Fields of France

France: Tour de Manche Stage 9 – Thu 30th July 2015 – Paimpol to Pleumeur-Bodou (66 Km)

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The song I couldn’t get out of my head as I headed off on my 60 Km ride today from Paimpol to Pleumeur-Bodou (near Trebeurden) was “Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Oh What a Beautiful Day” from the Oscar Hammerstein & Richard Rodgers musical Oklahoma.

In all of the 577 kilometres I have ridden since I left Cherbourg nine days ago the ride today was easily the most enjoyable. The ride had everything a touring biker could dream of … smooth riding surfaces, sunny weather, beautiful French fields, panoramic seaside vistas, idyllic towns, and lots of interesting sights along the way.

Sometimes the simple things in life give the most pleasure. Here are some of the interesting things that caught the eye of this elderly cyclist while rolling along today (and attracted the attention of his camera):

• An elderly lady walking her dog along the beach
• An elderly man tottering down the hill with the aid of his walking stick
• An elderly man picking a bunch of dandelions – to make a cup of tea with, or perhaps to present to his dear wife as a token of his affection
• Some elderly walkers propelled along by Nordic walking sticks
• Many touring cyclists (of all ages) who waved and gave a cheery bonjour
• Fluffy white clouds
• Two fluffy white Maltese Toys barking ferociously at me from behind the safety of a white picket gate
• Cows staring at me inquisitively with their big beautiful eyes
• An old grey horse huddled against a stone wall to get some warmth
• Lots of township signs with both French and Breton names
• Hectares and hectares of artichokes, cabbages, and silver beet
• A sign in a restaurant window saying “English Spoken Here” (I haven’t experienced any yet)
• A nun sneaking into an artisan boulangerie patisserie to indulge herself
• A tractor that looked as if it was on stilts
• The impressive Château de Costaérès in Tourony

I resisted the urge to stop and photograph all the hydrangeas I saw along the way today, because you are probably bored with them by now. They really are the dominant flower throughout Normandy and Brittany and are truly spectacular. They seem to grow so well here and they contrast so nicely against the stone fences and houses.

There were two standout towns today … Tréguier (Landreger in Breton) in the Jaudy Valley, and the sylish resort of Perros-Guirec along the Breton coast. I stopped at Tréguier where I indulged in a Flan de Brittany from a boulangerie patisserie and a café au lait from a bar-tabac opposite the imposing Cathédrale Saint-Tugdual de Tréguier.

Not having to stop to take photographs of all the hydrangeas today shaved a lot of time off my ride, so I arrived at the Brit Golf Hotel Saint-Samson in plenty of time for a round of golf. The only problem is I don’t play golf and I didn’t carry any clubs with me, so I settled for the hammock in front of Le 19 Bar-Restaurant.

One thing I have found disappointing in Normandy and Brittany is the cuisine, but it is probably my fault because my attire deters me from eating in any of those fine dining, Michelin hat, type restaurants (because the French connoisseurs look down their collective noses at a cyclist walking in wearing a scungy old riding jacket and shorts). The restaurant I ate at last night in Paimpol will definitely never earn a hat. My main course was a thin, tough piece of steak, accompanied by frites (French fries) and nothing else. Desert was a soggy, salted caramel, crepe. Maybe tonight I will get to taste haute cuisine because the only restaurant around here is the classy looking Le 19 here at the golf resort. I just hope that there is English spoken there and that there is an English version of the menu, otherwise I will just stick with something I know such as escargot or canard.

Life is good!