Sunday, September 9, 2012
From Saint Junien to Le Mont St Michel
It was a bright morning and warm enough already to eat my breakfast ourside.
Breakfast was at eight AM so I was there at eight exactly because I wanted
to leave early for a long day riding.
Breakfast in the fresh morning air
At half past eight I left the hotel parking and went on my way to see the
famous Mont Saint Michel.
The roads are much less exciting then the roads in the Dordonge and the
Pyrenees. The road is going straight to the horizon, up and down through
valleys and over hills with some villages that are still asleep on this
early Sunday morning.
A straight road, going up and down
But sometimes, you see something special, like some old Citroen 2CVs in a
field along the road near Lhommaize.
Citroen 2CVs in a field
Half an hour later near Mignaloux Beauvoir I noticed a Total gasstation on
the other side of the road and because I do not know how many gasstations are
opened on Sunday, I fill up.
The scenery is rather boring now. Most of the time just fields on borh sides
of the road. Fortunately some parts of the road are dual carriageway with a
maximum speed of 110 instead of 90 km/h.
The scenery is not very exciting
At half past ten, I get thirsty and I stop for a cappuccino in a cafe on the
town square in Ferrieve-en-Parthenay.
Cappuccino in a cafe in Ferrieve-en-Parthenay
Some parts of the road are two lane and some other are dual carriageway.
There is not much traffic on the roads but I guess during the week, a lot
of trucks use these roads.
Empty dual carriageway.
It has been a long time since I had breakfast so when I saw a McDonalds
sign, I took the exit and parked the bike in front of the McDonald and bought
a cheeseburger, a cola and a frappe fraise.
I prefer drinking coffee and eating a sandwich in little roadside cafes but
I do not see many of these along this road and I do like cheeseburgers
At the McDonalds Saint Andre de la Marche.
The daytrip meter showed almost 200 km when I past Nantes. I wanted to fill up
again so I take an exit into Nantes and at a Total at the Route de Sainte
Luce I fill my tank again with Euro98 (I have to get Euro98 because in France,
the mix the Euro95 with Ethanol and if your engine is not adapted for it, it can
ause problems and I rather spend more on fuel then ruining my engine.).
Then it was cappuccinotime again so I stopped at another McDonalds and had a
cappuccino and a fishfilet sandwich. It was nice that they had a special
parking for two-wheelers.
McDonalds two-wheeler parking.
after I had been trhrough Nantes I was now on the N137 close to Rennes. A big city
and I could see the skyline from far away. I was glad I did not had to go through
the sity but around it.
The skyline of Rennes in the distance.
After a while I was close to the hotel but first I wanted to ride the bike as close
as possible to Le Mont Saint Michel for a picture and I also wanted to fill up again.
So I did not take the exit my Tomtom showed me but went on in the direction of
Le Mont Saint Michel.
At the Total Relais du Mont Saint Michel I filled up and went on to Le Mont Saint
Michel.
Total Relais du Mont Saint Michel
Via some two lane roads, I came near Le Mont Saint Michel and after some time I could
see it in the distance.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ride close to Le Mont Saint Michel so I came
as close as I could to get a picture of my bike and Le Mont Saint Michel.
Le Mont Saint Michel and a nice BMW
After making the picture that I wanted, I let the Tomtom show me the way to the
hotel Au Jardin St Michel on 37 rue De Liberation in Pontorson, a little more then
ten kilometer from Le Mont Saint Michel.
I arrived at the hotel at a quarter to four. It looked a little older then
I expected and the staff does not speak any English but it is a place to sleep
and the parking where the bike is standing, is closed and locked for the night.
Hotel Au Jardin St Michel
The key for my room and look at the doorhandle......
My room in the hotel
On the right is the door to the toilet, on the left is the shower. There
is one very small table and a chair and there is a small TV above the
door to the corridor.
Then, when I wanted to have dinner, the owner told me the restaurant is closed. I
had seen a McDonalds when I entered this villages so I decided to walk to
the McDonalds but it was much farther away then I had expected so I had to walk
twenty minutes to a very crowded McDonalds and then twenty minutes back.
It is a little disapointing because the price is almost the same as the four
times bigger and much more luxery room I had yesterday with friendly
English speaking staff and good service........
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