Cycling around Via Rhône: leben wie Gott in Frankreich (2.part)

2. Day(92.71 km)

The elevation on the Via Rhona cycling route should be almost minimal. But that could be true only if you don’t have someone like me with you... first we decided that we could choose a cycle
route around Isère (cycle path no.63) which goes through Grenoble instead of Lyon, and then in Chanaz, I selected wrong way and we arrived at Lucey. That was the time when  "do not worry, it must be here, here was the mark, you do not have to ask anyone" changed quickly to  "aaa, sorry, we are wrong, but we can take it over the hill again to the lake". At that point, getting to route 63 way meant climbing more than 600 meters up the hills and then getting down to the lake. Our conversation continued. Me: "but we would not see that beautiful lake if we give up." Jan: "Ok, wait, I'm at least eating a bar." And so two sweating cyclists were slowly moving up to the hill, with fully loaded bikes. The heat was burning our skin and taking all our energy.  But what a view! It was worth all the effort. It was so beautiful. And ice cream in the café (where I also filled all our bottles)! My worries, that this way could be too boring and flat disappeared like a steam above the pot and I was absolutely excited about where I am and with who I am here.

After our mountain trip and a short swim at the beach at Lac du Bourget, there was not much time left to find a tent place. We cycled along the great Chambéry cycling trail and tried to find a place for a tent. Jan suggested (partly as a fun) that we could join some people on the field living in caravans (it looked like a local theater company, a circus, or a gig, has a seat here) which I refuse, so we went a little further, and next to the vineyard and the motorway we built a tent, cooked a dinner and mowed up mosquitoes. .

Technical Problems ... on our last short bike trip before this way we had the following conversation. Jan: "Maybe you should change the tire, it looks old enough." - "No, it is still okay, I will just normally fix the hole." and a few minutes later after inspecting the tire I had to admit my mistake when I found out that the tire was not only old, but you could see through it at some places. So I changed it for Jan’s almost new one and thanks to it we didn’t have any hole in our tires for the whole way. The only problem was my rear carrier, which dropped down at the end of the downhill run to Lac du Bourget, which made me a bit sweating.  The second day of the trip, the destroyed carrier, looks like the end of the journey. Luckily, I found a screw on the ground, tightened it, and then the carrier worked again ...

Cycling trails ... Most of the paths are beautifully labeled. In Switzerland and France, you can find a number of road signs that warn drivers to take bikes into consideration, cyclists have their own lines, their own traffic lights, and in Chambéry even own driving and crossing points. The entire Via Rhône is well-marked, you even do not need a map, there is on

ly one part from Avignon to Arles which is not yet fully completed (but they are working hard on finishing it) and thus runs a cycle path along local roads and alleys  (which means, of course, we've got lost which I enjoyed). As well is well-marked cycle path no. 63 runs through Grenoble along Isère - basically, you can’t get lost if you really don’t try to. There are many other local cycling paths on all sides. What I missed a bit is that going along Via Rhône is like going on a bike highway – it runs around most of the sights and cities and if you want to see them, you have to make a little detour (unlike the smaller biking trails that go through the square, around the castles, and through the canyons).

3. Day (89.5 km)

When we wake up,  the morning sun heats up the walls of our tent, and we hear the sound of a small tractor that passes through adjacent vineyards and looks for future crops. We eat rests of a Czech bread with cheese and prepare to leave when the guy on the tractor reaches us and tries to ask us for something. When he sees our confused faces he takes his phone (oh, thanks to google translator) and passes to us the translated question if we didn’t leave behind on the field wipes. Part of the field looked like if tourist buses were stopping there on regular basis to let people use the place as an emergency toilet. We were laughing, that we have no idea how we could produce all of it in one night.  Through vineyards, orchards and barley fields we get to Grenoble. A nice park spot for a blanket, afternoon heat and Jan’s sleep decides for us that the city walk will be postponed. It is a peaceful time and time for taking another picture of sleeping Jan J. Anyway city walks when you are pushing by your side a bike are not the funniest ones.

In the late afternoon, we continue around Isere. The breathtaking river. It is so strong maybe thanks to dams, but we feel so small when we walk down to the river and sit for a while next to it. The river is rushing boisterously through the valley and its roar is reflected from the surrounding hills. I look down and I feel dizzy. After a while, in one of the transparent creeks, we can not resist and take a bath including a water massage under a small waterfall by the sunset.

I feel that one values a partner for his stability, certainty, predictability, but loves him for his craziness, weirdness and moments when he makes something surprising and unexpected.

When we are looking for a place for our tent, which was not at all easy here among river, highway and bloodsucking mosquitos, some car stops by. I start to explore my shoes, thinking about where could I run, where could I hide, so I don’t have to speak to the man, worried that the men will start complaining that we did something we shouldn’t. By that moment I would like to be somewhere deep hidden under the soil. But the man just tries to explain to us with his zero English that we are welcome to build a tent in his garden. I am still a bit worried. I was looking for a privacy and this looks like a potential conversation and challenging evening. What is my surprise, when the man just shows us his huge garden on which we can select whichever place for a tent we want and a tap with a cold water outside and leaves. I feel relieved and again calm with a view on the Alpes and stars...

Smoking...It seems like if the smoking would be a French national sport. Independent on the gender and age. Afternoon siesta consists of a coffee and a cigarette. Especially in the hot afternoon, the cigarette smoke gets terribly annoying. Anyway it seems, I was just more noting it, because based on the statistics (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/world-according-to-tobacco-consumption/ ), France is not at all with its 34.5 % smokers in population the worst country in Europe – it is Greece.

Shower...My favorite shower on bikes is the one from PET bottle. Especially in those warm countries such as France, where the water gets nicely warm. It is more than enough to use ½ bottle of water and the great feeling when your sweating body feels again fresh and  fragrant again ... The only thing which can beat it is a swim or bath in some of the creeks or lakes on the way J.

The first part of the way: (https://livingwithgerman.blogspot.com/2018/07/cycling-around-via-rhoneleben-wie-gott.html)