The rhythm of the days

We covered 198 kilometers in the end because we couldn't help but snooping around the villages. I'm not going to lie to you, once the average of 35 kilometers a day was completed, the children only wanted to enjoy the games of the campsites and have fun with each other.
At 9, we do not organize ourselves in the same way. The days run even faster! Lunch time, folding bags and tents, departure is often brought to 9:30 am. This is followed by a 2-hour walk followed by a lunch break, which also includes the search for a picnic (salted pies, vegetables, ham, cheese and fruit). We then cycle for 2 hours to reach the campsite around 16h00. On this canal, we crossed the villages as soon as the opportunity arose, lengthening the daily journey from 4 to 5 kilometers. That was more than enough for the two seniors on their bicycles.
These times of walks were the occasion to exchange, to play with the children all kinds of games of observation, charades... During the moments of tiredness or saturation for the 3 girls in carrioles, we changed the rhythm and the groups. Snacks and meals are often motivating.

When they arrive at the campsite, the rhythm changes again: discovery of the places, location of the 3 tents, setting up tents, showers and games for the children (actually, they play 70% of their time). For our part, the campsite has the advantage of not giving too many constraints. Once the tent is set up, the bags unwrapped, the evening takes place at the rhythm of the sunset. The meals are quite basic: starchy, vegetables or a great feast when the campsite offers a restaurant service: i. e. fried sausages, ice-cream... In short, the advantage of this return to simplicity is the absence of dithering as for menus. We eat what we find!
This is how much we will have enjoyed the boxes of cassoulet and ravioli that were so warmly offered to us after a day of intense rain!

The children

Let's get back to the subject we are concerned about: how our days unfolded and the essential questions such as: How did your 12-month-old child experience this journey? Today it has two houses: our home and the carriage. Manon sometimes wanted to get out of the cart, but her older sister Alice looked after her. The 4 hours of journey passed quickly between the naps and the exchanges with his sister. Only a fall on the tar (she didn't yet work very well) and a tick that won her a visit to the doctor. Thankfully, there were no obvious consequences, but in this case we did not hesitate to take him to the local doctor to avoid any unnecessary anguish or complication.
Alice and Anouk were old enough to be towed on their bikes. Our choice was to take them on a sleigh ride. Luckily for Anouk suffered an ear infection all along the way. She was able to rest in her carriage and enjoy the playtime together. Sleeping in the tent did not disturb her sleep too much. The situation was more complicated at the end of the trip when we had a rainy day and night. Her parents then rented a bungalow tent in the campsite - with beds.
Alice's dream was to pedal. We asked him to take care of his little sister in the carriage. She was very proud. So she pampered her travel companion. A week seemed like a good time for her age.
Coline and Gabriel are proud to have held on all along the way. We had to motivate them too; we paid attention to their sleep. The advantage of this type of environment: the calm of campsites. Once the sun sets, the evening with the flashlight does not necessarily encourage the little sportsmen and women: they fell asleep quickly. No injuries but a few low morale at the end of the trip. They were challenged through encounters with other young cyclists.

The meetings

As modest as the journey was, it brings rich encounters. The people we met on this trip were precious memories: many families, lonely people, all passionate about adventure. It's part of that trip I didn't suspect before I left.
Coming from all walks of life, experienced cyclists, curious about life above all, these meetings also allowed us to share some tricks for the rest of our travels, to spend very pleasant evenings to evoke our past or planned journeys! MERCI
The good mood never tarnished this trip. Even when the penultimate stage has been more than wet (which does not disturb the children at all). We shortened our trip by 30 km for timing reasons and because the children were a little tired. On a trip of 3 weeks or more, it is possible to take longer breaks but this one did not allow it.

What we have left of this journey

The general opinion of adults and children: this holiday was not only relaxing but also refreshing!
All we had to worry about was discovering and seeing this landscape that subtly wandered along the miles. No great discoveries, no grandiose landscapes either, but nature and local traditions that had to be learned to look at. It is perhaps this aspect that will have most marked me: the observation and the quest for this intimacy that will make these places a unique world.