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Days 3 and 4, around Paris, the train to Fontainebleau - 28 Kilometers

    Our second day was spent touring Paris. Roxcie wanted to head straight for the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel to the French). We rode the Paris Metro to within walking distance, rode the elevator to the top and viewed the City of Light from high in the clouds. We walked around the area all the way to the Champs des Elysees having fun but jet lag was starting to kick in so we rode the Metro back to the hostel in the late afternoon. It was time to put the bikes together.

    The assembly took about four hours, far longer than I had anticipated and probably longer than necessary. I was tired and worked slowly. Finally, at 11pm we were done. I was dead tired. We planned to get up early for a ride through Paris to Gare de Lyon, the train station with trains to Fontainebleau. The young friendly clerk at the hostel, in excellent English, showed us a bicycle route that would take us along a canal through Paris and almost all the way to the station.

    We awoke charged with energy. This was to be our first touring day. We ate breakfast, (bread, butter, jam and coffee, tea or milk and juice) loaded our panniers on our bikes and were off. After a short time trying to figure the map out, we soon found the bike lane and rode it as directed. We were dismayed at how dirty and torn up the streets were. Another annoying thing we kept on seeing was dog poop. Apparently every Frenchman in Paris owns a dog and they all take them for walks without cleaning up after them. 

    The ride through Parisian traffic was exhilarating but not difficult and we soon found ourselves at Gare de Lyon, buying tickets for ourselves, a tandem and half bike to Fontainebleau, once country home of the kings of France. A train was leaving in 45 minutes, just enough time for a cup of coffee. Jeanette had a hard time understanding the ticket clerk who was talking about the front and rear of the train. She was worried that she didn't understand something. She thought we were supposed to make sure to get on the rear of the train but didn't know why. We dutifully followed her directions.

    The train had no special place for bikes and we tied them to the railings inside. The conductors came by and Jeanette checked using her basic French about the front and rear thing. The conductors talked rapidly to each other and nodded to her that we had gotten on the right part of the train but didn't explain why. We found out why when we we disembarked. At a previous stop, the train had split in TWO! Had we boarded the front of the train, we would have ended up along another route.

    Once off the train we saw signs to Thomery, where our B&B for the night was located. We rode the short distance under threatening clouds, met our hostess, Madame Bader, and dropped our luggage off. The two story house we were staying at was old and very nice with an unusual painted living room and grand piano. Madam Bader recommended several places to eat in Fontainebleau and told us of a shortcut through the woods. We said goodbye for the day and were off on a 7 kilometer ride to the palace on our lightened steeds.

    It was lunch time when we reached Fontainebleau. We ate at the recommended cafe and immediately found out why the French are so proud of their cooking. Our lunches were absolutely delicious. The pastry desserts were superb. The town was beautiful with flower boxes everywhere. We found the entrance to the chateau and spent the next four hours looking at how Napoleon and the kings of France lived.

    After the palace it was time for another meal, this time dinner. Although early by French standards, we were hungry. We found another cafe off the town square and had a second delicious meal. The ride back to Madame Bader's was an easy and short one. When we arrived, her daughter was visiting. Madame Bader invited us onto the patio for a glass of wine and we discussed her daughter's purchase of her first car. Madame Bader offered Roxcie a taste of French wine, a fruity Gerwurtraminer. Roxcie sipped it and wrinkled up her nose. She's not quite old enough to appreciate a fine wine and couldn't understand how we could call it, "fruity." 

    The conversation continued about France and  our cycling. Madame Bader asked us for our route and we found that we were pronouncing the name of every town so improperly that it was hard for her to understand our path. Madam Bader, who teaches French to English speakers, helped by correcting us so that we would not sound like idiots to the next person we talked to. We talked until we could no longer stay awake, although it was only about 8:30 pm. We headed off to bed, knowing that tomorrow we would have our first real ride, from Thomrey to Sens, about 60k.

Accommodations and other recommendations:
Madame Bader's B&B
149 rue du General de Segur 
77810 Thomery
33-1-64-708052
E 80 for three, breakfast included

Day 5, Thomrey to Sens - 58.5 kilometers

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