June 12, 2018
Feuillade to Périgueux
My B&B in Feuillade, Saint Alfonso's, is renowned for it's pancakes. BeBe prepares the pancake batter a day ahead with flour and homemade kefir so that the flour ferments overnight, which aids in digestibility. The pancakes did not disappoint - I had three with butter and maple syrup! And two cups of cappuccino. Fully fortified, I set off for Périgueux. I had changed my plans so as to spend two nights in Périgueux and then take the train to meet Carolyn in Bordeaux on the 14th.
It had rained again the previous night, but the day started sunny and bright. The route was splendid - quiet roads through farmland. I do enjoy agriculture, especially smaller, more diversified farms. Though rare in Iowa, they remind me of my graduate school days in Western Massachusetts. So, I was delighted to encounter scurrying farm cats, chickens, sheep, horses and cows. After about eight miles, just before entering the Dordogne department, the route directed me onto....yes, another dirt tract. Not this time.
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My re-route resulted in a three mile detour, but it took me through the lovely village of Charras. I joined my original route north of Les Graulges and stopped for coffee in Mareuil. I was now in Dordogne, a region of France that I visited last fall for a few days of cycling with my sister Ann and her husband Jack. Our cycling was limited to a few days in and around the Sarlat-de-Canada and I had been wanting to return for more extended exploration of the region. It was good to be back in Dordogne, even though my time here will be abbreviated due to the change in plans. Hence, I shall return.
Just outside Mareuil, I came across a spring fed bath at the foot of some caves. It turns out that it was a wash house for the village. After numerous disease epidemics, a law was passed in 1851 requiring wash houses be constructed near a spring that provided clean, running water. Way to stop those microbes!
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About six miles past Mareuil, I turned onto D2, which took me all the way to Périgueux. I stopped just past Saint-Just to eat my sandwich and saw a few other cyclists whiz by. The road was well-surfaced and not too hilly, and I made it to Périgueux by 4 pm. After cleaning up, I enjoyed the Périgord regional cuisine dining under the towers of the Cathedral Saint-Front.
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Wow! I ate in the very same restaurant on my recent tour. We really did cross each other's trails on our respective tours.
Cheers,
Keith
5 years ago
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 546 miles (879 km)
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5 years ago
5 years ago