Wake early and slowly get it together. Bump into the camp manager whilst doing my washing up.
No getting out without paying then. She comes over to me in the tent and says something. I think she says I have to be out by 10:30. I get a move on to get packed just in case she wants to charge me double. When I go to pay it's only half nine and I've mis-read the time. Kicking out time is 12 o'oclock. Oh well I'm on the move. I pay my 8 euro 50 and depart.
At the first supermarche I see I stop and get some food. I haven't had eggs for ages so add some of those to some sardines and fruit. My diet has been a bit ubalanced and I need to restore it. The first 20km of the day are really hard work, even though the hills are not that steep and I've got less weight than when I started. I stop for lunch at a canal with lakes either side, fry up some eggs and have marmalade on toast to go with it. After I've washed up I go up one of the lake paths and dump my bike on the bank and go for a swim. Not as beautiful as a few days a go but welcome all the same. Then I dry off in the sun eating windfall apples and pears. Whilst I am half asleep on my back a bell rings a few times. I look up and a guy cycling past has lost his bell and its landed near me. As luck would have it he has a Lumix camera like mine. I had seen him earlier on a boat on the canal and ask if he has his charger. He kindly offers to charge my battery for me whilst I have another swim. Cheers Roland from Germany and family. Much appreciated.
When I depart the lakes I can see mountains off in the far distance. I will be going through these on my way to Germany and I am a bit fearful of what to expect. I'm so lacking strength today that when I reach an Aldi on the outskirts of Sarrebourg I decide to put things right and gather some proper food for a feast. A whole roast chicken, 6 chocolate milkshakes, a gigantic brioche, veg, fruit and vanilla pudding desserts, not to mention a few beers for the emergency fund. I down four of the milkshakes in quick succession and feel like a new man. Sarrebourg is pleasing to the eye with lots of modern art and sculptures dotted around the place. After quite a while in the country it's nice to see some art. Delightful as Sarrebourg is I need to find a good place in time for my feast. I've seen a good route to Saverne along the river and stick to this plan. The milkshakes are working; I'm sure the hills don't seem quite so bad anymore. It's either that or the thought of all that lovely food. I find myself in Niderviller and out of water. I see an old lady watering her front lawn and ask her to fill my bottles and she kindly agrees. I now have the full supplies for a night in the woods and a feast. I follow the road along the river and find what I've been looking for: The canal bike path. This is the best yet. It follows 14 locks down a few kms of disused canal. The lock keeper's house at each lock is still there. Some are colourfully decorated and still lived in, others are abandoned. At some points the canal bed is visible drying up in the sun. At others the water that remains is home for all sorts of wild life and beautiful tall reeds grow from the watery channel. I see hardly any people on my descent. This is perfect camping country if you don't mind being seen by the odd person. I go all the way to the bottom and then come back ½ a km to a wide basin in the canal that is now a huge reed bed. A walking trail takes you over a tiny wooden bridge and up into the forest. I push the bike over the bridge and have a great view of the valley and the reed bed. Although the only flat place to pitch is across the path you can still get around me so that's where I pitch up. Before long I've done all the setting up and I've devoured the rest of the milkshakes, a whole roast chicken and some vegetanbles fried up to go with it. A few vanilla crème desserts leave me almost dead. I go to lock up the bike before I go to sleep and notice the locks are missing. I take a guess that I've left them at the place up the path where I stopped at earlier. Although only a ten minute walk, it's in pitch blackness up to a derelict house. The valley and path now seem somewhat creepier. I don my head torch and swig down another beer to give me courage. I'm a complete wimp and have toughened up quite a bit since doing this cycle touring lark. The thought of camping in the woods doesn't bother me any more, but the thought of walking up the path does send a bit of a shiver down my spine . Off I go finding my way by torch light looking behind me every five seconds. I get to the place and find one of the locks but not the cable. I guess someone has seen it and picked it up. The heavy u lock would be no good because its locked. The good lock is better than nothing and off I go back to base, feeling a bit braver with a heavy lock in my hand to defend myself. Where I have camped has a strange odour about it and I thought it was just the plants. When I get close to the tent I find the reason why. My torch light shines on the bank and I see a rib cage of a person with arms held out, I absolutely shit myself, it looks like a child. Within seconds my head has moved and I've managed to realise with the torch movement that its a dead deer. Jesus, that was one of the scariest moments of my life. Now hysterical with relief I start singing to myself to calm myself down. A combination of this and the massive amount of food and the constant storms and lightning happening off in the distance do not make for a good nights sleep.
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