Episode #1 Bicycling

My bicycle is coming along, as of right now I'm waiting on my tools to come from Germany in order to finish up fixing it.  But so far I've removed all I can, washed and gotten rid of all the grease and rust, touched up the paint job (using two mixed nail polishes), used rubbing compound to liven up the color, waxed the frame, overhauled the headset, conditioned the saddle, and I've bought all of the new parts.  I'm excited to use it both as a French town speedster as well as a grocery carrying mule.  Hopefully before I leave I can either sell it or give it to someone special.      

As for my bicylcing adventures I've been having a blast.  I've been checking out other towns nearby so I've seen Pujaut, Rochefort du Gard, Saze, Tavel, Aramon, Valliguères, and Pouzilhac.  All have been nice bike rides except for my horrible escapade of getting lost in the mountains yesterday.  Going up switchbacks and down switchbacks, roads around here don't say that they're dead ends.  I accidentally extended my bike ride by 15 miles.  I was sunburned and hungry with shaking legs and a time limit.  A pretty ride that was pretty hard.  I actually passed the Uzès (a bigger town nearby) cycling club, on my ladies' mountain bike, as they proudly took pictures of themselves at the top of the mountain.  All of this is biking is good though, I need to work myself up to the 80km bike ride straight up Mt.Ventoux.  I see it's snow covered peak every time I go out for a ride, it's going to be a killer.  





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saint Jacques de Compostelle

Image
Hitchhiker, vagabond, drifter...pilgrim?  That's not a word you get to use every day.  In the very religious land that is France...psyche!  France although very catholic is not very religious anymore but do you remember the old French adage assume to never assume?  Every year pilgrims, not the buckle mayflower ones, make a trip to north western Spain.  The goal of the pilgrimage is the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela where supposedly lies the final resting place of St. James also known as James the son of Zebedee.  Spanish tradition goes that after preaching in Spain, James was subsequently beheaded in Jerusalem where apon his fellow disciples returned his body to Spain.  With the muslim moorish invasion of Spain the tomb of James was kept miraculously safe there apon beginning a pilgrimage to the very cathedral.   Its one of the 3 major pilgrimages the other two being Rome and Jerusalem starting in the 10th century.  Along the marked pathway the pilgrims find boarding houses wh
Read more

Chitis Cuisine

Image
 Just some pics to make you start drooling. La Carbonade Flamande La celerirave rapé Un Welsh La biere   Les endives (les chicons)  with ham and cheese, as a raw salad, or carmalised   Le maroille-and anything it touches Spéculoos   La chicorée   Les Frites
Read more

I'm on welfare, what!?

So I've mentioned a little thing called 'CAF' in the past, it's a little way to get some of your rent paid for by the government.  What hit me this time while I was filling out some of my paperwork was the differences between American welfare and the French social welfare systems.  In fact welfare isn't even the right word.  Welfare is what happens in the US, it's looked at as being for people in DIRE need and it isn't seen in the best of light, it's great if you can figure out some good programs but France is very different.  It's looked on as a sign of being savvy if you can figure out how (and the patience and diligence it takes to jump through bureaucratic hoops) to get reimbursed by the government, because in basis that's what it is.   Taxes in France are much higher than the United States, somewhere in the 40% income tax range and France loves to add on other taxes as well.  In your taxes you automatically have CAF, work accidents, care for
Read more