Today was full of some pretty flat canal riding. It was really relaxing and probably good for me as this leg of the trip winds down.
Leaving Vitry-le-François, I made the now obligatory stop at the local boulangerie, and through no skill of my own, chose a very good one. Second breakfast by the canal revealed that the croissants were some of the finest yet.
I turned off the canal at Condé-sur-Marne and headed north for about 10 kms. In Condé-sur-Marne, I stopped at the local boulangerie (yes, I’m addicted) and got some more lunch. Opposite was an old roofed structure. I assume it’s a marketplace. I sat there, had lunch and checked out the timber work. It had certainly stood the test of time.
It was a hot day, and the lady at the boulangerie happily refilled my bottles. From there, I followed the Marne canal and the route became more and more rustic until it was a well grassed and seldom used path. It was nice and shady though, and I really appreciated the drop in temperature. Families on the other side of the canal were relaxing in the shade and fishing. They looked at me in disbelief. Surely it was too warm for cycling.
Pretty soon, I left the canal to tackle some strange terrain through some farming communities. I didn’t realise immediately, but I was in the champagne district. I went through the strangely named Le Grande Billy (big Billy), as as I entered the village, I realised that I was definitely in the Champagne district.
But I didn’t see any grapes, and that was a little weird. I saw plenty of spinach and freshly harvested wheat but no grapes. And as I left town, I was in a treeless environment, it was hot, and there were hills. There’s always a downhill, and it was fun as usual, then I linked up with another canal for the remainder of the ride into Reims.
Reims is yet another beautiful French city. I’m getting used to this now. I’m living it up in a city hotel tonight.
