September 11, 2015
To Sens: Getting to Burgundy
It was a beautiful day as we left the excellent Ibis Budget Hotel in Fontainebleau but absolutely freezing. We already had coats on but we had to rummage through our panniers to find gloves. There was a market just setting up by the square by the castle so we stopped for lunch supplies. The traffic was pretty heavy going out of Fontainebleau especially one enormous round about we had to negotiate. We were of course soon in the enormous Fontainebleau forrest on an excellent if rather busy road. The forrest seems to go on forever. When we emerged we were in lovely country with farm land, patches of bush, little villages and lots of old stone churches. Ken was finding us a great route on tiny roads.
After lunch things got really hilly, certainly the most serious hills we have struck so far. I kept thinking Sens is beside a river we must come down some time. Well of course we did eventually and had a lovely long downhill. Sens itself looks charming and very old, from what we have seen it has been largely unspoilt by modern development. Our band b is in a wonky old house and is beautifully decorated and feels very cosy, there is even a cat for Ken to fuss over. We have walked to the Cathedral which is said to be the first of the Gothic Cathedrals and Chartres and Canterbury are modelled on it. What is different though is that it has one of those brightly coloured checked rooves that I associate with Burgandy. We will walk back to the Cathedral square to eat.
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 2,042 km (1,268 miles)
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