Lush life giving me a rush

Last time I let you know about my adventures, I was happily entering Ushuaia, the last stop in my trip in South America. But the idea to go further, explore more, had already wormed itself to the front of my mind. I had decided to take my trip through Europe and Asia. But first, I wanted to come back home for a time to see my friends and family.

As I left Ushuaia I took example on the sea lions back there to adopt a similar lifestyle during my stay in Paris.

The month I stayed in Paris went in a whirlwind of parties and friends and diners and between it all I was able to update most of my gear to prepare me to any situation I might encounter during the second part of this trip. Quickly, I organised a big au revoir party and was on my way.

I thought that after 6 months in South America cycling France would be a a breeze, surely. Damn, I don’t think I could have been more wrong! Turns out you do lose muscle in two months of slouching from bed to couch. I set up a slow pace that would allow me to gradually recover my past endurance. The first day was a tranquil one with friends welcoming me to their house for a succulent meal along their splendid array of rosebushes.

My route led me to Auxerre with its cathedral towering above the Yonne river. It is crazy to tour around France when you’ve just crossed the Patagonian desert. Back there I would ride sometimes for more than 150km to find the tiniest house or town. France however is particularly dense and I seldom go for more than 10km without at least crossing a village, each of them built of old buildings giving out medieval vibes. More than once I crossed a tiny town only to stumble across a church dating more than 900 years back. This history packed land makes for a stark contrast when compared to the wild and vast landscapes I encountered for the past six months.

Between the diverse cathedrals and the centuries old churches popping at the turn of every street I passed, I was able to follow the stream of the Yonne river which led me South through an rather flat road designed for bicycles. The lush and green life spreading around the river led some squirrels to improvise some sort of running games in the morning in front of my tent.

Up to there, everything was going flawlessly. Then I got sick. Like, really sick. Where I had not fell the tiniest bit sick in South America with drinking wells’ water and dubious meats, a mere three days in my home country left me moaning with an empty belly under a suffocating heat. Obviously that would happen. I somehow managed to crawl my weary self to the nearest town, then out of it to find an isolated spot where I’d be able to setup my tent away from everything. That’s the moment the fever kicked in. Despite my shivering body I cleared a spot free of briers, pitched my tent and fell into an uneasy slumber after eating what my poor stomach could withstand at the time. Although the experience was dreadful on all accounts, this is one of the things I like about touring solo. You must count on yourself to keep you going forward, despite the many obstacles you might encounter. Miraculously, I woke up the day after feeling great, any trace of sickness apparently gone. I took the occasion to finally have the breakfast I deserved and went on my way.

Luckily, my trip led me to Lyon in a quite uneventful manner.

At Lyon I met an old time friend who hosted me and together we talked about travelling the world, himself telling me about his project of riding a boat around the seven seas (maybe not the seven seas, but I’m sure you get the idea!). And then… I got sick. Again. With fever and all. Damn it. Yet other friends of mine were waiting for me in Grenoble (about 130km from Lyon) so we might spend the week-end together. Considering my sick self, I took the easy way and took a train for the remaining distance which landed me to my awesome friends’ flat so we could share together these few days.

There I was finally able to rest and shared a few days in their company and under Iloma’s marvellous cooking skills I was able to quickly recuperate, even to the point of doing a small day hike around the neighbouring mountains.

Now the plan is to get across Switzerland and down to Italy and the Mediterranean coast. Let’s see how my legs hold on against the slopes of the Alps!

Until next time!