The Road Gets Blocked: Entering France | Bicycle Touring Europe
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- Опубліковано 11 жов 2024
- The Road Gets Blocked: Entering France | Bicycle Touring Europe
We get help crossing an unforeseen roadblock on our way into France. The following nights are very cold, making us question if our gear is up to the task. It turns out that Maudi's sleeping bag needs some desperate taking care of. Making video’s is also very time consuming so we break at, what turns out to be, an incredibly friendly Airbnb to get things sorted out. When we set out Eric comes across a blast of the past...
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a Special Thanks 🙏🏼
Awww, Maudi is fantastic in this video! Her justified grumpiness at being filmed when hungry, no coffee, with wet feet etc is so funny! Sorry Maudi. But we have all been there. Perhaps not as publicly. And then her honesty about the Le Corbusier building was superb! How can the world not love you two?
Nice to see you cycling in France! That guy who let you pass over the closed bridge deserves praise ... I hope that his boss is not a regular viewer of "Wheels to Wander" 8-)
Hi Everybody! It’s great to be back in France, such an incredible place for cycling 🙂 Have you ever been there or plan to? Wishing you a wonderful day, E&M
You both for me are legend
Hi, I was there, in that region, but not on a bicycle tour. Maybe that would be nice too, riding my bicycle to France ... But, you know, those mountains ... I'm used to the flat Netherlands.
My first cycle tour was 8 weeks in France in 2014, first Normandy, then the Loire, then the Canal du Midi. This video brings it all back: the rain (every day for two weeks in August in Normandy), pushing my bike uphill through the mud, starting the day without coffee, laundry mysteries, closed roads, but also the beauty and the freedom.
I was planning to do the Rhine then the Loire this year. Alas Covid has put a spanner in that plan. Being Australian I think it will still be a couple of years before international air travel is up and running again affordable enough for bicycle tourists.
I am from germany, but when ever i do a bike trip. I do it in France.
It takes you out of your comfort zone,but thank God for the Sun and the birds singing to raise your spirits,
It is such a pleasure to watch all of your videos. I have the impression that we're talking together in the same room, or on the same roadside bench. As an avid cyclist for many years, I feel that your videos subtly capture somehow what is not 'explainable', you allow the viewer to judge and have insight into the questions she or he would ask her or himself while on the road, presenting all this in the most introspective, humble and humane way possible. Plus, your wonderful bond and friendship together on the road is so inspiring. Dank u wel en tot ziens
Thank you for your lovely and uplifting words 🙏🏼 Wishing you all the best, E&M
There is nothing better than a challenge before your reward food tastes better sunshine never felt so good thanks for all the hard work
Absolutely! 😊
Great video again Eric and Maudi! =) You have helped me a lot now when I'm sick and can't cycle. I have binge watched your earlier adventures and those are so good! =)
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Thank you for your reply looking forward to seeing your bike and gear review update don't worry about your sleeping bag just purchase a hot warm bottle for those cold nights.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us all again. Architectural delight or a concrete monstrosity……its in the eyes of the beholder I guess. If I had my way I would send every budding architecture undergraduate to the Nederlands to see what real beauty can be built.
Glad to see you guys are back on the road! We rode across France back in July and it was such a fantastic country to tour in, particularly the Loire Valley and all its old castles.
Nice, we'll take note ;-) It became one of our favourite EU countries for cycling too, and definitely would love to explore more!
It’s a real pleasure to follow you both on your amazing journey. 🚲
Hi you two, so glad them two lovely people never let you drown in that bridge out scenario. Stay rust free and happy travels ❤ P.s Who's zen like now "grasshopper"!!. Nice hand gesture there Juliet!!. Smile on at all costs. I love your videos ❤
Thanks BB! 😄
Great video! Thank you for sharing your adventure with us!
Please take good care of yourselves and get lots and lots of rest. We will always be here for you. Your loyal fans! Great work!
🙏
So good to see you two back on the road. Happy travelling in one of my favourite countries.
It certainly became of our favourite countries too, didn't expect that! :-)
OMG Maudi was absolutely hilarious in this video!
How lucky did you get. That was one nice guy to let you over that construction. To bad about that sleeping bag. Hopefully it will fluff back up. Nice looking building. Take care, Al
The scenery was wonderful. Thank you for sharing. A happy day!
You carry tennis balls for drying your sleeping bag, fantastic...love your down to earth nature and your videos
Thanks John, I bought them during the trip and gave them away to the dog of the Airbnb ;-) Didn't carry them all the way...
Thanks for taking us along!!!
I didn't expect to see a Corbusier building in this video! So interesting, thank you!
Great video you two. I hope Maudi got the down in her sleeping bag straightened out. It's scary washing a down bag. I'm always afraid something bad will happen.
Same here... it's still the same. I will have another look at it the next time we stay somewhere a little bit longer.
Blondes...It's all true 😝
Joking 😅
Nice Vid 👍
😁
thx guys
I also studied architecture and almost went into the field.
The architect who inspired me most was Frank Lloyd Wright. One gets a special feeling inside his buildings. He was aware of this aspect, and his designs were consciously targeting this. He said that people working inside his buildings would be uplifted. It is exactly true. It is like visiting the ocean, or walking through a field of flowers in full bloom. Or standing next to a beautiful waterfall. It really does something to you, and brings a spontaneous smile. You feel inspored, light and alive.
The Marin County Civic Center in California is one of his projects. It is riveting to see it in person, both from the outside and from the inside.
I don't know for sure, but I suspect that he does not receive the attention that he deserves when it comes to architectural education curricula in Europe, because they tend to be more Eurocentric.
He studied Mayan architecture and incorporated some of their design elements in certain of his projects. Some of their buildings have a great aesthetic sensibility and harmony.
I noticed in Thailand that the Europeans tend to build differently than Americans. I suppose it is natural, and the Americas have diverged somewhat from Europe. "Divergent evolution" at play.
PS Someone I read in an architecture library said that Frank Lloyd Wright was the greatest architectural genius of the last ten thousand years.
Hyperbolic perhaps, but an interesting comment.
I have designed and built 2 houses for myself. Both owed more to the site and budget than a theory. Guess what? Both worked well: in contrast to the "genius" of Wright and Le Corbusier.
so fun that you are back on the road! I have the same travel pillow as Maudi.
You never stop.
About that building: I agree with Maudi. It looks like an ordinary apartment building. But I think it has a nice view and nice interior, so maybe living there is okay.
Thank you for another great video... Keep safe guys
Thank you Neil!!
What a nice video. France is such a beautiful country especially the rural areas. I have a very old down bag which still fluffs up but hasn't been through all the weathering of your bag. I hope you are able to have it restored. These buildings in France look good compared to the soviet style buildings of the old USSR. I expect you to continue south in France. Enjoy
the harvests of France.
Maudi, regarding the down sleeping bag (6:42): Do you ever turn the bag inside out in the morning? This will help release the humidity from your body that has been absorbed by the bag. Placing it in the sun in this way will also help, especially at midday when the sun is very direct. Even though down may be warmer, you may have better results with a high quality synthetic fill and a liner because it releases humidity faster, and you are always on the go. With a liner, you won't have to wash the bag so often. Sleeping in a wool base layer is also good because it stays warm even when wet. Looking forward to your travels.
Good tips! Helps not to wear too many layers too - as the bag gets damp through sweat.
Don't know if we will ever get to do a bike tour in Europe but you sure inspire me to do so.
Looking foward to viewing your exciting adventures. Happy cycling.
Totally cool episode. My Dutch wife and I watched it and I think she enjoyed the very good cinematography and how genuine you both are. Very pleasant. Like to see more of France. Keep rolling and filming :)
Thanks for the compliment Bruce 😊
Very good !
And so it begins 😊
Thank you so much 😊
Hi Guys - another good video with some diverse themes. Down sleeping bag care/cleaning and Le Corbusier!!!
He is also one of my favourite architects too - the chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp being one of my favourite buildings for pure aesthetics.
Watch out for the cold when you ascend in elevation, even here on the Mediterranean it's pretty chilly - just 10c at 11am. Time to pack away the shorts and drag out the jeans and thermal tops.
Take care guys
Abrazos desde Catalunya.
The building itself is no great shakes. However, when evaluated with the surrounding landscape, it is perfect.
Thanks!
Thank you so much Robert 🙏🏼 A bit belated because the start of our new tour! All the best, E&M
I didn't realize how I missed following your bicycle tours until I discovered you are back on your bikes and I caught up with your videos. I think I got lucky when I toured France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and camped some years ago. I never even thought of ticks! I certainly will the next time.
Glad you're back Karla 😊 ... ticks can also be very small (nymphs) they can be very hard to spot with the naked eye. In one of our next episodes we discuss them again...
They're mostly present in summer... with colder weather they decrease. But still we find them regularly on our bodies. (they don't all carry diseases)
Thanks. Enjoyed the video.
🌻
Great segment on Corb, didn't expect to see it here but loved it.
This retired Art History teacher loved your Le Corbusier stop!
🙏
Hi guys. I have always loved watching the odd video of yours, and honestly find you 2 of the most inspiring UA-camrs/people out there. I am now finally watching your series of videos from the very beginning. When you set off, did you guys have a time span/ end goal?
All the best on your travels, you are changing the outlook on life for many!
Just beautiful tour ..
Nice!
The locality is very nice, I sow you every day!
Eeek, wear a condom
Nice one guys! Impressed with how your editing video has improved.
We have been to France and hope return in 2022.stay safe and dry today we are having large storm and we in the eye of of the storm.😎🚲🌬☔️☕️❤️🇨🇦🏴
That sounds scary! Yes France is a great country for cycling, hopefully you will be able to return!!
another good video, im planning to cycle from west UK to German in summer 2022 so im gathering tips and inspiration!
How are you friend. I watched more of your channel already. A good vlog is the one that captures the essence of your daily life. it is yours. I'm thinking where this is taken hmm... haha Your channel consistent! Did you use the ending video promo from utube at the end
Thanks for the compliment! Yes we're experimenting a little with where to place the advertisement.
Love the editing 😁 ride safe !
I ate heaps of that maize from the fields when i cycled through France this time of year. Watch out for wild pigs in the fields ahhaha ...starts to get cold soon!!
Yes we definitely had some boars roaming around our tent already!
Hello, I really like this video. I also find the choice of music very successful.
Thanks! 🙏
I love your videos!
Hi guys love the video, I like that you show the bike pushing, life touring is fabulous but it can be very tiring, for me the rain 🌧 is the part that really sux , interesting building happy I am not living in it ,soz Eric maudi am with you on this one ha ha , ps when is the live stream ,and have you guys managed to drop any weight, yes the bikes ha ha 😂.
We're also not a big fan of cycling in the rain, especially when it's cold!
Yes we did manage to drop some weight though we're always tempted to replace that with some extra gadgets for filming... We didn't cut our weight down to a bikepacking set-up yet. Livestream... hmzz... Well we're approaching the 50.000 subs, let's see...
@@WheelstoWander 50k awesome 👌 👏
Hi beautiful as always take care Rick::::::🚵🏻♂️✌️🌈
5 hours in a laundrette- I feel your pain.
😆 Thanks Jim!
Morning 🙋🏻♂️🚴♂️👋
Great video ! I notice improvements at every episode, you guys are getting good at this!
Try using a couple of tennis balls in the dryer with your down sleeping bag, makes it nice and fluffy !
I did 😲 Though I think the dryer was too big, so the balls kind of rotated together with the dryer instead of going diagonally...
Does this trick also work with a synthetic (polyester) sleeping bag?
You guys make me laugh!
Tennis ball work Brillant the secret is put it on pillow mode for the dryer… usually 6 hours
Exactly...it takes hours and hours to dry a down sleeping bag.
The baffles in the bag could have also split, which would cause cold spots. Or there are no baffles at all, so you have to shake the down around.
6 hours?! Damn! That's a shock - I have a down jacket that turned in to a thin, flat useless pancake-like thing after I washed it. I will attempt to fluff it up for a few hours today - my 10 to 15 minutes were obviously far too short!
@@Neilhuny 3 hours for jacketwith tennis balls or if no dryer and it sunny just hang out to dry and ever 30 minutes shake it and spend time breaking up the down with your fingers it take a day doing that but can be done
Great tips all, thanks! 👌
NICE! Do you know if the french LC-Building you show us is the same (or almost the same) as the "Berliner Corbusierhaus"? It looks very similar to me...
Hi Maudi and Eric,
Nice to see you back travelling again.
You don't mention Covid in this video, maybe I missed one, but how is it at the french border? Do you have to show proof of vaccination, and what about staying in places? The rules in France sound a lot stricter than in the UK.
Thanks Paul! Yes you’re expected to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result when they ask for it at the border, we haven’t been checked. Restaurants & campings are off limits if you don’t have a ‘pass sanitaire’. It might be different for every country depending on the severity of cases / colour code, we don’t know for sure.
You were both skilled amazing I know how hard to travel using bike only and you still need money even just biking and hopefully you both don't kill yourself just for the video so take care always on your adventures Mam,Sir ❤️ Love from Philippines.
Thanks Raymond, we will!
Great
Thanks for the discussion on Le Corbusier; he was an immensely talented artist/architect, too bad he had fascist leanings.
As did his designs.
It appears that the Le Corbusier building is abandoned? After your interesting introduction it would be interesting to know what happened. I lived in Chicago when the freeways were lined with tall, ugly public housing that were the worst possible places to live. The city cheered in the ‘90’s as they were all systematically demolished after politicians were elected after promising to do that. Public housing now is more in the suburbs in areas with mixed housing
It is 100% full with inhabitants. We were there ate a time everyone was working I guess. They did plan on taking it down in the 80ties but now it’s a national monument. I agree that there are too many ugly buildings resembling this one but I feel they are completely missing the point. Architecture is a complex craft with ever changing demands, social context and insights in human behavior. I hope we will prioritize human scale and interaction above money and all the things that follow. All the Best, Eric
@@WheelstoWander thanks Eric. I would say that I wouldn’t mind at all living in one of those units. I’d just offer a conversation that I had with a friend visiting from the Czech Republic in the mid-90’s as I drove him for his first visit to Chicago. As we were driving past a row of those public housing towers I gave a bit of history and comment. I said that they were in the process of being knocked down. My friend was shocked. He said that in the CR he and his family-and many in his country would be thrilled to live in such facility. He was totally blown away that they would just be torn down.
ilove this chancel ❤️
Good thing for the written captions @3:02!
Try a heavier ball , slice one of those tennis balls open and fill with sand , gravel . Seal it back up with shoelace or cordage wraps, not glue or duct tape. That might melt... A softball would probably work too. Or , put some sand/ gravel in a strong baggie inside a sock. Worth a try . Parts of CT USA got some frost last night, We are just starting to see color changes. What an amazing Air BNB. I need to get on that bandwagon someday. Allez!!!
Thanks for the great tips Robert, will definitely think about that the next time!! Enjoy the beautiful autumn colours 🍁
Do you guys plan where you are going to camp or just look out for a good spot later in the day?
Hi great to see yous on the road have you changed your handlebars? looking well
Hi Edward, we did make some changes. Perhaps we can discuss that in one of our future gear related video's!
Super ultra lightweight wristwatch at 5:32.
Glad someone else noticed 😂
Sharp eye ;-)
Love from village charwa se 💓💓
Always love your stuff.
Have you never considered a small solar panel to keep your batteries topped up?
Hi Mike, yes we have considered it but never tried it.
I have a big question for you .. as a man of 44 yo .. my hairs started to drop down .. from your perspective, what will be the consequences to wear a halmet every day for some hours a day ..? Will it make my hairs more vulnerable and maybe they will drop down more often?
Hallo maudi, probeer je slaapzak zoveel mogelijk uit zijn foedraal, (opgepropt in een te kleine opbergzak) te houden, begrijp dat dat op de fietstocht niet kan, maar wel als je een airb en b logeert, ik heb thuis mijn slaapzak lekker luchtig en losjes in de kast liggen, pas als ik op pad ga prop ik hem in de zak, afijn je begrijpt het....
Hoi Andre, ja goeie! Dat doe ik zeker, als we ergens stationair zijn. 👍
Mooie video weer
Fijne tocht
Mag ik vragen welke camera’s jullie gebruiken
Groetjes Peter
Hoi Peter, bedankt! We gebruiken allebij een Sony A6000 mirrorless, Eric met een Sony 18 - 105 F4 lens en ik met een Tamron 17 - 70 F2.8. De body voldoet, maar is inmiddels een beetje verouderd. Als het budget er is zouden we graag upgraden naar bvb. een A6600 of een fullframe.
I have washed my sleeping bag and when you put it in the dryer there is a setting you put it on after it’s dryed to make the bag lofted again
Really?
@@WheelstoWander I will see what it is called
@@WheelstoWander believe it or not it’s called fluff it’s air with no heat
@@WheelstoWander sent you a photo of it on Instagram 👍
Unfortunately high density low income housing breeds crime. We're replacing a lot of ours here in Toronto.
Hi bro, if not mistaken ur channel is under kids segment as i can't set notification. May u want to check & fix it. It can really help u guys fund ur travel. Take care form Malaysia
Hm it shouldn't be, thanks for letting us know. We will have a look at it.
I don't like that building or any high rise concrete monstrosity- not fit for human habitation. There are better ways to build social housing. In the UK most of those estates of high rises have gone now.
Since you liked that architecture style you might also like these videos by B1M
ua-cam.com/video/twfrEpHeLfw/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/u39z8JZbfWk/v-deo.html
Thanks for the link Martin! I will check it out 👍🏼
🇳🇵
What are the tennis balls for
The bumping they create in the tumble dryer helps lift - or 'loft' - the down in the sleeping bag
@@Neilhuny so you carry extra tennis balls to do laundry?
@@nevertoopoortotour.3033 Nope, never done it but I will now having seen this!
@@Neilhuny also, it could help at the end of the day to massage the upper back/shoulder area for those who suffer from it (me).
Yes, for lofting up the down. I didn't carry them all the way, I bought them for this occasion and later gave them away to a friendly dog 🐶 Indeed, good for massage too 👍
Yeah dat building is quite meh 😂😀
Hehe, so I'm not the only one 😎
In a sane world it should be a crime building something like that. It was made to depress people and turn them away from God and objective beauty. A society that loses the sense of beauty has no future.
Other than that, it was a great video, I'm enjoying your summer adventure. Hopefully it will bring you to sunny Portugal.
selam
Salam!
Why didn’t you continue with architecture and make it a career?
My idealistic side made me pursue architecture in a way that many changes where necessary. I realized that I am more a hands on kind of person and not one to go after changing rules and regulations.
I see the ground floor of the building is raised up to level 1, Well ahead of it's time in planning for climate change and flood control problems we have now.
Love to see the face mask? Unsubscribing (take care - )
That's crazy!
Brad, I work as a nurse for the Mayo Clinic. I admire and respect your concern for face masks, especially during these challenging times. As a nurse I wear a mask every shift for 12-14 hours. I also wear them in public places, but these folks are outdoors. Covid-19 is a Respiratory disease where pathogens can spread in confined places. Therefore, it is not necessary to wear a mask outdoors. The chances of getting infected by an airborne pathogen outside may be possible in a very large crowd of people, but not in these circumstances.
No hard feelings Brad, take care!
Maudie, you are not alone in not understanding the ways of the French laundromat.I toured France last month and laundry was the least favorite part of the trip. The least they could do is make clear instructions.
Haha, I feel understood! 😋