weds to friday
Wednesday and the weather improved hugely, any rain overnight - and I'm not sure if it rained or not was dried up and gone by morning, just a bit of cloud - but by 9am it was already warm, the tent was packed away bone dry. Kids were spilling into the athletics track and we were off. heading south for Grenoble, back over the Rhone within an hour we were on the bypass and just a few miles later turned off to join the route Napoleon. but first we dived into Lidl to buy dinner (and booze) - Snod has already put up some pics of that place - it had a view to die for from the car park. Anyway.. within the hour we were climbing the first part of the RN, which goes up a mountainside and eventually into a long valley with a lake and ahead our first sight of the higher mountains with snow.
For all I know we had left the RN - I have an admission to make, the route I used was copied from a mad dutchmans website. he called it 'Route Napoleon' - but as it went on. there were a few surprises in store. Anyway that day involved a lot of riding south - I was keen to leave all threat of rain as far behind as possible and so no photos. we simply sped through the landscape until the route lifted us back into the mountains. then a surprise. the sat nav told me to turn off the RN.. and thinking 'how exciting' I did. And Snod had his first taste of a 'proper' mountain road - with no barriers and precipitous drops. scary? no not really - we had the road almost completely to ourselves. by this time it was after 6pm. a couple of cars parked up for its entire 14 mile length. The D20. marvellous road and all to ourselves, bliss.
A few clicks and a campsite.. .3 of a mile away called (Originally) Camping Napoleon. we turned in, paid. pitched the tent.. ate our Lidl dinner.. got a bit tipsy and after dark went for a wobbly walk through the deserted village. past a house that had bicycles as a fence - odd. and N85 (road) signs every foot or so... no wonder we were lost. the bagel had nicked all the road signs!!
back to the tent and collapsed in a pre-formed heap. woke up the next morning to realise. a. it was bloody cold. b. the tent had froze. so therefore c. we were fairly high up. sat nav said a smidge over 2,000 feet. anyway.. before long the sun had thawed everything out. the tent dried in minutes.. and we were showered and off again. heading south towards Castellane to leave the RN and have a bimble round the Gorges du Verdon. breakfast on the square in an odd little restaurant with a motorbike over the door. served by 'thai wives' all smiles and smart phone. Then followed a handy sign to the Gorges... the gorgeous Gorges. I loved the place. (it was hot too)
Still a bit disappointed by missing out on the other route des cretes in the Vosges.. i mentioned this to Snod at the petrol station and it was a simple matter to retrace our steps and follow the sign. That road was the ride of the day. talk about up and down and round and round.. again. cliffs with no barriers. drops that seemed a mile deep. but.. despite all that it was lovely. the only fly in the ointment was keeping an eye out for rocks that had tumbled down into the road.. there were a few 'tyre shredders' by the look of them. But.. very soon a nice surprise... we had our first glimpse of the sea... Snods very first view of the Mediterranean. I was thrilled.
anyway..
Soon it was time to leave.. so, just followed our noses until the road peaked then began to drop down the other side and presented us with another amazing aquamarine lake... called: Lac de saint-croix.
here. http://goo.gl/maps/RTXG9
which.. was crazy. so an inland diversion and we headed for Monaco. I was really hoping for a sign.. but there wasn't one. suddenly there we were... riding on the Grand prix track... Monaco is by any standards a totally insane place. We saw literally 1,000s of bikes (mainly - but not exclusively scooters) parked up. and none of them 'secured'. All kinds of cars... from little urban runabouts to Aston martins and ferraris. My route was to the Casino.. I wanted a photo. but, horror - i took a wrong turn.. and suddenly. police everywhere and a charming policewoman in front of me saying. NON!! - my response...'awwwww' and she let us through!!!!
onto 'Billionaires row' - OH MY GOD!! suddenly blacked out limousines.. everywhere. Hermes shop. Van cleef and arpels shop. prada. gucci. chanel. kwik save.. (ok maybe not) - this road.. was IT!!. we were surrounded by the super rich.. US!! I managed to take two pictures... fortunately - in the wrong direction!! had I faced the other way - its likely the camera would have been seized. the police weren't there to stop crime - they were there to stop the paparrazi taking pictures or announcing to the world who was seen going into the Casino. This road had the 'real entrance' on it.. not the main facade thats on the tourist trail. A copper spotted me taking these two photos and ran at us. i apologised and we were off again. I have to admit being on that road was incredible.. its a road that nobody gets to see. and Ive been there. amazing.
Snod managed to smile for the camera and then started shouting at me.. ok, he didn't really shout (too excited) but.. he was DISMAYED. on our ride round the track I had taken a wrong turn.. and missed out the TUNNEL.
what tunnel?
THE TUNNEL.
I had no idea.. Im not really interested in Grand prix. but.. it was IMPORTANT. so.. after a quick rest back into the craziness of pre race Monaco and through the tunnel.. i want impressed... but Snod was practically jumping up and down. (bless him)
through the tunnel.. and a quick stop for pics.. to prove we had been there.
After all that.. it was out of the insanity and find a campsite. soon at one. again we got drunk and were shouted at for talking after 10:30 by the remarkably miserable owner.
ho hum.
next day... into Italy!!
My post:
That is fairly comprehensive..!
Just after (or during?) our first taste of real mountains we stopped at a real French boulangerie for real French tropezienne cakes. There was even a real French Gendarme milling about outside, armed with something nasty in a holster!
Monaco was almost like a dream, it was so strange. We went through the border (sort of, if there is one) and the roads stayed the same as France, no immediate change is surface like you get in Luxembourg. Prices were similar too, at least for petrol. We were riding through the centre and suddenly I could see red and white rumble strip.. I KNOW WHERE WE ARE! I've raced round this hairpin and the one below thousands of times in games (for those that know past the start finish, up the hill, left and right.. that hairpin there). Then the next one, then the one at the bottom of the hill, down we go, tunnel to the right.. Come on MB you must know, come on, why are you indicating left it's the teacaking Monaco Tunnel oh no no no..
We finally parked up at the beach, only to be followed in by more Brits
on Harleys - we were to find that Brits really get about. After trying
to convey the importance of the Tunnel to MB we had to slog our way back
through weirdest backstreet Monaco, but to me it was worth it. MB
probably still has no idea though. The first run through was subdued
because we weren't even sure if we were allowed to be there, the track
was getting ready for the F1 race and lots of the track were cordoned
off. Escaping back the other way was rather more enthusiastic though!I am not sure what happened after that, my recollection is we went straight into Italy for delicious pizza (with real roasted garlic), MB saw a lemon tree which pleased him greatly because it means we were somewhere exotic and warm and then somehow we ended up in France again, facing epic hill starts of the "Do I smell clutch?" variety and queues of traffic. We ended up in a rather nice place with an English speaking owner..
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