August 24, 2017
Paray le Monial: Not as far as we thought
It was not nearly as far today as it said on the signs and the travelling was very easy with virtually no hills at all just small sharp rises when a bridge went over the canal
From Borbon Lancy it was straight onto a Voie Vert that was, as is often the case, a disused rail line. This led us for around 12km back to the canal and then it was straight onto the Canal and we were to follow this for the rest of the day. There was no wind and the surface was perfect so riding couldn't have been easier.
Along the route we saw a sign pointing us to a bar. It would probably be shut but worth a try. We were in luck and not only were we able to get coffee but it was also a depot des pains. At Anzac Day this year the women in our little town of Pokeno got together and knitted poppies. We hung these from the trees around our War Memorial to help commemorate the day - we felt proud of them. This little village went far further. A huge amount of knitting had been done and it was wrapped around all the seats in the square, the bollards, the tree trunks and anything else available. There were big knitted people. I was intrigued and asked the man in the bar ‘Pourquoi le tricot?’ His answer ‘Pour couvir’. My reply ‘Tours les jours’. Him ‘Oui’. I was no further ahead it will remain a mystery.
As you reach Digion you go over another of those wonderful canal bridges this one was built a bit earlier in 1834 - 1838 so was completed before the railways were a real challenge to the canals. We went into Digion not only for another coffee but to find a pharmacy to get some paracetamol. In France, to me, most shops seem to be either shut or about to shut. But not pharmacies they are everywhere always seem to be open and are packed with people. I had to take a number to be served. There were 5 or 6 assistants who were having in depth conversations with their clients, I must have been a great disappointment.
Now we were on the Canal de Centre and have left the Loire behind. It was an easy 20km to Les Trois Pigeons our beautiful hotel in Paray le Monial
Tomorrow we will be staying with our friends the Stoppards on their old Dutch Barge so I will probably not put up a post - it doesnt mean that we have ridden into a canal or been run over by a massive truck
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 1,038 km (645 miles)
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