My last 33k from Sarlat to Souillac were peaceful and serene. I biked on my own, as the rest of the group were continuing on and I had to be sure to make it in time to catch my train to Paris. Sadly, I said goodbye to everyone at breakfast, and headed out. Most of the route was on a quiet bike path – no traffic, flat, through woods, fields, and even a tunnel. A lovely way to end the week's journey. I arrived in Souillac with plenty of time to spare, so I picked up a sandwich for the train. Given the ridiculous amount of duck I consumed during the week, there was one duck product that had eluded me thus far – duck rillettes – so that was my sandwich of choice, topped with a few cornichons. Lyn met me at the Souillac train station to take off my pedals and saddle and to load the bike onto the train, and then I was off. By coincidence, Margie was in Paris, so we made dinner plans at Restaurant Itinéraires – recommended by Vanessa (thanks!). We were joined by two other friends of hers from San Francisco who were in town as well. The restaurant had a very modestly priced menu, with some creative dishes. Overall, we all preferred our first courses to our mains – I started with a mushroom carpaccio with lemon and clams, and next, a roast monkfish with mushrooms and shallots. Lotte and cabillaud are my two new French fish vocab words for the week – I've also adopted the Aussie term "reckon," as in "how far do you reckon we've gone up this hill?" The evening was great fun, and we ended up drinking quite a bit of wine, which made today a little rough. Luckily, the only thing on the agenda was lunch. Also luckily (and very kindly), Margie let me stay in her hotel, which was a much-welcome step up from the one I had booked. I think I forgot to upgrade from the "basic" Blue Marble hotel, which I meant to do, and although I certainly could have stayed there, after a week of cycling, a comfy hotel was magnificent. We had a very good lunch near L'Opera at Drouant - a perfect roast chicken with frites and a clafoutis and cherry sorbet for dessert. And now, I'm on the Eurostar to London. Check in was a huge clusterfuck, and some kids dropped a large suitcase on me while trying to put it above my seat, but things are improving rapidly. Time for a nap.
France, Days 8 & 9: All Good Things Must Come to an End
My last 33k from Sarlat to Souillac were peaceful and serene. I biked on my own, as the rest of the group were continuing on and I had to be…