On the way from Cluny/Jalogny to Lyon, France-- 23 Mars

Just moments and meters from when and where we left Rebecca to her work (she's a freelance journalist), we passed by the church in Jalogny which dates back to the 16th century. The air was so clear and crisp with morning--quiet, so quiet-- and a good beginning for what would end up being a longish day (with delights and challenges both!) of some 116km.

The scenes around us make us gawp with so many oohs and ahhs and the near-caricature-like "woww!" (Say it exaggerated and with a French accent trying to sound like a Yank and it's really quite funny; and, in these surroundings, something we're very self conscious of). Anyway--awe and wonder and an immense feeling of gratefulness that we're getting to experience all this-- and we're still in our 1st week!

This was initially a bummer to see, as the tunnel would have eliminated a mile or so and about a 100 meters of climbing-- plus tunnels are always fun! But...

...but if we'd been in the tunnel, we would have missed this!

We stopped for lunch trailside-- bread, chèvre, pate, and a coffee. When I went in to pay, I was doing my best attempt to share where we were going in France with the proprietress, who'd asked, including mention of our intention to stop in Manosque. This man joined the conversation at that, asking why Manosque.

I told him that initially it was just because of the distance from where we would be the night before, but that I happily discovered after that decision that it was also the birthplace and home of the author Jean Giono! And that we would serendipitously be there on the anniversary of his birth if plans stayed on course. (Paul and I chose "Giono" as Finnian's middle name because of how significant his book The Man Who Planted Trees was to us (even before we knew each other!) during our early bookstore days.) This man, Tom Pilkington, turned out to speak English (being from Wales) and delighted me by saying he'd done his thesis on Giono in the 70s, had received some input from the author in person, and had gotten married in Manosque. What an incredible surprise! Tom stressed that we should climb Le Montee des vraies richesses in the early morning while there. We'll see. This Giono happenstance, by the way, was just hours from having Rebecca in Jalogny translate a powerful passage of a Giono book to us after dinner the night before!

First view and crossing of the Saone

Villefranche sur Saone

First flat... Can't complain about stopping riverside to repair!

First sight and crossing of the Rhone River

Lyon

Lyon - Castle Saint Jean -- the view from Audrey et Laurent's apartment our first night.