After a week cycling through Northern France, we’ve come away with a few highlights, and lowlights, to remember.
The Good
- Our first wild camp
- The surprising amount of forrest along the way, even close to Paris
- Leffe beer on tap everywhere (Belgian 6.6%)
- Moules frites and a bottle of wine by the sea, having survived our first week
- Managing to naviate our way through Paris, all the way from Charles de Gaulle
- Matt’s first escargo (in the form of a savoury escargot and champignon pancake)
The Bad
- Northern France summer – cold, rainy and strong headwinds
- Not being able to find cooking gas anywhere (i.e. no tea in the morning for Matt, and no soothing cooking in the evening for Ally)
- General lack of campsites along the route, or anywhere near towns
- The relative blandness of french food. Ok for a few days, but there’s only so much cream and bread you can enjoy. Our arteries may have hardened a little.
The Interesting
- Everyone in France smokes, and all the ‘local pubs’ are bars combined with tobacco stores.
- The pastries get worse the closer you get to the UK (or the further you get from Paris?)
- The Avenue Verte route varying from perfectly smooth rail trails, to rough narrow cattle tracks
- Turns out we both snore when it gets cold (winter could be interesting).
4ks an hour 
Guys I’ve totally figured out how to change gears on the silver steed! Also I downloaded strava and today someone yelled at me for riding a bike (is this it? have I made it guys?). I’m probably gonna have to start my own blog now.
Also formally requesting more updates on quality of foreign beer.
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Yep you’re now formally a biker. Just don’t hang around in a group or be tempted to join a gang or you’ll find yourself in a pink jumpsuit in quick time. Beers have been universally good, but yet to try an Icelandic brew…..
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A third of French smoke, official survey .
Cream in every dish is typical from a part of Northern France . If you go to the South-West, you won’t see it, and if you go to the South-East you’ll find olive oil everywhere instead of cream .
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Finally realised I DO have your blog address – will follow it avidly – it’s interesting and inspiring
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Thanks! Hope all is good at Tupong and you’re coping Ok with being back at work!
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Sure the snoring is not the wine and beer?
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