Europe 7 France

Friday 24 July, 

The day started with clear blue skies and promised more climbing after sneaking through this fine tunnel yesterday.  I checked for accommodation ahead as I am getting into the lower alps today between Grenoble and Chambery. I found an auberge with a good write up, booked and headed for it. The first part of the day was very pleasant, following the river Bugey, which flows into the Rhone. 

It is a pleasant ride a little confusing as I am riding South-East up river, when I know that the Rhone flows South to the Mediterranean Sea. But realise the Rhone comes from the alps, flows North-West first and turns South just here at Lagnieu. It is a big river already, and a source of food and sport for many.

Soon the first mountains are looming on the horizon and I am soon climbing. It is hot well over 30*C,
I ride via St Genix, Les Abrets, 

Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin toward Les Echelles to Auberge du Morge. Arriving there after 90 km after a long climb, just after 2 pm. I am glad to get into the shade and take my panniers off to carry my bike down some steps to the Auberge. I notice a skinny man watching me from inside. When I get to the door he just puts a bit of paper on the door. I open it and realise he was trying to lock it. He looks at me and growls: English? And points towards his bit of paper. It says in small letters, hotel closed till 4 pm. I said I have a reservation, One person he growls, impossible only double rooms! I smile and show him the booking on my iPad, impossible he goes rushing to his reception, I follow him in, wait there he shouts pointing at the door. I am starting to feel uneasy. He does find it and goes into a tirade that he runs his business by using the telephone, I should have confirmed by ringing. He is shaking his head in disbelieve when I say that I do not have a phone. Not much use I say, when I do not speak french. He shouts what sounds like swearing and his wife says something from the next room. He
shouts back with what I understand to be the cyclist is english and doesn't understand French, with a
few other words added. So he concedes that I have a booking, but points at the clock, 4 pm, I said surely if you have a room, what I need most is a shower and secondly a beer! He rushes to the bar, gives me a 25 cl bottle of beer and pushes me out the door! Wait in the garden he shouts and locks the door. I am shocked, what to do, i have no internet access, know there are no other places nearby, so decide to wait 1.5 hours in the garden in the shade. Just after 4 pm he lets me in, shows me the room, picks up the second towel, drinking glass and complimentary bottle of water! The thought crossed my mind to offer help to carry out the second bed as well, but said no TV? No he says my TV is there, pointing out the window, nature! I cannot see the Tour de France from here I said. Possible downstairs he growls again. So after a quick  shower I go down and a TV is revealed from behind a large poster with drinking zebras on it. After watching the last half hour of todays stage, I ask him for the wifi code. He gives me a bit of paper with instructions to set it up for Windows8. I said I have an Apple iPad. Too bad cannot help you.

This is quite a concern, after all the years of biking and being sensible and having contact at least once a week, I now have the problem that with Apple messaging we have constant contact, which is nice but is exactly opposite why we decided not to carry instant communication. If I cannot get on line Veronica will be worried I have had an accident! I tried and tried to get the login page up on the iPad, finally it worked  for some reason I am still not sure of how.

Having solved that major problem, I went down for dinner at the time mentioned in the hotel information at 7.30 pm. Things had not changed much ! He asked me if I had a booking !! Repeating that he told me he runs his business by telephone, I had to take a deep breath, asked him if he was serious, he certainly was!

I said that I came here because he advertised on the internet and I read that it was a nice place with friendly staff etc. not so I found out, but I had no other options. However I was very happy that I had given him so much pleasure and I look forward to leaving in the morning and I was unable to order breakfast too as I still not had a phone. I turned to go upstairs, when he said, in this case I might be able to make an exception, pulling out a blank notebook, would you like dinner yes or no!
I don't know if the smirk on his face offended me or that I felt sorry for him, but I said no thank you, I
don't know if I can trust, that the food you would give me is good for my health. And with that I turned and went to my room. I had 2 bananas, 4 muesli bars and 2 small mars bars in my bag, so that was enough for dinner and breakfast the next morning.

There was a big thunderstorm overnight which shook the Auberge, it made me feel like the God(s) were on my side!

Coming down in the morning with my bags packed I was met by a nice lady, pointing to the dining room, I said no thank you, no booking, she looked at me worried, another one of those pigheaded males, I could see in her long suffering eyes. I like to pay the bill please, he had not forgotten the beer which he charged € 6.00 for about double normal price.

Saturday 25 July,

It was still overcast and threatening rain. Hoping to find a boulangerie open on a Saturday morning
turned out just that. I did find a bar where I had a coffee at Saint Laurent-du-Pont, before I turn in to
the Gorges de Grande Mort.

Which is mainly up hill, then down and up again a very long climb around 7% over the first Col of this trip, the Col de Porte at 1326 m. Followed by a wonderful descent of 18 km into Grenoble. 

I have booked into an old hotel in the centre of the city and will stay 2 nights, taking Sunday 26 July as a rest day, blog update, emergency rations restocking and a few good meals before getting into the big mountains proper on Monday. 

A good day, after only 46 km and climbing 975 m in a cool 25*C.