Day 12 - Rest day in La Rochelle

Distance cycled today 0
Distance cycled since Modbury 453 miles

Steve (my brother) has reminded me that I didn't mention the terrain yesterday. Since we crossed the Gironde 2 days ago, it's become gently undulating which we're glad of. We were becoming very accustomed to the flat ground of the Landes and we needed to ease ourselves back into some gradients, as we know we still have Brittany ahead in less than a week's time. Less than a week! Where's the time gone?
I suspect that when we leave La Rochelle on Saturday, we'll be meeting increasingly "normal" terrain with moderate hills.

We met a Brit guy yesterday who was cycling solo and bemoaning the fact that his pals didn't want to cycle with him because, he said, his idea of daily mileage was more than theirs. (I won't describe him or say where he was from or where he was going to save his embarrassment in case he reads this). Whenever Rob or I tried to speak, he just talked over us and he gabbled non-stop, sometimes answering his own questions. He just went on and on and on, complaining about the hills in Brittany, how much he was carrying, telling us that we were carrying too much, declaring that he couldn't make repairs if he needed to, commenting on our bikes. I was more worn out listening to him for 2 minutes than cycling for the previous 3 hours! After 5 minutes, I was scanning the countryside for a suitable tree to hang myself from!
I wonder if there was another reason why his pals didn't want to cycle with him....

Our hotel last night was clean and comfortable, with tea and coffee making facilities (a rarity and the first on this trip) but no radiator or heated towel rail. My decision to postpone doing some washing in the last hotel didn't pay off (we're here for 2 days of course) so I'm glad that I have a few "spares" in my panniers, although I'm going to wash some pants and hang them over the bath in the hope that I don't frighten the chambermaid.

There's no restaurant at the hotel so we ate at a little place opposite where the food was great but the waiter looked as though he'd been chewing a wasp........ and still hadn't swallowed it!
Baked camembert with bacon, followed by a delicious chicken fricassee with a mushroom sauce for both of us and then apple tart for me, with toasted brioche and honey for Rob.

This morning we wandered into town (15 min walk) to see the sights. Some of the public buildings in French cities are mind-blowing, but then France has always been a bit lavish in spending public money. In Rochefort yesterday, it was the Post Office. In La Rochelle, it's the railway station. Both buildings are impressive and were clearly built for purpose (i.e. not conversions), as the stonework is engraved with each building's function. The new buildings that have been constructed in the last few years are also impressive but I'm not sure that some of them will still retain their appeal in years to come.

As thunderstorms were forecast for this afternoon, we had a proper lunch for the first time (tuna rillettes, fresh sardines and strawberry tart - damn, this is a tough tour!), and returned to the hotel (with some cold food for the evening) to do a bit of maintenance on the bikes - nothing too serious, just cleaning and oiling the gearing, pumping up the tyres and checking that there was nothing amiss. The rest days are useful for this and we did the same in Seignosse. I am wary of having cycled over sand on EV1 and have it kick up onto the chain. Oil and sand combined will wear out moving parts unless it's cleaned off. We both ensured that we brought plenty of disposable gloves (many thanks to the manager of Sainsbury's filling station, in Redditch, who gave us a box of 100 each, when asked - they really weigh nothing and have many uses), cut rag roll, all-purpose TF2 oil and citrus degreaser. I'm sure some people don't bother to take things like these, but I'm getting very attached to my bike and feel that a bit of TLC's the least that I can give it!

Evenings in France are not very stimulating unless you can get out for a walk in warm weather or unless you like Cagney and Lacey (dubbed version) on TV. (I can't believe they're still watching this). Rob's brought some books to read and I'll probably irritate family back home by sending e-mails and messages asking what's happening.

Thanks for the Comments from Steve and Rob Wyatt (or is it Sarah?) and the encouragement from John and Kerry. Thanks also to my fellow tweeters on Twitter, Graham and Andi, and also my "friends" on Facebook. (I try to post a few words on all these each day). It's great to hear from you all.
Talking about great, anyone who wants to read a great cycling book by a young lady, who cycled solo through Switzerland and France, should look at Andi's book on http://t.co/1dl8MJo4sl. At £1.99, for the Kindle version, it's a steal ..... and no, I'm not on commission!

Photos:
Our hotel - warning, blue sky, wear protective glasses!
The railway station in La Rochelle.
Part of the harbour in the old port.