#288 France

Friday from Amsterdam: Train to Paris Gare du Nord, ride round to Gare St Lazare, train to Cherbourg, collapse in hotel.

#287 More from Amsterdam

We wandered around Amsterdam some more, took a ferry, drank more coffee, did more tourist stuff.

Then we found the source of all the supplies sold in the "coffee houses", obviously the plants were fenced in to prevent them from escaping.

#286 Amsterdam it's Lekker!

Lekker is Dutch for Nice
and F*cking is Dutch for . . . . . ?

Then we went on a train with Jay & Mascha.








































We went out for pancakes (they were lekker!)























Monday we rode over to Haarlem - we didn't see any Globetrotters.
(although there are a lot of very tall people in Holland).

Tuesday we went on a tram:






















We boated round the canals:














We went to the Van Gough Museum, I must admit I can take Vincent or leave him, but I really liked the pictures by his mate Emile Bernard, more . . . . graphic?

Then we went to the photographic museum FOAM but best of all we went to a mega Chinese supermarket Dun Yong to buy green Thai curry paste - even more lekker!

#285 BCN to AMS week 2

Stage 14 Hilvarenbeek to Amsterdam 140km
. . . . arrived . . . . . :-)
Today I rode 120km of 140km on cycle paths; some good but a lot twisting and turning, made of cobbles or made of bricks, up and down kerbs and generally not that relaxing for eight hours. Beautiful roads but a navigational nightmare, good job I had detailed maps.























Stage 13 Huy to Hilvarenbeek 130km
I've gone Dutch! Stayed at Herberg St Petrus 10/10.


















Stage 12 Virton to Huy 142km
Huy is just a bit left of Leige, Hôtel de Fort - crummy.

Stage 11 Toul to Virton 130km
Into Belgium and the biggest bed so far at the Relais de la Vénerie.

































Stage 10 Luxeuil to Toul 127km
Road. Fields. Sky. and not much more.
Hotel de l'Europe wanted 5€ wifi charge - no way, José.


















Stage 9 Pontarlier to Luxeuil les Bains 130km
Very wet and cold, wore rain cape all day. Beau-Site a really nice "old school" French hotel.








































Stage 8 Leysin to Pontalier 122km.
Freewheeled first 16km down to Aigle, then pleasant ride round Lac Leman, through Montreux and Lausanne. Last 6okm mostly up and more up out of Swiss and into France.

#284 leysin layover

Very nice three days r&r, went swimming each day and cooked Thai chicken for Brett and Fiona and (pictured) Sophie, Nichola, Lizbeth & Astrid, Rebecca, Christine and Tereza.

Next, me and Astrid up on the roof.

Phil from Hefti Sports who gave me bolts to fix my bag (again).

#283 BCN to AMS (a work in progress)

Stage 7 arrived Leysin after 130km + 10km by mountain railway . . . . . . . . . .


















Stage 6 Pont en Royans to Seyssel 141km
wizzed along all day - must be getting fit! Hotel right on the river, and here's a bit of it.

















Stage 5 Aubenas to Pont en Royans 118km
Climbed over Col de l'escrinet 787m and into head wind for rest of day. Hotel v nice.

















Stage4 Ganges to Aubenas 130km
One of those stick-in-the-mud days. Big thanks to Etien at Cycles7 in Aubenas, I used his tools to fix broken barbag.










































Stage 3 St Pons to Ganges 113km
first long climb 10k up in 1 hour then 10k down in 10 min! Climb 2 v long but corkscrew down and final 20k beside river La Vis beautiful.
Hotel de la Poste awarded most grotty room of the trip.


















Stage 2 Quillan to St Pons de Thomière 120km
Twiddled down to Limoux, spinned into Carcassonne, peddled over the Col de Se? and into St Pons for apricot tart and beer. Jobs a good'un.

















Stage 1 Ribes Freser to Quillan 130k
Six and a half hours. Thunder and lightning, cold and wet but still, first stage completed!
Hotel Cartier charged an extra 1€ for bike parking - wtf?

#282 Let's Monk Again

I thought I'd been forgotten! But no, finally on 1st July 2009,
(sound of trumpets) Me as Monk on Sleeveface!