Dienville - Riding the Via Francigina - CycleBlaze

August 27, 2009

Dienville

My rib started hurting last night, I must have cracked it in the fall I had out of Reims but Voltarin helped a lot

Up to a heavy dew and on the road by 8am. It was a fairly easy out and straight onto the D936 and to Brianne le Chateau. There were some trucks but they weren’t too bad. Again large scale farms of wheat, sugar beet, corn and sunflowers. There were no houses or villages for miles and the road although mainly straight had lots of ups and downs, they were not too steep but the slight headwind increased as the morning wore on.

A coffee stop at 10am. After this there were nice little villages then finally at midday we were in Brianne. Napoleon went here in 1779 as cadet in the military ecole at the chateau. It is a small town with some nice features but was rather spoiled for us as we spent ages trying to find the Tourist Information. We have been trying to replace our camping stools which are falling apart but no luck. Very hot by now. The camping was by a lake about 6km further on at Dienville. We set off and found some shade to eat our baguette and cheese and have a drink. Then on to the camping ground was very good with lovely fierce showers and we didn’t make the mistake we made yesterday and put our tent up in the blazing afternoon sun as we did yesterday. Did the washing then into the village where there was a 16th Century church with an old organ and it was open. Tricia’s speed is gradually increasing but she was not as good today as yesterday.

Around the roundabout and off we go
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Brianne le Chateau where Napoleon was a cadet
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Wandering the streets of Dienville
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People were having a lot of fun at the lake which was a short walk away
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Today's ride: 49 km (30 miles)
Total: 734 km (456 miles)

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