Sue's virtual bike ride - Swindon to Paris

I did it !!
Today saw my ride past some of the best known Parisian landmarks and some lesser known ones,Grand Arch, Bois de Boulogne , Roland Garos ,home of the French Open Tennis , then cutting across to Parc Monceau, the Opera to the Louvre and up the Champs Elysees to the Arc du Triomphe Brought back lots of memories of trips to Paris
The Swindon Adver wrote a great piece today on my ride swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/18580605.chief-executive-cycles-600km-paris-virtual-ride-swindon-volunteers-centre.
I will keep this page open for a couple of weeks . I will then give a final update on the total raised A huge thank you again to all my supporters , it has meant a lot to me
Sue

The finish line is in site , well not quite. with a day to go I have reached the suburbs of Paris .
Since the last update I have been past Maisons Lafitte with its racecourse and chateau, Saint-Germain-en-Laye chateau and Asnières the location of Seurat's Bathers painting. No time for a paddle in the Seine

Still peddling roughly along the meandering banks of the Seine from Honfleur, passing by the ruins of Jumièges Abbey , onto Rouen with its amazing cathedral, the ruins of Richard the Lionheart's Château-Gaillard and Monet's Gardens at Giverny . Definitely reaching the home straight as the nearby train line is part of the Paris suburban network. NO you cannot get on the train ,its the road for you still

Despite the heat I have been carrying on steadily along the road . Went through Caen with its castle in the city centre. Then heading back up to the coast crossing over Pegasus Bridge to Merville then the resorts of Deauville and Trouville . I then reached the Seine estuary at the pretty port of Honfleur. I will now be roughly following the Seine all the way to Paris .

A fascinating few days across the Normandy Landing Beaches past Normandy American Cemetery ( featured in Saving Private Ryan), the Canadian Juno Beach , and onto Arromanches les Bains ,part of Gold Beach then heading inland to stop and "explore"Bayeux . A town with many sites besides the Tapestry to visit, not least the thought provoking The War Reporters' Memorial garden. I am currently on the road towards Caen and new adventures