Marmagne > Cluny 70km

[Originally posted Jul 28, 2014]

This evening Katy and I are mingling with history.  We are in the attic of the home of Jean-Luc Maréchal, on Rue de la Barre which extends up a steep narrow lane from the Centre Ville of Cluny.  In the year 909 William I founded the Cluny Abbey.  Construction continued for the next two hundred years until the final expansion and construction was completed in 1130.  At the time it was under the direct authority of the Pope and was the largest religious building in all of Europe - at 187 meters long (almost two football fields) and remained the largest building until the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in 1505.  Most of the Abbey was destroyed in the 1790s during the French Revolution (and then used as a stone quarry for peasants to build their new homes).  The home we are staying in dates back to the 12th century.  The basement contains a small museum run by Jean-Luc where hats, shoes, glassware and jewelry from the Middle Ages are on display.  One of the walls in the home contains drawings of pro-Revolution ideas from the 1700s.  Once in a while, I try and reflect on the lives of all the people and the circumstances in which they lived (surely they weren’t cruising around town on tandem bicycle). 

Our day’s journey was great - but wet.  It rained all day.  Five or so hours in the saddle and it never stopped raining.  Rain is an interesting thing.  So is getting wet.  For the most part, people don’t like getting wet.  They don’t necessarily mind being wet, but getting wet is entirely different.  As I’ve had a couple hours to ponder this topic today, let me expound.  This morning as Katy and I sat down to breakfast and looked out the window, all we could think of was - uggh, rain.  Cycling all day in the rain - this is gonna be real drab.  We lounged around for an hour or so just hoping the rain would lighten.  Not so.  Finally we hurried off to the barn where our bike spent the night, packed up and got on the road.  The first 15 minutes were awful.  Dry spandex turning damp, water slowly seeping into my shoes etc.  But then once we were thoroughly soaked it really wasn’t so bad - enjoyable even.  With each turn of the pedal the squishy sound coming from in between my toes became somewhat comical.  The initial transition from dry to drenched was a bit uneasy, but then being wet wasn’t so bad - as long as some future moment promises the opportunity to become dry.  And this is where Warmshowers kicks in.  It’s easy to spend an entire day absolutely soaking if you know a warm shower and dry towel are just a couple hours away.  On the other hand, the thought of camping in the rain is entirely unbearable because you just might never be able to dry out.

The only other mentionable item from today was lunch.  It was gargantuous.  Items consumed: 2 baguettes, a stick of salami, a round of Boursault cheese, 2 pain au chocolat, 2 framboisiers (think raspberry cheesecake), a tupperware full of Prune Crumble dessert leftovers, a peach and some yogurt.  As Katy and I inhaled the final bites we looked to each other and said, you know what - it might be a good idea to call some people back home and ask them how much they usually eat for lunch because this is getting out of control.

Only two more days in France - very sad.

Expenses: €7 - 2 baguettes, 2 pain au chocolat et 2 Framboisier

Us.

Cemetery, Cluny, France

The Abbey of Cluny (what's left of it)

Cow's don't like rain either.

Ringing out the socks - long day in the rain.