Givet to Monthermé: 61.6 km
Last night we had an amazingly good meal at the restaurant next to our hotel in Givet. A three course set menu was transformed into a gastronomic feast with the the addition of delicious ameuse bouche and chocolate desserts on the house. Overnight it poured with rain so this morning we had a late start as we waited for the weather to clear. But, as you can see from the pictures, it didn’t stay dry for long!
We cycled through stunning scenery along the Meuse. Initially we wound along a wide valley past traditional French villages, window boxes adorned with flowers and town squares busy with locals. As we cycled further upriver the banks were lined with craggy outcrops and wonderfully green woodland reflecting in the slowly moving water. Wildlife abounds with herons fishing and geese hustling their young along the waterside. We had plenty of stops to admire the views, mainly under trees as we tried to shelter from the rain