La Mer et le fin

Well we made it. A bit of mechanical improv and we arrived just in time to miss lunch.  What recession?  Beer for P and Orangina for K - Salut!!!


Phil by text.


Entry from KR

The bike was more rideable than we thought and after a good nights sleep we thought we could press on.

Philip now in role of "domestique" which he plays with a mixture of comic abuse and utter thoughtfulness.

He tweaked the bike, produced some high powered painkillers and worked out a careful route through the city.

My front wheel had more kinks than a Tory backbencher, but with more of a mind of its own.

And thus we wobbled our way to the Med through vineyards, where there seemed more rock than soil, and then across a low ridge dotted with pine and outcrops.

The coast itself  has saltmarshes and lagoons so its a bit like being at Weston super Mare: the sea itself can be a long way off.

But we got there in the end. Of course there are no fanfares, nor bands at moments like these. No one noticed and why should they.  However, in the words of H W Tillman " I believe we so far forget ourselves, as to shake hands!"

Ps one final happy coincidence. One of Philips favourite songs from the last trip was La Mer. He is convinced he knows all the words but , to me, he simply repeats La Mer once or twice before singing "dah de dah do" in a cod French accent!

But its a lovely song and its author and singer - Charles Trenet - was born in Narbonne! Sue will try to paste a link,

The Domestique's View

Well, after 6 hours malingering in A & E thoughtlessly left Philip with nothing better to do than chat to underdressed French and American girls.  Still shocked he had to be led to a 'nice hotel  room' but in one Narbonne's fruitier banlieus, he complained. I had to cancel the very reasonably priced sports masseuse whom we had cycled past coming  into Narbonne.   This morning only extra coffee and a pot Belge from the local Pharmacie persuaded him back onto the bike on which he wobbled for effect through the  town. Talk about highly strung coureurs.

From Sue - link to Charles Trenet info - Well done from me and from Dan and Lorna - looking forward to you both coming home.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Trenet