Bike Trip Day 5

Day 5 – Fri June 8.

Headed out of town early [before 8] to get ahead of possible winds and heat, following the maps and signage, as there was no marked path.  Tended to stay on main roads as we wanted to get to Arles by nightfall.  We were on the bike route for a while, from about Sauveterre to the town of Villeneuve-les-Avignon, on the other side of the island of Barthelesse and the river and canal from Avignon itself.  We stopped there for coffee and juice, and spoke to a local gentleman who wanted to know what we were up to.  He advised a different route from the one on the map; the mapped route went up through town and would be difficult to navigate on our bikes.  We pondered this while we had our drinks, looked at the maps and road signs outside, and decided to take a third route – the small highway along the river.  It turned out be a good choice as traffic was not too bad, we had a marked shoulder part of the time, and made good time.  We stopped in the village of Beaucaire for lunch and made it to the Trinquetaille district, across the river from the center of Arles, in about another hour and a quarter.

We checked into a fairly nice hotel that Anna and I had stayed in last year, cleaned up, changed, and went into Arles for a bit of sight-seeing .  Over drinks, Roger mentioned that he thought maybe we should end our trip in Arles, as getting to the actual Mediterranean, while not far, [about 40km], would have a difficult return ride against the wind, and we would need to stay overnight before starting back to Arles to catch the train.  He had thought of just going 10-15 more km to a salt-water pond, but that would not actually be the Mediterranean.  After some discussion, we decided to return to Lyon the next day.  Roger had a plane to catch Monday.  But first – a stop at a small bar for the celebratory drinks.  Two glasses of Champagne for me, beers for Roger – hydrating.  The bar was on a nice small square with people and families coming and going, probably mostly home after work and school.

Small Square in Arles



David at the Bar in Arles

Roger overlooking the Rhone in Arles 



David likewise

We then did a bit more sightseeing before finding a very nice restaurant, Le QG, for dinner.  I had a brochette with alternating chunks of duck and beef, with yet another great sauce, along with vegetables and potatoes dauphinoise.  We also had a celebratory bottle of Chateuneuf-du-Pape, a renowned local red wine.

Distance by map: about 70km.

The next morning, we went into Arles for a breakfast of juice, coffee, bread, and croissants, and headed for the train station to buy tickets back to Lyon.  That done, we headed for the same bar on the small square for another celebratory drink, before going back to the hotel to finish packing, load the bikes, check out and head for the train station.  The train back to Lyon, including hooks on the train coach for our bikes, cost all of 27 Euros each!  It also covered the distance that took us five days in less than three hours, with nine stops along the way.  Modern travel certainly has its advantages in terms of speed and comfort. 

Just to prove we actually got there, note the 'Arles' sign above us in these shots at the train station.

David looking tan and fit [or worn out?]

Roger likewise

Dominique was out of town, but Anna met us at the Part-Dieu Station in Lyon.  We headed for Roger's appartment to drop off the bikes and have a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine that just happened to be in his refrigerator.

At Part Dieu Station Upon our Return

Total distance ridden in five days: about 313 km.