bikerbunny's 2010 vacation: 27 July 2010 Tuesday

Part III of my summer vacation starts today… I’m off to France again,this time for 3 weeks.

I catch Eurotunnel at 8.15am-for the first time I am the only biker on it ;o(

I am staying at my friends Sara & James tonight who live just outside Le Mans.

It is quite a journey so I stick to motorways (but not the Peage) & main roads.

As usual, even with the GPS!, I go wrong in Rouen but manage to get back on track.

I stop for a late lunch in Vernuil. Whilst waiting for my food I take a look at my Best Biking roads book and decide to ride the last couple of hours on pretty roads-so much more enjoyable.

I pass this huge ruined chateau- not a sight I can remember seeing before in France.

As with my Burgundy trip,some of the road I’m taken is marked with route signs

By now it has got very hot,so I stop in the shade to take off my layers and have some water.

You see lots of these shrines along the road side.

I finally make it to Sara & James about 5pm,-beeping at the closed gate I am suprised when it opens by itself…James has electrified it and added a remote control!

Sara & James have a beautiful,large old farmhouse-with various outbuildings.

A 3rd of the farm house! The old bakery now a BBQ house

One of the many cats New arrivals this year,chickens-isn’t this one a handsome chap?

And in the field at the bottom of their garden there are horses.

James is on his summer vacation-in France most people get 3-4 weeks off end of July/August, whilst Sara is at the moment giving private tuition in English so is working at the moment.

Whilst we wait for Sara to get home,James gives me a tour of all the improvements he has made to the house since I was last here two years ago.

When Sara gets home we sit drinking Kir Royals in the garden,surrounded by the clucking hens.

One of the suprises us by laying her first ever egg!