nichepoetryandprose

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red gate north of Grande Bernegoue (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)

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On March 27, I biked through the countryside…

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rural area east of Grande Bernegoue (image from Street View)

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I stopped briefly in a small village called Grande Bernegoue…

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Grande Bernegoue (image from Street View)

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I passed an interesting building in Grande Bernegoue, with many of the features of old buildings in this part of France.  It’s made of stone, with a clay tile roof.  The walls have projections to support an addition that has been removed.  Empty niches may once have held beams.  Iron ‘X’s are embedded in the walls, part of a system to fortify stonework.  In this case, an old entryway has been filled in with stone.

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old stone building (image from Street View)

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I stopped ‘for the night’ at a stable beside the road.  There seemed to be no one about…

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stable (image from Street View)

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but a closer look showed me I was not alone…

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beside the stable, to the right, is a big black draft horse (image enlarged from Street View)

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Best View: roses and marigolds in bloom in Grande Bernegoue…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

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houses along the river (image from Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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On March 25, I biked again along the Sèvre Niortaise.  The houses are so close to the road!  Opening a door or shutters too quickly would be a bad idea!…

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look closely to see the metal birds on the walls of the house, used as decorations (image from Street View)

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Damvix is a charming town with an old church and narrow streets…

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narrow street in Damvix (image from Street View)

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Outside Damvix, I encountered another quick change of seasons.  As I approached a corner it was January and the fields were plowed, ready for planting…

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winter field (image from Street View)

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By the time I had gone another two meters, It was fall!  The corn had been planted and it was ripening in the field…  (Street View had photographed the blooming in April, 2010 and then recommenced in winter, January 2011) …

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fall field with corn (image from Street View)

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Near the end of my trip, I saw this stone tower on the side of the road…

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stone tower along road (image from Street View)

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Best View: a house in Damvix with a painted yellow sidewalk and lime green trim…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)

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Although only part of my path was along the Sèvre Niortaise, the wet landscape was obvious everywhere.  There were so many canals, houses appeared to be on islands…

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is all land surrounded by water an island??? (image from Street View)

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I was tempted to go ‘off-route’ by the entrance to this bike trail, but, ever afraid of getting lost, I peddled on towards Sainte-Sabine…

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entrance to bike trail (image from Street View)

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Best View: reflection of sky on water along the Sèvre Niortaise…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

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a house along the river (image by Street View)

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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Today, I met two cyclists along the road…

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two cyclists along the road (image by Street View)

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Jane:  Bonjour!  Il fait beau, oui? (Hello.  It’s nice out, eh?)

Pierre de Cheveux-Blancs (Pierre with the white hair): Bonjour Madame.  Pourquoi est-ce que votre bicyclette n’ont pas des roues? (Hello – why doesn’t your bicycle have any wheels?)

Jane: Parce que c’est un bicyclette stationnaire!  (Because it’s a stationary bicycle!)

Pierre de Cheveux-Blanc: Un bicyclette stationnaire!  Comment est-ce que vous faites de progrès? (A stationary bicycle?  How do you make any progress?)

Jane:  Je fais mon progrès dans ma tête! (I make my progress in my head!)

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My bike trip took me along the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise in the resort town of Coulon…

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boats along the river in Coulon (image by Street View)

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Wouldn’t it be pleasant to live along the river?

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houses along the river (image by Street View)

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Best View: a boat docked along the Sèvre Niortaise…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013

The beginning of Phase 4 !  My exercise scheme of virtual biking is paying off.  After going 385 minutes (67.8 km) on my stationary bike in Phases 1, 2 and 3, I have lost weight, I feel stronger and I have more walking stamina.  I am looking forward to my progress in Phase 4.  I am also going to try to make my trip more interesting for you, my reader.

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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Maps)

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Interesting views along the route on my first day of Phase 4 included a young hardwood plantation…

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a plantation of trees (image from Street View)

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and a fence made of woven grasses…

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hay fence … appears to be made from grasses ‘sewn’ together (image from Street View)

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Best view:  a pot of blue flowers perched on a fence in Magné…

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Copyright  Jane Tims  2013