Monti-Marelli Luciano-Emiliano · @pdandtek · Meda-Seveso Mi
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Travel diary
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TRAVEL DIARY AND GUIDE TO FRANCE 2004
Written by Enzo
PREFACE
The trip came from the desire to get to know France; after visiting the inland and the northern coast (the landing one) as far as St. Malo I decided to move west towards the ocean. The route in France was all on main roads that it's impossible to rewrite in full, and besides I think everyone should make their own trip, to find their own road that will stay in their heart. So there are only some starting points and the most important places.
The trip, starting from Milan, is divided into six stages over a journey of about 4,000 km. The duration was 17 days, precisely from 9 to 25 August.
INDEX OF STAGES: Turin --- Susa Valley --- Mont Cenis --- Chambéry --- Grenoble --- Valence --- Privas --- Aubenas --- Mende --- Rodez --- Albi --- Toulouse --- Tarbes -- Lourdes
Lourdes --- Pau --- Bayonne --- Biarritz --- Bidart (coast down to San Sebastian, Spain)
Bidart --- Bayonne --- Biscarrosse --- (coast, tour of Pila --- Arcachon --- Cap Ferret)
Biscarrosse plage --- towards Bordeaux --- Mont de Marsan --- Auch --- Toulouse --- Carcassonne --- Narbonne --- Narbonne plage
Narbonne --- Béziers --- Montpellier --- Nîmes --- Arles --- Aix en Provence --- Roquevaire - Aubagne --- Cassis --- La Ciotat --- Bandol --- Sanary s. Mer
Sanary --- Aubagne --- Aix en Provence --- Sisteron --- Gap --- Briançon --- Col de Montgenèvre --- Susa Valley --- Turin --- Milan
TRIP ORGANISATION
ACCOMMODATION
To sleep I almost always used the campsites that in France you find without any problem. An important point is to watch the prices: at some I paid up to 27 euros a night, there being no distinction between a camper and a motorbike! In effect you pay for an enormous pitch, as if you owned a camper!!!!!!!!! In case of rain, you can find shelter at modest prices in the chain hotels like Campanile, or Balladins or Premier Class. For information on where they are located, just stop at the first one you come across and ask for the guide, which covers all of France and all the chain's hotels, complete with maps to get there.
FOOD
For eating I got by carrying a stove, pots and pasta, although, going along the coast, succulent plates of fried shellfish are offered at fabulous prices: for thirteen euros, drinks included, you can have a meal!! Or there are various rotisseries.
A tip for anyone going to France and wanting to taste some flavours — I could recommend the Merguez, sausages to grill (I filled up on them), flavoured and spicy; you can find them for a snack even in the little Arab shops you come across on the road, or in the kiosks.
EQUIPMENT
For the trip I took an igloo raid 2-person tent (Bertoni tents), very light (3.50kg), a summer-type sleeping bag, a dismantlable cot (6 tubes, 4 feet and a canvas), stove, pots and necessities (oil, salt, pepper, sugar etc.) pasta. sauce, coffee!!!!!!!!! (in France they don't make coffee like us because it's always long) clothes, some tools for maintaining the motorbike and the guitar, my great companion
..continues — Lao is part of BOFFA People on
Day 19 Aug 2004
8-08-04 9-08-04
I'm finishing loading and as always I have too much stuff, but I don't want to give up anything!
9-08-04 Monday 6:30 I'm already up, the coffee is on the stove and I still have bags I haven't found room for, but I can make it!! 9:45 The weather sucks, I hope I don't get caught in the rain at the pass. Mont Cenis: today it's really strange: the low clouds that don't let you see the lake; a strange atmosphere that I captured, but it certainly won't give the same sensations I'm experiencing!! 19:45 I'm at a campsite toward Valence, and the weather is very hot. In Turin I took the wrong road, remembering the last trip I followed the Mont Blanc route, instead of the Frejus, and I did 200 km more than planned! At the pass the weather is cloudy and unfortunately the lake landscape isn't visible. The camping is very particular and doesn't have a pool, but an artificial lake for swimming.
The route: at the end of the highway in Turin, continue on the ring road in the direction of Frejus pass m. Cenis - Susa valley; having come down from the pass, follow for Chamberi and then Grenoble. As soon as you enter Grenoble and leave the highway, there's immediately the E75, then take the road for Valence.
23:30 I stay by the lake to play because the campsite is full of families with children and already by ten you can't hear a fly!!! I'm watching three little girls dancing while I write and soon I'll go to sleep. I've traveled many more km than planned and I'm thinking about whether to stop here tomorrow too. Wrapped in my thoughts... today I feel poetic and this comes out:
and what if the wind never stopped??? like the hail!!!!! but it's not like that! every day everything can be different, the problem is having courage, yes! the courage to change, without fear of feeling the same, I wish I could shout so loud, to be able to reach you!!!!!!!!!! a thought would be enough for me, to know that you think of me, because he would come here to color this night. good night!!!! even if you don't know it, I dedicated this sky to you, good night!!! even if you wouldn't want to know, that you're still my most beautiful thought!
Bidart Panorama
Day 210 Aug 2004
10-08-04 Tuesday 10:10 am
I've already unloaded and loaded in a hurry!!! The weather has turned gray and muggy... destination Valence
19:30 village of several l'eglise I've been stopped since 18:00 and I got soaked because I didn't put on my rain suit; so I had to scrub quite a bit to get the black off my leather pants, which faded.... I followed a strange route that took me over 1000 meters; today is the 10th and I was hoping to see at least one shooting star, but it's completely cloudy!!!!!!!! what bad luck!!!! I wanted to make a wish!! Guess which one????? Just the one that ends with no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Egrale Kakovetta cave
Day 311 Aug 2004
11-08-04 10:00 am
It's ten and I'm unloading!!! The day is fabulous and there are no clouds, today I could get close, on the N88
18:30
I'm here!!! I'm in Lourdes and I'm already settled at camping Gullia, under the sun (camping della Posta 10 euro a day!!) I should stay here until Sunday, but I already know the town! I'll pay a visit to the Madonna, then I'll think about it. At a rest area I meet a girl who's going to the coast and she reassures me that it's very beautiful........................
Lourdes: the town
Walking through the streets it feels like being in the middle of a fair, only the carnival rides are missing. Every possible corner is exploited to give birth to a souvenir shop!!! If you want to buy a souvenir, take a look around first, you just have to move a little to find the same object at a lower price.
Lourdes: the Madonna
As soon as you cross the gate that leads to the grotto, everything changes! The din and marketplace chatter stop.
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