Paul's Summary on the First two Weeks from Maastricht to Paris
How to sum up the trip to date after two weeks? Enjoyable bicycling with the highs on most days between 18 and 22 C (I.e. close to 70 F) with the mornings usually close to 10 C (50 F).
Trips were usually in the 45 to 55 km range with elapsed time of 6 to 7 hours of which 4 hours were bicycling and the rest sight seeing. Most nights there were village or town walks which I skipped due to my sore foot, but which Sandra took.
Belgium was flat but windy. After the first day in France, the winds died down but the hills started. I had always known that the climb from Belgium into France would be a challenge from our previous trip to Vimy, but was surprised by the number of long hills in France. Still, by the end of the first week, my legs were in shape to handle all of the hills (if slowly).
While it hasn't rained each day, there was rain forecast for part of each day except yesterday when we cycled to St. Germain above the Paris In the sun. All told, nearly perfect cycling weather (cool and partly sunny).
Other than news of the Euro 2012 soccer match (from our Dutch crew), we have been cut off from the news of the rest of the world. That's good for relaxing and getting actuarial matters out of the brain. Just mindless exercise (interspersed with touring) day after day. A real holiday!
The chef has lived up to his reputation for fine food, nutritionally balanced (I.e. lots of home made soups or innovative salads, excellently prepared meats and fish with varied veggies and lots of varieties of desserts). We had two birthdays during our trip and the birthday "cakes" we're works of art.
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