France to Spain 07/21/2010
On 7/15, Joe went to get his fork seal repaired…so Brad and I took off for sight seeing. The goal was for all of us to meet up later in the day at a prearranged campground, in southern France, owned by a guy from Holland. Brad and I rode some great curvy roads and took some pictures of castles and little villages. We found the campsite, which happened to be on the edge of an ancient village, the dates of its inception escape me. We couldn’t get in touch with Joe, because he only has a satellite phone. He finally called and said he was at McDonalds, which has been our hub for communications and internet in France. We all ended up walking up to the village, which was typical of France, in that it has an old cathedral in the middle and a courtyard in the center of town. We ate and drank at a little bar in the town square owned and operated by sisters from the Netherlands. The food was good and the atmosphere was incredible. We walked around the village on the way home and found a couple of old stairwells, which we couldn’t resist but to explore. We were like 12 year olds exploring. It was pretty funny. We got up the next day and took off, spur of the minute, to try to catch a stage of the Tour de France. We found out it was finishing in a town called Mende, which looked to be pretty close to us. Turns out it was just over 100 miles. We thought we would miss it but arrived just as people were gathering. We stood on a hill, in a corner, about 2.5 km from the finish. First, there was a parade by the sponsors of the race, where they threw candy or little souvenirs for their companies. We stood there in the heat for about 2 hours. Finally, we saw the helicopters arrive to film the finish and within seconds a lead group of maybe 8 riders whipped by, scampering of the hill by us. Within 20-30 seconds, Peloton was breathing down their necks. Of course, the whole thing only lasted a few seconds for us, but it was worth it to see it once. It’s not really something I would do again. I’d rather just watch it on TV. That night we again stayed in the campground by the ancient village and ate dinner at the Pub. On 7/17, we took off toward Spain, making our usual morning jaunt to McDonalds. As we neared Spain, there were subtle changes in architecture and the people. As we neared the border, we started climbing in the Pyrenees and it started to get foggy. The villages were along a river and had very narrow streets. The final stretch to Spain is a pretty steep climb that leads to a tunnel, running into Spain. By the time, we reached the tunnel, we couldn’t see each other 20 feet apart because of the fog, and it was about 55 degrees. The tunnel was probably about a mile long and descended the whole way. About one third of the way, the fog disappeared and you could see the sun at the other end. The temperature shot up about 20 degrees and we were in Spain. So, we stopped, just as we had done on the other side to adjust our clothes… except in France, we put on more, and now we took off all that we had put on. We rode to a campground which was really nice, with a restaurant, store, pool, etc. It was jam packed and we got a couple of camp spots. The interesting thing is the tent spots were located in some kind of orchard, where the trees formed a large canopy and completely blocked out the sun. It was pretty cool, except it was choked full of tents. It’s really strange camping with a bunch of other people. It was immediately apparent we were in Spain, because everyone was up partying until late. At most camp grounds, things are silent by 10 pm. Not in Spain. The next morning was also different… in other places, people are up at the crack of dawn. In Spain, I was waking people up. I think Spain just might be my kind of place. Things have been going pretty well since Brad got here, except we are probably scaring Joe. Brad and I argue about everything and spend a great deal of time cussing at each other. Poor Joe is probably ready to run away. It is always difficult on a motorcycle trip with 3 people. It works better with even numbers, so there is no odd man out. It is working out well thought. Brad and Joe get along well, and we’ve had a good time. Joe and I have talked about it and we know we will have to start getting serious about making up time when Brad leaves. It’s funny how our trip keeps changing. We made pretty extensive plans in the beginning, but it is all about adapting. Things never seem to work out exactly as you planned and there is always something you need to do. It is somewhat of a working vacation. I guess that is what keeps it interesting. The days are never the same, and usually don’t end up like you expected. CommentsFred 07/29/2010 1:42pm
Sounds like so much fun. If you get a chance to visit the Neuschwanstein castle in Germany its worth the stop. Fred 07/29/2010 1:45pm
ps Lucerne Switzerland is a great place to see. It has a hike by a lake where the city is built on. Hope you get there. Fred 07/31/2010 5:01pm
Well it's not on the the lake but beside the lake. Fred 07/31/2010 5:56pm
ps If you make it to the summit you can see four countries - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Leave a Reply | Jim SeamanBringing you travel updates, witty repartee and advice you can count on.  ArchivesMay 2011 Categories |
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