Day 2 – Wednesday 25th May 2011
Have you ever wondered why, in films at least, there is never any satisfaction until the bad guy has been killed? It’s not good enough to leave him tied up, or to get even: “He took my money, now I’ve taken his.” It’s always a step further. It’s not about “getting even,” it’s about vengeance: “He kidnapped my daughter, so I’m going to hunt him down and kill him... mercilessly” (the whole premise of the film Taken). Is there ever any room for forgiveness? Ok, not so much in films because the writers make sure the bad guy is never sorry for his actions (“No, I will not admit that global domination is wrong!”), but what about in real life? It’s the classic debate: do films influence society or does society influence films?
I remember reading newspaper articles where something bad happens to someone. Maybe a son is murdered or a daughter raped. These things are terrible in themselves, but then the parents make a comment like, “No punishment would do justice for what he’s done to our child.” Now that’s quite a statement. I suppose what they’re really saying is, “Something’s been taken from us that can never be given back.” Phrases like, “What’s happened is terrible,” just don’t seem strong enough anymore. With emotions running high, statements are made which seem to indicate that forgiveness is not an option. How sad that that’s the world we live in. Or rather, that that’s the world of the UK. I can only hope that there are other countries which have it differently.
Well, that’s what I was thinking about today as I cycled from Bourg-Achard to Louviers, which is where I had originally “planned” to spend the first night. It was quite nice to have my mind wander onto such topics, taking my thoughts off the agony of “mon derrière.”
A number of people had commented how I’d managed to pick the hottest months of the year for countries such as France, Italy and Greece. Not that I didn’t believe them, I just thought to myself, “It can’t be that bad...” I often think that because I tend to assume that other people’s sense of adventure isn’t as big as mine... and no way am I going to let them stop me! Not that I wish I wasn’t here, but maybe they had a point – it felt like I was being roasted alive every time I was cycling in the sun... which was most of the day. My arms and legs were burning so much I felt like you could put me in a small house and I’d be able to heat it for the winter!
As I left Louviers I decided I’d better put my hoodie on – just to cover my arms – as I’d rather sweat a bit more if it saves my arms from being fried to a crisp. I hope I’ve managed to stop them from peeling... About 3 years ago I got incredibly sunburnt – my arms, my shoulders, my back, my nose, everywhere. After 3 or 4 days it looked as though my skin was literally boiling... and then these little “boil” patches began to peel. For the following week it looked like I had leprosy or some other crazy skin disease. When it all peeled off, there I was, pasty white again, as if I’d never been out in the sun at all! So I really hope that doesn’t happen this time. Hopefully I’ve caught it in time and it’ll turn into a tan. We shall see...
Yesterday I wondered if it would be possible to get to Paris for tonight. Well, the answer is, “No.” I don’t know if it was actually hotter than yesterday or whether it just felt like it, but I got to a place called Gaillon at about 2pm, pretty exhausted. I found an Intermarché to get some supplies and took my time eating a late lunch in the hope that Paris would magically become closer. A lorry driver came and sat down nearby and we struck up a conversation. I asked him how far it was to Paris... then wished I hadn’t. He took out a Sat-Nav and said (with a big grin on his face...), “88 kilometres,” which is about 55 miles. His friend turned up and asked if I was going to Paris. I said, “Maybe not today!” They didn’t even offer to give me a lift...
But they did say that I should head to a town called Les Andelys before hitting the D14 and heading to Paris. (The D14 is a road I had tried to avoid because it’s just so straight! Straight is boring... in my mind, at least.) They said there was a campsite and a castle, a fairly touristy place. After a gruelling uphill (which the friend did warn me about), there was a stunning view and a fairly easy ride for the remaining few miles.
They were right: Les Andelys is a nice little place. The castle can be seen from a couple of miles off, and you come into the town over (what I thought was) a fairly stunning bridge. You just don’t seem to get that sort of thing in the UK – certainly not as commonplace. Bridges have a purpose: they get you from one side to the other. In France, and hopefully other countries too, they’re a work of art. Just look at the famous Millau viaduct. Absolutely fantastic! (Unfortunately I won’t be going over there on this trip. Plus it’s a part of the autoroute so I wouldn’t be able to do it by bike anyway... well, not legally!) Enough about bridges.
The campsite it right on the bank of the Seine with a view of the castle (and the bridge!). It has a little swimming pool and is very pleasant. It’s just a shame about the price - €16!! I’ll be trying hard not to spend any money tomorrow...
There was a slight incident today when I lost a bit of concentration and my front wheel skimmed the curb. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it not been for the queue of cars waiting at the lights, blatantly watching me! Oh well, no harm done... actually, I haven’t bothered to check it yet, I just figured that since it’s done about 30 miles more, it’s probably ok.
Stats
Mileage = 42.74 miles
Riding time = 3 hours 50 minutes
Average speed = 11.1 mph
Top speed = 40.6 mph
Total mileage since start = 114.9
Have you ever wondered why, in films at least, there is never any satisfaction until the bad guy has been killed? It’s not good enough to leave him tied up, or to get even: “He took my money, now I’ve taken his.” It’s always a step further. It’s not about “getting even,” it’s about vengeance: “He kidnapped my daughter, so I’m going to hunt him down and kill him... mercilessly” (the whole premise of the film Taken). Is there ever any room for forgiveness? Ok, not so much in films because the writers make sure the bad guy is never sorry for his actions (“No, I will not admit that global domination is wrong!”), but what about in real life? It’s the classic debate: do films influence society or does society influence films?I remember reading newspaper articles where something bad happens to someone. Maybe a son is murdered or a daughter raped. These things are terrible in themselves, but then the parents make a comment like, “No punishment would do justice for what he’s done to our child.” Now that’s quite a statement. I suppose what they’re really saying is, “Something’s been taken from us that can never be given back.” Phrases like, “What’s happened is terrible,” just don’t seem strong enough anymore. With emotions running high, statements are made which seem to indicate that forgiveness is not an option. How sad that that’s the world we live in. Or rather, that that’s the world of the UK. I can only hope that there are other countries which have it differently.
Well, that’s what I was thinking about today as I cycled from Bourg-Achard to Louviers, which is where I had originally “planned” to spend the first night. It was quite nice to have my mind wander onto such topics, taking my thoughts off the agony of “mon derrière.”
A number of people had commented how I’d managed to pick the hottest months of the year for countries such as France, Italy and Greece. Not that I didn’t believe them, I just thought to myself, “It can’t be that bad...” I often think that because I tend to assume that other people’s sense of adventure isn’t as big as mine... and no way am I going to let them stop me! Not that I wish I wasn’t here, but maybe they had a point – it felt like I was being roasted alive every time I was cycling in the sun... which was most of the day. My arms and legs were burning so much I felt like you could put me in a small house and I’d be able to heat it for the winter!
As I left Louviers I decided I’d better put my hoodie on – just to cover my arms – as I’d rather sweat a bit more if it saves my arms from being fried to a crisp. I hope I’ve managed to stop them from peeling... About 3 years ago I got incredibly sunburnt – my arms, my shoulders, my back, my nose, everywhere. After 3 or 4 days it looked as though my skin was literally boiling... and then these little “boil” patches began to peel. For the following week it looked like I had leprosy or some other crazy skin disease. When it all peeled off, there I was, pasty white again, as if I’d never been out in the sun at all! So I really hope that doesn’t happen this time. Hopefully I’ve caught it in time and it’ll turn into a tan. We shall see...
Yesterday I wondered if it would be possible to get to Paris for tonight. Well, the answer is, “No.” I don’t know if it was actually hotter than yesterday or whether it just felt like it, but I got to a place called Gaillon at about 2pm, pretty exhausted. I found an Intermarché to get some supplies and took my time eating a late lunch in the hope that Paris would magically become closer. A lorry driver came and sat down nearby and we struck up a conversation. I asked him how far it was to Paris... then wished I hadn’t. He took out a Sat-Nav and said (with a big grin on his face...), “88 kilometres,” which is about 55 miles. His friend turned up and asked if I was going to Paris. I said, “Maybe not today!” They didn’t even offer to give me a lift...
But they did say that I should head to a town called Les Andelys before hitting the D14 and heading to Paris. (The D14 is a road I had tried to avoid because it’s just so straight! Straight is boring... in my mind, at least.) They said there was a campsite and a castle, a fairly touristy place. After a gruelling uphill (which the friend did warn me about), there was a stunning view and a fairly easy ride for the remaining few miles.They were right: Les Andelys is a nice little place. The castle can be seen from a couple of miles off, and you come into the town over (what I thought was) a fairly stunning bridge. You just don’t seem to get that sort of thing in the UK – certainly not as commonplace. Bridges have a purpose: they get you from one side to the other. In France, and hopefully other countries too, they’re a work of art. Just look at the famous Millau viaduct. Absolutely fantastic! (Unfortunately I won’t be going over there on this trip. Plus it’s a part of the autoroute so I wouldn’t be able to do it by bike anyway... well, not legally!) Enough about bridges.
The campsite it right on the bank of the Seine with a view of the castle (and the bridge!). It has a little swimming pool and is very pleasant. It’s just a shame about the price - €16!! I’ll be trying hard not to spend any money tomorrow...There was a slight incident today when I lost a bit of concentration and my front wheel skimmed the curb. It wouldn’t have been so bad had it not been for the queue of cars waiting at the lights, blatantly watching me! Oh well, no harm done... actually, I haven’t bothered to check it yet, I just figured that since it’s done about 30 miles more, it’s probably ok.
Stats
Mileage = 42.74 miles
Riding time = 3 hours 50 minutes
Average speed = 11.1 mph
Top speed = 40.6 mph
Total mileage since start = 114.9
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