Day 101
La Rochelle
Today is officially a rest day. Nowhere to go. Two nights in the same place, thanks to our wonderful Warmshowers hosts, John-Christopher and Isobel. So we started the day with two hours on the computer planning the week ahead. Route, accommodation, daily miles, messages to Warmshowers hosts and campsites, with no real plan sorted when we stopped.
We then headed into La Rochelle on the bikes. There is a specialist touring bike shop there, Cyclable. They were able to sell me a quality touring tyre, decent oil and hopefully good brake blocks. Still no one selling genuine Shimano V brake pads apart from Richardson’s Cycles in Scarborough!
We then parked the bikes up and had a stroll around this awesome small city. 80,000 live there, Tom and I could easily make it eighty thousand and two. Set by the sea, beautiful parks, historical building surrounding a pretty harbour, bars, restaurants, great shops and cycle lanes everywhere you could possibly want to go. After a few hours of mindless wandering and quite possibly an ice cream from local favourite ‘Earnest’ we headed back to fit the tyre. We spent an hour or so servicing the bikes and another two more successful hours planning the next few days.
We then celebrated our 100 days by eating oysters and mussels in white wine prepared by Isobel and drinking champagne. Well we are in France! Another fantastic evening.
