AACHEN PARIS BIKE ADVENTURE: DAY 5 <- clicken Sie here ...
The trip starts with a almost non-existent trail along the canal. What a pain in the ass: We can barely get our bike through the thick grass, but we fight on to reach Noyon around noon. As we enter the city we see the first road signs for Paris: Excellent! Our adrenaline starts rushing like that of a marathon runner getting his first glimpse of the finish line. Can we reach Paris by night? We have no idea, but we are in good spirits. We will be riding under the Arc de Triomphe soon.
In the afternoon it´s around 37 degrees again and riding becomes quite exhausting. We reach the Abbeye de Ourscamps, an beautiful ancient monastery that is still inhabited by quiet monks in thick brown robes. As we ride through the gates of the Abbeye we see a group of them peacefully glide through the gardens. This could be a scene right out of Umberto Eco's The Name Of The Rose. We take an unscheduled break to explore the monastery and the remnants of a burned-out gothic cathedral inside it, then rest in the shade of an apple tree.
We reach Compiegne by 17:00, way to late for the 55 km we only covered today. Here we find out that Paris is at least another 80 km, too much to reach tonight. What a disappointment. We still try to keep the break short in hopes of getting as far as possible, but 15 km outside of Compiegne I suddenly break down from exhaustion. We stop and I sleep for two hours straight.
After this power nap I feel better again, but I am spent and we call it a day. Looking for a place to set up the tents nearby, we stumble across a little piece of paradise: We are suddenly standing in front of a private, fenced-in lake full of clear green water that just looks perfect for camping out. The gate is not locked, and as we ride around the lake we can´t believe our eyes: The lake has it´s own beach, a strip of pure white sand that could rival the beaches of the Caribean. The owner must have trucked the sand in to create his own little resort complete with barbeque, lounge chairs, and surf board. And nobody is around. This must be a sign from God.
"We´re are lucky bastards" I think to myself as I take a swim in the lake's emerald water, while Mario is relaxing in a beach chair sipping on some red wine. What more could you ask for ...
tags: adventure, bicyle, aachen, paris
Labels: bike