As the saying goes: "Better later than never". That's why the new blog entry is finally here, 2 days behind schedule :-)
A lot has happened this week and, like the Normandy landscape, we've had our ups and downs. But we heard one sentence this week repeatedly: "Bon courage!" – hang in there! Whether it was just people in the car driving past us and shouting at us through the open window or people on the side of the road - each time, it gave us a new boost of motivation and demonstrated the hospitality and enthusiasm of the northern French people. And now: Stay tuned for our first real week in France!

With the end of the last blog entry, you must have thought: From now on, nothing can go wrong - the two are back in Lille and the package with the porter is there as well. We thought so too... However, once again we were wrong! Friday (08/19) started early for us. We carried all our belongings into the foyer of the house. Then, while Tilman and Marguerite went to the shop with the tandem to pick up the package, I waited comfortably and read a bit in our bike book. After quite a long time, Tilman came back with a large package on the back seat and explained to me why it had taken so long in the package shop: Contrary to all common sense, the package was not saved in the system under the name of Marguerite's dad, but under the name of the (still wrong) street.
So, we unpacked the package with the new luggage rack and the lowriders in the entrance hall and started dismantling the old luggage rack. Up to then, everything went to our satisfaction. The new problems only came up when we wanted to attach the lowriders. First, we were missing a connecting rod, which connects the two sides below and thus provides more stability. Then, one screw could not be unscrewed at all. After a number of attempts and curses at this stubborn screw, we then decided to drive to the nearby Midas auto repair shop (Av. de Flandre, 59700 Marcq-en-Barœul), where we tried to have the luggage rack welded days before. This time, however, they were able to help us on site :) With a lot of enthusiasm, 3 people tried to find a way to loosen the stubborn screw. And indeed: With a special tool they succeeded and they replaced the old screw with a new one. So, one problem was fixed. For the missing connecting rod, we had already thought about recycling a part from the old luggage rack and with the help and engineering skills of the mechanics on site, we were actually able to turn this idea into reality! For this, our many THANKS go to the Midas team in Marcq-en-Barœul! You can see the result in the following photos:

Around 11:00 am we were finally able to continue our journey. Our next destination: Bergues. Why such a small place, you're might be wondering? In this case, we recommend the film “Welcome to the Sch'tis” (French: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis). In between, however, our route took us one last time through Belgium and following Sonja's advice, we then took the time to enjoy a Belgian hot chocolate! - very good advice! In a Belgian village, we were allowed to witness a car race through the small streets. From afar you could already hear the engines and we were wondering what was going on and why there was so much noise in the middle of Belgian nowhere. Arriving in Mesen, we then saw that the Ypres Rally was already in full swing. At the starting point, we also tried to line up. However, we were refused participation :( - Sometimes our drifting skills are underestimated! So, we continued the journey towards Bergues. Just with our arrival in Bergues, it also started to rain and so, we sat down under a large pavilion and ate our dinner. Only a few weeks earlier the, Tour de France took place here. Since it was getting late, we got back on the saddle to find a nice place to sleep for the night. Very relaxed, we drove the last few kilometres along a canal until we found a nice place between a forest and a field to camp in the wild for the first time on this tour. The view from our tent said: It was worth it! :) And so, we fell asleep - happy and satisfied!

Our goal for Saturday (08/20) was “Cap Gris-Nez”. Until then, however, we still had one or the other hill ahead of us and met a young family who was on the hunt for blackberries with their bikes. Since we shared the same path for a little bit, we got into conversation with them. The two parents had also bought a tandem back in the day and had something similar in mind to what we are doing right now. However, at the same time an old farmhouse was being sold and having fallen in love with the Calais area, the two decided to buy the house rather than do the tour. After a while, we parted ways and we drove past many bunkers to Cap Gris-Nez. There, in addition to one or the other tourist, a wonderful view awaited us! Apparently, we were extremely lucky with the weather and could see the cliffs on the opposite English side very well.

Of course, we attracted a bit of attention here with our unusual vehicle and were approached by a young couple who are also considering getting a tandem. For us it is clear: the tandem has the great advantage of really cycling together. While with separate bikes, we've often seen people ride a few hundred yards apart, simply because fitness varies from person to person.
However, Cap Gris-Nez is not only known for its great views of the English cliffs, but is also very popular for migratory birds. Every year, migratory birds use the narrow passage between Britain and the European continent. Similar to the migratory birds, we wanted to continue our journey soon. We mostly followed the Eurovelo 4 along the coast and had a long lunch break between the dunes on the beach at the Pointe du Nid de Corbet.

Our next stop: the L.Eclerc supermarket. Tilman's review: "Extremely full and super exhausting!". A group of geese, who were leisurely strolling through the huge parking lot, had a different opinion. A few kilometers later, we found an American war cemetery near Étaples. Super impressive when you look at the tens of thousands of white crosses from above. All young people who lost their lives in the first and some in the second world war. This makes you sad...

Since the sun was slowly approaching the horizon, we started looking for a nice place to sleep and also had the next premiere on this trip: front yard camping. With this type of camping, we look for people who are just in their front yard and looking nice. Then, we politely ask if we can pitch our tent in their garden for the night. We have food and drinks with us and will leave again the next morning. This time a family with two little boys hosted us. While we set up our tent, the two of them played in the garden. Here, I realized again how easy it is to communicate with children. You don't even need words! Mom was also very curious and we (Tilman rather than me) talked to her in French.
As promised, on Sunday morning (21/08) we took down our tent very early, left a small thank you note and drove off. At a small rest area with a picnic table, we then treated ourselves to breakfast - in case you are wondering what breakfast is like in France on a bike tour: 1kg quark (fromage blanc) - there are probably no smaller quantities - and the last leftover chocolate from the Netherlands.

We then did our morning toilet with permission at a nearby campsite. On this day, we drove away from the coast further inland and slowly got to know the Normandy e.g., one or the other hill. We also drove past fields where some plants were lined up in neat rows. Only later we found out what it was exactly. But first the lunch break: We looked for a nice meadow where we could let our tent dry and talked to Sonja on the phone. In the evening, we tried our luck again with the "just ask" strategy. In a small village, we drove past a driveway where two women were talking. We turned and asked. Without hesitation they said YES! :) The two of them already saw us when we were cycling past and were very surprised about our vehicle and were now happy to be able to see it up close. As (almost) always, we chatted with them and then we were even offered a shower - an offer Tilman forced me to accept!
On Monday morning (22/08/) a surprise awaited us! Isabelle had already prepared coffee and hot chocolate and we talked to her for a long time!

During the chat, we finally solved the mystery about the interesting fields: It´s flax!

The area is apparently well known for its flax production and if corn isn't being grown, it's most likely flax instead. After this informative breakfast, we set off for what turned out to be a very exhausting day, which can rarely be trumped when it comes to changes in plans. But first the reason why we are driving further inland: Gerberoy. Tilman's uncle challenged us to visit at least 30 of the "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" - the most beautiful villages in France - on our tour through France. And Gerberoy was to be the first of many. It was a super small village in a very remote hilly area and quite difficult to get to. This village was therefore untouched by tourism. There was only one hostel here and tourist cars were only allowed to park outside the city. The village was left in a very original state and you will find many houses on which a variety of flowers are just climbing up. Pssst: a little tip: even Puschel is hiding in one of the pictures!

After the extensive visit, we continued our journey through a very hilly landscape! Much steeper and more frequent climbs than we initially gave Normandy credit for. We drove through the Forêt domaniale de Lyons to get to Lyons-la-Forêt - our second village on the list of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France". This village consisted of many half-timbered houses and was much more touristy than Gerberoy. Still, we found it very nice here!

Then it continued uphill and downhill through the Forêt domaniale de Lyons. During a wonderful and fast descent, we cycled very close to a small, crooked "branch". However, when we were at the height of this "branch", it suddenly moved and curled up - a snake! We quickly stopped and wanted to run back to have a closer look at it, but apparently the snake wasn't that keen on us and quickly retreated into the thicket. Even further up the hill, not only the climb took our breath away, but also the views we had from so high up! The following photos probably cannot fully reflect our feeling...

This was definitely one of those days when I wasn't in a good mood despite the beautiful things we experienced. You don't always have good days on a bike tour. Sometimes the body gets a bit tired and I was all the more grateful when the second person of our "just ask" strategy said: "Yes, why not?". On that kind of day when I would have least liked to go camping in the wild... And we were incredibly lucky again! The family in whose garden we were allowed to camp had just returned from vacation and were in a very relaxed state. The two little girls also thought it was very exciting to have such unusual visitors, so after a quick shower, I was whisked away to the children's room. There, I have not only been shown the princess dresses, but also an impressive collection of all things unicorn related! Here, I quickly expanded my French vocabulary with the word "Licorne" - unicorn. Both parents spoke English very well and so I was able to take part in the conversation that evening. And next to wine, tomatoes and baguette, we chatted into the night! Funny anecdote: When we told them about our blog, they first understood instead of "justtwowheels" (English: "only two wheels") - "justtwoweirds" (English: "only two weird weirdos"). - not far from reality... Here, we were glad to have thrown our plan to go to Rouen overboard.
Tuesday (23/08) began for the two little girls with a little tour of our tent. A very exciting thing for children! And as quickly as it goes with children, I found myself in a round of "guessing animals" in the tent again. My big disadvantage was that although I knew the animals, I didn't know their French names. In one of them I was very confident that I also know the French word: kangaroo! But little Soline kept insisting that I wasn't right. At some point her dad came to my aid and asked her what else it was if it wasn't a kangaroo. Her answer was: a BABY kangaroo! - you shouldn't be sure of victory too soon! After this little bit of advice, we pitched our tent and on the advice of Julien & Laure we drove about 20km to take an old railway track that should lead us directly to Dieppe by the sea - the avenue verte. A path that leads from Paris to London.

In Dieppe, you would have to take the ferry to England. We can at least recommend the French part! We practically just raced along the route! Arrived in Dieppe, we enjoyed the view of the sea and chatted with two Swiss people who made it from Switzerland to Dieppe on their racing bikes within a week.

Then we went to Saint-Marguerite-sur-Mer. There we had an amazing view - so amazing it was painted by Claude Monet!

Here, too, we briefly held our sweaty feet in the cool water. Then it went surprisingly flat inland to Xavier, our warmshowers host. He goes on bike tours several times a year and likes to exchange ideas with other tourers. The final hurdle to Xavier was actually finding his house! Because the house numbering followed a scheme that we did not recognize. When we then asked Xavier, he explained to us that the house number indicates the meters from the beginning of the street! (In hindsight: A very clever idea!) We ended the evening with a good barbecue.

Early in the morning on Wednesday (24/08) we did a test tandem ride with Xavier until he had to go to work. We also had a lot planned that day! First we went to Veulles-les-Roses, the third "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" village on our tour. In fact, we found it very beautiful, but also very crowded, so we quickly packed our things and continued towards Fécamp.

On the way to Fécamp we partly followed the Eurovelo 4 again, although we were generally less enthusiastic about the route. And so, from behind, Navigator-Tilman generated a custom route that took us over a small airfield and past a nuclear power plant (Pahuel). What started out as a joking answer to my question "What are those big blocks over there?" turned out to be the second largest nuclear power plant in France (and the 5th largest in the world!). There are always surprises... For the route to Fécamp there were two options: either first gently up the railway line and then remaining on the same level, past the viewpoint in Fécamp and then quickly drive down again, or: slowly cycling uphill along the railway and then let it roll for the next 15km and then in Fécamp again with a 20% increase to the viewpoint. Unfortunately, we decided on the latter option... You're always smarter afterwards. The ascent in Fécamp was brutal, but we were rewarded with a beautiful view!

Afterwards, we went back down into the city, only to follow the Eurovelo 4 route back up again at the other end… Well, you can hardly call it a bike route. While the cars were mostly led up in serpentines with a moderate incline, the bike path went straight up with >20% incline. It was so absurdly steep that even the cars had their problems in first gear. After we saw a racing cyclist pushing his bike we didn't feel bad at all to do the same. Arrived super exhausted at the top, it was then halfway flat (at least flatter than 20%) to Étretat (you learn from your mistakes). Once there, there was the second magnificent view of the day.

Étretat is known for its arches in the chalk cliffs. And there, I finally dared to go full body into the cold water after this exhausting day! The evening was also relatively relaxed because we were already sure of our accommodation through “welcometomygarden”. So, we took an (we suspect) old railway line, which let us race up the altitude meters over 18km with a slow ascent. Arriving at Typhaine, we were first licked by the big Newfoundland dog "Odin". We surely had enough salt on our skin :) The two of them signed up for welcometomygarden because they also planned a little bike tour in the coming weeks and thought the concept was really cool.
On Thursday (25/08) we (at least I) woke up with sore leg muscles. But what can you do... our next longer break was planned for Sunday near Saint-Malo. So: back on the bike and keep going! Like almost every morning, we first went to a boulangerie to get a pain au chocolat. We would particularly like to highlight the pain au chocolat of this day in Saint-Maclou-la-Brière - the best pain au chocolat we have tasted so far (Tilman still raves about the consistency today!). This is followed by a disbelieving conversation with a young man in front of the boulangerie, who couldn't believe that we want to go to Portugal by bike. We didn't even tell him that we were going to Greece and Finland afterwards :) With a bit of exhaustion, we stopped in the city just before the ferry across the Seine and treated ourselves to a plat du jour - dish of the day. Because one thing we have learned from the seafarers: with an empty stomach, the chance of a mutiny increases. And we really don't need that here! So, next to massive truck drivers, we ate our 4-course menu (with a lot of food!!!) at a reasonable price. After we made it across the Seine by ferry, it was really time for a long nap! After that, unfortunately, things didn't go very well... along a "departamental" - comparable to a federal road - it went uphill again for a few meters. And then, along the Eurovelo 4 again a few more meters uphill (again about 20% incline)... At this point, we asked ourselves whether those responsible for the Eurovelo 4 actually tested the route before... after that, it went moderately downhill again, along an old unpaved railway line. And then it went steeply uphill again and slowly we were also looking for a place to sleep in vain. After two refusals (one man would have liked to take us in, but he had a birthday party himself until 2 a.m., the other with a garden just didn't want to), we asked a handful of boys we just saw on a meadow. It turned out that they were preparing the meadow for a bigger party the next day (their job: digging a hole for the toilet). It was not a problem for them that we could pitch our tent on their meadow for one night. A few years ago, one of them even rode a bicycle on the Camino de Santiago! Also, that night we fell asleep with exhausted legs.

On Friday (26/08) we were able to enjoy a nice, fresh descent ride downhill to the village of Beuvron-en-Auge in the morning. And as always, when we have small villages as our goal, this was again a "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France". The half-timbered houses here were much longer than one is used to with half-timbered houses in Germany. We enjoyed our morning in the central square. Our morning entertainment was a TV crew filming (at least from the outside) funny scenes for a documentary.

As so often in the last few days, it went again: uphill! But this time to get back towards the coast to Villers-sur-Mer - the first French planetarium on our trip. The Paleospace Center was a mix of a dinosaur exhibition and a planetarium. We were shown around very extensively and learned that the planetarium was only built there because the prime meridian runs directly through this place - now we are probably on the other side of the world! The projection in the planetarium was realized by a beamer with a fisheye lens and is primarily used for educational purposes. For little kids, they even have quizzes with buzzers for each kid.

We continued over the Pegasus Bridge - an important strategic bridge of D-Day. In Cabourg we took a beach break and bought a lot of food from the supermarket. The following beaches were steeped in history and a bit depressing. The Beaches of D-Day. To be more precise, we followed the coastline "Sword".

Crazy considering how many young people lost their lives on the beaches just to liberate France. We definitely want to come back here again, with a little more time to get to know the history of the Second World War from a different perspective. We followed the coast to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. Then we turned inland again to find a place to sleep. Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky today, because two potential welcometomygarden sadly had to cancel. Along a field we asked a couple walking their dog if they had a garden, but unfortunately, they had to say no. Even a group of people we met in the dark couldn't help us. To be honest, they probably needed some guidance themselves, because they seemed bit lost themselves. And so, we became friends with the idea of wild camping. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bit difficult because there were hardly any forests and most of the fields had already been harvested. And so, there was only one option left: On the edge of a corn field. Unfortunately, we only realized when setting up the tent that we had thistles under us. So, we decided not to inflate our air mattresses and fell asleep a little uncomfortable and tense.
As planned, Saturday (27/08) started much earlier than usual: at 4:00 a.m. our alarm clock rang after a tough night. We pitched our tent in the dark, only a clear starry sky shining on us. For the first kilometers, we went through darkness. This has its pros and cons! It helps your head a bit because you can't see what's ahead of you. But you also feel very much in a cocoon because your field of vision is very limited. In front of a mairie - a French town hall - we then took our break and had peanuts with salt for breakfast.

Unfortunately, no boulangeries were open at this time. Even as it slowly got lighter, we had to realize that we were out and about in the pampa during the French holidays. That means: Even if there were supermarkets and boulangeries, it doesn't mean that they were open... Slowly we felt our lack of sleep, and when Tilman said he was about to nod off, we looked for a nice park and hung up our tent to dry, blew up the sleeping mat and snuggled into our sleeping bags one after the other. This morning-afternoon nap has to go on our list of legendary afternoon naps!

After 60km we finally found a boulangerie that also offered sandwiches. So we munched our sandwiches + super delicious desserts as the first real meal of the day. And then, we had another stupid idea: Let's just drive through so that we could arrive at Barbara and family in Saint-Malo tonight. But for that, we first had to cycle 20km through the extremely hilly Normandy. After that, it went mostly downhill and only slightly uphill. From a distance we saw Avranches, where fortunately Barbara advised us not to drive through. Now we know why: it was on a hill. Now only sheep separated us from our next tourist destination: Mont-Saint-Michel! We even got stuck in a real sheep rope. The sheep, which grazed on the pasture towards the water during the day, had to go back for "Heia" in the evening (Translator comment: Heia is a baby word for sleeping) :) At some point we actually arrived in Mont-Saint-Michel and enjoyed the view.

After that, we continued with a good tailwind on straight and flat roads. Really fast! Faster than the police allows! At least, if you sometimes compare our speedometer with the speed limit. Eventually, it got so dark that you could even see the Milky Way. At around 10:00 p.m. we were greeted by Barbara & Dominique with hot chocolate and fell into bed completely exhausted!
And because this blog entry is not long enough: Here is the constellation of the giraffe. Paleospace folks thought it was funny because it's barely recognizable as a giraffe. It's found between Ursa Major and Cassiopeia, and it's really hard to see because there are no brighter stars close by. Rumor has it it was only dreamed up to fill a big gap in the sky. For more information: visit the nearby planetarium of your trust :)
And finally: Congratulations! You managed to read through the ups and downs of our last week!
We'll see/hear/write next week!

Tilman & Ida