Day 9 - Nice not nice
Monday 18th July 2116
It's time for a parting of the ways for a few days at least. There is no point to Mick and I hanging around the repair shop waiting for Sean's bike to be fixed so we decide to leave Sean waiting for rescue and head up the north side of the gorge for the last time.
The original tour plan was to head for the corsica ferry today but we decide to delay the crossing until Sean rejoins the team.
It is a glorious road all the way to Castellane where we stop for lunch in the market place. The market is in full swing. I buy some local goats' cheese (very stinky) and I have a Mediterranean salad, Mick has an omelette in a bar we patronised last year.
The internet is fast and
free so we linger a while so I can catch up with a little blogging. Mick
has his usual frothy coffee but I stick to black.
Next it is a long looping route in the hills a few miles above the Côte d'Azur as we ride down to the coast and along to Nice.
It was all going so well. But there is a massive traffic snarl up in Nice. After the recent terrorist atrocity a section of the coast road has been closed and the resulting traffic chaos is awful. It is so hot that the bike is overheating.
We finally escape from Nice and ride up into the foothills to Peillon and Camping de la Laune. It is all very basic 'nature' camping so there are no facilities beyond loos and showers. There is no shop or bar.
I am directed to a local supermarket about 5 kilometres away, a Supermarche that of course is closed. It is after 8pm and this is France. So I head back into Nice.
There are hundreds of restaurants, cafe and, bars but can I find an actual shop that is open and willing to take my money? No, nothing open. Even the petrol stations are closed.
After an hour of riding around fruitlessy I finally find a bakery that is trading and buy two baguettes. That's it for the night.
I get back to Peillon after 10pm and pitch my tent in the dark. Sleep at last.
It's time for a parting of the ways for a few days at least. There is no point to Mick and I hanging around the repair shop waiting for Sean's bike to be fixed so we decide to leave Sean waiting for rescue and head up the north side of the gorge for the last time.
The original tour plan was to head for the corsica ferry today but we decide to delay the crossing until Sean rejoins the team.
 |
| Back on the gorge road |
 |
| down in the canyon |
It is a glorious road all the way to Castellane where we stop for lunch in the market place. The market is in full swing. I buy some local goats' cheese (very stinky) and I have a Mediterranean salad, Mick has an omelette in a bar we patronised last year.
 |
| Mick and his frothy coffee obsession |
Next it is a long looping route in the hills a few miles above the Côte d'Azur as we ride down to the coast and along to Nice.
It was all going so well. But there is a massive traffic snarl up in Nice. After the recent terrorist atrocity a section of the coast road has been closed and the resulting traffic chaos is awful. It is so hot that the bike is overheating.
We finally escape from Nice and ride up into the foothills to Peillon and Camping de la Laune. It is all very basic 'nature' camping so there are no facilities beyond loos and showers. There is no shop or bar.
I am directed to a local supermarket about 5 kilometres away, a Supermarche that of course is closed. It is after 8pm and this is France. So I head back into Nice.
 |
| High above the Meditteranean |
There are hundreds of restaurants, cafe and, bars but can I find an actual shop that is open and willing to take my money? No, nothing open. Even the petrol stations are closed.
After an hour of riding around fruitlessy I finally find a bakery that is trading and buy two baguettes. That's it for the night.
I get back to Peillon after 10pm and pitch my tent in the dark. Sleep at last.
 |
| Good road down to the coast |
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