It did stop raining, fortunately! The next day was sunny and warm and my spirit was flying high again. I got to see at least a little bit of Interlaken in sunshine and had a good day riding in Switzerland and on to France.
Along the Lake Thunersee was precious and then onto a bit of mountain riding in Saanenland and Col de Moses. Further on along Lake Geneva I completely failed to stop for coffee even though it was so pretty and suddenly I was in France and rode some French Alps and along the river Dransee. It was a good day and I finished it off in Annecy, a very lucky choice of stay indeed. I didn’t know anything of the place before and it is absolutely precious.
The following day I was riding towards La Grande Chaume but taking the scenic route going a bit north of Geneva. Entering Switzerland again, now on the highway I became aware of the need of having a sticker to prove payment. And thinking of it that might have been the case in Austria too. Not that I rode a lot on the highway but when I did I thought it was for free but maybe it wasn’t. Something to find out about for next year, this time I seemed to be fine, no-one looked my way. This is a bit confusing though with the different systems of payment in different countries.
Arriving at La Grande Chaume was like coming home. I recognised the farm already in the distance seen across the fields and it was a dear reunion with Annice and John. We had a lovely evening with yummy food and I slept so so well, absolutely exhausted after the last 5 days riding in hot and cold and not to mention all the hairpins and the map- and street sign-reading. The next day I was kidnapped, as Annice phrased it, for a day out in Moulins with friends, and later for barbecue at yet other friends.
I continued south this morning feeling very relaxed and rested. John had the kindness to help me adjust the suspension so the bike is better balanced with the weight from the luggage and he also added some air to the rear tyre which has gone a bit flat from the weight. Damn good to have a personal mechanic, the distance is a shame though.
Riding today was easy, the roads were easy to find and time and kilometres passed quickly. Some though were done on the highway Between Clermont-Ferrand and Severac-le-Chat, a very scenic highway. Another good thing was that it was on quite high altitude so the wind was nice and cool. When going down it just got warmer and warmer and in the end it was hot. I found my booked hostel quite easily even though it wasn’t quite what I expected being described as a former convent. It is a dorm room on the second floor of a family’s house, and to go out I have to go through their living-space. Never mind, I don’t think I can be bothered to go out tonight. I had a banana and quite a few biscuits, that will do dinner even though Annice will not approve.
