The reasons I love France

Week two has been a week of dreams and made me love France more than ever. I have travelled from Nantes to Amelie sur Mur which could be roughly translated as Emily is at the sea...which is true and makes me like it here even more.

So, the reasons I love France:

Cycling

This section of the Velodyssey has taken me past seafronts, through forests, beside canals, across rivers, into impressive cities and pretty towns and along pretty, quiet, flower filled roads. Dreamy. I'm aching less and there has been no rain, just glorious sunshine all the way. And hardly any gravel! 

Here are a few sights I have seen...

Arriving in Pornic

Muddy coast line 

Cycle tourers galore

These are huge. Spot my bike.

Cycle paths galore through forests. If you're quick you catch glimpses of the sea on your right every few minutes.

Lighthouse at St Gilles de Croix

La Rochelle

A church in Rochefort

A river between Rochefort and Marennes

A glimpse of the sea from one of the forest trails

The lighthouse at Point de la Coubre

Marshes approaching Marrenes

Food

As well as my 'rice surprise' cooked up on my trangia most nights (a rice dish renamed by my brother meaning rice with something) I have enjoyed a few meals out. 

The Menu de terroir in Brittany. Crepe with cheese, egg and ham. And a mug of cider to accompany it.

Very good fish at L'Auberge des Rochelets - St Brevin les Pins

Moules frites for lunch en route one day- this is all the rage on the coast since Nantes. 

Whole fish in La Rochelle outside in the sun

People

This week has been much more friendly than last and has recharged my extroverted batteries sufficiently for me to survive a few more days alone!

Not strictly French but I met him in France, my favourite cycling buddy so far has been Janes who is on a big cycling tour from Dublin back to Hungary via France- in only 3 weeks!  Anyway our cycling speed was equalised by his ridiculously overpacked bike so we had two super fun days cycling together before he took a different direction to me and headed towards Bordeaux. We were a good partnership; I waited for him and donated sweets to keep the spirits up while he fixed his punctures (3 in two days!). In return he was patient when I was feeling exhausted and cycling slowly and at the end of each day.

I learned my lesson in how to pack lightly on a cycle tour last year when I was determined to carry five books with me for the duration. I learned my lesson and now Janes has learned his.

Here we are.

We cycled through some real typical French scenes together. I enjoyed the sunflower fields a lot.

I also left Le Velodyssey briefly and stayed at LPO (Spring Harvest Holidays) for a night due to various connections through friends. It was full of the friendliest people I have ever met!  I was well looked after by lots of people I'd never met before. They fed me, checked my bike and stocked up my food supplies for the journey. Lucky me. 

Beaches

Beach after beach! Some wild, some pretty, some huge, some packed...and some just mine! I am swimming at least once every day, making sure that swimming stuff is packed near the top of the Ortleibs for easy access. 

Wild - just after St Gilles de Croix 

Pretty - St Brevin L'Ocean

Huge - Point Espagnole

Packed 

Just mine - St Hillaire-de-Riez

French!

A welcome surprise on this trip is that I'm enjoying learning French! In fact I am so desperate for friends that I have no option. I have got over my getting-a-foreign-language-wrong-fear (most of the time) and am making sure that everyone I meet teaches me a new word or phrase. GCSE French is proving quite useful for the basics, plus I have two willing teachers back home who are helping out via text and email (thanks Alice and Sara!). 

This week I will get to Biarritz and will have a few days of beach time too. Can't wait. 

Distance so far: 990km

Route so far: