Levier to Lac du Joux

July 15, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 2 Dijon to Lausanneadmin

We made it to Switzerland!

We took an intricate route away from the main roads – which meant much climbing but fantastic scenery all the way. Starting from 750 m, Helen was jubilant to reach the top of her first alpine col at 1080 m. The slow climb was made easier by an early start and lower temperatures than in recent days. Helen also looked out for the wide range of wildflowers, though without the knowledge to name many, and would have welcomed the arrival of next door neighbour, part time botanist and all round good egg Mandy to sort them out. But getting to the top was a good reward for the effort.

There was a short descent before we reached the main climb of the day – the col de Landoz Neuve which took us up to 1260m in beautiful mixed woodland and upland pastureland. Gone were the chic holiday homes close to Besancon yesterday – this was genuine farming and border country. Even more elation on reaching the col!

Disappointment at the border – just two wooden sheds and not an official in sight!

Another descent brought us to a picture postcard perfect Swiss lake – the Lac de Joux. Ambleside this was not! But they let us into the smart hotel, where we could (just) afford a well earned beer.

Port – the village at the head of Lac du Joux

Then we cycled on down the lakeside to a small campsite at a lakeside farm and a swim in the lake. Could this be heaven?

Helen’s track today: Queen – Fat Bottomed Girls/ I like to Ride My Bicycle because I am very chuffed to complete my first alpine col and border crossing and despite the effort this track kept me amused. Fat Bottomed Girls 1, Rest of the World 0.

Besancon to Levier

July 14, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 2 Dijon to Lausanneadmin

Another very hot day was promised, so we were up and off early in an attempt to stay in the cool for longer. The day began with a riverside section along the Doub in the gorge outside Besancon, but then 250 m of climbing at 10% and more, up a quiet back road. This was hard, but it got us up onto the plateau south of Besancon – and into the Jura mountains themselves. The cycling here was perfect – long views of pasture land with brown and white cows with bells, Swiss-style farms, and wooded hilltops.

The back road rolled gently up and down – then descended 150 m or so to the gorge of the river Loue. Here we found a late breakfast in the village of Cleron, where the hotel produced copious bread and jam for hungry cyclists. The village had a beautiful chateau.

But crossing the river meant more climbing – about 450m of it this time, but if the gradient was more sympathetic then the heat was intense. We reached the pass at 800m above sea level – our highest point so far.

The day ‘finished’ at lunchtime, with a lovely salad lunch in the village of Levier, where we have checked into an excellent campsite and had an invigorating swim in the pool. Beer is in order. Tomorrow…..Switzerland!

Helen’s track of the day: Justin Timberlake, Cry Me A River, playing at our breakfast stop and stuck in my head all day.

Pesmes to Besancon

July 13, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 2 Dijon to Lausanneadmin

We survived the evening storm sitting under a porch roof, and then eat very well at the smartish restaurant beside the camp site. Breakfast, on the other hand, was from the boulangerie as usual, though on a picture-perfect bench beside the river and the 13th century water mill.

Today we have followed the river Ognon upstream for a while, with flat ground becoming increasingly difficult to find! The barns are getting larger, with overhanging Swiss style roofs, and the roads have signs indicating whether of not they are cleared of snow in winter. Beautiful country.

Just after lunch we arrived in Besancon – a very up market town. We weren’t sure they’d let us in but luckily we found an Irish bar, where the talkative owner provided Guinness and wanted to know all about the trip. We have reached the stage where claiming to have cycled from Paris gains respect! And just about makes credible our claims about riding over the Jura to Lausanne!

Now it is downtime on the out of town camp site – preparing ourselves for harder days ahead!

Helen’s track of the day: Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill, because I must be getting psyched up for all the climbing ahead…

Dijon to Pesmes

July 12, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 2 Dijon to Lausanneadmin

I liked Dijon. The whole place seemed to me to smell of old cheese but that could just be me… It had an exuberance about the place which was great, plenty of live music and festivities around and much fuss over food. Indeed we watched the chefs walking through the town into work on Sunday morning and they were regarded with great respect and courtesy. One of them, all of 6′4′ and easily 17 stone strutted through town in his whites, though in shorts and sandals and pulling a trolley bag. He reminded me of the alpha male barristers with whom I used to work, though none of them had his moniker ‘Papa Grand’ printed on their pinstripe suits!

Now we are off again, cycling in slightly cooler, overcast conditions. After Dijon we rapidly entered gently rolling farmland, quiet lanes, and our first sunflower fields – a sure indication that we are making serious progress towards the south. We don’t have these in the Vale of York so pictures of each other were in order.

We soon crossed the river Soane and stopped for lunch. Then, a few miles further on we entered the Department of ‘Jura’, our final Department before the Swiss border. We reached today’s destination – Pesmes – at just after 2pm and have spent the afternoon wandering around this lovely little fortified village.

Andy had to have a swim in the river Ognon – right underneath the walls in the picture above – and now we are sitting in the municipal camp site waiting for the start of what looks as though it will be a gigantic thunderstorm. The ground is so hard that none of the tent pegs are properly fixed. Oh well! For what we are about to receive……

Helen’s track of the day: Cherry Ghost, 4 am – because it was too hot to sleep.

Dijon

July 11, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

We are having a ‘day off’ today. It is Sunday, and very quiet in town and we have been wandering around, resting in the shade in the park, reading and generally relaxing. The cathedral was by far the coolest place and we may yet sneak back in to sleep there tonight. The hotel is hot!

Earnest moment of the day: looking at some wonderful second century Egyptian portraits in the art museum, painted on wood as death masks, and looking incredibly modern and life-like. Said to be amongst the earliest known portrait painting. The museum was in the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy.

We’re just settling down now to watch the world cup final. Then back to cycling tomorrow.

Helen’s track of the day: Belshazzar’s Feast, Rondo a la Turkey, because it sums up the exuberance of Dijon.

Flavigny to Dijon

July 10, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

We began the day chatting over breakfast with our new friends from Denmark and a family from France, all of us having cycled to Flavigny the day before. Our hostess was very solicitous and provided a delicious meal – eggs en cocotte with bread soldiers being particular extra fare for Andy and I as we would need the extra protein apparently. Anyway, another good days cycling, very hard getting up the first hill with steep gradients, so I had to do some pushing, but there were lovely villages,

good views,

and after the first 30 minutes I settled down and we got to Dijon in time for lunch.

The geographical highlight was riding along and then crossing the watershed of France – everything to the left of the road below flows to the Seine and to the right to the Rhone.

Riding the north/south watershed of France

We swooped down 1000 feet or so and found a hotel close to the city centre, Le Sauvage which sounds worrying, and will rest up till Monday. A day off! The temperature is still well over 30 C so we will need to stroll round the city rather than do my usual city trail.

I have been amusing myself with noting the music playing in my head each day. Sometimes it is linked to the day’s events, sometimes not, but I will record this here as tracks of the day. I don’t want this to be pseud’s corner but is a good record for me of the trip:

3/7: Cole Porter – I love Paris – obvious choice

4/7: Blondie, Denis, Denis – because we passed through Verts St Denis

5/7: Beatles, We can work it out, because the GPS that shows our chosen route needed fixing and we sorted out the problem with a re-boot.

6/7: Mama Cass, Dream a Little Dream because it is a great lullaby song

7/7: James Taylor- You Got A Friend – for Tim, though worryingly I sang the theme from Champion the wonder Horse for most of the day – must be the heat.

8/7: Stevie Wonder. Superstition – because I woke up with this in my head, again.

9/7: Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More – because it’s a current favourite

10/7: Rachmaninov- 2nd Piano Concerto because I love it and I had time to listen to this in the afternoon.

Montbard to Flavigny

July 9, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

There was rain in the night – though it is hardly any cooler this morning. But no complaints – this is what we were dreaming of all winter!

Heading south from Montbard we finally left the Armancon valley and climbed into low hills to the east, aiming for the Chateau Bussy Rabutin. But whereas yesterday we arrived by chance just in time for the guided tour of Chateau Ancy le Franc, this time we toiled up the hill just in time for lunchtime closing! Oh well, there are only so many chateaux you can see on one trip.

Things improved greatly at our next stop – at Alesia. This has a significant place in French cultural heritage – as the man in the bar in Montbard had been keen to point out over our breakfast this morning. Here, in their hilltop fortification, the ancient gauls under Vercingetorix were finally beaten by the army of Julius Caesar. Please note the word hilltop. We climbed a long way at 10% plus just for this bit of cultural nourishment – so we are going to share it with you, like it or not! Napoleon III erected a huge statue of Vercingetorix – but really only to celebrate his own claim to have reunited an independent France for the first time since the gauls.

There was a fascinating, though hardly photogenic, archaeological excavation of the Gallo-Roman settlement that followed in the centuries after the battle – amphitheatre, temple, forum and all.

Then back to the valley before a final climb to the medieval hilltop village of Flavigny. This is on the site of the roman camp prior during the siege and battle of Alesia. But it is better known now for being the location for the filming of ‘Chocolat’. I assumed that our small hotel (the first since Paris) would be run by Juliette Binoche – but no such luck, though our hostess is as charming and the evening meal was superb.

L'Ange Souriant at Flavigny — L’Ange Souriant at Flavigny

Helen set off to scout the village in the evening looking for Johnny Depp. No luck, but we found the chocolaterrie window and attracted the attention of a friendly local who showed us the photo album from the film shoot, with all the locals looking nervous as extras. And there were photos of the two stars – the nearest we are going to get.

Filmic associations apart, this is a truly lovely village. We spent our previous two summer holidays cycling up to hilltop villages in Provence and in Tuscany, so we consider ourselves connoisseurs of the genre (and probably masochists)! This is at least as good as any, in a quiet, undeveloped way.

Lezinnes to Montbard

July 8, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

Today began early for me – did you know that a lot of freight traffic moves around French railways between 2 am and 4 am? No, not a lot of people do know that. We have found the only drawback of this lovely municipal campsite in Lezinnes – too near the railway.
Morning brought a panic – we had lost the power cable for the laptop. But Tim is saving the day by sending out a replacement. Many thanks.

Back to the hols. It was a very hot day – with many locals telling us it was too hot! It was over 30 degrees from early morning, so just 25 miles today. We visited the 17th century chateau at Ancy le Franc and had a very interesting guided tour. The place had a pleasing sense of calm, symmetry and elegance – especially in an inner courtyard which was built in Renaissance style by an Italian architect.

Inner courtyard - Ancy le Franc — Inner courtyard – Ancy le Franc

Back in the real village we watched the market stall holders pack up for home at 12.30 as we hid in the shade of a bar to eat salad and drink as much water as we could hold. The vineyards of Burgundy are being wasted on us at the moment – all we want is beer, coke or water in this heat wave. Or ice-cream.

Last night in Lezinnes we had pizza from the local van, as it was the only food in town. Andy really knows how to show a girl a good time! And then we found a bar to watch most of Germany vs Spain. Delighted to see Spain in the final!

Brienon to Lezinnes

July 7, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

The days are starting to merge into one another nicely now as we adapt to this new, and very agreeable, lifestyle! Last night we managed to find a tv in Brienon to watch Holland beat Paraguay. (Not the bar – that closed at 7 pm – but the sandwich shop that stayed open until 10 pm. Very odd.) Then back to town for breakfast and more cycling under blue skies.

We decided to give the canal towpath another try.

But the results were the same as before – slow and bumpy progress. So back to the nice smooth tarmac. And the roads were getting quieter as we headed up river and deeper into rural France.

The highlight of the day was a sightseeing stop at the Chateau de Tanlay. Here we were asked to believe that the family survived the revolution – Chateau intact – because of their good relationship with the villageois. And they are living there still – in decaying splendour. We spent a happy hour wandering around.

Tonight we are at another of these excellent municipal campsites.

Sens to Brienon

July 6, 2010Paris to Romania Summer 2010, Paris-Romania 2010: 1 Paris to Dijonadmin

Slightly bigger and busier roads today – but faster cycling! Having rejoined the Yonne at Sens we set off up river. Coffee was at Villeneuve sur Yonne, and lunch at Joigny.

From there it was a short hop upriver to the start of the Burgundy canal at the confluence of the Yonne and Armancon. We set off along the towpath of the canal, following the course of the Armancon.
But the (lack of) surface was not kind to the backsides, so we were soon back to the road again. Just as well that we weren’t planning to ride the towpath all the way to Dijon! Tonight we are in Brienon sur Armancon.

Hills Cycle Tours

Andy and Helen's Cycle Holiday Blog