We have been riding the last few days through a patchwork quilt of agriculture - vineyards to begin with and then wheat and corn fields and a mysterious experimental and very fragrant crop we often encounter. We are now enjoying the Ardennes region where we see dairy and beef cattle grazing happily on the sweet very green grass.
The symbol of the Ardennes is the large Wild Boar or Sanglier, not frequently seen these days although we did see a large family of them in a harvested wheat field one evening. We stayed at the Hotel au Sanglier where even the Limoges china had the famous image, and a massive sculpture exists which we passed en route towards our charming B&B, the oldest house in the tiny hamlet of Margy.
It even had a most appropriate seat in the bathroom... !
We have used the "D" roads, and sometimes tiny paved roads which are meant for agricultural machinery since busy roads are very dangerous. We've found the canal and riverside paths have deteriorated and are extremely bumpy or difficult for our overloaded tandem (we've even mailed off another 20 lbs of possessions to lighten our load)! We have also avoided the steeper roads, despite their beautiful views...
...but soon our navigation worries will be over ~ once we begin the Voie Verte, 83 km of uninterrupted and scenic bike paths.
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