Touring Burgundy in spring

I realized if you take a bike, shoot it with a shrink ray and put it in a suitcase, you are more apt to actually ride away from home. This was the logic behind adding Bromptons to our arsenal last year, and we got another chance to travel with them on a recent trip to Europe.

After a week of work in Zurich, the Duke and I were joined by our wives and we all caught a train for France. The Burgundy region is a cycling paradise thanks to it's paths, remote roads, villages, food, wine and weather. Specifically, we rode from Mâcon to Dijon. Some photos; click to enlarge-

An actual D-road in the Côte de Nuits

Stonework

Parking in the city.

Lunch time

Vineyards and...

...canals are everywhere in Burgundy

A square in Dijon

Weather was generally dry in the mornings and wet in the afternoons. The slower pace of country life is easy to adapt to. Soon the only chores of the day, aside from the riding itself, were of the food sampling variety. The mandatory stops at town boulangeries, watching the locals come peruse the baguette inventory and leave with their choices. Afternoon cafë breaks where I might have eaten a warm waffle with nutella and banana. Wine and mustard were tasted and consumed.

In Zurich, having a bike to get around town is a revelation, as your range for any given time period is greatly extended. And the small bikes were great on tour, even handling rough roads. We each had one 25 litre bag carrying one week's worth of gear mounted on the front carrier block. If camping, then the rear would get loaded up, but no need this time. Looking forward to the next trip...