Patricia, our host at Le Grand Chalet was invaluable at directing us to the best place to have dinner last night. We would have never thought that the local camp ground on a Wednesday night was the place to be! It seemed that there are few if any restaurants in the village centre that would be open. The camp ground was just a five minute walk down to the river and was definitely the local hot spot. Pat had a massive bucket of moules with frites and Scott had a hamburger. Both were excellent as were all the staff. We finished our meals and the rain began again (yes this is getting a bit tiring) causing us to hurry on home.
Breakfast today was great fun. At 08:30 we arrived in the breakfast room and the big table was set already full of other guests enjoying their breakfasts. Our host sat Pat and I side by side at one head of the table. She introduced us to the group as the ¨Canadians¨ and then around the table and introduced her other guests. The others were from Germany and France. Such fun hearing about everyone`s travels and of course everyone seems very surprised to hear about our cycle tour. Our host was such a delight and has the perfect disposition for the position of running a chambre d`hotes. If you are in Aspet, you need to stay at Le Grand Chalet.
We were in no hurry to leave as the weather was improving and our ride today was super short. It worked out very well because the weather has been a bit risky and having a light day fits our schedule well. We have the opportunity of a couple of big riding days coming up if the weather cooperates. After some slight adjustments to Pat`s rear derailleur to stop it exactly at the 9th gear ring from not into the spokes. We were on our way shortly before 11 am.
We were most appreciative of the owner at the Cafe Francais who helped us find a place for the night. In Aspet, we met some really helpful people who went out of their way to assist travellers.
Along the river, many of the homes including where we stayed has a fast moving channel of water running right underneath the building. We suspected that this would be irrigation, perhaps power or simply a flowing sewage disposal. You can see a small channel to the house on the right.
Church and war memorial in Izault. We found the statue of the soldier to be of interest as it was entirely painted right down to a brown mustache and brown boots.
We found this place at the top of a steep hill that we both cursed as we pushed our bikes up the last steep incline. At the top was the very pretty village of Barry. This picture is for my dear friend of the same name.
Large meadow. We wondered if they were here by nature or if livestock graze here during the summer. The area is fenced along the road so maybe they are for grazing.
This is a medieval grain measuring dispenser. Two sizes small and large. The chute is plugged and the bowl filled. Remove the plug and fill the bag. So simple.
Also called Sainte-Marie Cathedral, it dates back to the 1100`s. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been part of the Routes to Santiago de Compostela in France since 1998.
We rode up the steep entrance way and through the gates to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges. Our goal was to miss the forecasted afternoon rain showers and we were successful! Fortunately, our room was ready and we quickly got cleaned up and headed out to walk around the village.
The village is one of the "Les Plus Beaux Villages of France". Its foundations date back to the Roman times. It is relatively small, with the massive Cathedral over shadowing the tiny village. It did not take more than a couple of hours to tour the entire area. It was very quiet with few others around but we could tell that it would be popular with the tour bus groups.
Our hotel in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges was great.
After a look around the village we returned to the hotel to organize the tour routing for the next few days. The weather forecasts have been a critical element in the plans.
There were not many places that appeared to be open for dinner, but our hotel had a restaurant that was serving dinner tonight. It is a very small establishment and the lady who runs the front desk was the only waitress. She was busy! Scott had the fixed menu and Pat a chicken dish. Both were very good but Scott said that his IPA was the best he has had on the trip!
Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles) Total: 671 km (417 miles)
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Brad SharpNot tiring of the foothill photos. Also loving the cool stuff you find along the way, like that ancient grain measuring device. Reply to this comment 5 months ago
