Charlene's European Adventure 2003
To Paris

PARIS-BREST-PARIS

Aug 13th - noon. I said farewell to everyone at work, cycled home (13.4 kms), did my last minute packing and was picked up and taken to the airport. There were no problems loading my bicycle box--it wasn't even considered oversized luggage. The next couple hours until boarding were spent reading my French phrase book and wandering around the airport. The flight to Toronto was uneventful but from Toronto my flight was delayed because they were trying to board 3 flights from the same gate. Once boarded, there was no A/C or lights because one of the engines was down. It got really hot waiting inside the plane for take-off and took a few hours before it cooled down. I think that was the last time I felt really hot on this trip! Some of the staff didn't seem to care about their jobs or the passengers and it took hours to be served the meal and have it cleared away. I just wanted to sleep so I found this very annoying.

Aug 14th - 11:00 am. I landed at Heathrow and without any difficulties got my bicycle (it came around on the carousel) and the rest of my bags. I was picked up and whisked away to Chatham/Rochester by the father (Geoff) of my former supervisor at work (Jon), and he informed me that today was the first coolish day they'd had; an extreme heat wave had gripped Europe for weeks, causing some concern about the PBP. After a shower and a nap, I put my bicycle together but in my haste and probably because I was tired, I put it together incorrectly--which I didn't notice at the time. Jon and his family took me out and showed me some of the sights of the town, then fed me fish and chips for supper. I was in bed quite early but had trouble sleeping thinking about the day ahead.

Charles Dickens' house	Rochester Cathedral	Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle with Supervisor & family	Rochester Castle Grounds	Rochester with Supervisor & family

Aug 15th.

I was up early as planned, and loaded the bicycle as planned, but from there on things didn't go as planned. Moments after I set off, I noticed that something was very wrong. I managed to install the rear derailleur incorrectly and the cable was being wrapped around my gears. Quickly I took it off, reinstalled it, and then continued on to the train station. Unfortunately there was something rubbing against my back tire, but I figured I would fix it on the train.

At the train station I discovered that the lines were down and no trains were running south to Dover. They didn't know when the trains would start running again, and in fact, while I stood there debating what to do, there was an announcement that one of the trains wouldn't be running at all that day. There were supposed to be busses but nothing had arrived yet and I questioned whether they would take my bicycle anyway. So I decided to cycle. Jon, who had ridden to the station with me, pointed me in the direction of the A2, and told me to follow it down. (What he failed to mention was that the A2 is a very main road and most British cyclists do anything they can to avoid it!) I purchased a map of the area from a garage on the corner and set off.

After riding in heavy traffic and then pushing my loaded bicycle up a long, long hill for almost an hour, two things were quite clear: I was still not out of the Chatham/Rochester area, and that rubbing noise had not gone away and was starting to really worry me. At that moment I passed a tiny bicycle shop which had just opened, and I decided to stop in. The owner was able to alleviate some of the rubbing noise (my mudguards) and gave me a National Cycle Network map complete with some very vague instructions, ending with the statement that "with any luck" I would get to Dover. I got onto the route he suggested all right, and it was much nicer than the traffic of the A2, but within a few minutes I was lost and cycling in circles. Back in the same small village for a second time, I decided to ask some ladies in a little shop for directions and they got me going again; but another hour had passed and my hopes of making my train at Boulogne were fading fast.

I cycled through more English countryside until I came to Kemsley, and upon inquiry discovered that a train stopped there, but there was no station as such, just a platform. Hoping that the trains were running again, or maybe that a feeder train of some sort was running between a couple of the towns on my route, I decided to wait a bit. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when, a few minutes later, a train complete with an area for bicycles pulled up. We were in the next town a short time later where I had to transfer and I noticed by the signs that they were apologizing for the delay and that the next train should be there in 10 minutes. It was the first train running that day and somehow I managed to be in the right place to catch it! I was not sure if bicycles were allowed but I pushed mine on anyway and no one said anything. I made one more transfer and then arrived in Dover. The people along the way were very kind--helping me up and down the stairs and on/off the trains with my heavy bicycle, as well as giving me directions, and making sure I was on the right train.

Typical English Country Road

The ferry left Dover about an hour after I got there so I had time to get my ticket and join the line. The motorcycles and I were waved to the front of the line to board first. For the first time since I set off in the morning, I relaxed. I was advised to get food right away, but a fairly sharp turn by the ferry as it set off made me a little queasy so I ate only about half of what I purchased. I really enjoyed the crossing and spent most of my time sitting in the sun on deck. It occurred to me, though, that there was a time change (not in my favor) once I got to France, and that there was no way I could cycle to Boulogne to make my train as I had planned. So I decided to see if there was a train going right from Calais. When we docked, the motorcycles and I were let off first, and in my most businesslike manner I set off, having been told that I was not to linger at the dock area there. I promptly got lost. I had no idea where the train station was, missed a turn, and ended up heading for Dunkirke. Thankfully, there was one last exit into Calais and then I began the task of navigating through Calais. I had the first opportunity to use some of my limited French to ask for directions to the train station.	Dover from Ferry
	France from Ferry
	Calais from Ferry

When I finally arrived, to my amazement, there was a train leaving in a few minutes which connected to my Boulogne train! This was particularly surprising because when I had checked the internet in preparation for my trip, I didn't find this train. From Calais to Boulogne I parked my bicycle in the storage/entry area, and sat holding my front wheel. The back of my bicycle faced the two conductors and after a few minutes, they noticed my tiny Canadian flag pins, and asked me if I were Canadian and what I was doing. Between their limited English, and my limited French, we had a nice conversation, and they helped me with my transfer in Boulogne. Because of the location of the bicycle storage area, on the train from Boulogne I ended up sitting in 1st class, although I didn't realize it at first. I arrived in Paris shortly after 8:00 p.m.

I had instructions for getting from Paris Nord to the Champs de Mars metro station where I was supposed to meet Greg (a fellow member of BigDogs Endurance Cycling). The instructions, however, failed to mention cobblestones, masses of traffic and people, and a lack of street signs. I figured it would take me 20-30 minutes to make the trip but it was closer to 45. I did stop a couple times to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower when I got close, and just as I cycled up, they lit it for the night. That was a particularly memorable highlight for me! I found a metro station just past the Eiffel Tower which I thought was the one I was looking for, hauled my heavy bicycle down the stairs and back up again . . . and there was no Greg. At this point for the first time I felt very alone. Night was falling in Paris and the final part of my plans seemed to be collapsing. I wasn't sure what to do. Then I overheard someone say that the main Champs de Mars station was still ahead, so I hurried on and shortly after I heard someone call my name. Greg and Foster, who I had met on the RM1200, were waiting for me.

Eiffel Tower Eiffel Tower lit

We had a bit of difficulty getting to the Montparnasse station through the metro, but once there we were very thankful for Foster's French which got us onto the right train out to Plaisir. I think the plan was that Greg would take me to my hotel (which we thought would still be open) and then he would camp out there or get a taxi back to his hotel. However, by the time we reached Plaisir, and walked (because Greg didn't have his bicycle with him) about 4 kms to the hotel from the deserted station, it was 1:00 a.m. and nothing was open. I didn't know if my teammates had arrived or not because of the power outages in North America. So I pulled out my camping gear and Greg and I shared a pile of leaves in the backyard of the hotel on my first night in France.

Aug 16th: Morning light woke Greg and me in our leafy beds, but we dozed for a little while longer knowing that nothing would be open yet. We finally got up when some of the other cyclists from inside the hotel started moving about. At 8:00 a.m. I finally found out which room Joy, my teammate from Manitoba, was in and knocked on the door waking her. She informed me that she had made it through the blackout in North America, but that Brian, Susan, and Neil, the other three Manitobans had not. They were re-routed and would hopefully be arriving later that day. I moved my bicycle into the room, showered, changed, and then we headed down to breakfast in the cafeteria where I met a number of other Canadian cyclists staying in the hotel. I remembered a number of them from the RM1200 last year. After breakfast, Greg and I caught a bus to his hotel where he got ready for the day, and then we took a train into Paris. It was a wonderful day! We went to the top of the Eiffel tower where we spent quite a bit of time looking over Paris. Then we caught the metro to the Arc de Triumph and the Louvre. We also ate at an outside café and sort of figured out the metro system! I was back at my hotel and in bed by 10 p.m.. The rest of my team had arrived during the day.

Olympic Village - my hotel room Olympic Village - my hotel room

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