Al Stewart's song has morphed recently into Year of the Flat due to my tire issues. I still haven't gotten "tired" of singing it yet! Bordeaux is the 9th largest French city but has a good feel to it. It was so good to have a place to stay and Laurent gets extra points for taking me in at the last moment. He only signed up for warm showers and I am the first cyclist to stay with him. He says he got inspired to cycle by watching the movie 127 hours-first time I've heard that! :)
I get my bike checked out and the mechanic shows me I've got stuff still in my tyre. Need to clean on every flat, lesson learned! I walk around Bordeaux for a bit admiring all the beautiful buildings and the Cathedral then settle down at a cafe for an expresso. I know the bike route from Bordeaux to Toulouse is well known and find lots of info on it. Now if I can just stay on the path!
I find a bookstore and to my delight, a copy of Lonely Planet (in English) in the bookstore! I lost my original about 2 days into my trip. :( lonely planet 2, I will protect you. I'm getting more attuned to the French here and am more able to clearly express myself. The key is the vowels.
I read some of the Hobbit at the local McDonalds and then make my way back to Laurents. I use the McDonalds for their wifi rather than the ambience. He's finished another week at the printers and to celebrate, helps me patch tubes and takes metal and glass out of my tire. Hopefully, my flat problems will be reduced. He helps me with a route down to Toulouse via the voie vert. I've got a spot lined up in Agen if I can do the 134 kms. That distance shouldn't be a problem, me getting lost could be. Just got to keep that river on my right.
Forgot to mention I did my good deed for the day. Saw a guy walk by at the cathedral and drop paper on the ground. I thought he was littering but looked more closely at the paper rolling in the wind-it was a 5 Euro- my daily food budget! :) I picked it up and brought it over to him at the newspaper stand and he was happy to see it because he was puzzled to find it no longer in his pockets. See, the homeless cyclist can serve a useful purpose!
I get my bike checked out and the mechanic shows me I've got stuff still in my tyre. Need to clean on every flat, lesson learned! I walk around Bordeaux for a bit admiring all the beautiful buildings and the Cathedral then settle down at a cafe for an expresso. I know the bike route from Bordeaux to Toulouse is well known and find lots of info on it. Now if I can just stay on the path!
I find a bookstore and to my delight, a copy of Lonely Planet (in English) in the bookstore! I lost my original about 2 days into my trip. :( lonely planet 2, I will protect you. I'm getting more attuned to the French here and am more able to clearly express myself. The key is the vowels.
I read some of the Hobbit at the local McDonalds and then make my way back to Laurents. I use the McDonalds for their wifi rather than the ambience. He's finished another week at the printers and to celebrate, helps me patch tubes and takes metal and glass out of my tire. Hopefully, my flat problems will be reduced. He helps me with a route down to Toulouse via the voie vert. I've got a spot lined up in Agen if I can do the 134 kms. That distance shouldn't be a problem, me getting lost could be. Just got to keep that river on my right.
Forgot to mention I did my good deed for the day. Saw a guy walk by at the cathedral and drop paper on the ground. I thought he was littering but looked more closely at the paper rolling in the wind-it was a 5 Euro- my daily food budget! :) I picked it up and brought it over to him at the newspaper stand and he was happy to see it because he was puzzled to find it no longer in his pockets. See, the homeless cyclist can serve a useful purpose!