Anyway... Belgium was cold, had good road signs and small local shops to get food - something France doesn't seem to have. They just have big supermarkets in the big towns, but if you live in a village or somewhere too small to warrant a supermarket, then you have a bakery and a butchers, and that's all. We cycled about 50km one day, passing through every small village in the area, not one had an actual shop.
We were happy to get back into France, where we have cycle paths most of the time and when we don't, we have super slow friendly drivers passing us. We passed through Thionville, then Metz and on to Sarrebourg. We'd both had a "half fall" on the bikes up to this point. Jodie's being in England when going around a sharp bend, but he managed to jump off safely. Mine at the start of France, when I cycled onto a long and narrow drain with the cover broken off, but I also managed to jump off.
Jodie went for the full package this time though, although he still managed to turn it in to a "safe-ish" fall... We were approaching a roundabout going downhill, I was behind and both going at a safe speed. It was wet and raining as usual, and the second Jodie went to turn the bike, the wheels just slid out from under him. I was expecting a sudden thud and crash, but he sort of just slid off the bike head first when it hit the ground, and him and the bicycle just slid along next to each other for what seemed like ages - the whole way doing a 'Klinsmann Dive' (football celebration). I slammed my brakes on, and my bike started sliding too. I nearly skidded into the back of him, but just stopped in time. After he stopped sliding he was up instantly, and didn't seem to have hurt himself, and after bending his handlebars back into place we were off again.
A minute down the road and we were both sliding all over the show again, it was even difficult to stand without slipping. Then we noticed a colorful glimmer in the water on the road, and realised there was oil everywhere. We rode on the pavements for the next few kilometers and the oil was all the way along the road. When it finally stopped, we got some tissue and had to wipe all the oil off the tyres.
Today was the first day without rain for over a week, in fact it was sunny and quite warm. So it was a shame we only had 35km to cycle to reach the hotel. Just as well it was our hotel day today though, because a week of solid rain meant I was rapidly running out of dry clothes. Last nights rain finished off my last pair of trousers, which meant today I had to cycle in my pajama bottoms...which have a big hole in one knee...and an open crotch area...which made it feel very drafty and cold today...