Last night’s camp site was beautiful – right next to the confluence of the Seine and Yonne. We had an evening walk beside the river.

Today we had our first boulangerie breakfast in the nearest village of Meret sur Loing, scene of famous Sisley paintings of the church.

There followed a wonderful day’s cycling on small lanes, through beautiful villages and across rolling farmland. Tonight we are in Sens, on the municipal camp site having just had an evening meal in the Cathedral Square. The cathedral itself is the biggest building in Sens – though the town hall runs it close. Just like Ripon really.

Our second day began early with Andy waking me at 4 am. He went off to tell the staff in the hotel that “il pleut dans ma chamber”, a phrase that covered it in his best school boy French. There was indeed water coming through our ceiling, so we were offered a drier room and went back to sleep.

The day improved after breakfast, with a leisurely ride through suburbia, woods and country lanes in a warm sun with both of us feeling well. The bikes are working well too, and thanks go to expert bike mechanic Alex for sorting out my bike, the gears are now working beautifully.

Vaux le Vicomte was our first tour of a chateau, and we really enjoyed the formality of water gardens, box topiary, and grand vistas that French aristocracy managed to master so well. I particularly enjoyed finding a soft drinks machine in a beech hedge, supplying a very welcome coke today.

We went on to Fontainebleau, spending time in the town rather than more chateau watching as we had been before. The locals were in party mood, with street musicians attempting a medley of one chord country songs in a marquee, whilst everyone else chatted or smoked, or in our case, drank beer.

Then we pedaled on to the campsite and a well deserved beer.

First things first. This trip is dedicated to the memory of Anne Mustoe who inspired it.

But second – don‟t let that sideshow in Rotterdam this afternoon distract you from this, the start of the real cycle event of the summer. What are Wiggins and co doing – a mere 3 countries and 3 weeks? Whereas this is the real thing – 9 countries and 13 weeks!

And we are under way! Thanks to Tim for dropping us in York for the trains to Paris. Our ‘official’ start was from outside Notre Dame.

And the first stop came 300m later at Berthillon‟s ice cream parlour!

Then we cycled along the Seine towpath and through the Foret de Senart to end at a posh hotel. Please note that our prologue was three times the length of some other cyclists we could think of. Did we mention that this is our 28th wedding anniversary and we are in Paris?