French Rail Strike scuppers plans

Having left Myriam and Graham and cycled in the rain to Flers, we arrived in Tours ready for our cycle along the Loire from Tours to Orleans. The weather forcast is wet and gloomy, and although I am always insisting to Julian that cycling is pleasurable in any weather, we decide to head South by train and perhaps cycle around the villages of the Luberon mountains in Vaucluse. 

We've discovered that most TGV's don't take bikes unless folded, impossible on our electric bikes.  Many stations don't have lifts and so we sometimes need to carry them up and down stairs. This is OK if you have plenty of time between trains,but no fun if you are rushing for a connection, and have to grab 25kg of bike with all your panniers and heave it up flights of steps!

We also realise that Tours is not a good place from which to travel to Macon as every train goes to Paris first, which is North West and we want to head South West.  We end up taking a Ter regional train to Paris and a TGV from Paris to Macon.  Lucky we have our bikes and Google maps to help us cycle from Paris Montparnus to Paris Bercy 4.2 km.  We use Google maps every day to find a cycle route to where we are going and to see the distances.  We then usually find a place to stay on booking.com as it is easy to see accommodation near where we plan to stay that night and book and pay for instantly, sometimes just a few hours before we arrive.

The French are always going on strike over something and at the moment it is the rail workers.  Macron is standing firm.  On the face of it they get a good deal already, but there may be more to it and in any case going on strike, or demonstrating about something, or road blockading - it's part of the French way of life.

We started by cycling to Macon this morning and found a train via Lyon to Valance at 17.35.  It was going in the right direction (South) so we booked and then went out to explore Macon.  Tomorrow is the final strike day and we can get a train to Nimes at either 7am or 4pm.  Nimes is 44km West of Avignon where we want to be to get to the Isle sur la Sorg at the edge of the Luberon Moutntains.

Tomorrow will bring what it brings.  For now we are enjoying our first cup of tea made with my travel kettle which takes up precious space in my pannier - and half a walnut and toffee tart bought in Macon.

Macon is not particularly inspiring as a town, but it does has wonderful countryside to the West, rolling hills of vineyards, (much more picturesque than those on the Cote'dOre to the North), chateaux and La Roche Solutre.  This was explored on a previous visit.  We had never explored the centre of Macon though, and now we have, probably won't again.

We spent some time on cosy cushions in a wine bar for lunch. Julian had a red beer and I had a pot of tea.  I've been really lucky with pots of tea.  Lovely posh bags of Celon tea and  cold milk wherever we have been, good value as you can get two decent cups.

Valence

By contrast, where we are now, Valenca, has the most beautiful church in the old quarter.  We came on it tonight, lit up as we strolled in the warm southern air in early April.

Arriving in Valence at 1950, almost dark we headed straight for the cheaper hotel district near the station.  The first one we tried Le Negotiation had run out of basic rooms and was 67 euros. Next door we found Hotel du Lyon, basic but not unwholesome and we are quite cosy here for 47 euros. Bikes stored in the garage.  Breakfast an extra 8.50 euros each.