Day 18: Religiously Hot

Metz to Haut-Clocher (86km)

I want it noted that while I complained a lot about the rain in the UK, I never once complained about it being cold. I am stating this now so that I am afforded more leeway in this post to complain about the heat.

I haven’t been starting the days particularly early on this stage, I am not covering huge distances and arriving at my destination early provides very few advantages. Therefore, I prefer to leisurely get up, pack and set off and today was no different. Metz proved to be a little troublesome to exit from, I’m sure there was probably a road that went directly out of the city that I could’ve taken, but instead I blindly followed my maps through a series of bike paths, that left me feeling like I’d been on a guided tour of Metz (the commentary was replaced with my own swearing). Eventually, I escaped the city and headed for the D999 where I would spend the majority of the day. The D999 took me all the way to lunch, where I needed to stock up for the rest of the day. The place I was booked in to stay was in a very small village where the only restaurant was closed that evening, so I was advised to bring my own food. Despite yesterday’s baguette issues, I decided to try again, this time buying a shorter, fatter version. Loaded with food, I carried on.

It was now really hot, the hottest day so far and I was finding shade hard to come by. I was also well aware that I wasn’t drinking enough water to stay hydrated and was getting frustrated by the lack of shops on the route. One section of the road turned to gravel, then to pebbles and then to broken tarmac, this decline in road quality was enough for my frustration to boil over into a bombardment of rage. One particular bump lead to an alteration in the position of the newly acquired baguette, it moved just enough to now be sticking into my backside. I turned around, grabbed the baguette and flung it in the field. From a distance, it probably looked like a kind cyclist was doing his bit for nature and providing nourishment for the wildlife. In reality, it was a poor choice that left me short of food for dinner.

I eventually reached the small village of Haut-Clocher and set about finding my hotel. This part of France gives the impression that it is extremely religious, there are more churches than shops and more statues of Jesus than people. Without realising, it was in one of these churches that I was booked in for the night. I was to be staying in a converted convent, which just to complete the day’s enjoyment was atop a large hill. I spent the rest of the evening trying to re-hydrate and concoct a dinner from my now diminished food supplies. A hot hot day on the bike, but another step closer to the Danube, hoping to be in Germany tomorrow.