Monat: Mai 2019

This morning I was ready for breakfast at 7 am but breakfast was in a delay 😉

So I started at half past eight to Rougon the perfect place to start the Sentier Blanc-Martel through the Verdon canyon.

After 32 km cycling and two and a half hours later I arrived at 11 am at the parking space.

The path is very nice. Up and down all the time. At the river and high above gives impressive views to the river getting his way through the gorge.

At the end of my trip was the huge and steep stairway with its 252 steps.

I started from the northern endpoint and walked about 8 km before I had to turn to come back to the hotel at a good time. Finally I arrived at 7 pm.

Also interesting are the two tunnels at the beginning. The first one is 652 meters and the second 110 meters long – according to Wikipedia.

I tried to go without light but it was really not possible. So I used the mobile to light my way.

But there was a interesting effect. Walking in the dark absolutely alone I relaxed immediately and totally and felt so calm like during meditation.

After the trip I had to pedal back to Saint Julien. This time with a climb of about 300 meters. I needed only half an hour longer although I had a stop at a bar at Castellane where I drunk one Liter bear without alcohol. I had to less water so I was really thursty 😉

Today started with a confusion about what I will do and where I will go.

Today is holiday and bright sunshine so French people are doing the same than all people do. They want to enjoy nature and so they travel.

On booking.com only one room was available. But this room is about one and a half hours by bike away from Rougon the starting point of the Verdon canyon hiking trip, called Sentier Blanc-Martel.

The alternative was tent at a campground. So I took the last room for three nights.

Because this hotel was only 7 km from yesterday’s hotel I checked in at 11 and started to an exploratory trip by bike.

I drove to Castellane and forward to Jabron and back to Castellane on an other path with a 400 meters climb. From Castellane to the hotel I had to do a 200 m climb. Unfortunately there is no alternative.

Today was so wonderful 🙂

But before writing about today I want to step back to the experiences yesterday.

Yesterday I had a total breakdown. I have „forgotten“ to eat. In the morning, as I mentioned 2 croissant and a cup of coffee. Because I couldn’t find a creperie like the day before I ate nothing. At the pass was a little bar but it was cloudy so I tried to go down asap to keep myself dry and avoid to get into a rain shower.

Going down was easy but the nearly 20 km more or less plane at the bottom of the valley were terrible. On the one hand there were headwinds and on the other my mood was bad my muscles hurted and all I wanted to do was to lay down and sleep at the roadside. Of course I didn’t 😉

Initially I thought I am feel weak and tired because of the height I had climbed. There was no idea about to less eating.

Finally I arrived at the hotel took a shower and laid down and slept more than one hour.

Not until then it dawned on me that I have eaten to less. So I ate a mixed salad, tortellini with mushrooms, a cheese plate and a desert and lots of bread.

Today started with a hearty breakfast in the hotel. Also I bought a piece of cheese and a baguette as a sack lunch.

Also I gave nutrition to the bicycle 😉 I pumped up the rear wheel tire. That made cycling significantly easier. By the way: meanwhile I prefer to pump up with the little pump I got with the bicycle. It works very well.

Also the blue sky and the bright sunshine made the day so great. And about four fifths of the road were at the sunny side of the valley so I enjoyed the warmth.

For example the larches. Green in the lower parts of the valley without leafs over 2.000.

Or the marmots whistling so loud. On of these cute small rodents was alarmed by me and he ran over a small snowfield and jumped into his den.

Lots of blooming flowers. Unbelievable different greens. Marvelous formations of mountains. Snow fields.

I stopped nearly every 100 meters to have a look or take a picture.

There was less traffic so I mostly could take the left lane and got lots of views down to the valleys and Gorges. Sometimes really high.

Interesting to myself was that I had to revise my last year’s statement that I will never climb a pass again. This I stated after climbing the timmelsjoch with the terrible sounds of the motorbikes.

But here and now (May instead of August) it was totally different. Okay there were motorbikes but a lot less than at Timmelsjoch and less testosterone driven. Sometimes they lifted their helmets and I saw their grey hair 😉 the youngsters will bike in their vacation in summer. Now only the elderly have time.

So I feel that this pass riding is addictive.

Maybe I become one of these pass hunters 😉

Last night it rained heavily.

This morning was cloudy no blue sky to see and colder than yesterday.

As breakfast wasn’t included I drove to the center of the village (only 3 minutes away) and wanted to go to a bar for brioche and coffee.

But at the main square no bar was open – 9 pm!

But there was a Boulangerie with 3 little tables and seats in front.

I bought one croissant and one pain o chocolate and a nespresso coffee. So I sat down at one of the tables in front and enjoyed the delicious Brioches and watched the peoples in the streets.

Then I started to the mountain pass.

Today I enjoyed an entertaining breakfast. There was an elder man from the Nederlands. I talked to him in German he understood and talked quite well.

A few minutes later the 2 bicycle guys came in. I have seen them in the evening before coming to the B&B.

One of them talked German too. Originally he came from Romania lived several years in France and now in Germany at lake Bodensee where he is working with Dornier.

This two guys would also climb the Col d’Izoard. I started at 9 and expected to see these young guys soon overtaking me. But I met them first in a little restaurant one the other side of the pass.

As I already had finished my „after work party“ with a delicious cheese Crêpes and a nonalcoholic beer they came in to warm up and eat.

I did the climb very well. I needed 4 hours for the 20 kilometers and 1.200 meters up. I am happy getting it done 🙂

In the restaurant at Guillestre this evening I met an interesting elderly lady and had nice talks to her. I was sitting outside as she entered the restaurant and asked me something in French. She also talked some words in German because her mother in the 1920 s was born at Innsbruck. She was a real globetrotter. Born at Venice and lived in Norway, London, Zürich, Frankfurt, Paris, New York, Geneva and now in Guillestre 🙂

She was happy to get the opportunity to talk to me in English to practice. She showed me a Norwegian book that she always reads in the restaurant, not today 🙂 more or less we talked about one and a half hours. At the end she said I am the most sympathic Austrian guy she ever met 🙂

The weather is a bit better but also cloudy and some showers with temperatures of 10 in the morning. But also some hours with nice sunshine.

I decided for a hiking trip to the Croix du Toulouse in the north and high above the historic city and the Fort Salettes.

With sightseeing at the historic city and the Fort it took me about three a half hours to reach the summit.

The way back down was easy, comfortable and ecologically 🙂 A young veterinarian scientist gave me a ride in her Renault Zoe e-car. Going down the car was even recharged.

I met the lady at the summit while I took shelter in an old ruined building. I told her not to speak French but English.

Firstly she was shy and said she doesn’t speak English but then she tried and as I was speaking slowly and clear she became more courageous. Especially because she will visit New York in the near future.

Lazy day. With Wi-Fi troubles and cell phone troubles. But everything fine now.

In the early afternoon the sun was shining and I started for coffee and cake and to the Rosenheim garden. The chocolate cake was fine the Cappuccino a desaster. Never drink Cappuccino or eat icecream in France 😉

As I left the coffee shop it was raining. So I took shelter in front of a land agency. The prices for flats and houses at Briançon are about 3 to 5.000 Euro.

Then I entered a Boulangerie / bakery and was surprised by the large variety of delicious looking breads. Also dark black bread was on offer. I decided to take a crunchy baguette.

At the bio / organic store I bought cheese and olives for dinner at home to avoid a rain walk because I don’t have an umbrella in my luggage.

So I had time to write the weblog and to learn Spanish.

For example: cheese, fromage, formaggio, queso, Käse. Here the english, the Spanish and the German sound similar!? And French and Italian.

Or: breakfast (a fast break sounds like fast-food), Frühstück (early piece?), colazione, desajuno, petit dejeuner. Here maybe the French and the Spanish are a bit similar.

I bought some delicious bread and one eighth of butter, one croissant and 6 cookies at the panificio in front of the apartment and enjoyed breakfast.

At about nine one hour earlier as normally 🙂 I started because I knew I had to climb 1.400 meters to colle sestriere.

My knee felt fine. Preventively I creamed the bonset cream (beinwell).

As written 1.400 meters up and about 40 kilometers. That means it wasn’t very steep.

After about 5,5 hours and a cheese sandwich brake at a bar I arrived at the pass.

Fortunately during my rest at the bar a little shower of rain felt so I must not dress the rain clothes.

After a visit in the Chapel to say thanks to the Lord for the power to do the climb so fine I prepared for the 700 meters downhill to Cesana.

At this time I firstly realized that there will be another climb. I didn’t see before. Nevertheless I enjoyed the downhill with 54 kmh highest speed – according to the LocusMap.

While dashing down I saw a fox. Yes, really a fox! But it was a horrible but lucky situation at the same time.

Sometimes while driving I tried to look back to see whether a car is behind. If not I could use the whole wideness of the street.

So I did. Turning my head forward again I saw the fox crossing the street only two meters in front of me.

Arriving at Cesena I undressed my rain clothes filled the water bottles at the water well and started to climb the next 500 meters to Claviere and Col Di Montgenevre.

After some sharp bends I arrived after a bit more than one hour at the second pass. In this moment it started to rain so I had to dress the rain clothes again and did the last meters up and turned into France.

The downhill to Briançon I also enjoyed very much. The rain stopped soon so I arrived at Briançon with some sunshine.

Now I looked to find my booked B&B but neither phone nor internet service were available. I saw that the provider (HOT) had texted me to send me a welcome to France.

So I had to check LocusMap for the B&B. Fortunately I found the street there so it was easy to navigate there.

At the B&B Wi-Fi is available but it breaks down nearly every hour so I have to ask my host for a reset.

Actually I saw that it had not been necessary to do the climb to Sestriere. If I had chosen to go through Val di Susa (the next valley in the north) I would have arrived directly at Cesana Torinese. So I did an extra climb of 700 meters 😉 so I learn to be more careful while planning the route.

The thunderstorm last night cleared the sky. No clouds and bright sunshine.

I started about 4 kilometers back to get to river Po and drove along to about Pancalieri. From there I followed Pellice and later Torrente Chisone to Pinarolo.

On booking.com I couldn’t find a room at Pinarolo or around. All rooms on booking.com were booked out. I didn’t understand.

Then I looked at Perosa Argentina, about 15 km behind Pinarolo in my direction. To get there would also have the advantage to be on 600 meters so tomorrow’s climb to sestriere will be „only“ 1.400 meters.

After some attempts I booked an apartment there.

Going through Pinarolo I suddenly was frightened because I was faced with barriers and music and loud animations and lots of people. What was going on?

Giro d’Italia 😉 I tried to find a way through the barriers. Therefore I asked a lady and a man police in my best Italian.

As expected that was senseless so I turned and drove some 100 meters but there was also a barrier.

I saw a young man on a bicycle with not nice but huge earrings and a terrible English. He had the same way and found a passage and we were free.

It was pretty nice to see how the young man’s mood has been rising and he wished me a happy day 🙂 And of course my mood was lots better too.

At about 6 pm I arrived at Perosa Argentina.

Tomorrow I want to go to Briançon and have to climb 1.400 meters to Sestriere the famous ski resort. I hope I can do because today my knee hurts a bit. It would be great because I would get a rain and hiking brake. On Saturday it should be rainy.

Today I felt really fine. Bright sunshine. Less winds. And most important: it became warm!

Today I saw 2 little rabbits, storks, squirrel, frogs and a pheasant. Never before I saw a pheasant. He flew five meters in front of mine crossing the way.

Also I enjoyed different scents: elder, rose, jasmine and at Torino linden.

I got a hearty breakfast with scrambled eggs and toasted fruits.

The bike path EV 8 gets more and more to a dirt track and road bike path.

Yet a thunderstorm is here at Torino.