The last few days, it must be said, have been pretty wonderful. On Friday I left Nice out along the promenade des anglais, popped around the Cap d'Antibes, had lunch at a beachside restaurant in Cannes, before spending the night in St Raphael. The next day I decided to do a half day, seeing as this area of the world frankly merits taking one's time. I did about 10k before bumming on a beach for an hour, then cycling to the port at Sainte Maxime before getting the boat across to St Tropez! The night was spent camping nearby, where I was most wonderfully welcomed and spent a lovely dinner with two French cyclists, Daniel and Sonia.
This morning's ride was similarly gorgeous, though things got a little tougher this afternoon. It was almost tangible moving away from the most moneyed parts of the cote d'azur as I got closer to Toulon. Plans to catch the train and spend the night in Aix-en-Provence were abandoned after an 'incident voyageur' (so it's not just Paris then), and I'm staying here in Toulon tonight.
Not all sweetness and light though. I've punctured, and my little handpump is nowhere near suitable to fully inflate a tyre, and my 'pignons' (rear gear cogs) are giving gyp. Not a problem, I can pop to a bike shop tomorrow you'd imagine. "Tomorrow is a Monday though..." said the man at my hotel. Perhaps the south of France hasn't heard of a working week. And Tuesday's a public holiday....But, as they say, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and even if the bike's having a mare, my hotel officially has no stars and Wednesday can't make the playoffs, it's a small price to pay for the joys of the last few days.
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