Day 11 - Ronce-le-Baines to Mirambeau - France, Top to Bottom

May 5, 2023

Day 11 - Ronce-le-Baines to Mirambeau

Today was the hardest day of the trip. 62 miles and 2600 feet of climbing. It started out continuing to follow the ocean on Eurovelo 1. The Atlantic Coast has been interesting in that it feels much like riding through beach resort towns on the West Coast of the United States. Large campgrounds, towns full of kitschy tourist shops selling seaside souvenirs and suntan lotion, activities to occupy families like bike rentals and mini golf. It’s been nice but doesn’t fee uniquely French like the countryside has.

When we left the seaside, and we were glad to be back in the countryside with its small towns and boulangeries marked by churches. What we were not happy about were the hills that came as we left the ocean including a couple that required getting off and pushing on my part. As a result, we didn’t arrive at our chambre d’hotel until 6:45pm and were glad to learn that dinner wasn’t served until 8pm, giving us time to recover and shower. At home, my rule is that dinner after 8pm is not worth the effort, might as well go to bed knowing breakfast will arrive as soon as one falls asleep. But one adapts on vacation, especially when hungry after pushing bikes up hills.

Dinner was at the chambre d’hotel with our hosts and one other French couple on a holiday weekend (From what we can tell, most weekends are holiday weekends in France). It meant that we ate at the French pace, rather than our usual mode of arriving at a restaurant right when it opens at 7pm, eating quickly and leaving as the dinner crowd is just arriving. This meal started with an aperitif, then an entrée course (what we would call an appetizer), then the main dish, then a course of cheese and bread, and then desert. All separated by attempts at conversation with our fellow guests in English and French, or with the host as translators. Much time was spent by the French guests in an apparently unsuccessful attempt to help me pronounce the ooo sound when I declared the dinner "délicieux". It was fun, but if we did this every night, we would have to ride shorter days and there would be no time for a blog.

We had stopped at the lighthouse in this photo earlier. It is the second tallest lighthouse in France and built in 1905. The tallest is only 4 meters higher.

Lot's of these fishing shacks. Doug claimed I took more pictures of these shacks than he did of birds.

There are very dramatic tide swings in France, creating very long beaches and mud flats at low tide.

Upon leaving the seaside, we began to enter the Bordeaux wine region.

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Today's ride: 63 miles (101 km)
Total: 565 miles (909 km)

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