Day 8: You know what we should have brought instead of rain jackets? Wetsuits.

Route: Le Crotoy to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Distance: 77km
Ride Quality: excellent, if you can look past pouring rain,  60km/hr wind, and the biggest rolling "hills" we've done yet
Accomodations: Le Point du Jour,  B+B

Getting on the bikes today was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We awoke to pouring rain with a forecast that predicted it would last all day and a 90% chance of thunderstorms. The bed at Villa Saint Georges was super comfortable,  warm,  and most importantly dry. It was so tempting just to say,  let's have a rest day and stay here in bed today. I couldn't help but think that I could've chosen the tropical all-inclusive instead of this. But then I wouldn't be me.

Instead, we got up and found breakfast downstairs. Not the best: the bread was stale and the croissants burnt. But it was a serve yourself affair,  so that meant 2 helpings each of yogurt and fruit. Breakfast was held in a sunroom with a glass roof and the irony of being protected from the rain while we were eating was not lost on us.

The waiter was very excited to talk to us about our trip though and insisted we sign the guest book before leaving. He then watched us carry the bikes outside,  attach the trailer,  and cycle off into the rain with a look of "those people are crazy" written all over his face.

It took only minutes before we were both drenched to the skin and chilled from the 7 degree weather. But fortunately,  some of the wind from yesterday had lightened up (it would come back in the afternoon) and I passed the time by playing the 'what are you grateful for?' game... I'm grateful to be on this trip with my wonderful husband,  who always makes me laugh,  especially when things really suck; I'm grateful for the ever present birdsong throughout France; I'm grateful that we didn't get lost today; and I'm grateful that eventually we got to the B+B and each had warm showers.

Penguin had a different mental approach to the situation...  At one point,  he called over his shoulder during the worst of the deluge while cranking up yet another endless hill,

"I want to die. This must be hell. If this is hell,  you would tell me, right? You wouldn't pretend like it's not? Why aren't you answering me?"

Then he talked a lot about the seals we didn't see in Le Crotoy. All in French, so I'm not sure I understood everything he was saying. (If you don't know how to say seal in French,  you should go Google translate it now).

'To Bonk'- a verb; a cycling term used to describe the moment when you have no more glucose or glycogen left in your legs. Here,  Penguin has bonked after summiting yet another hill. Fortunately,  we had some cookies available to revive him. 

We spun for hours today in silence, huffing up hills while being buffeted from all directions by an ever increasing wind. 60km/hr winds are nothing to sneeze at. In fact that, from experience, if you do sneeze at them, the snot will come right back and hit you in the face.

By 2pm, the rain began to slacken and sucker holes appeared in the clouds. (A sucker hole is a camping term for a small patch of blue sky in an otherwise grey/overcast horizon that,  if seen through a window,  may sucker you into thinking it's a nice day and going outside,  only to find out that it's really not at all).

By the time we got to the B+B though,  all the grey had been blown away and the sun made an appearance,  which returned joy and hope in both our hearts.

The highlight of today was when we stopped by some dairy cows and I managed to entice them over to the fence beside me. They were equally skittish and curious. Not much in the mood for ear scratches,  one of them did work up the nerve to lick me. So cows have now been added to my roadside petting zoo collection of foreign farm animal photography.

Curious cows, preparing to lick me. 

The other great highlight today is our host at the current B+B.  Upon arrival,  I guess we looked sufficiently starved and exhausted,  that he offered to make us a reservation at a nice restaurant in town AND drive us there and pick us up when we're done, seeing as its too far to walk and we clearly don't want to do any more cycling today. I could have kissed the man.

Tomorrow the weather looks better: only 50% chance that it will rain all day. It will also be our last full day in France,  so we intend to make it a good one. :)

Cheers!
Saroja