Day 2 - Not Getting Lost and Eating Bull in Arles

It was our first day of cycling and there is only one word to describe it… rainyatfirstandthenlotsofpedaling.  It was great!

Started off not so great when we woke up and looked outside—rain. Not pouring rain, but enough to, ah…dampen our spirits just a bit. And then...it started raining...inside. Water from the room above us started dripping onto the bed…slowly at first, then picked up a bit (about the same as outside). And then parts of the ceiling came down. All we could do (after moving what we had on the bed) was laugh.

We then met rest of the group for breakfast.  Lyn is our coordinator/guide and we had met him briefly yesterday afternoon. There is also another couple—Mitch and Hanna—and John, who is doing the trip solo.  They all seem like great people and will be nice to get to know them.

By 11:00 am the bikes were ready, the rain had stopped, and we were on our way.  Because of the time it took to get the bikes ready, panniers loaded, etc. each group took off on their own.

Early on we discovered the most difficult part of the ride was not actually cycling for 40 kilometers, but reading the directions to get to the end of the route. It’s like following a complicated recipe if you don’t cook…you read three lines, but by the time you finished the first you’ve forgotten the next two (Damon's perfect analogy).

We caught up with Mitch and Hanna as Hanna unfortunately had the first flat tire of the group. They did, however, get to witness the escorting of a bull through the middle of a small town...the bull was surrounded by horses, and the towns people were signaling them to stay back.  Almost would have been worth fixing a flat if it would have put us on a different schedule to have caught that in person....oh well, my flat will come soon enough.

For lunch we stopped in Beaucaire.  The restaurant was across the street from the canal which runs through the center of town...it was wonderfully non-touristy. As we pulled up to our randomly chosen restaurant, we saw another Blue Marble looking bike--it was Lyn at the restaurant where were headed. He hadn't ordered yet, so we joined him for lunch.

Even with Lyn's translations skills--he was good enough to go though the menus for us as he did most of the rest of the week--I still ended up with a plate of whole shrimps (versus the 'prepared' headless variety). It was all delicious.

Somehow we made it to Arles by about 5:00 pm.  The city is heavy on ancient Roman ruins and scenes painted by Van Gogh.  Amazingly, the they have not tried to capitalize on this at all…just kidding.

The day wrapped up with dinner and a great local restaurant.  The food was terrific. The local wines were great. A few of us decided to brave the Taureau “bull meat”…funny, tastes just like chicken (of course not...it actually tasted like a tender pot roast). We finished with some excellent deserts...I had Mousse de Chocolat, and Damon had Mouse de Coconut (whatever that is in French).

Tomorrow’s ride is described as challenging (yes, it was underlined like this in the day’s description). Sounds like 60-70 k of hills, castles, fresh fruit orchards, and an occasional bug in the mouth (sorry).

Day 2 Stats:

• Ride Sheet - Nimes to Arles (42 - 74 k)
• Actual ride - 45 k
• Lunch - Beaucaire
• Remember - Goats, (Hanna/Mitch - Bull escorted through town and flat tire), Van Gogh Cafe

Comments

[Nathan]

Oh no! A rough start to say the least!!!

I hope it dries up, but fresh fruit in France is better than a rainy commute to work, no? :)

[Stan]

You're typing all this from home while watching the travel channel, correct?

[Wil]

D&S,
Riding along with you from the comfort of my office chair. What about the monkey-can you were going to wear on your helmet?

Have fun...

Wil

[William]

Look at you murdering French and having a fun time! Very jealous -- Nimes and Arles are quite beautiful. Enjoy it! Eat lots of good cheese, bread and drink lots of wine.

[Steven]

Thanks for the comments! Yes, a wet day in the Provence beats the commute any day. The monkey-cam didn't work(he didn't have all of his shots). As for murdering French, I'm assuming you mean the language not the people? The cheat-sheet ink has almost worn off my palm (bon-zhur, bon-swa, mare-see, etc.... :-) and I know I (figuratively) butchered (the word) bull.

[Sue Gomlick]

So jealous, would take your places in a heart beat. Rain, hills and ceiling pieces on the bed. All of it!!!! Ride your little hearts out and eat up, drink up and be adventurous. We are looking forward to seeing the photos and hearing all the stories first hand.

Ciao belli