On day 9 of the Ansell stage. we left Hotel Roche in Paris about 0930 hrs. Negotiating our way out of the city was challenging but it went alright in the end , it just took time.

It is again bright and sunny , quite beautiful really. By about 1100 we were back in woods and enjoying nature again.

We passed through Montgeron stopping for lunch at the excellent Thai Street food restaurant Blue Mango. Tracey harassed a trio of cyclists into partaking in one of her videos. They were nice guys shocked at the weight of our bikes. Their super light road bikes are a world away from our steel frame workhorses.

I’m sad to have lost my flags from the back of the bike today. The pole must have caught on a bush & pulled out . By the time I realised we had gone about a mile. I went back, found the pole but sadly someone had taken my flags. They were a safety feature and a talking point . I have to figure something out.

We pressed on through Melun and to Camping la Belle Étoile south of the town. Here we met our lovely hosts and a new friend Mart from Nijmegen in the Netherlands (also home to my great friend and Co-Author Anna Simon).

We finished the day chatting over a beer and took the photo of all five of us. We will be on our way with fond memories and new friendships tomorrow.