Day 3 - Nancy to Lyon in 451 km

We started Day 3 with great anticipation and excitement - the sky was blue with the sun shinning and a cool breeze. Having eaten well we headed of into the French countryside for a relaxing morning of riding - experiencing the country roads we had ridden in the night before. The roads met our expectation and proved a little challenging at times as we headed south from Nancy. We rode through fields of corn and sunflowers over a series of small roads meant for a single car which made meeting a car very challenging. The small French villages we rode seemed empty until late morning when folks started being visible in gardens - it was nice to see as the towns had an eery feel to them when no one seemed to be there. The villages were remarkable for the architecture and durability. It was obvious the buildings had been standing hunderds of years and still looked sturdy and were being lived in. Each village had a unique feel to it and no two were alike. We continued to ride through the countryside and it seemed the roads would not end with every turn bringing a new vista and visual experience. Robbert was our leader and did a phenomenal job guiding us through the countryside - he did herculean work and made the ridding easy for the rest of us.

At one point, I noticed a bright field of sunflowers and I had never seen fields of sunflowers - there were thousands of them all aglow in the sun - I wondered how one harvests sunflowers and what does one harvest sunflowers for - seeds? More interesting was another field I rode by with all the sunflowers turned down and it was when there was cloud cover - it seemed without sunshine the sunflowers did not want to shine. It reminded me of what happends to people - when we shine the light of success, belief and accomplishment on them they bloom and flourish and when we ignore them or their successes, they drop their heads and do not shine - it reminded me to appreciate people, their skills and who they are. We stopped at a small gas station to fill up. The previous day I had spent E55 on gas and E45 on accomodations including two meals - it would be no different today. We filled up and decided to plan the day as we had no WiFi at the Motorhotel, we had no reservations for the night which we needed - we decided to head to Besancon and look for a McDonalds. We took off and Robbert found us some fantastic roads - great turns and quick straight aways - it was fun riding to say the least. As we came down into a village, we noticed a castle and decided, Robbert did, this would make a great lunch stop.

We took a walk around the castle grounds after parking the bikes - it was definitely getting warmer. We noticed a sign on the castle grounds that the 2012 Tour de France had been through here - it was wonderful country. JJ mentioned that his nee for speed had been partially satisfied by the ride before we stopped whih included some great turns for him to ride. I wanted to take pictures from the bike to show the road and realized that the speed and quick turns did not lend themselves to one handed riding - I will keep contemplating. In the meantime, we talk a walk around the town which was small and seemed to spread in many directions. Robbert shared that WWI was important in these communities as many folks were lost and monuments were erected in their honor.

Following the short walk we decided lunch was in order and we headed to the corner restaurant we had seen and it was a great choice. The check wore a chef's white shirt/jacket and blue, flowered bermuda shorts and he had long white hair pulled back in a pony-tail. As we were looking for a place to sit he barked at his staff and we were seated. The waitress, whose english was very good, informed us that girolle mushrooms were in season and where the chef's special. We all order a dish with the mushrooms and I had a bacon, girolle omlet which was delightful accompanied by fresh French bread which JJ informed was baked three times a day so there would always be fresh bread. It was a very relaxing lunch and we did not rush - the warm afternoon sun was inviting and a cup of coffee got us moving. Our nexxt targt was Besancon and WiFi..

 

We took off and Robbert led us on some sweet roads to Besancon - it was fun to run quick throuh the countryside. I must admit, I have been through more round-abouts on one day than I thought was possible - stopped counting at 20 and there were plenty more. Also, I did not think I would be looking for a McDonalds as I do not eat there and that became our focus and destination. We found the one we were looking for and after some weaving through retail areas arrived at our destination. We made ourself comfortable, got something cool to drink and jumped on-line; happy for the on-line access. After looking at or location and the time 16.30 we realized that unless we wanted to arrive in the dark - Lyon was going to be our destination. Before we knew it, JJ hd secured us an executive suite with free wifi and parking all for less than E200 and we were only 220 km away - smiles all around and of we went. We did book a room for Wednesday night in Cannes as accomodations were more scarce there.

As we left for Lyon, after traffic picked up and we did see a French Highway rooper who gave us a stern look and did not react or follow us. The road to Lyon had us climbing up a small mountain and it was a great view to the valley and countryside. The ride had more traffic especially trucks as it parralled a major highway, a toll road and we decided to stay off the highway as much as possible or until we had too. As afternoon moved to early evening and the sun began to set - the countryside became very peaceful. All day long here had been great smells - the flowers along the side of the road, wonderful pine scents when we went through woods and the air was so clean that it was a joy to take deep breaths. At one point, I found myself rolling along watching the sun set with the Dead's 'He's Gone' playing in my ear and I was gone - it was incredible.



As we approached Lyon, we had the opportunity to test our cornering skills through a few twists and curves just before we got to the town. As we entered Lyon, it is large and unfolded in front of us - we took a tour of the town looking for the hotel and I can tell you it is large, clean and it was a nice mix of old (hundred of years) buildings and new construction. At one red light, took Stuart and I a minute to figure out it was a red light, a yound moped rider pulled up next to us reviving the engine - before we knew it the light changed and they proceed to do a wheelie for 50 meters off the line - we had been schooled - scooter beats Harley in Lyon. We found our accomodations for the evening and they were great - a business class hotel and we had an executive suite complete with kitchen and balcony which slept us five.

After we got the bikes put away and changed out of riding clothes, we went for a great dinner in the hotel, sitting in the courtyard, a warm night and reliving the day. There was lots of water consumed, I had great steak tartare and Jim had chicken that looked/tasted like duck - regardless it was incredible - we even got a round of deserts. We reviewed our ride to Nice and decided on an earlier start and ge to Nice late afternoon so we would have time to celebrate Stuart's birthday! Happy Birthday Stuart!

 

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