Day 7 – Monday 30th May 2011
Some clarification is in order. What is this trip actually about? Yes, it’s Mike’s jolly jaunt, “I’ve finished university (finally! – more on that later), I have a few months to spare and I’ve saved up my student loan, so let’s have an adventure.” But what am I trying to achieve here?
The original plan – by that I mean the plan before Christmas – was to get to Cairo and see the Great Pyramids, something I’ve wanted to do since I was little and my passion for such a trip was reignited a couple of years ago when I began learning Egyptian Hieroglyphs. But that idea was knocked on the head when I realised it was practically impossible to get across the Mediterranean into Egypt. I tried planning a route island-hopping, but it got more and more complicated. But the island-hopping I had planned took me to Greece first, so I thought that since I’d also been learning New Testament Greek, a trip to Greece might be a nice idea: to Athens and back!
So, what exactly is the point of this trip? Because I’ve been planning it (in my head) to go to places like Rome – and whilst I’m at it, Pisa – and I thought I might as well trek through Paris (done that one already!) and even cycle over the Alps. Yes, the trip is nuts, but that’s me, trying to cram as much in as possible. And as for the cycling: 60-70 miles a day? Piece of cake! Well, yes... in the UK. But when you see a sign showing the temperature as 29°C – at 9.50 in the morning – and the nearest thing to rain has been a 10 minute pathetic excuse for a “light shower,” things need to be put into a bit more perspective.
So, is this trip just to see a bit of the world? Well, yes... but I’ve been telling everyone that I’m going to Greece. So is this trip about getting to Greece or to Greece or cycling to Greece? And does that involve cycling back as well? At the back of my mind is the possibility of jumping on a train to get home quick if I find I’m running out of cash... but what about using the trains just to get to places quicker, or to cover some distance without having to cycle through the blistering heat? The more people I talk to, the more I’m realising that it really is nuts to cycle through Greece, especially if I’m thinking of covering 60+ miles a day, during possibly the hottest month of the year. Well done Mike, another stupid idea!
I’m already seeing the advantage of taking at least an hour for a break around 1pm. Most of France does anyway, and it’s pretty obvious why: the number of looks of disbelief I get when I try to push on – just a little further – before taking that break. But as I get further South and the midday heat becomes hotter, I think I may actually need to take a siesta from 1-4pm. Today I left the campsite at 8.45am – the earliest yet – and managed to plough through the best part of 40 miles before 1pm. I knew that if I pressed on, taking frequent but short breaks, I could get to the campsite by 5pm (which I did – I got here just after 4.30pm). But it was after about 3 or 3.30pm that it really is noticeable: cycling becomes a pleasure again.
So, what to do? Take a siesta, or take it easy (maybe only doing 40 miles a day) and catch a train once or twice? I really don’t know...
For now, at least, I have a day to check Ol’ Betsy over, to mooch around Beaune, write some postcards and enjoy another duck salad in blackcurrant sauce... because tonight’s was absolutely gorgeous!
I’m also thinking of popping over to Geneva... but I’ll probably write more about that tomorrow...
Stats
Mileage = 65.26 miles
Riding time = 6 hours 14 minutes
Average speed = 10.4 mph
Top speed = 31.7 mph
Total mileage since start = 437.4
Some clarification is in order. What is this trip actually about? Yes, it’s Mike’s jolly jaunt, “I’ve finished university (finally! – more on that later), I have a few months to spare and I’ve saved up my student loan, so let’s have an adventure.” But what am I trying to achieve here?
The original plan – by that I mean the plan before Christmas – was to get to Cairo and see the Great Pyramids, something I’ve wanted to do since I was little and my passion for such a trip was reignited a couple of years ago when I began learning Egyptian Hieroglyphs. But that idea was knocked on the head when I realised it was practically impossible to get across the Mediterranean into Egypt. I tried planning a route island-hopping, but it got more and more complicated. But the island-hopping I had planned took me to Greece first, so I thought that since I’d also been learning New Testament Greek, a trip to Greece might be a nice idea: to Athens and back!
So, what exactly is the point of this trip? Because I’ve been planning it (in my head) to go to places like Rome – and whilst I’m at it, Pisa – and I thought I might as well trek through Paris (done that one already!) and even cycle over the Alps. Yes, the trip is nuts, but that’s me, trying to cram as much in as possible. And as for the cycling: 60-70 miles a day? Piece of cake! Well, yes... in the UK. But when you see a sign showing the temperature as 29°C – at 9.50 in the morning – and the nearest thing to rain has been a 10 minute pathetic excuse for a “light shower,” things need to be put into a bit more perspective.So, is this trip just to see a bit of the world? Well, yes... but I’ve been telling everyone that I’m going to Greece. So is this trip about getting to Greece or to Greece or cycling to Greece? And does that involve cycling back as well? At the back of my mind is the possibility of jumping on a train to get home quick if I find I’m running out of cash... but what about using the trains just to get to places quicker, or to cover some distance without having to cycle through the blistering heat? The more people I talk to, the more I’m realising that it really is nuts to cycle through Greece, especially if I’m thinking of covering 60+ miles a day, during possibly the hottest month of the year. Well done Mike, another stupid idea!
I’m already seeing the advantage of taking at least an hour for a break around 1pm. Most of France does anyway, and it’s pretty obvious why: the number of looks of disbelief I get when I try to push on – just a little further – before taking that break. But as I get further South and the midday heat becomes hotter, I think I may actually need to take a siesta from 1-4pm. Today I left the campsite at 8.45am – the earliest yet – and managed to plough through the best part of 40 miles before 1pm. I knew that if I pressed on, taking frequent but short breaks, I could get to the campsite by 5pm (which I did – I got here just after 4.30pm). But it was after about 3 or 3.30pm that it really is noticeable: cycling becomes a pleasure again.
So, what to do? Take a siesta, or take it easy (maybe only doing 40 miles a day) and catch a train once or twice? I really don’t know...For now, at least, I have a day to check Ol’ Betsy over, to mooch around Beaune, write some postcards and enjoy another duck salad in blackcurrant sauce... because tonight’s was absolutely gorgeous!
I’m also thinking of popping over to Geneva... but I’ll probably write more about that tomorrow...
Stats
Mileage = 65.26 miles
Riding time = 6 hours 14 minutes
Average speed = 10.4 mph
Top speed = 31.7 mph
Total mileage since start = 437.4
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