Week 19: Romans, Romans everywhere
Route: Nimes – Camargue – Avignon – Chamonix – Tour du Mont Blanc
215 kilometers
We stopped in Nimes to check out the Roman ruins, which included a large
amphitheater used in current times for concerts instead of gladiator events,
and a temple dedicated to Diana that’s now a draw for tourists instead of
worshipers.
On our way to Avignon, we rode through the Camargue, a much-promoted natural
area and park I had wanted to visit on my last trip through this area three
years ago, but had been unable to see because I didn’t have my own
transportation. This time, we hopped on our bikes and rode there.
Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. We didn’t see the pink
flamingos or the wild horses, we just saw more farmland.
However, we were impressed with Avignon, which had once been the seat of the
Catholic church when political conflicts forced the Pope to leave Rome for a
short period of time. At night, the city walls, Roman bridge and palace were
lit up and formed an impressive, medieval skyline.
By this point, we both had enough of the heat, the crowded campgrounds, and
the traffic. We needed a vacation from our trip. So what do saddle-sore and
travel-weary cyclists do when they need a break? We decided on a 190 km hike
around Mont Blanc, Europe’s tallest mountain.
After visiting Avignon, we took a train to Chamonix in the French Alps, and
organized our Tour du Mont Blanc expedition in a single day. Armed with a
map, a guidebook, new boots and Gore-Tex jackets, we started our 10-day hike
on a sunny afternoon.
Week 20: Tour du Mont Blanc
Route: France – Italy – Switzerland – France
190 kilometers
Our first day of hiking brought us immediately up to high elevation, passing
through fields of wildflowers and along the base of a large glacier. The
change of pace felt great, although the same couldn’t be said for our new
hiking boots. We were breaking the first rule of backpacking – never set out
on a big trip without breaking in new boots.
At times, we were surrounded by other people – day trippers who took the
lifts and cable cars up to the higher elevations with their poodles – but
the further we hiked from the restaurants and refuges, the fewer people we
saw. At times, we had the trail completely to ourselves.
All the cycling we’d done left us in great shape for going uphill, but it
was the downhills that left my quads shaking and begging for mercy. Most of
the trails were built or established with the motto “Switchbacks are for
wimps!” in mind, and went straight down the steep slopes.
That night, we camped near a refuge and ate blueberry tarts with fresh cream
from the restaurant. Although we sometimes complain about the lack of “real”
wilderness in Europe, it was great to end our first day on the trail with a
treat.
In the following days, we walked along ancient Roman roads, tramped through
fields filled with wildflowers, slept near glaciers where the melting waters
rushing down the rocky mountains sounded like the roar of the ocean, and
stepped over countless cow pies left by the cattle who are brought up to
graze in the high mountain meadows all summer.
Because the route passed through towns and near mountain refuges, we only
carried food for a day or two at a time, and even indulged in a couple
restaurant meals.
Towards the end of our hike, our boots had finally broken in, and we found
our stride. Our last night in the mountains, we saw a herd of chamois and
passed within a few feet of a couple ibex grazing near the trail at dusk.
Unless you count crows, dogs, cows, sheep or marmots, this was our first
wildlife sighting. It was a great way to end the trip.
On our last day, we were lucky enough to stay just ahead of a rainstorm and
made it back to our campground in Chamonix safely. Although we spent a
couple days hiking in cloudy weather, I considered us lucky for not getting
caught in a thunderstorm.
Now that we were approaching the end of our Big Trip, it was time to think
about the real world. With only six weeks left, it was obvious we wouldn’t
make it on our original route through Italy to Turkey, so we decided to head
to the Netherlands, where we would do some easy cycling on the bike paths
and Bob would start his job search.
Next up: Life in Holland.