People who know us, appreciate that we like to take our time in the morning - especially since we have retired from our jobs. Isn't it one of life's joys (in our opinion!) to take your time and savour that first cup of coffee?
We thought that we should get rolling earlier than usual as the weather has been hot, the winds have been high and we knew that the route would provide hilly challenges today along the coast.
Barry even made our coffee the night before so that we could leave without getting out the trangia stove in the morning. We were packed...
Then, our master plan began to fall apart when the bakery van arrived at our campsite with fresh baguettes croissants, etc. We so loved this before in France, and this was our first one of the trip, so we had to take advantage of it. Then we had a wonderful visit with a cycling couple from Holland who were camped next to us. They are both teachers and we really enjoyed talking travel, cycling and teaching.
In essence, all of this is good and it is what we enjoy, it's just funny that when we try to break customary behaviour that life has the final laugh.
Step two of the day when we finally left camp was to head in to Boulogne sur mer and find a SIM card for our smartphone. We have noticed this year that it is becoming increasingly difficult for a visitor to get a card. Not all companies offer them now and when they do, there is red tape, including providing your passport. This is a first for us in the past 5 years of touring in Europe. We wound our way in to the congested heart (walked the bike as no room to ride!) of the city and found a company willing to help. This took well over an hour.
The city is not the prettiest we have visited and it does lack charm. The setting is spectacular and the fish market is very impressive. However, it is not designed for cyclists and especially not for loaded bikes.
Getting out of the city was one steep hill after another. We kept thinking that the Garmin GPS must be wrong, as we would come to a corner and think, no....let's go straight and not turn, as our route was straight up.
We must say however, that French people are outstandingly supportive and friendly. Cars would slow down to offer encouragement, people would stop and cheer us on. We do love visiting France.
The gradients were very steep and the hills were long - the fun was when we got to go down.
We enjoyed some lovely downhill and found the town of Cottende. A farmer's market was featurig fresh strawberries - so we collapsed on the grass and consumed them - delicious. We were surprised to see a Camping sign across the road - it must be fate!
We happily stopped early as it is Friday and we were so-o-o- tired. Our legs were done.
A much loved tradition at French campgrounds -a visit in the morning by the local baker. The sound of his horn as he approaches is the kind of alarm clock we like.
Our neighbours at the campground. We enjoyed chatting with this Dutch couple about cycling and teaching. He had ridden the same route to Rome last year as we did.
The campground in Wimereux is well situated close to the beach, and well run. We are glad that we stayed here instead of heading in to Boulogne sur mer. It is much nicer here, quieter and less congested.
Looking back to Wimereux - the bike lane is excellent. We will look back on this later and wish for these conditions again when leaving Boulogne sur Mer.
Every country is different, and in France, the customs of the bathrooms take some adjustments for us in the beginning.Men often have partial walls on the street for urinating and this urinoir is pretty deluxe so Barry gives this one a thumbs up. Another thing to get used to in France - no toilet seats and no toilet paper. Always come prepared! As well, leave your modesty at home as men and women often share the same toilet/urinal block and showers at campgrounds.
The seagulls have a great life here - fresh fish from the boats and the scraps from the market. A few blocks over is a massive fish processing plant. The seagulls have taken over the area and nest on every available ledge, window sills etc. All of the cars in the parking lot are covered in bird droppings.
Some of the fishing boats that supply the fish market. In the distance, the modern building is a multi million dollar project that will become a massive aquarium/sea world attraction.
The proud victor strutted away with his bounty. The problem was that he couldn't eat it in one piece, so he kept flying away and trying to eat his catch without the other birds taking his prize. A pretty exhausting victory for him.
A busy and congested street in Boulogne sur mer. We ventured in to town to try to find a bike shop (bought some degreaser for our much neglected chains) and a phone shop to buy a SIM card for our phone.
We found a great patisserie across from the bike shop - raspberry tart and a luscious apple tart with a meringue crust, apples topped with custard and a creme brulee crust. Yummy.
