Week 2 - Cycling from Chartres to Orléans (176.21km)

Day 8 - Relaxing in Chartres

First morning in an AirBnb was bliss - being clean and well slept is such a luxury on this trip! Louisa spent the morning attending her Entrepreneurs networking meeting, and Joel chatted about France, learning about the state of their politics and economy with their lovely AirBnB host Valentin.

After a quick breakfast we visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the city, so beautifully preserved and undergoing restoration, it contains the grandest example of remaining and restored original stained glass from medieval in Europe. It's grand size and beautiful carvings, stonework and glass was awe-inspiring, and other tourists were looking through binoculars at panels that were too distant to see the details with the naked eye.

We attempted to visit the Tractor museum but it was shut :( so we decided to go eat some crepes instead, and started a lovely conversation with an American Architectural student sitting next to us who had beautiful drawings. Over the hour we had a great chat about how amazing European urban design and buildings are, and what we can learn about sustainable, long lasting design from them. She mentioned the greatest difference is how buildings in the past were built to last - many still stand today, and they used local materials and utilised techniques such as passive solar heating.

Today, many developers are interested in making buildings as quickly and affordably as possible and secure a profit, and many buildings will be demolished within 100 years. In the past the market was much more stable for buildings, and people designed them expecting to last for many generations, for their family or other members of their nation, and wanted them to be both practical and beautiful. We wondered what modern buildings would look like today if we subscribed to the same values as the past!.

We've become so appreciative of bike lanes on our trip so far, and deeply appreciated how lovely the central areas of towns are to visit and spend time in that are pedestrianised with either none or very limited car access. These areas are always the most bustling with life and people walking around, shopping or sitting down for a long relaxed meal or drink. It is very relaxing to spend time in as they are safer, quieter and businesses on average do better.

We have had many long conversations with each other about how nice more pedestrianised areas would be back home in NZ - and how frustrating it can be to campaign to have them implemented as there is a lot of resistance to change. Anyone who is interested in this, we can highly recommend the youtube channel Not Just Bikes who shows the experiences of living in places in Europe where people are prioritised over cars.

On the ride back home for dinner, a woman stopped Louisa in the street saying the she 'looked like a nice person' and asked her if she would like to adopt one of her golden retriever puppies - she showed me adorable pictures and I was very, very tempted! Sadly Lou declined, saying she would adore to adopt a puppy, but having one would make it very hard to cycle to Turkey. We stopped at the local Lidl to grab dinner, where we forgot our bags so we tied our quiche and baguette to our pannier racks - we must've looked a right sight, and had a great time carefully making our way home so as not to disturb our precious cargo.

Day 9 - Heading out of Chartres

Visited the Picassiette House! This amazing home-turned-piece of art was created by Raymond Isidore over a 25-year period starting in the 1930s. He started as a curious DIYer of mosaic, but this quickly turned into an obsession and before long he had covered everything in mosaic - the floor, ceilings, walls, gardens, even his table and chairs. We enjoyed taking some fun photos and enjoying this really unique space, but felt sad at the atmosphere of the place - it was bustling with other tourists who were rather serious considering it was such a fun work of art.

Finding dinner was a challenge - it took 4 attempts to find a restaurant that was open, most have shut for the summer month and don't update their google hours to reflect it. We would act dramatically distraught upon finding these signs in the windows which helped to lift our moods. We found a 'galette' restaurant and enjoyed our first savory crepes and 'brut' (raw) beer - Joel didn't realise that it was meant to be drunk out of the cup rather than the jug. He made it halfway through before the owner noticed and had a great laugh at our expense, and she used a combination of charades and French to explain that we should use the mug provided instead.

At dusk we made our way out of Chartres, and found a camp in a park on the outskirts of Chartres. Another solo biketourer had set up camp and appeared to be sleeping in his tent already in the space already with his dog and trailer when we arrived, and it looked like he had a mammoth journey ahead of him - he had spare tires, rims, bits and pieces tied to his trailer. We quickly felt safe and set up our tent nearby, it's nice to sleep knowing there's similar company nearby, to not

We're becoming more comfortable with the strange mix of owl calls and ghostly train rumbles that have become the usual background noise of camping here.

Day 10 - Chartres to Illiers-Combre

In the morning we said bonjour to our fellow camper and he just smiled and nodded - guess he doesn't speak either English or French. As he headed off we said 'au revoir' and waved, but he didn't say anything in response, just smiled again and nodded as he cycled off, dog trotting alongside. We are so curious to know his story, but guess we never will.

After grabbing some lunch at the supermarket along the way, we cycled our way towards Meslay-Le-Grenet to look at the beautiful painting inside the church walls of this small village. This small church holds one of the finest examples of 'Danse Macabres' or 'Death dances', a style of painting involved skeletons dancing with people of all ages and social standings. Through the 14th and 15th century this style of artistry started popping up around European churches in response to the increased prevalence of death from war and disease during the time. The paintings were created to tell the story of how death dances alongside the living, of how death doesn't care if you are a peasant or a king, no one could escape death. It must have been somewhat comforting for people at the time, and the smiling skeletal figures carrying farm tools are believed to be the precursors to our modern day 'grim reaper' caricature.

We cycled in to Illiers-Combre (Marcel Prousts hometown - we have to admit we didn't remember what he was famous for, and had to look him up to double check; a famous novelist) and set up camp in Swan Park. It wasn't on the map lol but it was a sweet little spot - we found a private spot behind some bushes, nestled between a small creek and playground. Had some time to meditate and record a check-in with each other. Joel snuggled up with a codecracker and Lou with her book before bed, it was the first time on the trip that we had had some proper time for ourselves and to both reflect, relax and zone into our own things.

Day 11 - Illiers-Combre to Chateaudon

Woke up at 7am, clammy and dirty, it had been a hot and humid night. Packed up in 45 minutes, we think the church bells were broken since they kept ringing constantly after 9am until we left. Visited a cemetery to brew coffee and enjoy our pastries, yogurt and banana. A few graves from Somme soldiers our age were sobering to visit. Joel fixed his bike, figuring out that if he moved his pannier slightly it would relieve his rear derailleur. Although his front brake was still dodgy, his rim was still bent and he believed that continuously tightening his spokes wouldn't be a long term solution. We were sorely looking forwards to a service and new rim to help him steer straight and brake well again.

We enjoyed a nice ride through meandering fields, many farmers were out in their tractors plowing the dry earth. Passed a foie gras farm, and watched wind turbines and high speed trains float along in the distance. Little fairy tale picturesque towns full of thatched roof cottages and churches were either silent, or busy with people and very picturesque.

Continued to Chataeudun, on the way in we got separated briefly - entering a roundabout and dispersed by a truck, Joel followed his maps and ended up being asked to enter the motorway at 90 km/h, while Lou followed the signs down a different path. Luckily both our phones had battery and data so we could communicate how to reconvene! Entering the main town centre we sat for a while, recharging with a sandwich and coffee and Lou battled with the prospect of being offered a really cool opportunity to join a 3-week networking and workshop series to help NZ and AU build successful startups. I've been planning on building an alternative-protein business for years, and always struggled with feeling disconnected and confused about how running and starting a business worked so thought I had nothing to lose by signing up.

I was feeling distraught that I had been accepted, since I honestly didn't expect to be when I signed up months ago and forgot about it until I received a confirmation email a couple of weeks ago. Feeling frustrated and despairing at the clash of both amazing opportunities (this cycle trip was planned for next year but due to family events, were moved to now), we've decided to try and juggle both as best as possible. This would mean spending more time in cafes, and cycling harder during our time on the road to help me make the most of it. It will mean that this trip will be harder, and we will need to even more efficient with our time and have to carve out time to relax. We will try to make the best with whats happening, and fingers crossed we won't regret anything.

Day 12 - Chateaudon to Meung-sur-Loire

It was one of the better night sleeps we have had in quite some time. Not too hot, no people walking by and the trees and cool breeze combined to make a chorus of lullaby-like white noise for us to fall asleep to. We rolled out of bed at a leisurely pace, repacking after the recent rain to make sure everything still fit was a reassuring task, its simple but very satisfying to get everything snuggly fit and positioned just right.

We have discovered that a lot of this trip is unpacking and repacking our panniers - an hour a day including morning, evening and day to day finding stuff. Joel thinks its ridiculous, and we're trying different packing techniques to reduce this time.

Our routine has become more settled. First job of the day is to boil a pot of hot water for coffee, taking turns to watch the cookers flame flicker while the other packs up the tent, so as to not accidentally set Northern France alight. Once we are almost ready to ride off, we stop and enjoy a fresh brew. When your end goal is so vague in your visions, and chaos seems to find it way into your plans, a simple routine that is achievable can be a real life saver for your sanity.

Before pushing off on another day of riding, we had agreed and discussed it would be a good time to enjoy and experience some time to ourselves. Of course, we enjoy our time together, or we wouldn't have thought to even try such a long trip together - but even the most extroverted people eventually need time to themselves!

These roads were perfect for days of solo thought; long, straight and with little variation, so not a lot of communication or navigation was required. Despite our peaceful alone time however, something concerned us enough to share our thoughts with each other about it. What we saw through the landscape, and the soil we were passing. It was all either rock solid or light dust, dead or dying, and we both felt so saddened by the state. Watching clouds of dust thrown up in the air in the distance of tractors plowing the damaged soil in desperation for greater yields, lead us to discussions of peoples expectations of farmers and our relationships to food, and to land. The main crops we pass are wheat, corn, and dairy, and we learnt at the local museum that 9% of farms in France are classified as 'organic'. Allotment style market gardens for peoples private fruit and veg are fairly common which is lovely to see!

We discussed the struggle of farmers making a living in a market where their crops constantly change in value, the climate is changing, and peoples expectations and demands for food to be affordable and available all year round.

We were saddened at the lack of life - hour after hour cycling through farmland, we would spot the odd small spider, crow, or bird of prey floating high above, but no worms and very few insects. It was creepily quiet. We stopped at three 5000 year old megaliths (burial stones) and felt sad again to see that they were now in the middle of a wheat field. The 60 inches of land that had been left uncultivated around the megalith was thriving with insect life.

We stopped at the one water source we saw all day, that was next to a waste collection site: a man made and rather unhealthy looking lake built for recreational fishing - it was neon green, with about 5 people fishing in it and one throwing in his lunch leftovers as burly at 10 minute intervals. We both agreed it was better than no nature, there were a lot of birds in this area; although, it was a weird juxtaposition to the endless expanse of barren wheat fields extending over the horizon. We enjoyed discussing ideas for change and hope, exploring reflections on what it would take for farmers to be supported in the changes needed to produce the food we need to thrive in a way that doesn't destroy the planet. We both feel they do so much, and then get blamed by the uninformed public for doing what the market demands of them. They deserve support in the process as we shift our systems and diets to becoming more sustainable.

After feeling a little disgruntled at the enormous task of changing the world while cycling Europe, we had a look at the clock and hastened along to find a supermarket before they closed, as otherwise we would have no dinner or breakfast for the ride into Orleans.

The supermarket was a lovely size, similar to the ones in NZ. Aisles were organised in a sensible fashion and there weren't too many options to overwhelm our hungry eyes. When outside in the parking lot, we sat down with a cold Shweppes to boost morale and soothe our aching heads from the heat and humidity.

We enjoyed conversation of what we miss about our little country, what we wish would change; how ridiculous it is here to have to put separate bar codes on fruit and vegetables, how much public land is available back home, how we took public toilets for granted, how we miss the variation in the weather.

We had another rant about how cars can ruin a towns atmosphere, without the drivers even knowing it as they're enclosed in a quiet bubble and quickly pass through. Cars sold initially as a form of freedom have become a necessity in many cities as well as rural areas around the world (particularly in North America, Australia and New Zealand), as a result of cities prioritised car-centric urban design for many years and have made alternative forms of public and private transport un-affordable, unreliable or unsafe.

Today, people are increasingly stressed with the rising cost of fuel and electricity required to fuel these (now necessary) ways of moving around to get to anywhere you need to, Europe has shown us what it is to experience an alternative - where urban places are safe and comfortable outside of a car, daily activities like going to the supermarket is possible by bike and actually so much nicer than driving.

When we stopped in the next cemetery to fill up on water Joel asked me a rather surprising question - 'Are you still enjoying the trip'?

I admitted that despite the highlights, the lows were tough. And since every day there were so many challenges of all sizes, I was already looking forward to it finishing. Joel gave me a hug and smiled, saying this feeling is very typical of trips like this, something people who spend a lot of time in the outdoors call 'Type 2' fun - activities that aren't fun at the time but are looked back on with great fondness.

Joel then comforted me with his favourite outdoors adage - 'it's all part of the process'.

We shared how desperate everything can feel when you're tired and problems seem to keep popping up faster than you can deal with them. Hours in the saddle, inching up hills, gives daily time that you really focus in on what's good from where you're from, what you miss, what you really want to do. It's so much easier to follow the train of ideas and thoughts, to be aware of where your mind wanders. Your hearts desires are so much clearer, the highlights so bright and dreams so vivid. Simple things; shade, cool water, a smile become luxuries, and you are constantly grateful for each little pleasure you experience.

Concrete water tower, so ugly!

All produce needs a sticker :(

Day 13 - Chateaudon to Orleans

Today we rode for the first time on the Eurovelo 6, wow we are very impressed by this bike path! Super flat and smooth, wide enough to be considered a road itself, and enjoyed by many other cyclists, walkers, runners and horse riders of all ages.

Entering Orleans, we became lost (again) as the Eurovelo mysteriously disappeared and we began hunting for the fabled 'Moulins' (medieval water-wheel houses that powered flour mills or cloth looms). On the outskirts of the city, we had seen a map advertising Moulins and other highlights of Orleans, and excitedly headed off in the direction they sent us. How wrong we were though, for shortly the path disappeared and we were left lost and confused - none of the Moulins were on our digital maps and numerous French people kindly stopped and asked us if we were OK and gave us directions despite the language barrier. Each person gave us different recommendations which added to the confusion.

We eventually found our way to the Moulin (through random un-signed streets) after our third attempt, however we were both so comically frustrated by the ordeal it was hard to feel anything other than exasperation by the time we eventually arrived. What should have been a 10 minute cycle ended up being an hour long ordeal! It seemed so strange to us that so much money has been spent on building this cycle lane to guide people to stuff like this, and to advertise attractions so well, just to have signage disappear so regularly. The tiniest bit more effort would have made it great experience rather than a frustrating one. Bizarre. We took pictures of us feeling salty to celebrate the occasion.

After eating a supermarket lasagna to soothe our hurt feelings, we cycled into the main part of Orleans and visited the Joan of Arc statue and Fine Art Museum. We enjoyed admiring the skills of masters, inspired and mesmerized by the stories and life of French people from the 13th century to today.

During the Second World War, the German army made the Orléans (Fleury-les-Aubrais) railway station one of their central logistical rail hubs. The American Air Force heavily bombed the city and the train station, causing much damage, and the city was one of the first to be rebuilt after the war. Today, it's still obvious to see what buildings survived this time, depending on the existence of extravagant details, chimneys and detailed facades they have.

We needed to charge our tech so we stopped by a creperie and bought the cheapest things we could find on the menu (2 nutella crepes, €3.50 each - delicious) to justify us charging 6 electronics and using copious amounts of their wifi to write this blog and research the next stages of our trip.

Joel was becoming increasingly concerned that his front tire was working its way to flat within a couple of hours sitting outside the art gallery, so at sunset we rode to the park on the other side of the Loire river, alongside Orleans. Joel removed the inner tube and tested it in the water to see if any bubbles appeared - surely enough, he found a small piercing in the tube, likely a shard of glass or a thorn. Relieved it wasn't a pinch caused from the bending of the rim, we hastily replaced the inner tube and crossed our fingers it would be sufficient.

We rode further into the park, enjoying that it was so large with lots of grass, islands of trees, lakes and volleyball pitches. There was even a public toilet under construction which we found immensely exciting for the future people of Orleans. We set up camp near one of the lakes, and we didn't have any food for dinner, so we cooked the spare food we had in our bags - a rather banged up can of baked beans that we had bought from the UK, and 6 potatoes from the pile of abandoned potatoes we had come across while cycling that day.

In the middle of nowhere, a farmer had left a pile of rocks, dirt and young potatoes that we presumed weren't large enough to be selected for by the machinery, and left to rot. It was a joy for us though, they were small but in great condition and delicious. We mashed them up with some milk powder, and hungrily enjoyed them at 11pm before curling up for a deep sleep.

Day 14 - Staying in Orleans

We woke up and discovering it had drizzled overnight and all our things were damp but luckily undamaged. Brewed coffee and ate yogurt with fruit before heading to Le Club Cafe to settle in for a day of charging, updating social media and slowly sipping more coffee. We can highly recommend this place, the staff were so lovely and helped correct our French pronunciation (we're both still learning!) and we were able to grab a coffee and cinnamon scroll for €6; score!

It was so nice to visit a city, a place where more people speak some English - it is very tiring trying to memorise and understand a new language while doing this trip, and the language barrier has definitely made us feel more isolated. So far our experience is that most French people don't speak any English, and don't have the patience or desire to try to chat with us, or help us improve our skills.

We stayed here for most of the day organising our things until we could checking at our cute AirBnB with the sweetest, most smiley host Isabelle. Our room was gorgeous, and we enjoyed a long shower followed by a relaxing evening of admin visiting the supermarket where we bought a lot of microwave crepes, nutella, soup, potato fritatta and salad ingredients, beer and our first bottle of wine to celebrate having a fridge :)

Day 15 - Staying in Orleans

Didn't sleep too well in the heat, lots of tossing and turning despite being clean and in a bed. There's a sense of unfamiliarity in new places that keeps me slightly alert - the inside of the tent feels cosy and familiar now.

We woke up early, and Joel chatted to his family while Lou attended a business workshop on product design. After a fab brekkie of microwave crepes with nutella, we rode to the city to get Joels bike looked at. At the shop, the owner sighed and shook his said, saying it was bent but not so bad as to justify changing it unless we really wanted to. Joels temporary fix actually works surprisingly well, enough to be a tentatively permanent fix, and sufficient for the foreseeable future. He decided he'd keep going, and fix it along the road instead if/when it needed it.

We ambled around the little science museum, struggling a bit since it was all in French. In the nearby park we munched on homemade baguette sandwiches before heading home to rest and update people of whats been happening - it's a luxury to have wifi! It's been so nice to have a relaxing day, and we're very excited for an early night and to get back on the road again tomorrow.

The week 2 route! Detours out of Chateaudon and Orleans were to parks on the city outskirts in places that were suitable for wild camping