Day 226. 44km (82306kms 7yrs)
The days are getting short. It was still dark beneath the trees at 07:00 as I tucked into an almond croissant with my coffee. But I was eager to get going with the attractive sounding town of Arles to explore.
On the way I passed the imposing abbey of Montmajor where I read the first of many references to locations of Van Gogh’s painting. Once in town I rode happily around in circles checking off the locations of some of his most famous Arles streetscapes. On top of that, a Roman theatre, amphitheatre, and a cathedral initially closed for the funeral of someone presumably quite important. Eavesdropping on tour guides as I ate French pastries in the sunny plaza, I felt a deep content.
Mid afternoon it was time to make my way to Nîmes where I had another host expecting me. For now the road remains utterly flat. I chose country lanes past corn fields and a horse riding school, all very scenic, an easy 30km from Arles.
Until now I’ve spoken mostly English with my hosts, but in Nîmes my host Yves very patiently suffered my abysmal French. He prepared a local speciality – Brandade de Morue – a bake of poached salted cod and mashed potatoes, with a lovely white wine, followed by cheese. Really, does bike touring get any better than this?!
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2 Comments
Beautiful Place
As you head north your days will not only be shorter, but your nights will be definitely cooler. Our low yesterday morning was 5°. Today it was 11°, but the remainder of the week is expected to be between 5° and 7° in the early morning. I hope you have a suitable sleeping bag for that. — The sights you're sharing are amazing.