Friday, September 12, 2008
Visiting the "Viaduc de Millau" and riding the "Gorges du Tarn" before
riding to Le Puy an Velay (part 3)
I left Robert and Janny in Florac and now I was on my way home, a three day
journey.
On the D20, on my way from Florac to the Col de Finiels, I saw a horse in a field
beside of the road and stopted for a picture. The horse was curious and came
walking to the fence to see what I was doing.
One horsepower and some more
The horse is curious about the bike
It is a very deserted road. I hardly see any other traffic but it is a very
nice road to ride. After a while I pass the Col de Finiels, 1541 meter high.
Col de Finiels
Later I passed the Col du Goulet and then I saw a sign that I don't like.
Gravel on the road. They were putting new tarmac on the road and I had to
ride in the shoulder of the road for a while to pass the roadworks that
took the whole road. I was glad I had an all-road bike.
After the roadworks, there was loose gravel on the road for at least another
ten kilometers so I had to drive very carefully.
This is the sign most bikers do NOT like.
From the D20 I got on the D206 and then on the D88. We have been on this
road when we were riding from Montombroux to Millau a few days ago and
then I saw this chirch in a small village with it's particular churchtower.
Now I had the time to stop and take a few pictures.
Strange church tower
Finally I arrived in Le Puy an Velay in the middle of rush hour, a little past
five. I was tired and did not like the rush hour traffic. I did see some hotels
but I did not like the looks of it so then I decided to use the Tomtom and
found an IBIS hotel.
It was not cheap but they had a garage for the bike so I decided to stay
here tonight.
The busy streets of Le Puy an Velay
They gave me a room on the third floor and it had a view on an old street.
Not bad and it was a nice big room.
My hotel room, close to the city center
After parking and unloading my bike I left my lugage and bike clothing
in the hotel and walked into the center of Le Puy an Velay.
The IBIS hotel in Le Puy en Velay
Now I had the oppertunity bto take some more pictures of this very nice old
city and it's statue's and churches.
Statue on a rock
Le Puy en Velay is a very old, medieval city. You can read more about
it's history on Wikipedia.org.
Le Puy an Velay
Typical street
Old fashioned shop
A square with outdoor cafés in le Puy an Velay
Every year during the third week of September, there is a big
Renaissance period festival in town where everybody has to dress in
clothes from that peroiod. It is called "La Fete du Roi de l'oiseau".
In the weeks before the festival there are many shops that sell those
clothes and accessoires but there is one specialised shop that is open
all year. It is Boutique Medievale in the Rue Raphael. They have a
website
but unfortunately for me it is only in French :-(
Boutique Medievale in the Rue Raphael
The good news is that the lady who owns the shop does speak English.
Inside they sell all kinds of medieval things. Not only clothes but
swords and many other things.
The interior of the shop
After a long walk and many pictures in the old town, I walked back to
the hotel to have dinner. I really enjoyed walking around the old town.
It has a very nice atmosphere and many beautiful buildings, streets and
alleys.
Nice French city picture
I had grilled ham with French fries and salad for dinner and
fromage frais for dessert. With the dinner I asked for a "caraf de l'eau",
a can of cold water. Robert has told me that in every French restaurant, you
can ask for a free can of water with your meal so I did.
In my opinion, cold water is much better with a nice meal then drinks
like Coca Cola or Sisi and with a can you have enough, even when you
are thirsty after a long walk in town.
After dinner, I went to my room, worked on my travel log and went to bed.
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