AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES: Chalambra to Couzia

As feared, it was raining this morning.  Actually it was more misting than raining after we got up.  Breakfast had been delayed until 8:00 due to the weather forecast.  Everyone hung around looking at forecasts trying to figure out what to do.  Finally, at 10:30 the misting stopped, at least for a little while, and most people left town heading toward Puivert.

The roads are wet but Puivert is only 8 km away.

From the bridge in Puivert.

I'm not sure why we went into the town of Puivert; it was downhill and we had to climb out.  As we did our first climb - much more gradual than predicted - the weather began to clear.  We even had sunshine for a while.  The temperature was mid fifties.

The clouds begin go lift.

By pure luck we find a pretty good restaurant for lunch in Montazels, which is only a couple of kilometers from our hotel, Chateau des DUCS de JOYEUSE in Couiza.

AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES: Foix to Chalambra

It's much cooler this morning with the temperature near 60.  It's cloudy and we do encounter some drizzle in the first hour.  The climb that Gilbert warned us about is a non-event.  

Threatening sky.

In fact it's an almost perfect ride.  The roads again are quiet in every dimension.  Even the bike is quiet; no squeaks or rattles.  When coasting, the wind in your ear is louder than the ratcheting of the free-hub.  Cars are few and far between.  Occasionally you'll hear a cow or a chicken but that's all.  

Jane and Brenda on quiet roads.

We pass through Col de Py and Rappy.  As we enter Lavelanet we pass one, two, three, four patisseries.  Surely we're going to stop! Finally we find Matthew and Alan with cappuccinos and join them.

True bicycle tourists stop for cappuccino.

There are two options today; 43 miles with 3,600 feet of climbing and 24 miles with 1,800 feet of climbing.  We choose the short route.  Is there a pattern forming here?

"Plane" trees, part of the sycamore family, were allegedly planted in Napoleon's time.

 We're in a small town tonight with a small hotel and questionable amenities.  If I get this blog published over the internet it will be a miracle.

AUTIMN IN THE PYRENEES: Day in Foix

The planned "rest day" in Foix was designed for us to cycle to the Grotte de Niaux.  But last night's storm and forecasts for heavy rain today dampened the desire.  Glenn and Patrice decided to rent a car for the grotto so we joined them. The grotto has paintings that are 13,000 and 14,000 years old.  This is a BIG cave.  We were only allowed in one room, the Salon Noir "Black Room" (since all drawings are black) and it was a fairly strenuous two hour hike in and out.

 Being somewhat of a photographer as well as a blog author gives me a distorted view of the world.  When I look at something I see it not for what  it is but rather as a photograph, possibly for my blog. I'm more interested in photographs of things than the things themselves.  So you can imagine my dismay at learning I couldn't take any photographs in the cave. (I even tried with my Android phone but got caught.)  

We saw 13,000 year old drawings of buffalo, horses and goats, but you won't see them.  The image below isn't real - it's from a book.  It wasn't even from this cave.  But hopefully, you'll "get the picture."

AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES: Mazers to Foix

We have a choice of two routes, a 38 KM route and a 84 KM route. Without discussion we choose the shorter route for several reasons: wind, heat, old age, laziness and a different perspective on life (Is this the same thing as "old age"?).

The day starts calmer that yesterday with much quieter winds. Overcast skies also provide cooler temperatures, at least early in the morning.  Again we have quiet roads, even a single lane road for a while.

A few cars pass on the single lane road but, like every country we've cycled in in Europe, they give us wide berth.

This is not to imply that US drivers are less courteous.  I've cycled, primarily in Texas, for 44 years and can't think of  a single bad incident with a driver.  In fact, most days I ride from our home, I come to in intersection where the auto clearly has the right of way, but gives my a signal to proceed ahead of him/her.  

I cycle the roads of the world without a worry.

We came across sunflowers which were not past their prime. But they're pretty small compared to the sunflowers grown in west Texas.

And then there is this cemetery with one tombstone obviously for a "fallen Catholic" (like me).



Our destination Foix is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. Today it is the Préfecture of the Ariège department in southwestern France in the Midi-Pyrénées region. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas. It lies south of Toulouse, close to the border with Spain and Andorra. At the 2009 census, the city had a population of 9,861 people. It is only the second city of the department after Pamiers which is one of the two sub-prefectures.

We visit Le Chateau des Comtes de Foix.  Climbing to the chateau on stone streets with cycling shoes and cleats proves to be quite the challenge.

Walking back to the hotel Brenda and Patrice stop to talk to other riders, just returning from the longer route.  Glenn and I duck into La Abbatiale Saint Volusien (see below).

AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES: Toulouse to Mazeres

Today was very windy, probably 20 to 30 miles per hour.  Le Mistral it was not only because it's the wrong time of the year.  But we didn't mind too much because it was so bloody hot, 90 degrees in the shade.  This is 10 to 20 degrees over the expected temperature this time of the year.

We were escorted out of town by two local cyclists, riding on tree shaded bike paths along the canal; quite nice and somewhat protected from the wind. 

We stopped to learn about the Lock of Montgiscard. I don't remember the century in which this was built but do remember that Thomas Jefferson went through it.

We went thought very small towns today and there was no possibility for lunch on a Sunday. So Gilbert and his wife made a picnic lunch for us of cantaloupe, tabbouleh, smoked salmon, pork, bread, cheese and grapes.

Right: eating lunch. 
Below: preparing lunch. 

The rest of the afternoon continued hot and windy but the riding was nice.  We rode through farms, mostly sunflowers, spent and wilted with their black faces pointing to the soil.  And we rode through quaint, quiet villages; no one to be seen. The roads twisted and turned and rose and sunk; the road surface was smooth.  But we were happy to get to our lodging, even if it is not in a town and not air-conditioned.

AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES: Toulouse

Notes from a walking tour in Toulouse:

For a marriage to be recognized in France, there must be a civil ceremony.  A second, religious ceremony is optional.  In the Toulouse region, all civil marriages must be in the city hall (left). There are 20 to 30 of these a day.

Jacobin's Church is unusual in that there is a singular row of columns, separating the church in two halves. The larger left half shown here was for the Dominicans; the smaller right hand side was for the parishioners.

The Basilica Saint-Sernin allegedly has relics (e.g. bones) from four of the Apostles.  (Yea. Right!)  A basilica is a church that has been consecrated by a pope (Leo the something or other ???).  This church has two double rows on columns forming a center and two outside sections.  The center was for the parishioners.  The sides were for the pilgrims to visit the relics without disturbing the parishioners.

As we left the basilica, a religious wedding was beginning.

AUTUMN IN THE PYREENES: Leaving on a Jet Plane

8-27-2015.  We're 6.5 hours from a flight to Toulouse via Heathrow and I'm very disturbed to discover that the PC software I use to write the blog has disappeared from my laptop and when I try to download it, it cannot be installed.  If I can't figure this out, it will severely limit my blogging capabilities.

So, as the song says, "bags are packed" - actually "bikes are packed and we're ready to go" to Europe for two tours (1) first a tour in the Cathars area of France organized by Bicycle Adventure Club (BAC ) and (2) then a tour on the Rhine and Mosel Rivers of Germany organized by Dallas Area Tandem Society (DATES).

Shown above are leaders of the French tour, Jane Holahan of Dallas and Gilbert Jean of Toulouse, France.  The ride starts and ends in Gilbert's home town; he is very proud of his country and likes to show it off.

And shown below are Alan and Rene Kailer of DATES, leaders of the Germany tour. This photo was taken in 2014 when Alan and Rene were riding their tandem across the United States.