Day 9 – À Valence le Midi commence

Best day so far. Sunny, calm, flat, quiet, short, no rush. I followed Via Rhona, the bicycle path along the Rhône. River to the right with grapes vines and fruit trees, woods to the left with birds singing. I hope for more of that. I arrived in Valence around 4 pm and went straight to the Valence Atelier Libre, a workshop space for a community of 150 professionals of all walks of life. My initial contact on Couch Surfing was with Jay, an American, but I was greeted by a Brazilian named André. They offer courses on auto mechanics, bicycle repairs, wind turbine, beer brewing, etc. On the second floor they have a couple of rooms and a bunch of mattresses. This is going to be my shelter for tonight.

After a shower, I cycled through the city where the Midi – the South of France – is considered to start. While there, I saw several weddings; I guess Saturday is a good day for tying the knot. At night I watched the Russia-England football match. Go Russia!

Today in numbers:

74 km – distance covered
4h52m – riding time
1 – flat tire
4 – ice cream sticks eaten