Over the past 6 weeks we have stayed in a wide variety of places with a large range of quality. We’ve stayed with friends, in campgrounds, AirBnB, Gites, Chambre d’Hotes, Auberges, tourist Hotels, and even some large business Hotels. Although most of these places cater to tourists from across Europe and worldwide, not one has offered any TV channels in languages other than French, and we came across less than 10 who had anyone who could understand or speak English.
Another cool phenomenon about cycle touring is that you only travel a short distance each day, so changes in your environment evolve slowly. You move from coastal dunes into vineyards, then farmland. Prairies become hillsides, cliffs give way to mountains, and rural countryside slips into urban centers. It all happens not much faster than the escargot we have come across along the paths each day.
Now we are witnessing the approach of the edge of France. It’s not some sudden demarcation, like moving from a German to a French Canton in Switzerland – and the freeway off-ramps suddenly go from aufgangs to sorties. Instead we are watching the purity of our French emersion being corrupted little by little as the end draws near.
Several days ago we had a TV channel selection that included CNN International, but it had no audio. The next day, at a large business hotel, the receptionist knew some broken English, and we had 3 English news channels.
Last night we stayed in a hotel where the receptionist spoke perfect English with a German accent. The menu was in French, English, and German – and even offered sauerkraut. And the wine list was broken down by variety, rather than by appelation.
It has been an interesting 6 weeks deep within France. Our experiences were very mixed. Many French are wonderful, friendly, and great hosts. But there is another side of France we never did adjust to.
For one, they can be very abrupt. We witnessed two minor auto accidents. The first reaction in both, was the drivers jumping out and yelling at each other. Many times, when we would ask if a restaurant was serving in the afternoon, we were verbally treated as if we had committed some social outrage – to have even dared to ask.
Another characteristic we will not miss, is an attitude that things don’t need to be finished, made well, or kept in working order. We took our bike to a shop yesterday because of a noise it had started to make. Instead of looking into it, the repairman said, “Will it cause you to fall?”, “Then why fix it?”
We can’t tell you how many hotels had parts missing in the bathroom, heaters or outlets that didn’t work. The TV, internet, and cell phone systems often stop working at different times throughout the day. And at least 15 times we came upon “Route Barree” signs across the bike path – but no detour signage or help as to how we need to get around the construction.
But the bright side was that there was so much construction! We saw dozens of projects to improve the bike paths, and more than one city putting in new mass transit systems. So, if you are willing to overlook some French attitudes – France is, and will continue to be, a great place to do cycle touring!
And at the same time, we can feel the edge of our 2nd home – Switzerland -approaching, and look forward to cycling routes where you can depend on the signage not only being present, but also being understandable and correct.