First Explorations....

So.... I left Paris last Saturday. April the 4th.
By train... To Meaux.

Ben & Anne-Gaëlle were there and shooted me & my bike quite a lot.

Then the train took me to Meaux where, thanks to my last Euro cents of credit on my Mobicarte, I called Xavier (the vegetable producer the AMAP I was in in Paris, used to work with) and managed to find his house. Sorry Erwan, I had forgotten to print your map :(

I spend a 1st night out of my empty flat, sharing moments with Xavier's Parents and Xavier, who was a bit ill. Talking about agriculture, the things we eat, the way we live...

Then on Sunday, I left them to go & eat with my ant Marie-Thérèse.
We even spoke about some cousins we may have in Poland (some LEMOVIEL cousins ?).

I then left arount 3:30 and cycled "straignt" to La Ferté sous Jouare, then took the "Route de Campagne" up to... Gland ! I went to Chateau Thierry's camp site but it was closed... I asked for a place to put my tent to 2 groups of people then ended puting my tent along the Marne, on a nice but humid place.

On monday morning the whole tent was full of drops of condenced water inside...

Monday was a great sunny day (not so warm) that lead me to Epernay, then Chalon en Champagne. As my previous experience with camping had not been so successful, I asked in Epernay for a name & number of a camping in Chalon, and was able to book a place there.
So I could arrive before 8 and have warm shower, a night visit of the tows, and test my tent over a rainy night... (test OK !)

On my way to Verdu, I sent a Couch Request to Benjamin arount Verdun, then he called me and gave me the directons to reach his place, where I arrives around 7:50 after half of the day under the rain... :(

Today, Benjamin, Ruth, Lorraine, Dan & I wend exploring Verdun city then the battle fealds, one of the villages without inhabitants, and a military (abandonned) fort.
In the morning (and without Dan) we had had another visit of a battle fead around "Les Eparges". It was a pleasure to be hosted in the family (Isabelle is there too), full of life & CSurfers (and they all know a lot of people I know too !)

Tomorrow's plan is to reach Metz (to Gladys & Fred's), then Luxembourg country.