Day Seventeen
29/05/25 - Day Seventeen
Great day today from start to finish. Woke at 7am and packed up my tent which had been drying out and packed my bags as much as I could. I then ventured out into the quiet streets and found an open bakery to get yet another baguette! I cheffed up a six egg omelette with Gouda and tomato and we were fuelled up, ready to tackle the 68 miles I had planned for the day. I had a place to pitch up at a farm near Basel. I quickly showered, finished up packing, and we were off!
I couldn’t resist going past the cathedral one last time, and seeing it with a sunny blue backdrop was a nice change from yesterday. I navigated back to the route on my bike computer which led me down to the canal. It was a delicious morning and the path was smooth as butter, so I just couldn’t stop myself pedalling. It was blissful and effortless, the canal was wind protected too which helped hugely. I didn’t stop for 30 miles except to relieve myself and suncream up.
After a couple of failed side quests to find a coffee shop - I discovered it was Ascension Day - I took a break on top of a canal-side pill box. Munching down some peanuts and taking a long drink. I was raring to go and tackle some more swift miles, the body felt refreshed after the day off and I couldn’t help but feel like a decent chunk of my journey to India was bitten off.
Only a few miles down the canal I found an open restaurant literally on the route, so had to stop again for a quick coffee and read of my book. Before I stopped for lunch I came across a car boot sale up and down the streets of the town I was passing through. I was on the hunt for a short sleeve shirt, but to no avail. It wasn’t then long before I found a shaded stone picnic table to stop and eat at, contemplating how much hotter it was going to get in turkey and beyond. Today was the first properly warm day, topping out at 23 degrees in the late afternoon. I hardly broke a sweat due to my self created wind from riding, so at-least that was something.
While doing some post lunch stretches a couple passed me. We had been having a back and forth all day, me passing them when they rested and vice versa. I nodded in recognition of them as the cruised by. I then set off and leapfrogged them again as they rested in the shade 10 miles further. And this repeated itself one last time. I was then about to track them down and ask them where they were headed, but they turned off a hundred meters ahead of me and off my route. I considered chasing them but was almost at my camp, besides I didn’t want to scare them - I was topless, and I keep forgetting about my haircut!
I found the farm no problem, and approached two farmers in conversation. They didn’t speak English but I asked for Anita - the 'welcometomygarden' host - and was led away and told to wait. Anita then came out and I was handed some cherries by the old boy. We conversed for a while before I set up my tent and began to cook. Anita and her family were eating outside their house and was so wholesome I sat there smiling to myself. Then Anita appeared and asked if I’d like a couple of slices of pizza, and well of course I couldn’t turn down an offer like that. Belly full, I write this now and am sitting watching a beautiful sunset with the silhouettes of hills in the foreground.
I’ve just noticed the top of my head is a bit sore. I thought I had enough hair by now to stop having to worry about sun creaming it - clearly not. Silly boy. Red sky at night, Shepherd’s delight!
I couldn’t resist going past the cathedral one last time, and seeing it with a sunny blue backdrop was a nice change from yesterday. I navigated back to the route on my bike computer which led me down to the canal. It was a delicious morning and the path was smooth as butter, so I just couldn’t stop myself pedalling. It was blissful and effortless, the canal was wind protected too which helped hugely. I didn’t stop for 30 miles except to relieve myself and suncream up.
After a couple of failed side quests to find a coffee shop - I discovered it was Ascension Day - I took a break on top of a canal-side pill box. Munching down some peanuts and taking a long drink. I was raring to go and tackle some more swift miles, the body felt refreshed after the day off and I couldn’t help but feel like a decent chunk of my journey to India was bitten off.
Only a few miles down the canal I found an open restaurant literally on the route, so had to stop again for a quick coffee and read of my book. Before I stopped for lunch I came across a car boot sale up and down the streets of the town I was passing through. I was on the hunt for a short sleeve shirt, but to no avail. It wasn’t then long before I found a shaded stone picnic table to stop and eat at, contemplating how much hotter it was going to get in turkey and beyond. Today was the first properly warm day, topping out at 23 degrees in the late afternoon. I hardly broke a sweat due to my self created wind from riding, so at-least that was something.
While doing some post lunch stretches a couple passed me. We had been having a back and forth all day, me passing them when they rested and vice versa. I nodded in recognition of them as the cruised by. I then set off and leapfrogged them again as they rested in the shade 10 miles further. And this repeated itself one last time. I was then about to track them down and ask them where they were headed, but they turned off a hundred meters ahead of me and off my route. I considered chasing them but was almost at my camp, besides I didn’t want to scare them - I was topless, and I keep forgetting about my haircut!
I found the farm no problem, and approached two farmers in conversation. They didn’t speak English but I asked for Anita - the 'welcometomygarden' host - and was led away and told to wait. Anita then came out and I was handed some cherries by the old boy. We conversed for a while before I set up my tent and began to cook. Anita and her family were eating outside their house and was so wholesome I sat there smiling to myself. Then Anita appeared and asked if I’d like a couple of slices of pizza, and well of course I couldn’t turn down an offer like that. Belly full, I write this now and am sitting watching a beautiful sunset with the silhouettes of hills in the foreground.
I’ve just noticed the top of my head is a bit sore. I thought I had enough hair by now to stop having to worry about sun creaming it - clearly not. Silly boy. Red sky at night, Shepherd’s delight!
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| 4th baguette of Strasbourg |
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| Fresh angle on the Cathedral |
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| Street sale!! Nothing good to be found |
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| Anita’s very cool house - using straw bales as insulation! |
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| Can't say no to free pizza |
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| A nice sunset to round off the day! |
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