Touring through the Epernay area, and Hautvillers in particular, was nothing short of incredible, fuelling some reluctance to leave, but the adventures lay ahead, so off we went. The path out of the champagne region started out quite pleasant. We followed a tourist map into Sezanne which ended up being a very scenic ride through the countryside but a long day in the saddle. Seeing the sign for our chosen campsite was a comforting sight. Noel, a fellow cyclotourist from London whom we met at the campsite joined us for coffee before we set off for Rouilly (hope you enjoy Luxembourg Noel) which turned out to be a town that falls into the 'sketchy' category. The nearby campsite was predictably as sketchy, with the camp parties ramping up around midnight, so sleep was light at best. The next day the wind picked up again (we fought a serious headwind coming into France from Luxembourg a week prior). If "the bike is my church, the wind my choir, and the handlebars my alter" then today's choir consisted of a double bass drum solo from some hard rock band who's concert we were all too eager to leave. Wind, a hard, constant, in your face, pedalling downhill kind of wind that lasted four hours. Now picture me, full panniers, out of the saddle, crawling up yet another climb with aforementioned wind trying to push us both backwards, rolling to a stop, and assuming a prone position in the grass on the side of the road, unwilling, if not completely unable to go any further. Leigh, please make it stop! We managed to get to the next campsite and decided to change things up a bit. By noon the next day we were waiting on track 2B with two train tickets to Bordeaux in hand.
The South Welcome to Bordeaux. We had no idea how stunning this city would be. It's magnificence was everywhere right from the train station. It took maybe 15 minutes - maybe - to decide to stay an extra night so we could really discover Bordeaux by bike. Pictures will describe our perspective better, but I can tell you that we were once again blown away. Our plans are now to follow the water from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean via the Canal de la Garonne and Le Canal du Midi, two manmade waterways that connect the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean sea. Leaving Bordeaux, we followed the Garonne river toward St Maixant on our next Warmshowers stay. Along the way we came across what seemed to be an abondoned castle ruin. Following the drive to the main gate we came across an opening in the chalky ground that had to be explored. It turned out to be a vast network of underground passages that led right under the castle. We went as deep as we dared into the cave system, always sure of the way out. Back to our ponies we rode up to the gate and realized the castle was not actually a tourist attraction. It was a reconstruction project in process but the gentleman who met us at the old door across the channel where the moat used to be said for a couple of euros we could tour the Chateau de Langoiran- at our own risk! Well, this has adventure and history and mystery all wrapped into one. We took our time exploring the rooms that remained intact and the various parts of the castle that were being rebuilt. The presence of a noble lord was thick in the air. Julien and Emilie set us up proper with a massive pork roast and home-made frites. Wow, what a feed. Their house is in a quiet country village (still in the Bordeaux region) that was so wonderfully peaceful. We accepted their invitation to stay another day and were thankful we did; it rained off and on all the next day. Julien set us up with a tour of a local mill rebuilt by a group of volunteers (there were once 820 active mills in the Garonne department, now there are 3) and a winery (Julien worked there as a teenager) where we had a wine tasting with the cellermaster. Both venues, no tourists, just us. We had a personal tour of the area, another fabulous dinner, and left St. Maixant the next morning with the feeling we were saying goodbye to good friends.