Day sixteen

Sunrise over a famous mountain (Mount Ventoux I think) part of the Pyrenees-Alps chain and probably something I will have to cross at some point ...

... and a donkey that greeted me at the campsite this morning.

I leave Bollene campsite around 10:00 having paid my dues at reception. Despite an early climb it is soon over and I rattle on down towards Orange. I did not sleep so well last night and it is noticeable in my legs. I look for a bakery to buy a baguette and maybe a croissant but arrive in Orange, despite passing through numerous villages, baguette less. Even once in Orange, Maps.me guides me around the centre through a housing estate, which is pretty boring and I still see no bakeries. 

A quaint church seen on the uphill ride this morning and trees that had clearly been in a fire at some point.

On the way out of Orange I spot a MacDonald's and I have been eager to have a burger since seeing a sign for one yesterday but that was on a toll auto-route. I park the bike, excited with anticipation. It is a drive-in as well as normal restaurant. A row of cars are waiting in a queue. I enter the main entrance expecting to be munching on a juicy burger in few moments. I am asked by a door lady if I want to sit down or take out. I say sit down but then she asks for a Covid pass and I cannot be bothered, so I opt for a take-a-way. She guides me to a digital menu where I have to select my order. It's quite complicated so I ask if she can help pick out a Big Mac, fries and banana milkshake. She has a few problems finding these items but eventually a ticket is produced with my order number. She repeats the number in French to me and I do my best to remember it for when it's shouted out. At the counter there is chaos as customers try to obtain their orders, while numbers are shouted out. It's absolute pandemonium in the kitchen, a frenzy of activity as staff try to fulfill hundreds of orders. It was pure insanity believe me. Meanwhile girls are delivering orders in brown paper bags and shouting out the numbers. I inch forward, there is no queue, hoping not to miss mine and add to the confusion. Finally after paying at a counter I get my brown paper bag and take it outside to a spot nearby on the grass. 

It was truly the most awful burger I have ever had. The two burgers are hardly 3mm thick each, totally dry and tasteless. The rest was bread and coleslaw with a couple of slices of gherkin, no tomato or lettuce! The vanilla milkshake (banana was not an option) was half the size it used to be and pretty pathetic, more like one of those small ice cream tubs that had melted. The chips were so bland, dry and tasteless I find it hard to describe and only ate half of them. What is the attraction of MacDonald's? A young generation brainwashed by marketing for sure, surely it cannot be the food. I reckon most of the customers in this MacDonald's were all under 30. This meal cost me 10 euros, the last time I had a burger, chips and coffee in a MacDonald's it was around 6 euros. The quality was far better then and you got a lot more for your 6 euros. This is France, the land of high cuisine and cordon bleu cookery. France was a whole lot better back in the 1970s, they took pride in their food, even transport cafes were 5-star back then. I was never a great fan of MacDonald's but this really put the lid on it. I normally go to Burger King for a burger but MacDonald's usually has better coffee. In Taiwan I saw how MacDonald's captured children very young with toys and events making them addicts for life, not because of the food but because they associate it with an exciting day out.

I leave in a gloomy depression wondering why all my dreams turn to nightmares. Meanwhile the wind is up again and I begin to wonder why I even bother doing anything. If there is one thing that will stop me finishing this ride it will be the headwind. I simply cannot ride 1000km against the wind, it's futile.

I continue out of Orange to Avignon and come across an Intermarche on the way. My saviour! Air-conditioned and all that I need including a rapid mini smartphone charger, which I buy for 10 euros. I get water, yogurts, but there was something else. I leave and once on the road I remember the main reason for stopping apart from water was the baguette!

Approaching Avignon I find a place to cool my feet in the river Rhone. Steps right into the water where the river height is measured. Perfect! I check for campsites and find one in direction of Nimes, which is the way I want to go but it is 15km away and uphill. I am just about to head off in that direction when I come across a campsite less than a kilometer way. I jump at the chance and it was a wise decision.

I am told roaming in the EU is OK. So I will take a rest day tomorrow and update the blog properly with more photos. No more trying to connect to campsite Wi-Fis. I was once charge 50 euros extra for a short WhatsApp video call from Switzerland to the UK. This has made me paranoid about using roaming. Of course neither CH nor UK are in the EU so I will see how roaming goes as blogging is easier using it.

So far, not including rest days, I have averaged 60km a day, which I am happy about and have only had one rest day so far. My legs were like jelly today and clearly need a rest. Avignon is a great place to stop and the campsite is excellent.

Earlier as I put up the tent 4 or 5 yellow painted water bomber planes flew low over us. I have not seen anything on the news about fires nearby but rarely have time for any of my usual activities like news, YouTube, etc. So many little stories I have wanted to share but simply do not have the time. Shall be having a lie in tomorrow.