Author: sanborn

More gorgeous riding… Yesterday we rode down to the bridge built by Mr. Eiffel and then up and around and eventually through a town on the San Juan Campostela route.

The bridge looks just like the Eiffel Tower but sideways.

Down below we saw that the Tour de France had passed through this year!

Then up some very steep roads onto a plateau of farm country.

For lunch we stopped at a tiny hotel-restaurant in a village that had been burned to the ground by the Germans.

For our afternoon ice creams, we took some time to visit Saugues, a major stop for pilgrims making their way down France to San Juan Campostela. The place was packed with hikers. The road had small plaques in it.

There was the “English Tower” and a church with an unusual design where we listened to a man practicing the organ. Quite delightful!

Today we rode to the town of Saint Flour (PS. Great internet here!). We headed out early, rode down to the town of Brezons, and then climbed out into a wide plateau full of cattle.

Notice how old this house is: 1888. And this one, attached to our chateau hotel is 1802!

[At the Paiherols village in the Occitaine region of France]

Yesterday was a rest day, which I welcomed. I think I herniated a disk the day before I left the US, so my right leg is weak and hurts. Bummer… But I can still cycle and sleep is okay. It’s sitting that’s hard…

Got up early and wandered. Saw lots of Salers breed of cows and empty countryside.

The village is tiny but has a lovely church.

This is volcano country:

Nonetheless, I went for a scenic sunny hike up towards the Bane volcano (“Puy de Bane”), but it was too sun exposed so instead I did the 10km trail made to show off the fence sculptures made to celebrate the local shepherds.

Check these out:

Here’s the volcano:

[The internet in these wonderful chateau hotels is terrible, so it’s very hard to get photos up… I’ll keep trying though!]

This walled village, called a “bastide,“is truly up on the sky. Cobbles, wood-beamed exteriors, narrow alleys. I had a day before the trip to wander, and my friend Ron and I came here over small very twisty roads.

More wooden buildings…

Some details…

I’m in France. Yes, another bike trip. This time in the Massif Centrale, staying in Toulouse. I’m 3 hours north of there tonight, in the village of Paiherols.

So different from Italy. Slate roofs, square block houses, sweet cappuccinos, very stylish waitpersons! Took a couple days to adjust from the terracotta and casual enthusiasm of Italy, but now I’m enjoying it thoroughly.

We ride through farmlands with blond cattle and rolling hills. Lots of excellent cheeses…I’m trying to taste them all.

Restored convent and chateaux as hotels.

Steak and pomme frites for lunch, with a glass of red wine of course. Late dinners: night before last we didn’t leave the restaurant until 11:15pm. Yikes. Last night was a prompt 9:45pm.

Churches and crosses along the roadsides. Sometimes the churches look like fortresses, sometimes very simple Romanesque. Brick and stone for the walls and buttresses.

Here are the shots from my first couple days riding…

While I was in Leicester England for a few days, I visited Lincoln with my friend Lynne. Great huge cathedral, old cobbled streets, medieval buildings. We had lunch at a fabulous cheese shop too.

Here are the cheeses of England:

The walk up to the cathedral was very steep.

Old houses in the Tudor style.

Lynne and I went into the cathedral. It’s very large and airy.

As we walked around, we passed a small museum, with this simple gold plate.

There a large wooden door to the outside with a sign I quite liked.

Then there was a word painting of the church facade. Expand it to see how the artist used the word “prayer” to fashion the building.

While we were there, the angle of the sun on the windows made for some unexpected shots of colored pavement. Aren’t they wonderful?

As we made our way down into town for lunch, I caught a glimpse of the cathedral towers through the trees.

Now when I read British history, I notice when Lincoln is mentioned. And is mentioned a lot. This was a very important town throughout the Middle Ages.

Stopped in London on my way to California. Went for a run along the Thames as usual. Here are a couple shots.

This first one makes London look like Dubai. Tall buildings jutting up out of nowhere.

Have to have a shot of Big Ben and Westminster. This one is a little different. Still under reconstruction. Highlights how busy the Thames is. I hope you like it.

My friend Barrie and I spent all afternoon at the Imperial War Museum. Some very impressive exhibits, but the initial view of the interior space is pretty impressive too.

On the way home, Barrie showed me a cool single-family home built into an old water tower. Check this out.

Finally, the view from Barrie’s kitchen. Her apartment is in the art block of all old elementary school that’s been converted into housing. A great space.

Got up early and went with Barrie to Sainsbury’s supermarket here in London. I love going to these places. So many cool things.

Check these out! The brits have the best potato chip flavors!!

And hey, if you want interesting gin drinks!

You’ve heard of the San Juan Compostela long walking route? Well there’s an Italian equivalent that goes from Canterbury England to Rome. Here’s the route:

I was driving back home from a party in the hills above Lucca and came past these walls around a sports field in this small town. I had to stop and check out the artwork. How cool is this?! It’s all about the Francigena pilgrimage route.

That’s all folks…!

The other day, riding across town (Pietrasanta Italy), I came across the horses I had seen in the town next door a year or two ago. Now they are in a field in a commercial warehouse area. Who knows why…

Further along…

On a narrow street in Pietrasanta, someone had transformed the gas meter boxes into poetry sites. Each box had its own poem.

This one reads:

I find you again

On the darkest paths,

Where if you take my hand

I don’t feel afraid.

And to finish, I saw this in the driveway to a house in the middle of the fields near the autostrada. Such detail…