As if to make up for the lousy night in the local gym, breakfast this morning was really, really good. Arrangements had been made to eat at a local cafe, and it was the best breakfast we’ve had in France, probably the best of the trip so far! Great coffee, a German-style cheese and meat platter, and good juice. Free WiFi, too.
The ride was short again and fairly straightforward along the canal, and we found our lodging easily enough.
The local cycling group and the tourism people hosted a short wine and canapes reception on a motor barge moored near the city centre, and while there we had the first of a string of epic thunderstorms march in, with crazy heavy rain and even hail.
I learned a new and slightly off-colour French phrase while watching it rain from inside the barge, “Il pleut comme une vache qui piss”, literally translated, “It rains like a cow who pisses”, ie it is raining very hard. Useful phrase, that.
We had an abbreviated guided tour of the old part of town with a very nice English-speaking guide, cut short as we watched yet another thunderstorm march in.
Managed to get back to our hostel without getting soaked. The place is normally student housing so instead of multi bed dorms I had a single room that was effectively a bachelor apartment. Nice and quiet, lots of space to put stuff out to air and do a bit of sorting.
