October 6 Vichy

Yes where the water comes from. It is hellish valuable I find. There is a huge hall dedicated to people with "prescriptions" where water is freely available in several flavours to the 20 people that were there. The rest of us had to buy a paper cup to taste the "free" water. Quite a city Vichy. However I may quickly put your minds to rest it was not a patch on Nuit St George where the fluids there are of a vastly superior sort. Their best Pinot is pretty drinkable thats for sure. I was told by a lady at lunch time in a roadside cafe that all the wine in the Baune Nuit SG region are Pinot Noir. They are close by and they also have Pinot Noir but not as good, so they serve it chilled. So I learned something today. That was not the only thing. I remembered I do not like riding in rain. So I sheltered under hedges , in bus shelters, and in doorways, there is not much shelter about in general. They have not heard of awnings or verandahs which I find odd given that it can rain pretty well here. Anyway I left NSG after a very pleasant visit. The proprietor of the Hotel that I stayed in last visit was still there. I remembered him but I doubt he did me ! So as I left town the pickers were everywhere on the north facing gravelly slopes. There were a great number of them, picking in the damp and I noticed that many of the driveways were muddy. Odd for harvest time. They are two weeks late I am told. The vinyards themselves are very grand. The French countryside is almost as good as the English. Both are a delight to ride through. Here it is the HUGE white cattle and they look like they are body builders, huge bulging muscles, I don't know whether Charolais or Simmentaal, I should have asked, I just assumed the former. The villages are somehow more austere. But big churches in every village. The countryside is rolling and plenty of trees. The route I took I ran beside a canal with lots of boats and lots of Locks and little keepers houses, even the odd frenchman under an umbrella sitting on a camp stool fishing. That amused me a lot. Had not intended Vichy but the target in the South was where the rain was heading so I kept going south west instead of south. I am getting keen to be in Spain. Without wanting to be critical they are not so welcoming to "visitors". They warm a bit when I get into conversation and say New Zealand, but until then its pretty frosty. Hardly surprised given the obviously foreign element that now occupies France. I guess we have that to look forward to. The other thing that is obvious in France, no foreign papers, TV or radio that I can find. I have no idea what is going on anywhere in the world as there is as good as a blackout here. Well thats another day on the road. I have nearly learned how to ride again, it has taken a while, but I do enjoy the big bike and being on the road again. The world is really an amazing place and we each occupy or live in such a small part of it. And when you see some of the beautifully manicured gardens that I see over the hedges as I ride by, we don't need that much either.