This time last year: May 22nd, 2007 Tuesday 7:20pm.
Cycle Europe Day 7: Beziers - Montpellier, 45 mi.
Hmm… my 1st week’s almost up. 9 + 1 weeks to Vincent being in London. That’s my dateline. I’m now in Montpellier after a pleasant day’s ride of about 45 miles.
I know I was tired the night before but like I said, I didn’t want to stay at a crappy hotel room at Beziers. Wanted to start slow and steady but the legs have a life of its own. They just kept on pedaling at normal pace. Although the obvious difference today is that once the muscles cool down, it’s almost painful to warm them up again. Once up, never let it down. Otherwise, you’ll feel the tiredness. Saddle sore wasn’t too bad because it was a shorter ride (less than 7 hours).
And then, there was THE ITCH!!! Started with my lower right back and slowly spread to right hand and arm, then left hand and arm, then neck, now feet. Argh!!! At first I thought it was the shirt that I washed in the basin at Beziers. But now that it has spread all over, I think it’s a heat stroke, like the one I had in Shanghai.
(Break. Chatting with Carsten from Leipzig, Germany.)
(Still itchy lah. Bath again?)
Found Lidl nearby to get some bananas, bisgedi, 2 sandwiches and orange juice. Ride started with N9, major road, uneventful. Then off we turned into D18, which was great for cycling. Quiet, fields, small towns, all except one part which had road resurfacing works and that was almost a nightmare. Arrived in Montpellier in under 7 hours, maybe only slightly after 6. Hostel wasn’t easy to find but easier than yesterday.
Cheap eats all around too. Pizza and sandwich, lots of cheese. Chatted with Carsten from Leipzig, Germany. Nice middle age fellow, social worker, trying out WOOF and does ecological farming work for free boarding at farms. In Germany, people get hired through connections. So much so that they had to legislate a law to make it compulsory to place an advert for vacancies but the norm is mostly hire through connections.
Bath again! Itchy!
Day 7 Accounts
Breakfast/Groceries €4.22
Dinner €5.00
Internet €0.80
Hostel €14.80 Montpellier
Total €24.82