Homewards bound 2

One night in Paris. Doesn't that sound romantic? However, I got there at 1 am, found the hostel and slept like a dead man. Next day I thought about maybe having two hours at the city but decided to buy a train ticket for the bike first. Sadly the train did not have the capacity to carry my bike. Moreover, there was not a single train all day that could take my bike and I don't  need to mention that a new ticket would be really expensive.

Somehow, I found a bike shop, dismantled the bike, packed it in huge plastic planes, made it 2km with all the baggage and the bike in pieces to the station and got on the train within two hours. Instead of not letting me in the train with a bike the conductor helped me carry my stuff :-). Next time I'll try bringing a car on the train this way just because I want to see what's gonna happen.

Homewards bound 1

At the last day of my trip I visited the space park in Toulouse. As a consequence of the long evening before I started late. Three hours were little for the multitude of films, expositions and activities offered.

Then I went to the station. I had an inkling that my cheap internet ticket might not cover a ride in the TGV with a bike. And so it was. However, my time as an actor in English and Spanish theater wasn't wasted as I played the hopeless distraught young student lost abroad. This would never have happened in Germany but they organized a free ride in an intercity which only took three hours more but then again it was for free.

Toulouse

Toulouse might have been the most beautiful city I visited. The riverside is simply breathtaking and the center is alive and authentic.

After taking a different route back from the little excursion in rural live ( this time I took on some hills for which I was rewarded with a beautiful view ) I was a little thrown aback as all the hostels were booked this time around.

Grinding my teeth I got on my bike and made it to the camping site that - for whatever reason - was situated next to the motorway and the industrial suburbs.

When I got there I saw the message that offered me a couch. A little annoyed but happy nonewithstanding I returned to the city. I met my host at a psychadelic rock concert he managed. Normally that would not be my first choice but taking all the facts into consideration I got drunk.

Campagne

The last two days I stayed at a farm not far from Toulouse.

It has been the best couchsurfing since there was time to get to know each other, relax, reflect on the trip and much more.

From discussing a newly invented game, two local festivities to hanging around doing nothing the calmness of rural France makes an hectic Berlin-used think.

Carcassonne & Castelnaudery

Carcassonne is an old fortress and it is pretty. Have a look at the pics. Besides I did the last part of the Canal below par so now I have massive amounts of time left in Toulouse. The last part of the canal was very well maintained, so I finished my biking on a quiet note.

Autumn leaves...

Canal du Midi 2

Arrived in Carcassonne. Yesterday I got a couch in Bezier, so I stayed there for a day in order to relax a bit. My hostess spoke fluent German and spoiled me with food and Orange juice which she has stacked in case of WW3. Very nice and a good pause as yesterday I then did something like 100 km dustroad.

In between I got stuck in a morast and had to clean the bike with my bear hands for an hour!!

Camping wild was kinda scary this time as the full moon shone like a flashlight in my tent and I woke up more than once thinking that someone found me. Then there was a fox crawling around...

A little tired after only 20 km I checked in a youth hostel in Carcassonne today.

Canal du Midi 1

After strolling along the coast for so long I decided to turn inwards abduction follow the canal that used to be of such a great importance before the industrialization. It is beautiful. The only negative thing is that the trails are maid for velo tout terrain meaning mountain bikes.

Arrived late at Bezier and did not find a good hostel so I continued at night and finally camped in a wineyard. This way I had grapes for breakfast and supper. Sue me.

cap agde

I arrived in Cap Agde  without anything worth noting. There is a Natures part of the city. It basically means that the whole city is running around naked. Sadly I could not make any pictures but it seems to be the incarnation of Sodom and Gomorra mixed with Las Vegas.

It rained today. This feels weird as there has been consistent blue sky since I started the trip. I might need my raincoat after all.

Montpellier once more

Today I started out again and cycled along the beach to Sété. It was hard getting up in the morning because yesterday there were the festivals of Montpellier with free wine tasting, dancing Salsa open air at a mamor palace and then joing the student party that took place in the middle of the place de comedy.

There actually is a decent biking trail here. Miracles happen.

Montpellier

The trip from le Camarque to  Montpellier has been almost family friendly except for the part where I had to get into Montpellier only to find the first three hostels in my guide fully booked. However I checked in with La Fauvette an elderly lady from the Elsas who speaks funny German and was amazingly matter of fact Iron Lady style of person.

Met two sisters from Berlin and lady we found a French Couchsurfing host with also two German girls staying with him. Between vegan, small budget and typical French we didn't manage to find a restaurant and started drinking beer.

Montpellier is great and young, also. A lot of students on the streets and many bars and little cafes give it a Heidelberg-like feeling.

At night we broke into a park and drank wine from Berlin. I will miss being a student.

Marseille

Marseille has been great experience. Staying with other travellers has been a welcome change from the self-inflicted solitude.

Met an amazing Taywanes girl and one hilarious Hungarian. Spend the day roaming the city and enjoying the nightlife on top of a parking garage turned art which our gracious host showed us.

My flip-flops disintegrated because of all the walking.

After staying up all night I started early in the direction of le Camargue which is a nature reserve between Montpellier and Marseille.

I was so tired I found a little cave at the beach and slept during noon.

Then I followed a mountainside of "blue seaside".

However, from there started an ugly part of crossing the industrial sites at the Salines.

When I arrived in  Foz sur mer I asked in the tourist office how to get to Camarque. They answered that I need to follow  the autoroute 20 km. Seriously , I checked on the map there was no other way. Anyways I put in my earplugs and listend to an audio book.

The when I got to the reserve the Mistral wind was blowing so much I had to walk with the bike at hand. Luckily I could hitchhike to the beach where I slept.

Today I had to walk also at the beginning about three hours against the wind in the sand before I found a trail fit for biking and could go West instead of North against the Wind. For the walking I strapped the bike to me, so I could carry it along.

Happily,I arrived here in St. Marie back in civilisation.

Crazy mountain trail

I took the route from Sanary to Marseille and there was this moment, where I made a fatal decision. Route de cretes means that there are mountains, right? Anyways I did it and sleeping at the hilltop was a once in a lifetime experience.

Von Nizza nach Sanary

From  Nice I started again and went to Cannes. I did not see much of the town because it was already very late and I wanted to go on in order to find a place to sleep.

If you look at the map there are some serious mountains but I have to say they were the highlights of the trip so far . You climb up and on your left there are always beautiful  valleys and to your right you have a panorama like in Switzerland . Then night fell and I slept at the beach.

In the middle of the night I had to go on because  moskitos were eating me up. But my light was not working. In France there are lights next to the roads but still I would not go far. So I slept in the entrance of some sort of castle . When morning broke I had the most wonderful sight  of a beautiful valley and old ruins.

Yesterday I arrived in Frejus which has a lively old town just to take a TGV to Toulon as I was hoping to make it to a diving trip in Hyeres. Also I had a couch at couchsurfing in Sanary . From Toulon to Sanary it was aawful with the wind and the sun burning but mercifully it was short.

My host here is working in a catering company and he cooked the best dinner I could imagine.

ANKUNFT IN NIZZA

Verrückte Woche. I am going to write in English because German is a pain in the ass with the phone.

First I thought  that  there are no routes for bikes at all and then there comes 30km of pure joy riding along the biggest cycling highway I have ever seen.

In detail reports are usually never read so I'll stay with the highlights.

Yes its hot and there are mountains, too.

The view is awesome. Especially , when you go downhill and at the hillside.

Two gay guys invited me for lunch. Man it must be great being a women .

I almost camped wild but the upcoming storm convinced me to seek shelter at the camping side, where it was possible to pitch the tent in time.

Allassio. A nice valley without tourists and such a beautiful place.

almost spend more time swimming and drinking cappucino during the day then cycling in the mornings  and evenings.

France!!! I really was shot of Italian traffic.

Aufbruch nach Genua

Nach einigem hin und her fange ich mit Genua an und fahre dann Richtung Westen. Das Packen war aufwändig und der Nachtzug wartet.