24th Day
Bonjour!
On to
Cognac! I left my little haven in Yviers
at 9:30 and tried to follow the outlined route the rest of the way to Brossac
passing through quiet farming villages like Bardenac. Very few people are out and about; one or two
older people sitting on their stoop and maybe someone hustling to the
bakery. In general, the streets are
vacant. The campground in Brossac was
part of a huge open-air facility that included a ton of water activities, one
being water skiing.
From Brossac I mapped my own route to
Cognac. From the spider web of roads I
selected roads less than major speedways but more than minor farm paths. I made better time without having to check at
every intersection. Interesting that the
last few days have been more like the previous tours, very linear riding for A
to B and not taking time to see things along the way. This makes sense since I must be in Fressines
by Friday for Marie-Line’s wedding on Saturday.
I have been
in Cognac three times and city has always struck me as an overgrown farming
town lacking the usual elegance of a French city of this size. The downtown area is confined to the shops
and restaurants around a large roundabout with streets leading out like spokes
on a wheel. The chief attraction is the
outstanding wines that are prominently displayed in dozens of shops. Believe it or not Mr. Ripley but the “HARDY”
brand is one of the most distinguished!
Not surprisingly, the museums featured the history of winemaking in the
area. There is a nice cathedral and huge
chateau but they barely rate a passing note in the travel brochures.
The
campground was wedged between the Charente River hinting of peace and quiet and
a busy road warning of noise until 11. I
had stayed here the year before and was still in their computer files. In a strange symmetry, I was here on the
first day of the ride last year and the last day of the ride this year.
Once again
I could not access the Internet. A note
says that Java Script must be loaded on my browser. Being technologically challenged I do not
know what that means. I am sure Charlie
can explain this.
I rested up
for the big ride tomorrow, a sixty miler to Fressines. I have been dawdling along doing 30 to 45
miles. I wanted to go farther today
however none of the towns between Cognac and Fressines had campgrounds. Supposedly there was one 24 km out of Cognac
but this was no longer open. This only
confirmed this a farming area and not a tourist area.
I did meet
a Dutch couple in the campground who drove down from Holland. They plan on parking their car at friends and
do a bike tour for 50 days. Another
couple lent me their phone so that I could call Isabelle and let her know that
I was within striking distance.
Au revoir!!!
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