| Sommaire > France > Nos premiers jours à vélo ! |
| Nos premiers jours à vélo ! par alexis le 17.06.2007. |
For the english version, please scroll down to the bottom of this frame.  Le deuxième jour, quelques proches continuent avec nous jusqu à Meaux. Un cyclotouriste averti s’accroche même jusqu au 4eme jour. Nous bénéficions ainsi de ses conseils inestimables. Alternant routes nationales (pour avancer) et petites routes de campagne (pour profiter des paysages), nous traversons les campagnes françaises. Blé, pâturages, houblon, et même quelques cigognes sont nos compagnons de route. Les conditions sont idéales pour démarrer : soleil, un petit vent d’ouest (donc dans le dos), faible dénivelé. Nous nous adaptons donc sans mal à notre nouveau mode de vie.    Même si l’objectif est de traverser assez rapidement la France, nous prenons un peu de temps pour nous arrêter, tout d’abord à Verdun, ville incontournable chargée d histoire. Puis a Metz ou nous avons eu la surprise d’être attendu par une journaliste du Républicain Lorrain pour une interview.  Quelques orages et averses ont accompagné nos derniers kilomètres Français, nous avons ainsi pu tester notre résistance à l’eau et celle de notre matériel… le matériel resiste mieux que nous ! Le paysage, toujours très rural, commence à se diversifier avec la traversée des Vosges du nord puis les magnifiques villages alsaciens. Si un jour vous avez l’occasion d’aller pédaler du côté de Saverne (Alsace), je vous conseille la D68, une route très vallonnée, certainement la plus agréable que nous ayons parcourue depuis le début du voyage. C est d’ailleurs en la quittant, en bas d’une longue descente que je ms suis offert ma première chute ! Une belle frayeur, surtout vue de derrière pour Alexis, mais finalement plus de peur que de mal… quelques égratignures, et un t-shirt Mederic en moins … Leçon numéro 1 : ne jamais regarder la carte en pleine descente ! Nous arrivons finalement à Strasbourg samedi soir où nous nous offrons notre première journée de pause, hébergés par des cousins d'Alexis.  Demain nous franchirons notre première frontière et quitterons la France pour 13 mois. Nous sommes impatiens de rencontrer nos premiers « aînés d’ailleurs » ! A très bientôt, Florine et Alexis English version Hi everybody! It's been a week since we set out ... here is the account of our first 600 kms on the roads of France! On Saturday, June 9th, many people had joined us on Notre Dame Square. Mixed with the tourists' crowd, around 50 people, family, friends and various supporters had gathered to encourage us, cast an admiring glance at our equipment, and give us their last advice. About 20 people among them had joined us on their bicycles, so that we all cycled off together for the first stopover on our long tour. After 12 kms we stopped at the "Residence de l'Abbaye" in St Maur des Fosses, for a last meal with the residents who will follow our trip via the Internet. The residents saw us off with a moving "bye bye song" and Mr Champvert, the manager of this institution, president of ADPA and sponsor of the "Aieuls d'ailleurs" scheme, was there to greet us. On the second day, a few close friends went on with us until Meaux. An experienced cycling tourist even clang to us until our 4th day... so that we could benefit by his priceless advice! Following either national roads (to speed it up) or small country roads (to be able to enjoy landscapes), we cycled through the French countryside. We came across cornfields, hopfields, grazing grounds, and even a few storks! The conditions were ideal for our beginnings: some sun, a small west wind (which pushed us forward), and little level variation...this helped us to adjust to our new living conditions! Even if our objective is to cycle through France rather quickly,we did take some time to stop, and first in Verdun, the not-to-be-missed, history fraught city. Then in Metz, where we didn't expect a journalist of the "Republicain Lorrain" newspaper would be there waiting for an interview! A few storms and showers escorted us on our last French kms ... which was an opportunity to test our resistance to water and that of our equipment; The equipment makes it much better than we do! The landscape, still very rural, became more varied as we crossed the Northern Vosges, then the gorgeous Alsace villages. If you get a chance to go cycling around Saverne, I do recommend road D68, a lovely ondulating road, definitely the most pleasant one that we have come across since the beginning of our trip. By the way as we were leaving it, at the end of a long slope, I treated myself to my first fall! Such a fright, particularly for Alexis who was following me ... but eventually I was more frightened than hurt ... a few scratches and a ruined Meredic teeshirt! Lesson number 1: never look at the map while cycling down a steep slope! We finally reached Strasbourg on saturday night, and we treated ourselves to our first day off, enjoying Alexis' cousins' hospitality. Tomorrow we will cross our first border and leave France for 13 months ... We can't wait to meet the first "older people from other countries" on our way! See you soon, Florine and Alexis |
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