Choisey/Dole to Verdun sur Le Doubs

May 10, 2018

A cold and rainy national holiday in France

What a night it was!! Heavy thunder and lightning with driving rain went on through the evening and night. We watched the parking lot fill with water. We are in a solid cement building and we can feel the thunder. We are glad that we are not in a tent.

Today is a National holiday in France and this should mean that we will have a nice ride as the roads are traditionally quiet on a holiday.

Anna checked us out this morning and she is typical of the great staff we have found at any Ibis we have stayed at. She had worked 6 years in Barcelona and had great things to say about the city - a special place.

Ibis has a great policy: if they can’t sort out a problem within 15 minutes, your stay is on them. As well, we find them always to be bike friendly.

We are a bit reluctant to leave the cozy comfort of the hotel as it is very cold and cloudy this morning. The skies tell us to be prepared for more bad weather. But hey, we’ve got good brakes now, so we are ok

Architecture has changed and we are seeing more buildings like this in this area. Seeing an old chateau like this, reminds us that we are in the heartland of France.

Now that we are also riding on the Saone River, we are riding on the EV6 and la Voie Bleue.

Good maps are such a great thing when cycling and this book was given to us at the Tourist Office in Dole. Our GPS is an essential tool but we love it when we can get one with information in our language. One of the perks of being a stoker on a recumbent tandem, is that I can read as I ride hands free.

We enjoy seeing the varied river boats and their reflection in the water....and as it turns out the Petronella pictured below is very special. We just received a post telling us a great story about the writer knowing this vessel very well and it’s owners. Such serendipity!

We have been riding along the Canal du Rhone au Rhin for some time and it has been interesting and fun to explore. We will miss it. Some canals are boring as they are very straight, broken up only by the locks. This canal meanders and winds its way by villages and farmland, and there are countless locks as well.

As we approach St-Jean-de-Losne on the Saone River, we see many very serious fishermen. Fishing is a passion in France and as it is a holiday today, everybody is out. As Remi said to us yesterday at the bike shop: Tomorrow I fish, it is a holiday.

I don’t doubt that this man in the picture below is equally serious about fishing, but he was very friendly and was happy to talk to us and show us his gear.

We are not sure what the bait is, but we can tell you that all of it is moving and the colours are amazing. A video would have been useful as it is quite a sight.

Fishing stores make a good living here. The gear fishermen have is quite extensive. Most have a stool like the one you see below, with pop out tables to hold their gear. Many have tents with food and chairs, plus most have several fishing poles set up along their patch of shore.

The metal mesh basket in the top of the picture below, is what they fill with bait. Not being a fisher, it made me squirm a bit to see them reach in with their hand and scoop up some bait and stuff it in the basket. As well, it pays not to behind a fisher when they cast off, as bits of bait fall out. We had a near miss as we saw this happening. Barry used the throttle on our e-tandem to make a quick getaway, just in the nick of times. There’s another reason to have a motor on your bike. One does not want to have to pick crawling bait out of your helmet and hair!!

We stopped and ate our picnic lunch along the shore of St-Jean-de-Losne, an important port on the Saone. The town has seen better days and it relies heavily on the summer traffic. Much of the historic and attractive buildings have a faded glamour showing a hint of what it must have been like in its prime.

Hotel de Ville (City Hall) is a very interesting building as well with great architectural details.

As we predicted, the weather was a challenge today. It was a cold and wet ride. Mary Ellen got pretty chilled so we elected to stay in a Gite - Chambre d’hote in Verdun sur Le Doubs. Staying here gives us a glimpse in to domestic aspects of living in France. This Gite oozes character with original beams, irregular roof lines, nooks and crannies. We have a small kitchen and eating area as well which makes us feel at home.

Below is the view from our bedroom. The weather has settled down and it is a lovely evening.

And then the action started. We could hear the sound of cats so we looked out the window and saw this pair trying to get to each other. The male on the roof was determined to get to her in the window below, and she was certainly encouraging him. At one point, I thought that he would try to jump down to her window. In the bottom right photo, he looked across at me as it to say, I could use a little help here!! He tried to get to her from every angle but finally went off to find another willing partner.

Another view from our bedroom window at the Gite. The weather has improved and it is a beautiful evening.

Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 1,018 km (632 miles)

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