Cycling in France

Our blog at appears as it was written during our trip away. It has the last day appearing first.

By clicking HERE you will be taken to the first page. Then you will be able to go to the next page in order; from the first to last, making it much easier to read.

Our final departure day. We checked out of the hotel and caught an SIA Shuttle to Sentosa Island. There is so much to see and do on this resort island that the few hours we had could only scratch the surface.

We visited Fort Silosa, built by the British to defend Singapore's harbour. The complex now has much war memorabilia on display.

We then visited the island's Merlion, where we learnt the story of Singapore's national icon and from its top viewed Sentosa, the mainland and the surrounding islands.

Sentosa Island - Merlion

We returned to the city, had an early tea and caught the shuttle bus to the airport for our six and half hour flight home.

After a good night's sleep and a late start we were off again to look at the city. We walked about a kilometre to Suntec City, one of the large shopping  centres in the city; five towers connected with malls. It is nice to enter a complex like this to temporarily escape the heat and humidity.

We 'hopped' on the bus again and alighted at Chinatown where we looked a Buddhist Temple; extraordinarily decorated - very interesting.

On the bus again after lunch to visit the Botanic Gardens; obviously quite different to ours in Adelaide due to the tropical climate. Of special interest was our visit to the National Orchid Garden, with many thousands of different varieties with some named after famous people.

Princess Diana Orchid

We are on a two night Singapore Airlines Stopover Holiday. The deal is great value for money because vouchers to visit some of Singapore's attractions are included.

We arrived at the hotel at about 9 and were able to check in; this was great as it gave us the chance to have a couple of hours of quality sleep after the long flight.

We caught the SIA hop on-off bus to Clarke Quay where we went on river cruise in a traditional bumboat. After this we got on the bus again and completed the circuit; a great way to get an overview of the city. Singapore is certainly a complete contrast to Paris; so many massive skyscrapers.

Singapore - river cruise view

Au revoir France! After five weeks in France it was time to say goodbye. For Bev and Gordon it has been an experience of a lifetime; doing something quite different and so interesting. There have been some challenges along the way but overall we've had a fantastic time.

Prior to coming on this trip we have spent time learning French. The level we had was sufficient for basic communication but it was frustrating not being able to have a real conversation. We met many people who could speak little or no English.

We intend returning sometime in the not too distant future and aim to be much more proficient in the language  before we do.

Our shuttle bus arrived on time at 7:50 and we were at the airport by 9:00. After checking in our luggage we made phone calls to our children and parents; finally worked out how to use a phone card we had bought a couple of weeks ago!

Concorde on display at CDG airport

We had window seats so we caught glimpses of Europe from 10,000 metres; made more interesting because the flight path and data could be viewed on our personal video screens.

It was a smooth flight with only a small amount of turbulence every so often.

We spent today in preparation for our departure; packing and posting some excess luggage, buying some souvenirs and thoroughly cleaning our bikes, bags and camping equipment.

Our bikes, Dahon Speed TR, have served us well. The only problems we have had were a few punctures and the need to make a few adjustments. The tyres, Schwalbe Big Apple, have a puncture resistant layer; puncture resistant, not puncture proof. We learnt that it is prudent to check the tightness of bolts, especially the carriers, on a regular basis.

The gear range proved to be appropriate; low enough for those uphill climbs and high enough to maintain a good speed on the flat and undulating sections.

The smaller size of the bike made it easy to manage on trains, planes and in hotel rooms. During the trip we managed to wheel the bikes onto the trains, but we had the option to carry them on as luggage if needed. Had we decided to hire a small car, we would have been able to pack the bikes into their bags and carry them on the back seat; a full size bike would need a rack - not available on hire cars. The only downside was that we were often gawked at! Then again, people would often come and talk to us; genuinely interested in our bikes.

On our way back to the the hotel we walked through Luxembourg Gardens; one of the very few large public parks in Paris. It is a place of relaxation, activity and interaction for locals and visitors; people playing boule, chess, tennis, just sitting, talking or reading - a wonderful atmosphere.

Chess players in Luxembourg Gardens

Today we set off on our bikes viewing some areas of Paris we had not seen; the Bastille, Place de la Nation and the national library.

Gordon went  to a jazz club just after 6pm. When he arrived there was a trio (piano, bass and drums) playing some cool easy listening jazz. After a while the piano player stopped playing and from then on a succession of  people played a couple of numbers each. It was obviously an evening set up for young artists to perform; possibly music students from a university in the distict. The audience were very appreciative and supportive. As time went on, there were other performers as well, including a talented young saxophonist. It was a great atmosphere!

After an enjoyable breakfast at the hotel, we rode the short distance to the railway station and navigated two flights of stairs to the platform.

When the train arrived we had the usual rush along the platform looking for the designated bike carriage. This time we were waiting at the front, but the carriage was at the back. And we thought we had it worked out!

We arrived at Gare d'Austerlitz at 11:40 and had a short ride (about 1.5 kms) to Hotel des Allies in the Latin Quarter. The route was along shared bus/bicycle/taxi lanes; the traffic was surprisingly very light. When we were in Paris at the beginning of our trip we stayed in an apartment in the same street as the hotel, so we are very familiar with this part of Paris.

After checking in we had some lunch and caught the Metro to visit the Eiffel Tower. This was the highlight of our day. It cost 11.50 Euro for a ticket to the top, 3rd level, and we spent about an hour and a half in the queue but it was well worth it.

The first lift takes you to the second level. The views over Paris are spectaclar; we spent time picking out places we had visited and getting a better appreciation of the city's size and layout. Fortunately the weather was kind to us, and for the most part it was fine. There was broken cloud with quite long periods of sunshine.

After queuing for another half hour or so, we took a second lift to the top; a fantastic experience being up so high and being able to see so much; another perspective on Paris. Here they had labeled photos to help identify the sights.

View of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower

Another easy day. We packed up our tent for the last time in surprisingly dry conditions; the forecast was for rain all day. After settling the site fees at about 10am we rode across the bridge to Hotel la Breche where we checked in.

We rode back over the two bridges to Amboise town centre where we wandered around looking at the fascinating old houses and shops; once again, lots of history here.

After an early lunch we visited the Chateau Royal d'Amboise. This chateau was different again to the others we have seen; the exquisite furniture being more regal. There were spectacular views of the city and surroundings from the balconies and towers.

Chateau Royal d'Amboise

The day has not been as bleak as forecast, but we did have to shelter from a few heavy showers.

Tonight we ate at the hotel's restaurant; a magnificent meal; a buffet entrée and buffet sweets with a choice of main; very French; topped off with a very nice local red wine.

It rained heavily overnight; the repaired tent held up ok and it did not leak. Such a relief!

Today we had a rest day. We ambled around Amboise, booked a hotel for Friday, bought train tickets to Paris and caught up on emails and the blog; the first chance we have had to do so for about a week.

Amboise - bridge over Loire

We have certainly had a variety of campsites. All but one had hot showers. Many had shared male/female facilities; not that bad as all cubicles were private.

This campsite was odd in that two blocks had toilets and wash basins, and one block had just showers. You had to organize yourself; shower first and then shave and toilet or toilet and shave, then shower! Decisions. Both options meant a 100 metre walk between. The other dilemma is near which block do do you place your tent?

Toilets varied throughout the country; most sites in the Loire had toilets like ours in Australia, but earlier on our trip they had squats or a mixture of both. Most didn't have seats or toilet paper, but generally they were clean.

It was very common in the smaller towns and villages not to have public toilets and when they did, you usually had to pay or have your own paper!