August 25, Saturday - Never try to travel out of Paris on a Saturday!

We packed up camp at St. Quentin and bid farewell to the Australians (Tasmanians) in our area, and to the mud and rain, and boarded a train for Paris. That part of the journey was no problem.

We ended up at Gare du Montparnasse, and wanted to transfer to Gare de L'Est. "No bicycles allowed on the trains!" We had been allowed before, and I knew of many others who had taken their bicycles on the trains, so this was a suprise. I can only guess now that it had to do with the fact that it was a Saturday. I half wonder if it was some sort of special holiday, too ... or if there were a major sporting event on, or something.

So we cycled to Gare de L'Est, which was not very far away, and attempted to purchase tickets to Strasbourg. The only possible tickets presented to us were expensive first class tickets, despite the fact that we had checked the self-serve ticket dispenser moments before, and had discovered less expensive second class tickets. Oh, and for any other options: "No bicycles allowed!"

By the way, we often checked the self-serve ticket dispensers to determine what our options were, but always bought the tickets from an agent in person. The ticket dispensers rarely gave us the option of reserving spots for the bicycles, and we needed to know for sure that the train allowed bicycles, and that our tickets indicated ours, in particular, were allowed.

A little frustrated, we decided to see where the local trains going east to the Paris suburbs might take us. We chose a place called Chateau-Thierry, not because we knew anything about it, but because it was pretty much at the end of the local line heading east. The tickets were inexpensive, and we didn't have to pay any extra for the bicycles ... that was great!

The trip was uneventful ... except for the lack of lifts and escalators in the stations. When we got there, we cycled toward the center of town, hoping for some sort of town map, or a nice spot to camp. We crossed the bridge, and as we did so, Rowan started having a deja-vu experience. He was sure he had been in Chateau-Thierry before. We stopped, and were debating which way to go, when a man came along and (in French, of course) asked us a few questions about our cycle-touring. We chatted, and then asked him, "Ou est le camping?" He pointed us in the right direction, and soon after we found it.

The office was closed, but we found a spot and pitched anyway. We would pay in the morning. This seemed to be standard protocol wherever we camped in France and Belgium. We camped right next to an old float - a town parade float!

We tried to get something to eat, but most things were shut. I was able to get something to drink though ... I was desperately thirsty. Sometimes it can be very hard to stay hydrated when you're travelling.

August 26, Sunday - Packed up from our campground in Chateau-Thierry, and went back to the train station to find out if there was a train heading east, when the train left, and if it took bicycles. As with most of the other train stations and ticket agents, I was able to communicate all this in a mix of French and English. I have to say that most people have been extremely helpful, and as soon as we've established that I speak a little French, and they speak a little English, we've been able to communicate just fine. In fact, this time it was funny because she was speaking English to us, and we were speaking French back to her. :)

The next train east left at 5 pm, and took bicycles for free, so we booked it. We would be heading to Nancy ... a place I knew nothing about! I didn't even know how to pronounce it.

While we were waiting for our 5:00 train, we decided to cycle around the area. We ended up on a 30 km loop through some very scenic country side out toward Epernay and back ... champagne country! The hills were covered in vineyards.

When we returned to Chateau-Thierry, we stopped at a little pâtisserie and, among other things, we each got a Paris-Brest-Paris pastry. We tried several of them at various places along the way after that ... each one was a slightly different interpretation.

Then we climbed to Chateau-Thierry's Chateau to have a look around the ruins ... and I do mean climb! I was off and walking. Chateaus, it appears, were much like castles. Someone of power built them on top of hills. Even the church of the town is lower than the Chateau. The ruins were interesting ... and very ruined.

Eventually, we made our way to the station where we waited. While we were waiting, we had a very nice chat with a man who was also into cycling. He didn't speak any English, but his daughter spoke a little, so we were able to communicate. He wanted to know all about our bicycles, and about the PBP, and then told us about his bicycle.

And then the work began. We loaded our bicycles onto the train, only to discover that the bicycle compartment was filled with people who weren't supposed to be there, and had no intention of going to take a seat. Fortunately the conductor came along to sort things out, and to get us into the bicycle compartment. However, we ended up sitting with our bicycles, in the bicycle compartment, most of the way because we both felt uncomfortable about leaving them alone in there with the now-disgruntled crowd of people. We really could not figure out why they wouldn't go and sit in a seat. They all got off at Bar-le-Duc, and we were able to take a seat.

We also had a 13 minute transfer from one train to another just to add some more excitement to the day. Not only were we able to get our two bicycles, and our heap of panniers from one train to the other in that time, but Rowan also stopped to help a little old lady with her suitcase!! Finally we arrived in Nancy.

We got ourselves arranged, got some approximate directions to the Auberge de Jeunesse (Youth Hostel) from a very helpful Information Booth person, and headed off into the late evening. We didn't find the hostel, but we found signs for camping and followed them up a HUGE hill, which we both had to walk, and there we were.

It was like an oasis in the desert!! The girl at the desk was very friendly, and we had a campsite with clean showers and washrooms in no time.

August 27, Monday - I was not feeling well ... I was definitely coming down with a cold or flu.

We basically spent the day at the campsite in Nancy, although we did get out for a short ride to the grocery store, for a little picnic, and a ride around the neighborhood on top of the hill. Neither of us were too anxious to tackle the hill again.

Back at camp, we had a very nice chat with John, our neighbor. John is a cycletourist from England, and a professor who has taught at quite a number of Universities around Europe and even in Russia. He was very interesting to talk to.

One of the things he mentioned was France's Bread Law. Evidently, if there are two pâtisseries or boulangeries in a town, both cannot close down (to go on a vacation) at the same time. There must be at least one in operation all the time. Also, from the campground at Nancy on, we could order bread to be delivered to the campground first thing in the morning. "Bread" meaning ... baguettes, pain du chocolat, croissants, etc.

Two girls also moved in next door - one from Liverpool and one from Scotland. We all had supper together at the "community" picnic table.

August 28, Tuesday - I did not feel at all well! I got up, had breakfast, sat down to write in my journal, and had to go lie down for a nap. But just before I napped, Rowan and I saw John off. He was on the last few days of his tour, and was making his way back to England.

I just stayed around the campsite all day ... wrote in my journal, worked on a Sudoku, and rested.

In the evening, the girls returned from their adventures. We all had supper together again, and talked until fairly late. Rowan and I took a walk to see if we could see the lights of Nancy below us, but we couldn't see them as well as I'd hoped.