Page 21 - PBCOctober2016

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine Volume 13 No.2 October 2016 21

Mr Pickwick goes to France ……….2016

Eleven members and guests came on the trip this year, with the main party leaving St
Pancras on the Eurostar to Lille, then on the TGV to Lyon, arriving on Bastille Day. Jackson
and Jackie, Mr. Dumkins and Sue, Baillie Mac Something and Diana with guests Brian and
Pam Tadman checked into the hotel before adjourning to an excellent restaurant called
‘Alex’ for dinner. The owner/chef made us very welcome and the dinner was superb and a
true Pickwickian evening.

We rose early the next day to hear the dreadful news of events in Nice, so a subdued
party had breakfast and then travelled by car to see the Individual Time Trial in the
Ardeche Gorge. One of our guests, Keith Daniels who was joining us for the day had already
done a rec. and found a super Auberge that had all we needed for a good view of the
course, with a television, bar food, and shady seating, in the village of Saint Remeze.
It was a marvellous day’s racing with Chris Froome defending his overall lead with a second
place finish. We then returned to our cars to drive back to Lyon through the most beautiful
countryside. That evening we dined at a restaurant recommended by the hotel receptionist,
where we once again had an excellent meal accompanied by local wines.

The next morning we caught the 0900hrs TGV back to Paris, had a light lunch, and then
took the Metro to Montmartre and visited the Sacre Coeur. That evening we enjoyed a good
dinner in a restaurant by the Place De Bastille near our hotel. The following day we again
used the Metro to the Eiffel Tower to catch a bateau for a trip along the Seine. The
weather was glorious and it was a perfect way to see Paris.