Day 8 -- Dinner in Avignon

The guys enjoyed a nice dinner and sent along this photo. Tomorrow on to Bollene.... or farther, depending on the roads and bikes.

Lynne

Photos from Day 8 --- Trip to Avignon and Day 9: Rest Day in Avignon

Dave sent some great photos on his I Phone. I send them on so you can see the scenery along the way to Avignon.


View of Les Baux
View along the roads


Greg and Dave in Les Baux. note form Dave: In back you can see the valley I rode up with my rear brake dragging. I thought I was just having a bad morning until I discovered the stuck brake



Greg arrives in Wine Heaven!!!


A happy Grandpa telling his Granddaughter Monica Happy 4th Birthday!

Day 9 -- Saturday is rest day in Avignon -- a quaint university town with lots of history and plazas to sit and enjoy a glass of wine and relax. Greg and Jim went wine tasting, Dave relaxed with a new book. Joe is planning the next legs of the trip and it sounds like they will ride through Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Orange. They hope to get in more than 40 miles on Sunday.

Lynne

Day 8 -- Fontvieville to Avignon

(This was their ride for Friday, May 28th ... the post will say Saturday, because the blog is based on Amsterdam time)

Our bikers had a mostly uneventful and pleasant ride to Avignon, about a 30-mile day. Dave was really feeling worn out and having to work very hard to climb the hills --- this greatly improved when he discovered that his brake had been on most of the morning. The afternoon ride was more pleasant. The guys road through the hilltop town of Les Baux de Provence - Office de Tourisme, site officiel and passed several other small towns before arriving in Avignon. They will spend two nights in Avignon and have a chance to explore the city and the surrounding area before the next leg of their trip. The tourist office was able to locate rooms and the important four beds for the night… and they sounded like happy campers (bikers). Dave tried to send some photos, but they did not come through, so stay posted for photos of today’s ride.

Avignon France

Lynne

Day 7 -- Aigues Mortes to Fontvieille .. "The Best Biking Day Yet"

Thursday, May 27th

A great day for the fearless bikers -- no flats, no mechanical failures, no falls, no one got lost, and the wind was at their backs. The guys went 20 miles before stopping for breakfast in St. Gilles. They biked though the Camargue and even saw some of the famous Camargue white horses.

It was market day in Arles when they arrived for lunch. In Arles they did some site seeing and explored the Roman Place du Forum and the Arena. Joe wandered into the market and did some exploring before they found their way through Arles and went on to Fontvieille, a delightful village town north of Arles.

They took the back way to Fontvieille and passed by Roman Aqueducts and a large windmill on the hillside. It took a little doing in Fontvieille to locate a room for the night… the challenge is finding 4 beds in two rooms for four big guys that do not want to share a bed. Dave says next time he is only going to bike with women… it is easier to find a room!!

Everyone is healthy, Greg’s scrapes are healing and they are looking forward to Avignon where they will spend two nights. Oh yes, today was laundry day.

I include some photos day sent from his IPhone.

Bike Paths in the Camargue

Gite in Servian 5/25
Joe's room at the Gite in Servian 5/25



Greg and Jim in Aigues Mortes 5/26


Jim at the Roman Aqueduct along the way to Fontvieille 5/27


Lynne

Day 6 -- Servian to Aigues Mortes

The bikers spent Wednesday biking though the French countryside to Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue. This is a beautiful river delta ( FLAT) area of France that is rich with natural beauty -- both flora and fauna. The Camargue is know for large flocks of flamingos... maybe the guys will even see some as they head tomorrow towards Arles. Wifi was not cooperating today and Dave sent his message by way of Greg's Blackberry.
Here are some links for maps and photos.

Aigues-Mortes
France

Aigues Mortes in the heart of the Camargue

Lynne

Day 5 - Narbonne to Servian

Dave called this morning with a brief report on Day 5. The weather continues to be in their favor, but the roads are not always as well marked ... or as Dave said well read.... as one might hope. This slows their progress, but hopefully adventure is in the ride, not the destination. There were no mechanical failures today --- no flat tires. They had lunch in a tiny town... no one was remembering the name, but it was an excellent lunch. They planned to have bread and cheese for lunch, but instead enjoyed a lovely meal. Dave said his lunch came to 13 E, which is not bad for an excellent French meal.

It is Tuesday night in France and they rolled into Serivan and located a Gite to spend the night. Gites are the French version of a Bed and Breakfast and are usually charming places in rural areas of France. Gites are always an adventure and you meet some interesting people.

Here is a link to Gites de France --- It is a map.
http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites/search_using_a_map

Rural gîtes / Search using a map

You can type in Servian and it will take you to a green marker, click on that marker and it lists 4 Gites. I am not sure which they picked, but it must be in town since Dave hopes to find internet and call on Skype before heading to bed.

Lynne

Day 4 -- Onwards from Narbonne

The bikers headed out today away from the French coastline. There was the challenge of several flat tires on Day 4, which slowed the pace. The weather continues to be quite pleasant and warm.
Day 5- The route today is headed towards Montagnac.... I talked with Dave just as he was going to bed - Monday night his time, and assume all went well today and I will post when I have more to share.
Here are links with maps and photos of their route.

Narbonne France

Montagnac
France

Lynne