After leaving St Emilion yesterday, we found our own way to Liborne (via the Clay tennis courts near Cisco and Billies school. I really wanted to see what a clay court was like, as the tennis that is played at Roland Garros and other clay courts is so different to the tennis on hard or grass courts. I picked up a handful of the red clay, it is so soft, no wonder the game is different).
At Libourne, we found a bakery and had a Ficelle (pronounced fi-celle - not fe-chel-ay as I tried to ask for it as!) and juice for breakfast, then found the Sunday market. Peter looked after the bikes while I went a-shopping. I returned with a big bag of fruit (bananananas, apricots, avocados and a huge bag of cherrys for Carey the cherry monster) and some sliced salami (no idea what is in it, but it tastes yummy!. So, I spent 8 euros in total.
Then I watched the bikes while Peter was sent off to purchase the fromage (cheese). Well, he managed to spend 15,50 euros, and got a very very yummmy hard sheeps milk cheese and a runny home made cheese,that looks like Brie but tastes like rich creamy butter.
All good so far. Then, we stupidly trusted our GPS. About 3/4's an hour later, Peter said, lets stop as the river should be on our left not on our right. Upon inspection of the map and the GPS, although I had asked the GPS to take us to small town called St-Aignan la Riviere, which was in the right direction, across the Dordogne, it knew better, and took us to Vayres, which was totally in the wrong direction. So, we recalibrated and ended up riding through small but uninspiring towns that felt like they were outskirts and suburbs of Bordeaux. Now we know to trust our maps and instincts and definitely not the stupid GPS.
We ended up crossing the Dordogne way up river, at Ports de Cubzac and a long long bridge, which was little scary (for me anyway). The bridge (below) was built in 1879 and managed to survive both world wars. Fortunately, there was a railway bridge downstream, and the A10 motorway bridge upstream (both of them not far), so there was hardly any traffic.
Then came the next problem.... flat tyre for Peter again. He kept pumping it up and pumping it up as we rode.
Stopped for lunch on the side of a field of vines, and had our lunch, which was yummy. Managed to get a multi grain baguette, and the yummy market food.
The rain was on and off all day. We changed from our orange raincoats to our yellow windbreakers and then back in to the orange raincoats, which then stayed on all day. It was cool and wet all day until about 4pm.
70km after we headed off, got in to Blaye, Bourg looked like a cute little town, but we had reserved our room in a B and B in Blaye. I had misconceptions about B and B's being welcoming and friendly (I have two lovely clients who have had BandB's to blame for that). Imagine my annoyance when we rang the doorbell and it was answered by a whiny, wingeing pommy girl, with an accent and voice that was perfectly at home in
EastEnders, she was from East London. She proceeded to tell us our room wasn't ready (it was 4pm) and we had to go and do something else. she wasn't at all pleased that we had bikes, it was like it was the biggest traumatic event in the world. She went and looked at the register and saw that we were in the 'spare room', so told us that although it hadn't been made up yet, we could drop our stuff in there. So we did. It was a small poky room, with stained carpet (no TV to watch the tennis on as promised in the advertisement - but the bed looked okay.
So we put the bikes and our bags away and went in search of a pub to watch the tennis in. No such luck, we found 2 pubs and both of them were watching the horse racing. So after walking the whole length of town (that had lots and lots of insurance agents, 2 separate AXA ones within about 200m of each other), we sat down had a beer and waited for the room to be ready.
When we went back to the room (for Peter to fix his puncture and me to do my Moneyworks work for the week), we found that the light in the toilet didn't work, our room couldn't be locked from the outside, when you are sitting in the room, you can hear every word from reception and get to hear all the plumbing of the rest of the hotel. I tried to get my computer working with their WiFi code, and no luck. Eventually they worked out they had to 'push a button to boost it'. I rolled my eyes when they told me they couldn't fix the door and that the toilet light was permanently broken. I didn't complain - just rolled my eyes figuring c'est la vie, we live and learn. Then just as I had got my WiFi working, they came in and asked me if we wanted an upgrade, as 'one complaint on the internet would be bad for them'
I said yes please, and discovered the the upgrade was because the owner, Les, a South African had returned to the premises. We were upgraded to a lovely double bedroom room, normally 130 Euros a night (well two couples could stay there), but at our price of 60 Euros a night. The whiny women made a big deal out of the fact we were getting it for the same price. And of course, I then spent the next half an hour trying to get the WiFi to work again pronounced wee-fee here, only to find out they had to push the button again.
Puncture fixed, work done, headed out to dinner. Nice enough meal - only one restaurant open. The B and B advertised wine tasting and that they would book tours - but I think Les was distracted as he had just picked up his daughter who he hadn't seen for a while, to stay with him. He recommended a bottle of wine from his stockpile for 15 Euros and we didn't have to pay any corkage for dinner. Fell asleep quickly, very hot room.
Blaye to Pauillac. Blaye (pronounced Bligh) and Pauillac (pronounced PawYak),both in the wine country, are connected by a ferry and a 15km bike ride through beautiful wine country. Got up, had a lovely baguette and jam breakfast, talked (or tried to talk to) 3 French people at our table who were lovely, from the Loire Valley, in Blaye for a wedding. We talked with sign language and little wee bits of french and english, about riding bikes, Tour de France and Rugby.
Headed over and wandered around the huge well preserved historic citadel in the middle of Blaye, fascinating. Got ourselves ready to get on the 11am ferry.
Peter waited for the ferry (one arrived) while I wandered down to the Tourist Office to see if they had any more information. DISASTER - the next ferry left at 3pm not 11am. We NOW know that Samedi is Saturday, Dimanche is Sunday and Semaine is week. The ferry only goes at 11am on Saturday and Sunday. Rats.... So had to change plans and went on an unplanned cycle up the local 13km bike path to an ordinary little town named Etauliers. Had lunch, turned around came back and caught the ruddy 3pm ferry.
3 other cyclists there, none of them said anything to us, Peter will normally walk over to other cyclists in NZ or anywhere and talk to them, he didn't this time. The river was wide and is a major shipping area. The tanker below left the wharf behind us at Blaye and headed off on it's voyage. This is the third photo I took, I had to take that many to get the whole thing in the picture, it was so close. See the turbulence from our engines while we were holding at the wharf, and the muddiness of the tide. Very big tides.
Finally on the other side of the river. Beautiful roads, beautiful grapes and well tended vines, beautiful chateaux. Will go on a wine ride today and get some more photos.
Tourist office in Pauillac. We had read and been told that the tourist office will book your accommodation. Not for us! When we went back later we saw a sign saying they will book it for 3,90 euros fee. But the woman who served us looked down her nose at us because our budget was 60 - 75 euros, and said 'we only have three places in your price range', then when I asked, refused to help us book them, just sent us out to do it. B and B full up. I had already emailed two BnB's that had no vacancies. So we ended up in this very ordinary hotel. very hot room again, no WiFi in the room, so I am writing this and will cut and paste it into the Blog when I go down to reception where I can get Wifi. At least there is a bed and a shower that works! 75Euros a night for two nights.
So, we made a decision that we need to book our accommodation a couple of weeks ahead (we are particularly concerned about weekends, and the fact the we are getting more and more into the peak season). Went back town to the Tourist Centre, got some more brochures, a different lady who was really helpful and actually went and got us the best brochure we have yet on pistes cyclables (bike trails) - all off her own bat. Lots of lovely things to buy (but no way to carry them!!!)
Walked around Pauillac until about 7.30. Found the amazing huge 18th Century church, more modern than anything we have seen yet,huge, with a model ship hanging in it (no idea why!!).
It was a Monday so (like Sundays) no where was open - it will be exciting to have a day when shops are open and not just boarded up! Came back to the hotel and spent a good 1 1/2 hours mapping out our trip in more detail, so that I can go online this morning and try and book accommodation for the rest of June. We will wait and see what we want to do in the first two weeks of July, we may want to crash at a Villa somewhere!
Quick dinner, pizza for me (that wasn't that nice), steak for Peter, apparently awesome, local St Estephe red wine, very tanniny to start with, but quite nice and yummy desserts yet again.
Weather forecast for next 3 days is yucky, highs of 17 degrees Celsius, rain and thunderstorms. Today is cool outside (but it is so hot in our room it's nice to have the window open right now) and raining. Will go online and check the weather forecast when can get reception.
Love to you all. Carey and Peter
Ha Ha. And so much for all of that! I got up and managed to book accommodation for 4 days more, waiting to hear back on 2nights. Rushed off to get to a wine tour/tasting at 10.30. Got to the place and it was the wrong name.So rode around in circles before realising it was the right place, just with a different name. By then we were too late< so we decided to ridedown to Chateaux Pichon-Longueville< which is the Chateaux that AXA owns to book in to their 2PM TASTING, SO WE DIDNT MISS OUT. cRUISING along nicely when a car in front of me slammed on its brakes. So I slammed mine on and the worked really well. I went over the front handlebars, my bike came down on top of me. The bike is fine, I'm not. My left arm is in severe pain, and I am sitting here, typing with one arm waiting for Peter. God only knows what he is doing, he was only putting the bikes away> I've phoned the insurance company and they are only in the office from 8 till 5 and it iscurrently 9.41pm there. Sigh, will have to phone them tomorrow.
Well spent all dayat the hospital in Lasparre, 20km from here. Got to read our books! I have a hairline fracture in my elbow, arm. Fortunately no surgery required or cast for now. I have my arm in a sling, lots of painkillers, voltaren, antiinflammatories. Have to have it in the sling for 8 days, then they werent too keen on me riding after that. Have to go to a specialist when I get back to NZ and try and find a physio for 're-education' of my arm and to check it with X-Rays.
Peter is talking to the insurance company right now, weant to talk to an english speaking doctor and find out wahat the say about getting back on the bike. We dont want to come home, and are thinking we will get a reantal car for 10 -4 days (isnt my 1handed typing good!), and go down to Biarritz and the Pyrenees, where we want to ride in the future when we are fitter (our fitness was getting really ood, strong muscly legs - will have to start all over again.) Thing is we want the insurance company to pay for the rental car, dont know if the will....
Will add the photos now and post this, will ring Mum tonight with any updates.
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