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Day 7, Joigny to Auxerre - 38 kilometers

Route: Low traffic roads with a few rolling hills. Easy to medium riding. Directions: Take the D955 south out of Joigny through Senan to Aillant, then the D89 through Auvergne to Auxerre.

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    Auxerre, our next town, was billed as a city with lots of attractions so we were anxious to get going the next morning. I went downstairs, had a cup of coffee and ordered a cup of tea for Jeanette and asked for the bill. I was surprised when I looked at the total. For our room, drinks and meals, the total was only E85. I asked Sabrina if she had forgotten something and went over what we had consumed. She said it was correct as is. I paid the total without hesitation or reservation. We loaded our bikes and were on our way again, under cloudy skies determined to reach Auxerre quickly so that we could spend most of the day exploring the town.

    The route lead us along low traffic roads through small villages. Although we encountered some small rolling hills, we were able to ride all but the steepest of them. We walked what we could not ride. We reached Auxerre in time for lunch.

    Auxerre was the biggest town we had been in for the last three days. We rode to the center of the old town and stopped for lunch before we found the hotel we had booked, Le Seignelay. We parked the bikes in a small courtyard and walked the town, visiting the cathedral and looking up and down the narrow streets of half timbered houses. When we were in the cathedral we found that a free organ concert was scheduled for five so we walked around until that time and then attended the half hour concert. We didn't recognize any of the pieces played but still enjoyed the peacefulness of the concert and the slow pace of the clock after riding during the morning.

    Jeanette had caught a cold and wasn't feeling well (We think she caught it while on the Metro in Paris. It was hot muggy and crowded with people when we rode it). We ate dinner at the hotel and then Jeanette went to bed. Roxcie and I went for a walk along the waterfront until we found a cafe selling ice creams.  I had developed a liking for Magnum bars and Roxcie liked Cornettos. We ate our ice creams and walked up the foot bridge over the Yonne and looked down to see a school of pike, each about two feet long, swimming below the bridge.

    We walked back to our rooms as darkness fell. It had been another great touring day. Auxerre was a beautiful city, the weather was improving, the riding was easy and the food terrific. Life was good.

Accommodations and recommendations:

Le Seignalay Hotel - Very nice!
2 rue du Pont
89000 Auxerre
33-3-86-55-26-44
E 53.5 for three people in a two room suite, breakfast not included

Day 8, from Auxerre to Collan via Chablis - 34 kilometers

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