October 17, 2011
Avallon to Vezelay and back: loop ride, no weight on the bikes
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WEATHER: sunny again
A varied ride today with rolling stretches punctuated by steep hills and including all kinds of scenery. No weight on the bikes was a welcome change and helped us climb the steep sections. It was cool when we started out, but warmed up rapidly, and we had sunshine for the whole day. Our route took us in a broad loop first northwest from Avallon and then southwest to Vézelay, noted for its historic cathedral and picturesque hilltop setting. The village is a little on the touristy side, but it's an excellent place to stop for lunch and a few hours of wandering.
The last few kilometres were steeply uphill past isolated vineyards to Vézelay's Port Neuve gate, just down from the middle of the village. On the way we passed a family with two small children walking up the hill--we admired their stamina and saw them later in the village. After passing through the Port Neuve, we walked our bikes up the street, and found a brasserie serving lunch. Al had squash soup and turkey with curry sauce, while Eva chose a chicken salad with very thin slices of shaved parmesan. After lunch we headed further up the main street past shops and galleries to the cathedral square.
We don't go inside a lot of churches, but this one impressed us with its light and airy interior. Built in the 12th century, the Vézelay Abbey looks remarkably well preserved, and we learned that the hefty stone buttresses were added several centuries later when the church was in danger of falling down. It was constructed to take into account where the sunlight would fall on the summer solstice--directly down the centre of the nave. We were glad to be here in the off-season, as there were plenty of people around, and we could imagine the crowds in summer. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The view from the grassy terrasse around the south side of the abbey enabled us to see where we had come from and where we were going on our loop ride back to Avallon.
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The route back was down from Vézelay to St. Pere, and then up a couple of steep hills, finishing with a cool shady ride along the forested river Le Cousin. That night we went back to Chez Manu for another good dinner.
Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 210 km (130 miles)
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