Blog from France. October 17, 2008
Feel the love--mom and Jamie reunite in France w/ da most cool Frenchies Sophie n Mathieu
I left off during my hibernation period that I started to fend off the travel burnout bug and to enjoy fully the experiences with my mom Carol who was due to visit me for almost 2 weeks in France. Luxembourg was all about relaxing, reading, sleeping and yes, catching up on Europe journals, which are all be posted and up to date by the time you read this. From Luxembourg, the day I had been waiting for, October 7th, finally arrived and my mom and I would finally be reunited after over 9 months away from the states.
I’m happy to say my mom, aka Mamacita, and I have a very healthy and positive relationship and she has been such a huge supporter of this project since Garryck and I dreamt it up in the 1990’s. She’s come out to adventure with me in Japan, India, Thailand, Australia, Kenya, Uganda and now it was time for a taste of Europe in France! Unlike previous visits, she was coming out without a bike and without the intention to do much riding due a blow-out of her knee that happened just weeks before coming to meet me. But, like the trooper she is, she showed up anyhow with a shot from the doctor and a few painkillers to get her through her time in France. Go Mamacita!
Mamacita and I in Paris reunited after 9 months on da road
I arrived in Paris all rested up and feeling much stronger than before to meet up with not only Mamacita but a special guest from Sweden Carina. Carina was our Nanny in California 29 years and her and I met up for a pedal in Gothenburg, Sweden and it was time for her to reconnect with Mamacita. If all this was not good enough, we were also hooked up big time with a complimentary Paris luxury apartment rental from a close friend from university Drew and his company Cobblestay. Score! We had Marais rental in Paris that was unreal!
And special guest Carina, our Nanny from 29 years ago comes to join the fun
We had planned to stay in Paris for 5 days but the Peace Pedalers Surf Rainbow that has been blessing me with great waves my entire trip was working up alternative plans. By the time I arrived in Paris the report was calling for perfect surf conditions and divine weather in the next few days lasting for a whopping 5 days! Mamacita, Carina and I had both been to Paris several times so it was not a difficult decision to cut Paris short and make our way to the stunning northwestern region of Bretagne (Brittany) to meet my good buddy Mathieu in his home country—finally!
Mathieu and I first met in Benin in Central West Africa, a tiny sliver of a country next to Nigeria. Mathieu got word that a globetrotting cyclist and surf nut was in town and hosted me for several days at his pad near the beach. We built a great friendship while I took a few weeks in Benin and he ensured me that when I hit France he would take me out on the famous waves where he’s from. We bumped into each other out of the blue in Berlin, Germany a few months ago that led to a 2-day cycling adventure together so we were destined to connect again!
The perfect waves waiting for us me in Brittany...yes, they were that good!
And boy did the heavens have a treat in store for us later in the week! But first, back in Paris, I had plenty to do to get my broken bike and camera equipment sorted and start sucking in the lovely Parisian experiences with Drew, Mom, Carina and crew before our departure west. Thanks to Mamacita lugging a brand new wheel out for me from USA all I had to do was change tires and that was sorted. But the 2 broken Sanken microphone wires were another challenge.
But thanks to the most gracious efforts and world class soldering abilities of one Antoine Malnati at a small firm Areitec in Paris my microphones were all running perfect in less than 24 hours! And, the best part of it all, they did all the work for free as they loved the Peace Pedalers project! Bonus! So with my bike and camera kit sorted, I was free to enjoy some of the world class food, wine and company of my loved ones. I was able to reconnect with my bro Drew from my university days, sip the fine wine and eat some of the best food on planet earth.
We hit the road Thursday afternoon to meet Mathieu in who not only was excited to host me, Mamacita and Carina, but who also managed to get Friday and Monday off of work to give us 5 days of surfing, adventuring, cooking and great times in the sunshine. We had a few challenges getting there but made it in time for an epic sunset surf session followed by Brittany cider and one of Mathieu’s amazing meals. We were off to a great start!
Our first of meal of many with Matthieu, mom n Carina
Mathieu lives in the a tiny town called Plozevet about 2km from the ocean. By the time evening rolled around we could hear the pounding swell coming in, the offshore winds were picking up and there was not a cloud in the starry sky. I’ll wait for the journal to go into full details but the following 5 days of bliss went something like this:
Wake up late, have an epic breakfast of fresh bread, croissants, fruit and oats, pack the boards on the car, hit the world class surf for the first 2-3 hour session of total perfection, have a huge lunch in the sunshine, rest, head back out for another blissful surf until the sun went down, drink yummy cider and wine, eat home-cooked meals, take a bath, hit the hay, repeat next day…a dream come true! And having mom and Carina there was the icing on the cake as the got along like peas and carrots and positive energy was moving all over!
Carina, Mathieu and Mamacita cooking up a storm after a lovely day of surf
Carina finally left and, as if it could not get any better, the day she had to go back to Sweden was the day that another close French friend of mine Sophie was free to adventure herself! Sophie and I met almost six years ago in Goa, India where we built the foundations of our friendship and even did a ride together in southern India. We had kept in very loose contact since then but clearly our escapades together were far from over now that I was in her stomping grounds of France.
Sophie and I almost 6 years ago in India
And reunited in France! Life is good!
Just like my bro Philippe in Belgium and I, Sophie was a lifestyle and freedom addict and choose to work as little as possible and celebrate life to its fullest. It did not take her long to accept the invitation to come to Brittany for a few days and it was so great to see her again. So, just like that, we had a new partner in crime in the Brittany crew and life was good, very good!
The routine continued with perfect sunny days, divine surf sessions, unforgettable meals, fine wine and cider and connections with Brittany’s spectacular Nature that none of us will soon forget. But Monday the 13th finally came and, after 8 long surf sessions over 5 days in 7 different locations, it was time to move on. Mathieu had to go to work and we were both totally exhausted with every possible surf muscle sore to the bone. But we were glowing and neither of us will ever forget one of the best 5 days of life we have ever had.
Just one of my countless sweet rides in Brittany. Delicious!
The views of the charming towns in Brittany
Mathieu lovin the insiders
It was hard to leave Brittany—it’s truly a magical region of our planet. But Mamacita and I wanted to explore a bit more and possibly do a day or two of riding so we went with Sophie to the train station but had no plans of where exactly we were going to go next. We said our “see you next times” to Mathieu and sat in front of the Lonely Planet and some maps until the next plan of attack presented itself.
Turns out that Sophie did not REALLY have to be back up in her home town of Lille just yet and she was up for some riding too. So we picked the town of Angers as a base camp for new adventure in the Loire River region of France that nobody in our crew had properly explored. So, just like that, I teleported the slightly injured but ever-enthusiastic Mamacita and the fellow vagabond travel addict Sophie with me to the Loire!
The view from our super cheap but lovely hotel in Angers
We had intentions to ride that Wednesday and Thursday but Mother Nature vetoed the Wednesday ride with heavy rain and cold temperatures. We opted for a day of sightseeing, eating, strolling and relaxing in the most charming town of Angers with it’s huge Chateau, dazzling architecture and vibrant student population bringing a positive buzz around the town.
Thursday was an entirely different situation and we woke up to crystal clear blue skies, a brisk westerly tailwind, and three excited pedalers ready for action! We discovered a bike lane that would take us about 70km from Angersto Saumur and, although 70km is a tough day for even the most healthy athlete, Mamacita was up for the challenge. Sophie rented a bike for herself and we hit the road in the early afternoon for a glorious day in one of France’s most beautiful regions.
Mamacita back on the bike on a perfect fall day on the Loire River!
I’ve ridden with Mamacita many times and have seen her cry from pain and frustration in Australia, almost get killed in Kenya, conquer 80km days in 100 degree days in Uganda, fear for her life in Thailand. Add to these memories the fact that she had a nasty crash back in San Diego and had not been on a bike since and you see how I admittedly was quite stressed when we took off as I did not want her to suffer. I took a bit too much responsibility for her well being from the get go but as the kilometers of glorious riding clicked on by my mood got better and better as I realized she was strong and going to make it with flying colors!
The day was simply divine with gentle riverside riding along the Maine River and Loire rivers, darting off into villages lined with mansions, cute farm houses, shops and great eye candy in every direction. The last 10km were the toughest into steep hills that made it tough to put our head up and see the wonders. The weather ranged from bright sunshine to threatening thunderstorms but we managed to roll into Saumur dry, happy, strong but quite ready to get off the bike indeed.
And Sophie rents a bike to come along on the adventure--she loved it!
We found a perfect budget hotel overlooking a castle for only 35 euro a night with a perfect garage to park the bikes and the skies opened up and released all the rain it held off for us the second we stepped foot into the hotel. We were all filled with a glow of gratitude, pride and awe of it all. To top it off, we got a hot shower and headed out on the town for the very best Saumur had to offer.
Our last night together we celebrated with a divine meal at a small bistro and wine bar. Saumur is world renowned for its wine and boy did we score with cheap glasses of unbelievably good wine accompanied by the best food in the world, by far. I’ve been dreaming of finally eating my way through France and boy did we go big with meats, veggies, cheeses, sauces and desserts that almost brought tears to our eyes. The food and wine in France IS THAT GOOD---come and try it for yourself!
So my hibernation period is about up and I’m refreshed as ever, ready to get back on the bike in southern France and beyond. I am on my way to Biarritz to meet my Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.com –get involved in this!) hosts Margo, Vincent and potentially a French friend Melanie I met in Morocco. I’ll be exploring the Basque country in the Pyrenees then off to Spain and Portugal. Life is good!
Over n out from S. France!
Jamie :)
1 comment:
I have just driven back from near Carcassonne to Dumfries in Scotland for a family wedding and have visited quite a few of the same places on the way.
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