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Published: April 7th 2008
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Tuesday 18 March - Troyes to Landres 138 km Very cold, but bright day. Quite flat in the morning but some long hard hills in the afternoon. We had a very nice lunch in a hall at Montigny-sur-Aube. I was interviewed for the local Burgundy radio station.
Landres is an old walled city - I took a photo of the entrance gate - up a very steep hill. We parked our bikes in the main square and went to the Town Hall for a reception. Then we cycled the short distance to the accommodation - an ex-Youth Hostel now the Residence des Jeunes Ouvriers (the Young Workers’ Hostel). The showers were very weird indeed - the lights were controlled by closing the doors, but at unpredictable moments they went off and you were left showering in the dark. Sometimes the light would go on again if you kicked the door, but more often not!
Dinner was at the hotel across the square - quite nice except it was pasta and pork, so I had pasta and some of my cheese. The square is the Place Belair - there used to be windmills there just outside the city walls,
and there is a gate called the Porte du Moulin.
Wednesday 19 March - Landres to Vesoul, 95 km.
Departure was from the Place Belair. Very cold again, but quite nice weather except a heavy snow shower in the morning. A good day cycling, no bad hills and I was less tired than yesterday. Stayed at the Formule 1 Hotel, cheap and cheerful and very efficient, only 2 to a room but of course the showers and loos are in the corridor. Dinner at the Ibis Hotel next door, where half the party are staying. Pasta and cheese (theirs) again, only yoghurt for pud but there was a bowl of fruit so I grabbed an orange for breakfast. I bought a WiFi card and managed to clear my Email before dinner.
Thursday 20 March - Vesoul to Mulhouse, 130 km Very cold and a thick frost everywhere. A group of local cyclists guided us out on a good cycle track on a disused railway. The surface was very good - better than most such cycle tracks in England - but there was some ice on a couple of small bridges. We had a little light snow in the morning,
it was very cold especially for the hands and feet.
One of the local cyclists rode with me in the morning and told me about the region - we were only 20 km fromSwitzerland and could see the Jura mountains. Alsace is very prosperous because of its wine, agriculture and a lot of industry as it is just over the border from Germany. The local villages had interesting houses with big overhanging roofs to form work spaces underneath. Further on there were very large houses with exposed beams, painted in bright colours.
We had a nice picnic lunch in a hall in Belfort and a quick address from the Mayor. We left in a heavy sleet storm but it soon cleared. Took some pictures of the famous Lion of Belfort on the way out (it’s not very pretty but the fortress looks interesting). In the afternoon Jean-Pierre had a nasty fall but did not have any serious injuries although he broke the extension on his bike handlebars.
At tonight’s (inevitable) reception we had Mulhouse wine which is not an official wine of Alsace as the vineyards are quite recent. It’s nice wine. Mulhouse also has a very
nice new tram system that has only been open a year. In Mulhouse we are staying in a nice purpose-built Youth Hostel, I am in a two-person room sharing with Francoise (I shared with her last night too) with its own shower. Enough room to spread the baggage out a bit and sort things out. A rather poor dinner - spaghetti Bolognese followed by yoghurt - but I had a word with the staff and they made me a nice big salad. Some people were jealous as we are generally rather short of vegetables.
Friday 21 March - Mulhouse to Freiburg, 82 km In the morning we had a police escort out of Mulhouse. It was raining hard and we set out in full waterproof gear. My new Sealskins socks behaved well and my feet were quite dry, though very cold. My new Madison waterproof gloves had their first real test and did well too. The rain diminished but there were very strong winds and I got blown about a bit. Some of the men in the group are very understanding and ride beside me to shelter me - they are heavier than me!
We crossed the border into Germany at Chambery - no-one appeared even to think about passports - and took a few photos. The weather seemed better in Germany, and we cycled mostly on good cycle paths. Once we reached Freiburg it seemed to take ages to get through the town and find the Youth Hostel, but we got there in time for a proper hot lunch and they even did a vegetarian alternative! Beer available at reception and a coffee machine in the basement lounge. Everything you could want except a washing machine. Five of us are sharing a room with its own shower and loo, with a cupboard for everyone, so it’s pretty good. Afternoon off - apparently there was a reception, but I missed it. Dinner was early - 5.45 pm - and there were huge queues, the hostel is full because it’s Easter weekend. Very good dinner, vegetables AND salad.
Saturday 22 March - Freiburg to Donauschingen, 62 km
Up early to help pack lunch bags. Good breakfast - we are in Germany now! - fruit and muesli and yoghurt and proper brown bread. Very cold, but dry, when we set off. We did not take the planned route because it was blocked by snow; the roads we took had been ploughed and salted. Everywhere people were shoveling snow off their paths, the rain we had yesterday obviously fell as snow here. Very beautiful cycling through the Black Forest all covered in snow. Some long climbs, but good roads.
We stopped at a nice bakery in a village and had hot drinks and cakes. Arrived quite early at Donauschingen where we are lodged in a rehabilitation clinic. Ate our picnics in the dining room and got cups of coffee too. I have - oh joy! A room to myself, so was able to sort out my luggage, do some washing and write up my diary. Oh dear, there was a reception in the afternoon but I didn’t see the notice and missed it.
At 6 pm there were “stretches in the pool” for groups of not more than 50 … five of us turned up in our bathing costumes and did them, then we played ball in the pool for half an hour and had a sauna. Finished just in time for dinner.
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