Tours!

I arrived in Tours at 2am this morning. The EBE bus was an experience,especially when they dropped me and 6 other cyclists off basically in the roundaout outside the Premiere Classe hotel, in the middle of the nite,which is a trucker crash place, but it only cost €38 and there was a shower and a clean bed. you get into the hotel after hours by swiping your credit card to obtain the room number and key. I am typing this on a French keyboard in the YHA in Tours, and the keys are in unusual places. Making mistqkes still learning. All the truckstops on the autoroute (routiers) hav free wi fi, but i am not carrying a computer and my UK cell phone isn't set up for internet. Internet cafes may be going the way of the public phone box and other dinosaurs. Rain today so i will start the camping tomorrow. I did navigate to the tourist bureau outside the trqain station doowntown,and i now have the Loire a Velo maps. I massacred my limited French and everyone was very nice in there and spoke English thank goodness as it is way confusing todqy. I also have mybike stored in the YHA closet,and i just joined them €24 and private room, so now it is time to find lunch. I just passed a great looking patisserie up the street so guess where i am headed now i have somewhere to stay.

And, get this, i rode about 5km from the airport this am with all the rush hour traffic, and it is true! French drivers, INCLUDiNG truckers, pull out to pass you and patienty tool along behind you, plus Tours has bike lanes all over. it is looking good despite the lousy weather. Now i just need to get used to reading my odometer in KM.