So it looks like we are Go for Bonn! The Cathedral send-off is happening in Truro on Sat 28th October. The train and ferry tickets to Paris are booked. The route is planned. The first few nights accommodation in Bonn are sorted – arriving Sat 4th November, hopefully in time to participate in various events being planned by activist groups that weekend.
The Route
Starting from Truro on Saturday 28th October we aim to be in Bonn in time for the People’s Climate Summit on Friday evening 3rd November running through to 6th November together with the mass demonstration in Bonn on Saturday 4th and the direct action against nearby lignite coal extraction (Germany is not as green in its energy as is sometimes painted) on the Sunday.
Packing and Preparing
So here we go again. Checking over the bike, packing the panniers, testing the technology, and thinking about why we are once again setting off to cycle across Europe in November – not traditionally the most clement month of the year.
We’re on our way
Which Way to Bonn?
“Why?” Is the answer in the jar?
Why are we going on from Paris to Bonn?
Why am I going on from Paris to Bonn?
I don’t really know – or maybe I haven’t worked out how to express it clearly
Perhaps the answer is in this jar. Continue reading “Why?” Is the answer in the jar?
Warming up
A warm-up day today with a 27km nice quiet rural ride from Roscoff to Morlaix at a 19km/hr rolling average and a 13km night time tour of Paris to get from Gare de Montparnasse to our digs at 11km/hr (I blame the traffic lights not Miss OSMs byzantine navigation skills). In between that a 302km/hr ride in a TGV.
Naturally there were appropriate coffee, beer and pizza stops (the record will remain silent on the lunch that two of us indulged in in Morlaix whilst I was making do with a slice of cold quiche on the train (it was an artisanal quiche from an epicerie).
And it wasn’t my hankering for a good french tart that caused us to stop here:
Ewan later said “I didn’t think I was hungry, but since we are in a pizza place…”
Here is the route that Miss OSM guided us through Paris – Parisienne one way streets are two way for cyclists, which is all well and good if you are thin or not carrying bulky panniers.
Day 1 – Paris to Compiegne
We rose early(ish) and were ready to go shortly after 8 although by the time we had got the horses out of the dungeons and returned the bunch of keys to the key-gnome’s post box within the portal it was 8:30 when we hit the road.
The digs were a one room (bed-sit-kit) with decent shower room small apartment in a new modern block. Here’s the view looking out and looking in.
If you want to see the route it should be at the end of this post. Also the planned itinerary is here.
Day 2 – Compiegne to Étaves-et-Bocquiaux (aka the middle of nowhere)
So last evening we hit the town of Compiegne for a meal and wander around – nice town. The digs were a complete apartment with two beds and a sofa bed in the lounge/kitchen. Much more space than Paris but somewhat tatty (not a new build and well worn). Best bit was the genuine dungeon where the donkeys were stabled.
Continue reading Day 2 – Compiegne to Étaves-et-Bocquiaux (aka the middle of nowhere)
Day 3 – Étaves-et-Bocquiaux to Doische
Or the back of beyond to the arse end of nowhere, or who’s taken my border.
Inevitably eventually the wheels came off. It all started so well; Oliver’s house was comfortable with underfloor heating from an air source heat pump and the beds just goldilocks (not too hot and not too cold). Of course the energy to drive the heat pump would be largely nuclear so perhaps not appropriate technology for the coming post industrial era.