By train.

A very comfortable smooth 2-hour journey.

Our tiny but quite functional apartment was on the 6th floor above the Pub Danois (free beverage/day included). The tiny lift, which fit 2 people barely, took us to the 5th floor, then a short flight of stairs.

The location was great in Vieux Lyon. We wandered for quite a while and finally settled on a place to have a late lunch.

River Saone:

High on the hill, Basilique Notre Dame Fourviere:

and the end of this bike tour. A final look at

The only signage was on the open door, which made it hard to find yesterday.

Quite cold this morning with an unfriendly headwind.

In Agde:

Riding along the Lido de Thau, a sandy strip of land that separates a lagoon from

the Mediterranean Sea:

The view from the entrance to our hotel:

From the balcony of our room:

33 miles today!

We waited a while before leaving because of rain. By 10, we retrieved our bikes from the “garage” across the street.

We encountered a bit of light rain until mid-afternoon.

In Le Somail, an amazing bookstore with 60,000 ancient titles, kept in the locked cases.

The path became scary at times. Riding in a trough deep enough that the pedals hit the ground. So overgrown that we had to walk and duck under branches. Then put the bike to the far right and jump over a deep hole. Not fun!

Compstang ahead:

Time for lunch:

Approaching Beziers, one of the oldest cities in France, founded by the Greeks in 575 BC. Here, a few of the nine locks in a row.

Our hotel is Le Hotel Prison. Yes, a prison. We were assigned to Cell 205.

The view from our unbarred window:

44 miles today.

The street in front of our hotel this morning before we left.

Lots of vineyards on today’s ride.

Many times each day you must ride up a somewhat steep hill to cross a road. Not hard if you choose “turbo”, but you must stop at the top before crossing to check for vehicles – a bit unnerving every time.

At this lock, there were tables with umbrellas. We took a break here to have a beverage and ice cream.

Sometimes it’s just better to walk your bike over very bumpy stone bridge crossings.

Homps:

The garden and pool behind our hotel.

About 26 miles today.

Another cold morning. First stop, a “pharmacia” for cold medicine.

There are 91 working locks on the 150-mile long Canal du Midi.

Bike/ped bridge over the Aude River.

La Cite Medievale: inside the ramparts of this fortress is a castle, a church and homes.

I did not go visit it, I crawled into bed and slept for a few hours. Leaning out our hotel room, another great view.

29 miles today.

Getting ready in the hotel lobby. Very cold morning, about 45 degrees. I wore every long-sleeved top I brought and my jacket hood went under the helmet.

There were no services along this section of the trail, so we were quite hungry when we arrived in Castelnaudary. A sandwich and a “patisserie”.

43 miles today. And I have acquired a cold ☹️

We left for our bike tour about 4 hours before we needed to be there. We ambled slowly, went inside a few churches,

and stopped for a snack a couple of times. Selecting bikes and adjusting the fit.

Our guide, Silvan, was excellent.

Artist James Caramilo created and placed six red statues around Toulouse. Silvan pointed out three of them. This one on a rooftop is holding a fishing pole and snagged one of the Olympic rings.

No walking on the way back, we took the subway. A final dinner at Le Bouillon Capitole.

Toulouse is known as The Pink City because so many buildings are made from terracotta stone. Standing at the front door of our hotel looking to the left:

To the right, the Basilica of Saint Sernin:

A huge plaza called Place du Capitole. It would soon fill with people.

Periodic rainstorms today, but thankfully not when we took an open-air bus tour in the afternoon.

Canal du Midi which connects Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea.

A mansion built by producers of pastel – a prized blue dye made from the leaves of Isatis tinctoria – during the late Medieval/early Renaissance period.

The Garonne River which bisects the city.

We noticed one restaurant that always had a long line of people waiting to get in. Mid-afternoon when the line was rather short, we decided to try it. Great decision: authentic French food at very reasonable prices and delicious. Popular in Paris but new to Toulouse. Crème brûlée for dessert!

By 6am we were on our way to the ferry.

After a stop in Piran Slovenia to pick up a very large tour group, we arrived in Venice at 11. Not so much fun dragging our suitcases along the bumpy streets and over many bridges to get to the bus station.

At Marco Polo Airport, check-in only began two hours before the flight, then luggage is accepted followed by security clearance. The gate was announced just 15 minutes before boarding began. Everyone quickly passed through the gate, got on a bus and was driven to the boarding area.

Next, a 2-hour flight to Amsterdam, another 2-hour flight to Toulouse, and a short taxi ride to our hotel. It was midnight.

Just a few miles to the border. Hello Croatia!

Some steep climbs today and very few bike paths. Time to grit your teeth and let cars pass you on narrow busy roads.

We took a break in Novigrad.

About 40 miles today for our final day of riding on this tour. We left our bikes with the hotel staff, retrieved our luggage, and prepared for a travel day tomorrow. Dinner tonight was at the hotel – a most amazing buffet.