We’ve spent most of our time in France so far in the Picardy region, north and west of Paris. Picardy is a rural part of the country, with few cities. The countryside is made up of gently undulating green hills, cultivated with wheat (our future baguettes), corn, and other produce. The days are long (it doesn’t get fully dark until about 10:30pm); we wake up to a cacophony of birds singing every morning; and everything is verdant, which is quite a switch from the yellows of drought-stricken California.
Wheat fields everywhereRiding along one of the many canals near AmiensBicycle art in the middle of a lush backyard
As long as we manage to stay on paved roads, the cycling is gentle; the drivers are very considerate; and the scenery is bucolic. Which all makes for very enjoyable way to ease into cycling, especially after the (mis)adventure-packed first days of our trip. The rains were tough, but we hope we’re finally past the unseasonable storms.
Here are some photos of our 10 days in the Picardy region:
Trader Joe’s in France (the brand, anyway, if not the stores)! Who knew!Enjoying some rare sunshine on our way to BeauvaisSwans are as popular in Picardy as snails are at Team Lumaca!Camping in Oursel-MaisonDuck Crossing!A rare ray of sunshine makes this little town near Oursel-Maison sparkleSwan in the canal just meters from our tentPrivate chapel attached to a small château (castle) at the top of a village called ProuzelAmiens cathedralThe canal trail is nearly deserted on a grey, rainy weekdayGo Team Lumaca!Postal delivery bike. The “training wheels” on the front are used as a kickstand.Mark riding the canal trail near AbbevilleWe reached the coast! Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, in the Baie de Somme.Stately homes and well-tended backyards that front the Saint-Valery-sur-Somme boardwalkCowboy Cooking: pot pie stew on a cold, rainy evening. Yum!Our bicycles getting soaked in camp. Unfortunately for them, they can’t crawl into the tent to stay dry.
Great to hear you guys are getting into the “groove” and things are going much better. Beautiful pictures!! It looks like this your entire trip may expand into another year or two to complete. What fun!!
Grazie Roberto! No, non e’ stato facile affatto provare a comunicare con i francesi con solamente l’italiano o l’inglese alla mia disposizione! Purtroppo, l’italiano mi aiuta solamente un po’ – leggere, per lo più’, non parlare. (L’accento francese e’ cosi’ diverso dall’italiano che non capisco quasi niente quando ascolto al francese.) Ma, andiamo avanti! Adesso stiamo in Belgio, dove tanta gente parla l’inglese. Per fortuna!!!
Love your photos! Good over-all slice of your adventure. So green and lush—obviously they don’t have drought concerns like we still do. Even your mascot, the lumaca, is beautiful(sigh)……
Hello! Thanks for the latest update. It looks like beautiful countryside, and I like your wildlife spotting of swans and snails. It’s funny you spotted TJ’S products in France…Certainly not something I would have expected you to come across. This past week we did a bit of gentle cycling around South Lake Tahoe. We towed our son in a kiddie trailer and I wondered if something like that would come in handy for you guys since they hold a lot of stuff and keep things dry…Maybe that’s a totally ridiculous idea, but just thought I’d throw that out there.
Your SLT trip sounds great! Thanks for brainstorming on our behalf! We considered a trailer when building our bikes and selecting our gear, and decided against it. A trailer makes the bike so much longer that it becomes even more unwieldy than hauling panniers. We also knew there would be a good chance we’d be taking a train at least once during our trip, and a trailer would complicate train travel, too. Our panniers are excellent (Ortlieb), and keep everything dry – so long as we button everything up tight. Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way. 😉
I am really enjoying your updates and photos on the blog. What an adventure! You have had rain and we have triple digits and the smell of forest fire is in the air today. The landscape is beautiful where you have been and it sounds like the people are welcoming. Keep on pedaling :-).
What a lovely, serene looking area! The photo of the snail…love it!
Great to hear you guys are getting into the “groove” and things are going much better. Beautiful pictures!! It looks like this your entire trip may expand into another year or two to complete. What fun!!
Sieti bravi! Sono colpito come fate i conti con la lingua francese. È stato facile o no? I migliori auguri e buona fortuna. Roberto
Grazie Roberto! No, non e’ stato facile affatto provare a comunicare con i francesi con solamente l’italiano o l’inglese alla mia disposizione! Purtroppo, l’italiano mi aiuta solamente un po’ – leggere, per lo più’, non parlare. (L’accento francese e’ cosi’ diverso dall’italiano che non capisco quasi niente quando ascolto al francese.) Ma, andiamo avanti! Adesso stiamo in Belgio, dove tanta gente parla l’inglese. Per fortuna!!!
Love your photos! Good over-all slice of your adventure. So green and lush—obviously they don’t have drought concerns like we still do. Even your mascot, the lumaca, is beautiful(sigh)……
Hello! Thanks for the latest update. It looks like beautiful countryside, and I like your wildlife spotting of swans and snails. It’s funny you spotted TJ’S products in France…Certainly not something I would have expected you to come across. This past week we did a bit of gentle cycling around South Lake Tahoe. We towed our son in a kiddie trailer and I wondered if something like that would come in handy for you guys since they hold a lot of stuff and keep things dry…Maybe that’s a totally ridiculous idea, but just thought I’d throw that out there.
Your SLT trip sounds great! Thanks for brainstorming on our behalf! We considered a trailer when building our bikes and selecting our gear, and decided against it. A trailer makes the bike so much longer that it becomes even more unwieldy than hauling panniers. We also knew there would be a good chance we’d be taking a train at least once during our trip, and a trailer would complicate train travel, too. Our panniers are excellent (Ortlieb), and keep everything dry – so long as we button everything up tight. Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way. 😉
Beautiful countryside! So wonderful to see your photos of it all!
Take best care!
Hugs,
🙂
Marsha
Julie and Mark,
I am really enjoying your updates and photos on the blog. What an adventure! You have had rain and we have triple digits and the smell of forest fire is in the air today. The landscape is beautiful where you have been and it sounds like the people are welcoming. Keep on pedaling :-).