5 October 2012

Valence

After my long stay in Lyon with my friends and my great "Vendage" experience in Beajolais I finally decided  to continue my journey to Barcelona.
My plan was Cycle through Valence(<3), Avignon(C), Montpelier(D), Perpignan(E), Girona((F) and Barcelona:) all together around 700-750 km.


In Lyon I had noticed that my bicycle saddle is broken so I had to buy a new one. Also I replaced my brakes pads as they are wear off during my trip through the Alps.

-25 euro

Goodbye my friends from Lyon:)
See you later :D

2467+1240=3707km
Thing is when I started cycling I had noticed that my cycle computer not counting kilometres because the battery on the sensor died. 
According to the Google Maps from Lyon to Valence is 100 km by flowing National road N7.

Half of Me - Half of Lyon

Weather was good. Sunny, warm but windy. But a strong upfront wind made my trip to Valence harder than I expected.

Most of the time I was following N7 road.



Boring landscape.

Old hand painted banners.


First and the only big city on my way to Valence was Vienne.





This bridge is the only interesting object in the city.

Goodbye Vienne:)



Police scaring drivers by setting a roadblocks...Police scaring drivers by setting a roadblocks...

Little town...

Closer to the South landscape become more beautiful.




Tourists office where I stopped for my lunch.

My "Barcelona" bike with a new very-very-veryyyyyyyyyy uncomfortable saddle.
First time during all my trip my ass was sore just after 5 hours of cycling....

42 km to Valence...
Sorry A....:)

Another retro style banner.

5 * Restourant

Lonely industrial plant polluting air...

Sometimes signs reminding drivers that they are still in France.




Rhone river .



Historical building.



The most beautiful tree stump in the World.

Grapes:)

Town the name I don't remember...


Chocolate factory <3 in Tain l'Hermitage.

"Netto" petrol station.


Sun set.

At 8pm I was in Valence.


In Valence I had stayed with a couchsurfer Caroline.
She is super talented girl who can play the guitar and she had wrote one book and now working on another one..
Her book on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solistes-Caroline-Gautier/dp/2843376599 but it's in French only....Now I want to learn French and maybe sometime later I will be able to read it:)


Valence is small, nice pro-American city.

This guy is very famous in Valence.

Some pics.










Bicycles:)

Police:)

My shoe.


Old town.




My favourite wall in Valence.







Retro style Valence:)







"Don't smoke in the vehicles" (free translation)

Pipe & Wire.



Caroline's book in the book shop.



One of the evenings in Valence Caroline invited her friends and we were tasting a Wines and Scottish Whiskey.

This is a blackcurrant jam in the spoon.
Just to compare the flavour:)


Next day after the Wine&Whiskey tasting I was soused to cycle Avignon.
But because the weather that day was extremely bad with a rain and strong wind Caroline allowed me to stay in her place longer.
She took a car and drove me outside the Valence to show the castle ruins.


I forgot how this place calls:) And the name of the castle ruing too...sorry, I am a bad tourist :D
UPDATE: This place called: "Château de Crussol" 


Caroline and Maria?

"Unknown" castle ruins.



Happy tourist:)


After being a good all-weather tourists me and Caroline went for the coffee and chocolate.

I my own coffee shop will be cups like this.


I had a very good time in Valence. I liked here also Caroline become my very good friend.
But I had to leave. Barcelona is waiting for me. I heard that in Barcelona people setted countdown clocks in the central square and just waiting for my arrival:)
Maybe it just a gossips, maybe true:)



2 comments:

  1. Great pics!
    the name of the town with chocolate valrhona is Tain l'Hermitage.
    the name of the castle we visited under the rain is château de Crussol.
    and what about "Comté", your favourite french cheese?
    your very good friend in Valence.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Caroline.
    I had changed it;)
    And yes...Comte is still my favourite cheese:)))))))

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