Fog Delay!

October 4, 2024

When I wake up in the morning, there's a heavy fog. I can hardly see down the block. I head downstairs to extend my stay by one more night. The receptionist informs me that breakfast is included. I have a Nutella-filled croissant with tea before heading back upstairs. The breakfast room has these 15g packs of Nutella. I pocket two of them. When I leave them in my jersey pockets, they get viscous enough that you don't need a spoon. It's janky, but a top-me-up Nutella is a joy between climbs.

Then I have my second breakfast in bed. This fig sausage is so, so good. I look on mournfully as I demolish (with restraint!) half the remainder, wishing I had purchased more. I picked up a black olive and fig tapenade at Les Halles de Dax yesterday, and it is the very best I've had, toppling the sweet onion and fig jam I tried a few weeks ago. Not pictured, a carton of Alvalle brand gazpacho (the best supermarket gazpacho).

Unfortunately, the hotel's thermal pools are not Finnish/German/Japanese, and I don't have a swimsuit with me, so I decide to take a nap instead.

The fog lightens in the afternoon, and I take the chance to ride over to the Giant store to pump my tires and pick up a new water bottle. On my way back, I go by Complices, a fine dining spot. The blood sausage on the tasting menu makes me rethink my dinner plans. I round back to Les Halles for a late lunch. Most of the vendors are closed, but the Greek place is still open. It's all pay-by-weight, so I get a nice smattering of dishes.

The sun finally burns through the fog! It's sunny but still cool. My ideal cycling weather. The Art Deco building is actually a hotel (Hotel Le Splendid), so I go in to check out their interiors and have a coffee. I've been engrossed with Brendan Jones' Alaskan Laundry blog lately, and this post about the Baranof Warm Springs really sends me into a daydream. I finish my coffee before stepping outside again. The look of this water feature is exquisite.

Off to the store again, where I stand transfixed before this tyranny of choice. Dinner's about to be decadent.

As an aside, I should mention how I first learned about CycleBlaze. When I was at a rest area along the Shimanami Kaido last fall, I spotted two recumbent trikes with Canadian flags poking out the back. I introduced myself to the Bartletts from Salt Spring Island, and we had a little chat. I tried to offload some mikan onto them, and to my amusement, they were trying to offload their own mikan onto me! When we parted ways, they gave me a card with their Instagram and blog. I made a cheeky appearance in their post from that day.

And I've decided. Tomorrow, barring any weather issues, I'll head to Sare. Bayonne/Biarritz is crazy expensive this weekend, and Christophe told me the coastline will be crazy busy, so the inland route it is. I pin a few hotels along the route in Cambo and Espelette in case I want to stop short.

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