Yes, we mean that literally.
• We began the day with a flat tire, before we even left the BnB.
• Then we had coffee and pastries in the town square.
• Next we were distracted by a Farmer’s Market where we got some fruits and nuts for the road.
• We finally arrived at the starting point of our 2500km of GPS tracks, and stopped for a photo op,
• And asked a woman if she would take our picture. She turned out to be a Jehovah’s Witness!
• After the propaganda, we headed down our route to find that it had been blocked by a large street fair for the holidays.
• That was followed by a construction detour that left us heading in the wrong direction.
We finally worked our way back to the GPS track, and were able to say farewell to Montpellier, about 2 hours later.
After lunch in Sete, at a sidewalk cafe along it’s canal, we arrived at the official start of the Canal du Midi. The route begins at the lighthouse where the ships leave the Mediterranean. Of course, this was another photo op!
All in all it was a great first day of cycling, and we made it to a campground just in time for Jon to take a swim in the sea, before it started raining.