Some of the navigation out of Paris was tough. I am was getting used to the Velo-French maps, but we were really glad to have the Garmin.
Some streets and wonderful coulee-vertes, greenways that are the Parisian version if PCNs. At one point we had to figure out our own diversion as a section was closed due to reconstruction.
We weren't tired but passing through beautiful shops astride a cobblestone street, we had to stop at the charming town of Palaiseau. Next time we come we may stay here as it's an easy distance from Paris for kids to ride!
At a cafe we noted how the coffee prices are coming down the further from Paris go! At the Eiffel Tower it is 6 euro. This morning on the outskirts of Paris it was 3 euro and now it is 2.50 euro!
A French gentleman sitting next to us asked us if we were Singaporeans as he recognized our accents. His wife was from Singapore and they have been living here for 10 years.
Restocking food from a patisserie, we reluctantly said goodbye to Palaiseau and set off in the direction of Rambouillet.
We were hoping to get to Limours for lunch but a diversion and a big hill slowed is down and we stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant on top of a hill in this tiny town. Almost all the customers were men who were big and beefy, making us think that there must some farming industry around here.
The food was devoured in no time! That's a lot of steak and chips that went into me. And that's not counting the baguette and rillete I ate for starters. Renata was no less ferocious, uh I mean voracious.
True enough, after lunch we ride past cornfields and vegetables just harvested. This must be where those beefy men at lunch worked!
Diverse landscapes welcomed us around each bend. At one part we went through the Rambouilette forest and saw many horses. Unfortunately the singletrack was a bit sandy and not so suited to small wheeled Bromptons with slick tyres. Renata did superbly however and there zero falls, as we walked 100m over the most sandy sections. This part of the route with hills and sandy tracks was tough and the children would not be able to do it. Have to take a train and skip this part with the family.
Ivan's gotten quite proficient with his Bluetooth selfie monopod. Really glad we brought this along as we got videos and photos impossible otherwise.
Charming small towns with stone walls and horse-riding French girls were left in our wake.
We took a break in the forest, ate some of the delicious pastries we had bought earlier, and saw this cute red mushroom on the forest floor!
Until finally after 66km, riding through Paris, greenways, city parks, forests, cornfields, and quaint towns we arrived at Rambouilette.
The Mercure hotel here sure looks good! A lovely place for just $110/night! Dinner at L'Epicurean was a French take in tapas. Ivan was so sleepy nearing the end of dinner cos he woke up so early - still jet lagged!
Our GPS track today: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/584060525
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