GM, rather oddly interprets Eurovelo 6 as "Euro Velodrome 6", which of course conjures up an image of Robyn and Bruce riding around in circles. How did she know? Ms GM, by the way, has an appalling French accent and would benefit from a serious crack at the DuoLingo app.

Besançon's ancient, UNESCO listed citadel reveals itself to us at around the 100km mark, around a bend in the river. Julius Caesar apparently recognised the importance of this location many centuries before the fortress was constructed in the 17th century.

Our destination this afternoon is a delightful self-contained apartment (we were due an appointment with a washing machine) with a spacious and colourful garden and the owners' two playful dogs. They bark French but we have managed to cross the language barrier, especially with Pepito the dobermann puppy.

One of those 'how cool is my life compared to yours?' Insta photos. . . Sorry!

Dinner is bread, cheese, ice cream and rosé in the garden. Bon soir, tout le monde.

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Today's ride: 102 km (63 miles)
Total: 440 km (273 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	9
Comment on this entry	Comment	11

Jill BrinsleyWow!! Impressive miles and a very cute selfie!
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonSorry, but we’re not impressed. I checked on Google Translate, and woof and arf are the same in both French and English.
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5 years ago

Robyn RichardsTo Scott AndersonOh well, it must've been the Antipodean accents that confused them...
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5 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Robyn RichardsGood point. I didn’t test what Google Translate does with Kiwi.
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5 years ago

Rachael AndersonI love you journal, both the beautiful photos and the narrative. Somehow I missed your journal when it first came but you must have updated something so it popped to the top. Lucky me!
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4 years ago

Robyn RichardsTo Rachael AndersonOh wow, thanks very much! Yes, I accidently didn't select the MINOR EDIT, DON'T MOVE TO THE TOP button in time the other day then felt guilty about it😎
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4 years ago

Rachael AndersonTo Robyn RichardsDon’t feel guilty, I’m sure there are others that may have missed your journal before. Besides with COVID-19, there’s not much bike touring going on and it nice to read about wonderful trips. We sold our condo in Portland, OR a few years back and have been bicycle touring overseas and in the US about 9 months a year. We even got lucky in August and we’re able to go to Croatia for 8 weeks and then Italy for 2 weeks before Italy locked down.
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4 years ago

Robyn RichardsTo Rachael AndersonYes, I enjoyed your Balkan Dreams journal. And now you're in California😎
We do miss Europe. Left our bikes in the Swiss garage of someone we met on the road, thinking we'd be back in mid 2020. Fortunately for us - Plan A was to pay for storage on the outskirts of Paris. Would've been expensive...
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4 years ago

Rachael AndersonTo Robyn RichardsLucky about the storage and you’ll be all ready to go when things open up. Can you go for bicycle rides and other activities now since it’s late spring? That’s why we are in California because we aren’t stuck inside.
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4 years ago

Robyn RichardsTo Rachael AndersonYes, outdoors is more appealing now. Just home from a wee 4-day tour: my other journal, Over the hill in Aotearoa
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4 years ago

Rachael AndersonTo Robyn RichardsAfter I sent the comment I found the new journal. I look forward to reading it.
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4 years ago