I always wanted to visit Normandy – and, more generally, to do more cycling in France than “just” riding to Paris. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This blog series covers a six-day solo cycling trip through France, which I embarked on after arriving in Paris with Team Rynkeby Berlin.
The day began with mild weather, though it was clear that wouldn’t last; it ended up getting quite hot. However, the beautiful scenery and a gentle breeze – which provided a cooling effect for a long stretch – made it all bearable. Still, an earlier start would have been a good idea. But the final evening with Team Rynkeby ran late. And that’s a good thing, too. 😉
Cycling through Paris was a real pleasure. That’s how modern transport policy and infrastructure should be done. With best regards to the local Berlin government. 😉
Only for a second I was confused about a “certain type of hotel”. Could that be real? Is it French humour or the French way to deal with it? I don’t know. And did not want to find out for real. 😉
Would have loved to visit the Versailles Palace however there’s a long way ahead until the goal for today: the city of Caen. I have started late today and the palace still might be there next time though. I think. 😉
Update: after a quick research it turns out that “Hôtel de Police” can be translated to Main Police Station. Alright.
Not much later: a construction fence blocks the bike lane and has been knocked over – is that the French way, or just pragmatism? 🤔
Anyway, the ride today has offered plenty of panoramic views, a lot of rural scenery, and long stretches of straight road with the horizon far in the distance – once I was out of Paris and past the Palace of Versailles. But it felt like a long way to go out of the Paris suburbs.
At times, the route for cyclists in a town or city was not always entirely obvious, but still very good. If there was a cycling way in towns and cities. Which was the case most of the times. I just needed to get used to it as it certainly works a bit different than at home.
For a long time I could enjoy a lot of shadow, and I frequently encountered other cyclists coming the other way. Eventually, the sun gave me quite some company and not much people were around. It felt just a bit lonely. Also, sometimes the areas reminded me on many rides at home. Fields and forests don’t look much different. But in a way it was different. The tiny details…
I know such bicycle ride might be a bit crazy, especially given the heat. I can’t change the weather; I can only adapt. And I can’t recall just how many cemeteries I stopped at to freshen up and refill my water bottles. 😅😉
Today, I gave my route-planning tool (Komoot) a relatively free hand. Unfortunately, the tip from Team Rynkeby team members, to take the Seine Cycle Route came a bit too late. It would have meant extra miles and wouldn’t have been easily feasible. The Seine Cycle Route is now on my bucket list. Cycling in France is definitely a pleasure so far, I will do the Seine Cycle Route at another time.
Either way, I appreciated the view of beautiful places or buildings every here and there. And some memorials, the closer I got to the destination for today: the city of Caen. I will share more insights about this city quite soon. But before I got there, I still had to go a long way in the heat, luckily not causing any further damage. Apart of some smaller hills the track also consisted of a long equal stretches on a perfect tarmac. In combination with some tail winds it was ideal to move on. Only interrupted to get some water.
I’ll soon be able to tick a few items off my (major) bucket list as “done.” As a history enthusiast, I am going to visit some very important sites – a long-held wish of mine. Caen is one of those places; it became strategically significant during the D-Day offensive because the route to Paris from there was relatively straightforward. More or less I took the same way – but in the opposite direction.
As mentioned above, the closer I got to Caen, the more memorials I could find. And learn about. Or I could remember some facts, that I have learned years ago. However, what I was never aware of is the fact, that a brigade of the Polish army – those who could escape the German occupancy in their home country – joined the Allied Forces in the Normandy region during the second World War. These soldiers were led by General Stanislaw Maczek. After some fights against the Germans around Cracow, they they had to withdraw and eventually they found their way to France, via Hungary.
That was a key learning but for sure I knew that some European countries, occupied by the Germans, have joined the Allied Forces, led by the US.
As is so often the case with events like this, what I’ve seen affects me a bit, and it took me some time to get my mind off it. It helps to simply get back on the bike and look for a distraction. Whether it was a funny situation or the French style of the buildings. Pretty much liked that.
So, the next few days could be very interesting – both in terms of the route and the places I want to visit. And I’m hoping for somewhat milder weather. The forecast gives me at least a little hope.
Last but not least, the map of the day: Paris to Caen
And a statistic for the day:
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