We left St Maxime at the start of a beautiful morning. To our right was the gulf of St Tropez and across the water was the small village that gives the gulf its name. The road we are taking follows the rocky French coastline, not too dissimilar to the coastline we saw in the south of Spain, only slight less mountainous! Still this didn’t stop us from seeing beautiful red cliffs that plunged into the sea and in the background snow capped mountains in the distance behind the cities of Cannes, Antibes and Nice.
For the most part we were wearing just a cycling jersey and a pair of knicks (cycling pants). The sun was wonderful and the wind was relatively calm to the previous few days in this area. On the beaches we could see debris and seaweed washed up from the big swells. The waves were still around every now and then though, as we found out just outside of Cannes. Following the road next to the water we saw some surfers out riding the waves, which occasionally broke up against the barrier on the side of the road, splashing salty water onto the road. Unfortunately for me, I was a victim of one of the waves. Sam riding just ahead of me was lucky enough to duck under a wall of water that saturated me and my bike, twice!
Covered in a crusty layer of salt (well, just me) we peddled through Cannes and then onto the cute town of Antibes where we found a cycle path that led all the way into Nice. However, we didn’t quite make it to Nice. On the road to a bike store we met a local, Jean. After hearing about our dilemma with accommodation, he offered a mattress in his house for the night, and we, of course, accepted gladly! He and his wife, Caroline, were amazingly generous and accommodating. I’m sure it was a bit of a surprise for Caroline to have three Australians sitting in her home when she returned from work, but the entire time they made us feel welcome.
Over some nice wine, biscuits, cheese, olives, and other local food we listened to Jean’s stories. Well travelled and well read I was wondering at how one person can do so much. Inspiration for us to, maybe one day, lead our lives in a similar vein.