summertime goes south

11th September

Suerre to Chalons sur Saone

"There's a wonderful world,
Where all desire and everything you've longed for is at you fingertips,
.........Where aisles and aisles of dreams await you.'

'Queen of the Supermarket' Bruce Springsteen


Chalons is the first substantial town we have visited since Epernay. Surprisingly we were pleased to be back in a place boasting restaurants and numerous shopping opportunities. The marina was tucked away behind an island opposite the town with a pleasant walk across the bridges to the town.
We found two really lively squares full of cafes and restaurants. The café culture had a lively bohemian element, probably due to the student population, as there is a long established medical school in the town.

There is also a rich architectural legacy, with the Church Saint-Pierre, consecrated early in the eighteenth century, particularly impressive. It was begun at the end of the seventeenth century, in an austere neo-classical style. It has twin towers and a dome resting on an octagonal support that provides light directly into the centre of the nave. Its relatively simple, unadorned interior contrasts sharply with the Gothic and Romanesque styles of architecture, heavy with columns, vaulted ceilings and detailing characteristic of most of the churches seen so far.

We stayed two nights to fully savour the facilities of the town and marina and decided to leave early on the 13th and make Macon our next stop, a trip of 33nm.



13th September

Chalons sur Saone to Macon

"If you want to contact me you've gotta run me down."

'Run Me Down' Notting Hillbillies

We made Macon by early afternoon much quicker than anticipated. Macon is the wine capital of Burgundy and consequently larger than Chalons.

The marina is some 3km from the town centre accessed with a cycle path that takes you along the riverside. We got out our bikes for the first time since Rouen, and spent the afternoon exploring the centre. We booked dinner at a restaurant called Le Poisson d'Or, which I suppose has a greater cachet in French than English. The restaurant came recommended and did not disappoint. We had by far our best meal in France at a very reasonable cost.

The main church had a notice giving the time of Sunday Mass as 11 am so Linda decided to attend. Linda is not the most confident cyclist but our first trip was uneventful so we set off at 10.30 Sunday morning for the city centre. There seemed to be a lot of joggers using the cycle path but we pressed on through the throng before realising that this was no random group but an organised event. The clue was the water station and in fact we had ridden through the competitors in the Macon half marathon without realising it.

Linda went to Mass, which for some reason had started at 10.30 despite the sign in the church. Meanwhile I found the finish of the Macon half marathon which was a substantial event, with a 10k, elders and children's races as well. I am surprised we received no complaints from any competitor or official, showing how forbearing runners can be!