Bordeaux! The End of Day 14

Today's planned destination: Bordeaux

I woke up this morning very cold, slightly wet and quite sick. I was pretty congested and sore so that made wanting to climb on my bike at 6:30 in the morning about as appealing as sleeping in the rain again. I knew that I didn't have any options other than getting started so I did just that. This morning was very cold and I wore every layer I had left with me - two sleeved T-shirts, two sleeveless T-shirts, and my biking sleeves (that sounds very irregular but it makes sense). I rode until noon before it cracked the 13 degree mark. I was motivated to push myself knowing that if I could muster the energy to get to Bordeaux today I could sleep in a hostel and try to postpone this cold from becoming a real disaster. If it wasn't already too late.

It was really unfortunate that I was feeling as terrible as I was because this particular region of France is gorgeous. This is where the real vineyards began for the route that I selected and the road is constantly rolling through the speckled fields up and down as it approaches the coast. I stopped to gaze over the fields and stretch my ailing back often but only for brief moments. Honestly, I don't remember much about this day other than how I felt physically. I rode the 180 km's primarily with my head down looking at the pedals cranking over and over trying to let my nose drip out everything it had in it.

Oddly enough, although I was feeling much worse than any other day up until this point I was making quick time and found myself within a few kilometers of Bordeaux around 3:30. I also, oddly enough, was hell bent on riding into Bordeaux knowing how disappointed I felt each time I opted to take a train from the suburbs into the larger cities. I again was reminded why. It was over rusty bridges and through industrial and shopping areas while constantly fighting with traffic and stopping every five minutes to ask directions to get into the city. Its amazing how difficult it is to ride into a city you have never been to before. Once I did finally get there I was amazed by the beauty of this city as well as how intentional Bordeaux is architecturally.

I really would love to go back to Bordeaux because although in my mind the city is not as monumental, I believe it to be more beautiful than is Paris. Unfortunately, I didn't have the energy to explore and I went straight to the hostel and to bed. I spent the day reading, blowing my nose and drinking tea. The hardships I had volunteered myself for on this trip were finally catching up to me and although I was inside I could hardly sleep soundly through the night.

Total time on the bike: ~ 9 hours
Total time from departure to arrival: ~ 10 hours