24 Aug - Inzlingen Germany to somewhere in France

We get rolling around 9:30, and the route has us entering Switzerland. We were there for approximately one mile before we were back to Germany! The signage and license plates on vehicles were Swiss, but otherwise you wouldn’t have realized you had crossed a border.

The rest of the day consisted of nice winding roads through dairy farms and vineyards. Now I know why the cheese in France is so good. The cows have it made! They’re all free-range, basking in the sun and shade together. It looks like they’re on vacation!

The afternoon was hot, over 90F but we got our stride and put down some miles before finally stopping in Bourg-en-Bresse France. I opted for a cheap hotel because it was hot and getting late.
 

25 August - Borge en Bresse to Ardeche France

We traveled from Bourge en Bresse southeast, skirting the outside of Lyon and toward Valence France. We ran many fast country roads with wide open views of the Rhône river valley. As we made it further south, it was getting warmer, and it felt like we were heading into southern France. This was most evident by the more arid climate, more deciduous trees, and more pastel colored buildings in all the old towns we passed through.

We met a fellow moto rider from Germany at our hotel in Bourge that morning, and he recommended that we set our sights for the Pont d’Arc, a natural stone arch in the Ardeche (AR-DESH) river gorge. So that’s where we headed, about 130 miles away. As the day pressed on, the heat exceeded 92F, so we were eager to get there.

The last stretch coming into the gorge from the south was spectacular, with the road hugging the edge of the canyon and tempting views at every corner (keep your eyes on the road!). Not to mention the miles and miles beautiful paved curves! This is a paradise that I would love to visit again.

We settled at a campground about a mile south of the Pont d' Arc on the Ardeche river. It is a snug (and busy) campground, but has all the facilities we need: showers, laundry, and a restaurant! We already chatted with another couple from England that rode in on a Ducati Multistrada. They’ve given us a good route to take tomorrow as we head towards the Pyrenees and then Andorra.

The sun is glaring overhead and couldn't wait to get out of our motorcycle gear, so the first order of business was a swim in the river. It’s a shallow and wide river with a gentile current and the temperature is perfect. The campground is a popular canoe launch too, so there were lots of people launching and drifting by as we swam.

I made dinner at camp: penne pasta with vegan meatballs from a mix I found at the grocery store. I’m curious how this will turn out.
 

26 Aug - Ardeche to Millau France

We departed the campground headed for Millau and I forecasted we were in for a treat. First was passing by the Pont d’Arc, an amazing natural rock arch over the river, approximately 60 feet in diameter. We rode down through the Tarn River gorge, an amazing narrow gorge almost 100km long, that is one of the oldest scenic tourist routes in France. I highly recommend traveling this area. 

There were many historic chateaus and small towns along the river as the road cut through the limestone tunnels and overhangs more times than I remember. Another place to come back to.

We ended the day at a campground on the river in Aguessac, just outside Millau.Most campgrounds we’ve been to so far have some kind of restaurant or bakery on site so you can submit your request for fresh bread in the morning. This place has a simple pizza restaurant with outdoor seating. I opted for pizza for dinner because I was feeling a little tired. The pizza was not great, but it did the job and it was cheap.
 

27 Aug - Millau to Tolouse France

We woke up at the campsite rested and made camp food because the local bakery didn’t open until 7:30am.

We got on the road around 9:00, which is pretty good. We were only minutes away from the town of Millau, whose main attraction is the Millau Viaduct (bridge) that spans 900 feet above the Tarn river at a length of 1.5 miles! Its beautifully designed and an amazing sight to see. We rode the valley beneath the bridge, then up and over on the interstate toll road.

The rest of the day we sprinted across the French countryside towards Tolouse on beautiful sweeping secondary roads. This is all low country, just north of the Pyrenees.

We arrived in Tolouse in good time and found our hotel near the city center which also has gated parking. After a little freshen-up we head back out in foot to explore the riverfront area and to hunt down some food. Restaurants don’t get going until 7pm or later in Europe, so sometimes it’s a challenge to find a place serving food before then (they are open for drinks!). We find a little tapas place, and I got a couple vegetarian dishes which were delicious (grilled sweet potatoes and avocados, both garnished with delicious pesto or sauce of some kind).

All is well and we're headed into the Pyrenees to Andorra tomorrow!
 

28 Aug - Tolouse to Andorra la Vella (Andorra)

We got up in Toulouse and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. Today the plan is to head south to Andorra la Vella, the capital city of Andorra in the Pyrenees. It's a small land locked country on the France-Spain border.

The rolling countryside gradually ran deeper into the mountains until we reach a fork in the road. You have the option to take a tunnel through the mountain to Andorra, or over the mountain pass. Naturally we chose to ride the mountain pass to Pass De la Casa at nearly 8000 feet. Here we found (surprisingly) several gas stations, shopping, and an auto racing track! I may have to come back for a kart ride.

We dropped down the other side of the pass through several ski resorts and landed in Andorra la Vella. The town is situated on a mountainside and built over a couple large streams. The buildings cling to the side of the hill, and in some places the road is built above the stream!

We weaved our way through the winding streets up to our hotel and put the bikes in the private garage. As we check into the hotel it's our first indication we are speaking Spanish now (actually Catalan). This marks the third language we've experienced. Time to switch our brains and vocabulary skills to Spanish.

That afternoon I went out for a walk around town and found a nice network nature trails that meander behind the residential areas and eventually takes you down to the commercial district downtown.

This is quite a touristy town with many high end stores, a massive spa, and multiple ski resorts in the surrounding area.