November 11, 2011
Beziers to Meze, Armistice Day: In sight of the Mediterranean
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WEATHER: cloudy, some sun, with one heavy rain shower
Today is Armistice Day, an important holiday in France when all shops and many restaurants are closed. On our way out of town we found an open boulangerie and picked up some emergency rations. After staying about ten kilometres inland from the Mediterranean since Montpellier, today we would cycle to the fishing village of Mèze, situated on the shore of an étang (a bay) along the coast.
As we left Beziers, we rode past the bullfighting arena, still used every summer, and soon passed through the eastern outskirts of the city. For the next six kilometres we followed the D28 through pastures and vineyards and then turned off onto a very small road leading through a golf course with condos. From that road we turned off onto a track which we knew would not be paved for a short stretch. What we did not expect were the huge muddy puddles entirely covering the road, so that it was impossible to tell how deep they were. We had to walk our bikes around the edges stepping on bushes, and then found ourselves in the middle of a hunt. (How better to celebrate Armistice Day!) The hunters looked somewhat surprised to see two fully loaded cycle tourists, obviously foreigners, suddenly in their midst in this very out-of-the-way place. After leaving the hunters, we pushed our bikes up a steep muddy hill and then came face to face with an unimpressed horse who stared at us with long streamers of hay hanging from its mouth.
After a short downhill, we were back on pavement on a very narrow little road winding through the vineyards. It was an access road for vineyard workers, and we saw a number of them pruning the vines with battery-powered clippers.
The next village we came to was Saint-Thibery, where there was a side road to a ruined Roman bridge that we thought we would visit. Unfortunately the road along the river was flooded, and we had to return through the village, back to the D18 and head straight on to Florensac and hopefully lunch.
La Table de Flo was the only restaurant open in Florensac and we enjoyed a holiday lunch along with a crowd of locals. While we were eating, the sun came out! We had been wearing raingear just as a precaution and took some of it off as we left the restaurant. We cycled for about five kilometres in the sunshine, but could see a very dark cloudbank ahead. We actually stopped for awhile hoping the clouds would move off further ahead of us--we didn't want to catch up with a rainstorm! Unfortunately we were caught in a downpour just for the last two kilometres downhill into Mèze, and we arrived at our chambre d'hote a bit damp. We parked our bikes, got settled, and went out to explore the small town as the rain stopped and the skies cleared a bit. It was very windy, however, and this wind would continue the next day.
We had dinner that night in one of the many seafood restaurants around the picturesque harbour.
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Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 912 km (566 miles)
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