Today we headed west toward the Atlantic. It was the longest ride this trip at 37.1 miles. With the exception of at few short hills (topped out at 7.5% grade) it was relatively flat and straight. Heading south along the coast was a breeze which included a breezy head wind. Also a .8 mile unpaved section made for slow going.
Since we drove to the starting point we decided a quick detour to our local Boulanger was a must. Never know when we might get stranded so a fresh bread will sustain us.
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| Our first Boulanger stop was overkill since we happened upon this one shortly after we started our ride. When a local is carrying a baguette it is a safe bet that a Boulanger is close at hand. A few French directions and wave of the hands is all we needed to find this place. |
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| While we were in the neighborhood a chocolate eclair for pastry insurance should we get to the coffee stop empty handed. As it turned out we left our planned Napolean in the fridge in the haste of our departure. |
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| By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea. Actually this port is a long way from the actual ocean but a safe harbor for many boats. We will have to wait a bit for an actual ocean view. |
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| Cruising on by. Mr. Demille I am ready for my closeup. |
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| Velo Route heading south along the coast. |
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| They say that grazing cows don't chase cyclists. We shall see. |
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| Hey Vache, did you see a guy go by on a red Trek bike? Moo means don't bother me while I am munching. Chasing cyclists is a waste of energy. |
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| Yes, that is a chocolate covered cream puff (chou à la crème) filled with mocha flavored cream. Yeah, we know the second one would have been better than the first but we settled for one pastry and two coffees. |
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| Always good to have an "I Love Monica Kleinman" hat. |
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| Old style Michelin road sign for the D17 in the town we stopped for coffee. Happiness is finding the right spot in the right place at the right time along the ride. |
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| Resting my bike against some grape vines waiting for Kim to catch up. |
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Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, not far from where we are staying. It is made from either the Cognac or Pinot grape variety which is exclusive to vineyards in this area. After the distillation it is about 70% alcohol by volume but decreases to about 40% when transferred from oak barrel to glass bottle for consumption.
Don't know if these are Pinot or Cognac grape variety.
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| Very old church in the town where we started our ride. |
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| There wasn't a plaque providing the history or date but appears very old. |
