3. Rambouillet > Chartres

The brisk morning air accompanied our search for coffee and pastries for breakfast. We were not disappointed and felt very welcome by friendly French folk. 

The famous Chateau de Rambouillet was just adjacent to our hotel. Amazing manicured grounds and meticulously kept "everything" surrounded us. 

Renata remembered tales of the bloody French Revolution because a tiny fraction of the population lived like this while the masses suffered in poverty. England didn't suffer this fate, in significant part due to the Methodist revival which reformed society without the tragic consequences that French history witnessed. 

Ducks and geese ate fresh baguettes for breakfast, brought to them by the French local visitors. We are the only ones speaking English around here, and the only Asians for miles! 

Goodbye Rambouillet! Thanks for the lovely stop! We now press on towards Chartres...

Our first time cycling through such grand surroundings! Renata noted how mankind liked to tame nature by planting all the trees in a straight line and even trimming them cubical! Was this particularly part of the Rennaisance?

Soon the manicured lawns gave way to rustic countryside. 

Which gave way to paths through the forest. It was much easier than yesterday, and while all other riders were on mountain bikes, the Brompton standard tyres was just fine. 

We were hoping for a nice place to stop to eat the mid-morning snack we were carrying, but what we found totally exceeded our expectations. 

We laid out our stash which included fresh baguettes, cured duck breast, and orange juice!

An extremely chatty and friendly young boy joined us, though he didn't want any of our picnic which we offered him. He didn't seem to mind that we couldn't understand his banter!

More than satisfied, we pressed on and passed through a small suburb with lovely open fields. 

Then crossed a rustic bridge over the TGV railway. 

Renata was very pleased that today's ride was easier than yesterday! She said that she signed up for "easy" and that's what I gave her!

The last leg into Chartres passed through idyllic bike paths through the park. Bridges cross-crossed the flowing stream, beckoning boys who leapt in with gleeful abandonment.  

Did I mention I was so proud of Renata? Her legs didn't even hurt from yesterday. I do take some credit for that though, as I have her quads a good massage last night!

Open spaces seemed far from any civilization, but my GPS told me it was just 1.5km to go! We were certainly enjoying our rambling tour...

Finally we arrived at Ibis Chartres, right in the middle of town. Check-in was fast and friendly, as in all of the places we stayed so far. Our folded Bromptons easily came up to the room with us!

After a good shower we hit the streets and walked to the Chartres Cathedrale. The streets were beautiful and you can feel the pride that he city and each resident takes in their home. Evident not only the well groomed gardens, the spotless streets, and neat facades of private homes that surround the cathedral similarly testify to how the residents loved to live in Chartres. 

The cathedral itself is of course magnificent. The stained glass is extremely intricate. 

Till today no one knows how the medieval artists made the the rich blue in the stained glass - it is a mysterious and lost art!  

We dined just beside the cathedral on the left in the picture above. We were hoping for French onion soup, but perhaps that's too mundane for we haven't seen any restaurants serving it! Instead we were rewarded with scallops and tuna so fresh and raw that they could have been sashimi in another land. 

Renata enjoyed her foie gras pate, with side servings of caremelized onions and a lovely crunchy salt. 

Renata had an excellent cod with chorizo sausages (a surprisingly good pairing), while my guinea fowl was tender and juicy with delicious mushrooms and a broccoli gratin. 

The night views of the cathedral and the surrounding grounds turned our to be more spectacular than we imagined. 

Photographs cannot convey the intricacy, wonder, and creativity in the moving images and colours entwined with the music. To be clear, the images below are of the same ancient brown cathedral in the picture above. The lights are projected, but they are not static. They move and pulse in perfect alignment with every ridge and sculpture on the cathedral. The apostles are garbed in colour and the facade constantly changes. The light is a work of art in itself. 

The cool night air caressed us as we watched the detailed sculptures and reliefs on the cathedral facade, once monochrome by day, come alive by night. It was breathtaking and inspiring. 

The spectacle was not limited to one part of the cathedral but on three sides and also on other buildings surrounding the cathedral, each with its own narrative to tell. Renata stands enthralled. 

The climax with the largest display and magnificent motion of light was on the front of the cathedral. 

Completely satiated, we walked sleepily down the cobblestone paths and retired to our warm beds.

Our GPS Track today: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/585452822

2. Paris > Rambouillet

Today will be our longest ride of the trip - yet a short 66 km Rambouillet. Upon leaving our hotel we picked up supplies at a charming boulangerie. 

Some of the navigation out of Paris was tough. I am was getting used to the Velo-French maps, but we were really glad to have the Garmin. 

Some streets and wonderful coulee-vertes, greenways that are the Parisian version if PCNs. At one point we had to figure out our own diversion as a section was closed due to reconstruction. 

We weren't tired but passing through beautiful shops astride a cobblestone street, we had to stop at the charming town of Palaiseau. Next time we come we may stay here as it's an easy distance from Paris for kids to ride!

At a cafe we noted how the coffee prices are coming down the further from Paris go! At the Eiffel Tower it is 6 euro. This morning on the outskirts of Paris it was 3 euro and now it is 2.50 euro!

A French gentleman sitting next to us asked us if we were Singaporeans as he recognized our accents. His wife was from Singapore and they have been living here for 10 years. 

Restocking food from a patisserie, we reluctantly said goodbye to Palaiseau and set off in the direction of Rambouillet.

We were hoping to get to Limours for lunch but a diversion and a big hill slowed is down and we stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant on top of a hill in this tiny town. Almost all the customers were  men who were big and beefy, making us think that there must some farming industry around here. 

The food was devoured in no time! That's a lot of steak and chips that went into me. And that's not counting the baguette and rillete I ate for starters. Renata was no less ferocious, uh I mean voracious. 

True enough, after lunch we ride past cornfields and vegetables just harvested. This must be where those beefy men at lunch worked! 

Diverse landscapes welcomed us around each bend. At one part we went through the Rambouilette forest and saw many horses. Unfortunately the singletrack was a bit sandy and not so suited to small wheeled Bromptons with slick tyres. Renata did superbly however and there zero falls, as we walked 100m over the most sandy sections. This part of the route with hills and sandy tracks was tough and the children would not be able to do it. Have to take a train and skip this part with the family. 

Ivan's gotten quite proficient with his Bluetooth selfie monopod. Really glad we brought this along as we got videos and photos impossible otherwise. 

Charming small towns with stone walls and horse-riding French girls were left in our wake. 

We took a break in the forest, ate some of the delicious pastries we had bought earlier, and saw this cute red mushroom on the forest floor!

Until finally after 66km, riding through Paris, greenways, city parks, forests, cornfields, and quaint towns we arrived at Rambouilette. 

The Mercure hotel here sure looks good! A lovely place for just $110/night! Dinner at L'Epicurean was a French take in tapas. Ivan was so sleepy nearing the end of dinner cos he woke up so early - still jet lagged! 

Our GPS track today: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/584060525

1. Paris Exploration

The day proceeded beautifully and the planning really paid off! The Bromptons arrived in excellent condition with no tweaking needed. May Charles-de-Gaulle airport, Ivan unpacked the bikes and sorted out our bike luggage. With our Bromptons this took less than 10 minutes for 2 bikes, including putting them back into the now open boxes to catch the bus into town. 

Arriving at Montparnasse we got off in the sidewalk. It had been a good choice to unpack the bikes in the airport than on a city sidewalk! So here at Montparnasse all that was left to do was assemble to the Bromptons out of the boxes, cut off our labels from the boxes, and leave them next to a trash bin. 

With the Garmin loaded up with our waypoints of interest , we hungrily set course for Le Morgane, the highly rated small restaurant for lunch that was near our hotel. 

Our bags were light, so after a slow unencumbered ride, we arrived at Le Morgane in less than 10 minutes, sat al fresco and ordered the pat du jour with a glass of wine. Sitting on a Parisian street , enjoying good food with one another, with bikes beside us and the next 10 days unfolding was a perfect way to begin our 10th Anniversay trip!

After a very satisfying lunch, we set off for our hotel. We arrived shortly, stopped outside, folded our bikes and walked into the small and very new lobby of Home Moderne. The system would be that Ivan carried the bikes while Renata carried the luggage inside. Bringing just 2 T-Bags between the both of us made this light work.

In expensive Paris we were quite pleased to find this nice and very new hotel for $190. It brought back memories of our honeymoon to Spain, where in Barcelona  we were shown to our tiny room with a tiny bed. "Excuse me, I booked a double bed," I said. "This is the double bed!" came the reply! Wiser now to European definitions, I made sure Hotel Moderne gave us a proper queen sized bed. Our courtyard view is 

After a short snooze, we rode to see the famous sights of Paris in one afternoon! 

The River Seine was our first destination. We took lots of pictures with our selfie stick that everyone curiously looked on. One person asked how I took each photo. "Bluetooth button the handle!"

As we proceed along the river the Eiffel Tower loomed into view...

Eventually giving this consummate Parisian love picture!

Down the Champs Elysee we coasted. A folding bike is a superb way to see a new city! No waiting for buses, no struggle to find parking, and no tired legs walking about. We covered so much ground toodling around those few hours. 

I spotted a few recumbent bike taxis around. Funny how rickshaws are dying out in Asia, but these high end Velo taxis are doing well here!

There was a military or scouts band of some sort playing at the Arc de Triomphe. 

And we made it the Louvre! Renata and I love the architecture and the grounds but we are not so keen on actually going inside to see the art! 

Don't underestimate the deftness to required to pose, balance a selfie-stick, press a button, and kiss your wife at the same time!

Triumphantly we left the Louvre in search of more of Paris. 

Riding along the river, we chanced upon a lovely park to watch ducks. Quite relaxing sitting in the armchairs, and feeling the breeze before we left in search for more food.  

The only thing that didn't go to plan was dinner at the highly rated Au Petit Sud Ouest, which specialized in duck! I was looking forward to foie gras and a duck confit, but alas it was all booked out! Not being very hungry we shared a roast chicken elsewhere. Over the last 10 years our food standards have gone up. While the food has been good thus far, Renata says that my sous-vide steaks and Bouchon roast chickens are better! Thanks dear!

Being our first day and still jet lagged, we were very tired after dinner and went straight home without exploring the night lights. We are rearing to go for 65km to Rambouillet tomorrow. ETD 8am in search of good cafe latte and croissants for breakfast. 

Sweet sorrow

The hardest part about going on this trip is that we have to leave the kids behind. We have been helping them understand why it's important for Mummy & Daddy to go on this trip alone and how it will help us grow the love in this family, and they have been very understanding, even though they also know it will be tough for them. 

Today as we prepared to leave we could see it was pretty tough for them. "Don't cry, Talia. Daddy says it will make it worse if you do." Said brave brother to his sad sister. We tried to do that too, but succumbed outside once we were out of their view.....

Love Languages

Renata: Quietly cleaning my bike in our 'garage'. One of the Love Languages Ivan speaks....

Ivan: Well, it was half her bike before I sold it to Sin Cheng, before borrowing it back for this trip! :O  Thanks U. Sin Cheng for letting your Brompton get a good workout in France!

Final Pre-Trip Ride

Renata: Excited but a tad nervous.... Reminds me a little of what it felt like on our Big Day 10 years ago!

Ivan: A few more days to go and we took our final ride before heading off to France. It was a very short jaunt around the centre of town, more for final tests of equipment as bags were loaded and mounted, complete with clothes and tools for our 12 days on the road. 

We also used our selfie-stick for the first time, both stationary and Ivan shot video clips while riding!