Success!

Setting out from Carcassonne (above), my third day of riding was my longest (5th day since leaving Toulouse).  I covered 80km and was on the road for 10 hours.  By the time I reached my destination, Capestang, I was the quintessential "weary traveler" and my warm inn room with a shower and a bed felt like the height of luxury. 


But, fatigue aside, it was a great day with frequent stops.  I'd refer to my guide book to learn what I was seeing (my comprehension of written French isn't bad now).  To summarize, everything is OLD-- from the Middle Ages, the 9th, 10th, 11th centuries.  From before France was even inhabited by the Francs, the time of the Visigoths and the Romans. With buildings that old, things built a couple hundred years ago are considered modern: one bridge built in 1844 was called Le Pont Neuf-- "The New Bridge."  Here are some photos:

Every village, even the tiny ones, had a monument to those that died in World War I, 1914-1918... Riding through the narrow streets is a French history lesson: every village has a Rue 14 juillet (Independence Day), Rue 11 novembre (Armistice Day: end of WWI), Rue de la Resistance (WWII).  Also Rue Voltaire and Rue Victor Hugo.

And then there was the beautiful countryside-- more and more vineyards and olive trees.  Every mile there were signs for Wine cellars offering tastings and direct sale; they obviously depend on the tourist season.  I saw other bikers along the canal, locals walking their dogs, and families cruising in their boats, but thankfully I avoided the rush of summer.

It got sunnier as I approached the coast!  Even the town names took on a warmer feel (like Paraza).  I rode all day the 6th day, until the canal met its end near this lighthouse:

But I still had 33 km to go before reaching Sete, my final destination.  I got directions from a long-bearded hippie and set off down a stretch that reminded me of Cape Cod: a single road on a skinny strip of land. I saw flamingos!..  Once in the seaport town, I searched for the hostel I planned to stay in.  It ended up being on top of a ridiculous hill; pushing my bike and bags up there was the last thing my body wanted to do (so steep I was almost scared to ride down), but it was worth the effort.  This hostel put the ones I've stayed in in NYC and D.C. to shame.  Or maybe I was just happy to throw my stuff down ANYwhere. That night I ate a three course dinner of mussles, oysters, snails + fish and coquillage pastry covered in a delicious sauce that was probably straight butter and cream + pear sorbet.  Delectable. 

Me and my first view of the Mediterranean!:

So, I'm now back in Toulouse after taking the train from Sete.  What took me 4 days of biking (+2 of sight-seeing) took only 2 hours on the train.  It was rather sad not to wake up with a sunny ride and a destination ahead of me, but at the same time, the familiarity of Toulouse is comforting.  It was a week well-spent; I'm thankful for nothing stolen, no flat tires, no catastrophes.  Prayers answered.  My bike and body served me well and it's exciting to know that there are countless courtyards, valleys, and villages still to be discovered.

Le Canal Du Midi

I'm half-way through my bikeride to the Mediterranean!  My first day's ride was wonderful-- through fields, past châteaus, along the tree-lined canal.  In summer, the fields are full of lavender and sunflowers, but now they are being plowed for winter. I veered off the trail every time a distant cluster of stone buildings caught my eye, which was often-- there are countless hilltop villages, each with quaint, rural charm.  The steeples of the gothic churches, at the highest point in each village, were visible for miles.  So I took my time and putted around these villages before arriving in Castelnaudary...

 My first night was spent at the étrier du Lauragais-- a horseback riding establishment where I slept in a room above the stables.  I counted 15+ horses and 20 ponies!  I ate "cassoulet," a famous French dish that originated in Castelnaudary and is the town's main claim to fame.  It's a hot casserole of beans, sausage, duck, pork, pepper-- very hearty. 

A second day of riding brought me through more countryside, with vineyards replacing the plowed fields.  Entering wine country! And I can see the Pyrenees to the south!  I arrived in Carcassonne, a Medieval fortified city-- straight out of a fairytale. It's also my first couchsurfing experience!  I'm staying at a middle-aged guy's house with two Polish girls my age (other couchsurfers that are hitch-hiking around France!); not only is the couch free, but Philippe is feeding us great meals! With wine, of course.

The weather: incredible wind.  It nearly pushes my bike off the road at times, which explains why windmills dot the horizon.  But it's not raining, so I'm not complaining.  The riding is easy: since it's a canal, it is relatively flat, but the weight of my bags makes even the slightest incline a little strenuous.  After the first day, my legs were tired, but not nearly exhausted.  It was my butt that was really screaming to get off the bike.

I'll leave Carcassonne tomorrow morning and head southeast-- two more days of riding should get me to the Mediterranean!  With lots to see along the way!

A Happy Friday

On Friday evenings, I tutor a 12-year-old girl in her high-class, downtown home.  Today, we took a stroll around the center of the city, on the cobblestone streets, looking at the beautiful stores.  She bought me a crépe-to-go; it was simply delicious.  By the time we made it back to her Brownstone, our 45 minute lesson was up-- and I get paid for this!!

Les Vacances!

I've added photos of the market to my last blog, so check them out!

My first week in France was spent with a wonderful, very French couple- Françoise and Lucien.  They took me to the country twice, once for my birthday.  Copy and paste the link to see a video about the trip! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KPXY8-A2M8

I've worked maybe a total of 24 hours, but it's vacation already!  That's France for you.  I get 10 days off and I'm going to spend them riding my bike to the Mediterranean!  The Canal du Midi runs from Toulouse to the sea, a distance of ~ 150 miles, and a bike path runs parallel to it the whole way .  It takes at least 3 days but I'm going to stretch it out into 6 or 7, stopping in the small villages along the way.  I'm praying for good weather and no flat tires.  So I won't blog while I'm on the road, but I'll have lots to share when I get back!

Au revoir!

Bienvenue!

Welcome to my blog!  I've been in France for 3 weeks and a day and I've already experienced a host of blog-worthy things, but I'll catch you up on those as we go along.  For now it'll suffice to say that France is wonderful so far!


I've never liked the idea of blogging because I thought it was presumptuous to assume people wanted to read the mundane details of your life (as if you have nothing better to do!)... But with all my lovely relatives and friends asking how I'm doing, I decided that, if I'm ever going to bite the bullet and blog, now's the time.  I'll leave out the mundane details and throw in some French culture tidbits so that maybe you'll learn something. I'd send a hand-written letter to each and every one of you if there was enough time in the day, but there's not, so thanks for reading.


Last week I went to the market in the Capitol square-- there are weekly and daily open-air markets in every city and small town in France:  stands full of fresh fruits and veggies, big circles of natural cheese, whole ducks, all varieties of fresh-baked bread and pastries.  Don't go hungry or you'll be dying to buy everything.  I hauled my purchases back to my apartment on the metro in two bags I had brought from the U.S.  One of them said Wal-mart in huge letters on the side, which I didn't notice until someone commented that I must be an American.  So much for blending in!


Today was a different shopping experience-- my first time in a French supermarché.  The brands and specialties make even grocery shopping a cultural experience.  The French cheese and wine image, for example, is no myth.  The wine section was far more extensive than in your usual Market Basket or HEB, as was the cheese aisle.  It was overwhelming- which cheese to buy?  I had to tell myself that it wasn't a million dollar question and I could try a different one each time I came.  I grabbed one, only to discover at dinner that it was regular cream cheese (not the exotic choice I was going for, but still good).  


French Culture Tidbit of the Day:  They've solved the stray-cart-in-the-parking-lot problem.  The carts are locked together in the coral and you must insert 1€ to get one.  When you return it, you get your euro back!


In other news, I can't figure out how to turn the heat on in my apartment and I'm freezing my ass off.