The Braynes’ Tour de France Electrique continuing to go rather well, from Bordeaux and the Medoc down to the Pyrenees, where Mark spent a wonderful week this time of year in 1970 helping restore an old police station/young people’s holiday hostel in Saurat, near Tarascon-sur-Arriege (and Andorra).

Alongside the weather’s perfect timing, and the sheer pleasure of being in a European nation that’s PROUD of being European, it’s been particularly good to discover the brilliance of modern e-bikes, which enabled us to climb two 4000′ cols today, barrelling somewhat shamedfacedly past struggling French cyclistes doing it properly.

Jutta esp, who couldn’t/wouldn’t have done this sans electrisme, is glowing with pride and well-exercised muscles this evening. Another col tmmw?

Captions help put the pix in context

Travelling light. Not. Every evening, there are two mega-batteries to be charged for the Kalkhoff e-bikes, plus a robust and very ancient Lenovo X61s Thinkpad, two smartphones, a Garmin, and power for a Sony A7 camera.
This especially for Bill Mitchell. Close-up view of my bike, with Bosch motor and battery (takes 6 hours to charge), handy stand, excellent brakes, 28″ wheels. Seriously well made, and a pre-Brexit bargain at £1500 (£3000 the pair, with Jutta’s step-through.)
All tourists take this pic of Bordeaux, with a clever reflecting mirror pool with added steam vents to show off the municipal buildings at their best. It POURED in Bordeaux, but well-timed.
New wine barrels of beatiful French oak at Chateau Lanessan in the Haut Medoc. The contents are rather pleasant too, fuelling this post…
Couldn’t resist. Snails for sale, alive-alive-oh, at Saurat flower market in the Pyrenees
The exquisitely (in process of being) modernised former police station/hostel which I/Mark helped first renovate way, way back in 1970, with a bunch of fellow students organised by the Service Civil International, the SCI.
What the old police station looked like when I was there scraping old wallpaper and plastering in 1970.
Reprise of 1970 photo (keep reading…)
The original. An original. 1970.
Glorious Enzian (Gentian) on the upper Pyrennean slopes
Proud Jutta. Just a little bit of help from the electrics..