Weathering A Difficult Day!

Yesterday was a rough day on the travel front. We decided to head back to the beaches to see some more sights and had read, as we found out on our previous journey, that bus service to the area is sporadic and unreliable. So we decided to rent bikes and take on the journey on two wheels ( we considered hitching again but figured a bike would suffice and allow us to travel at our own pace). All was well to start, we got the bikes and made it out of town without getting lost or run over (not too many bike paths through the city). We decided to go to Arromanches and the beaches East of Omaha before visiting the American Cemetary. Not too long after this decision, G's gear thing-a-majig snapped in half. We were now stuck in the small town of Comme, a really quaint village but not our destination nor our preferred method of having to stay there. Luckily, an ederly couple was walking by and called the rental guy to tell him what happened and where we were. We spent the next hour hanging out while the owner brought us a new bike, or so we hoped. He got there and told us it broke because you can't shift into first gear, which didn't seem right at all....but we ventured on. It soon began to drizzle and the temperature started to drop. We got to the beach and enjoyed lunch on the coastal rocks. This is when it really started raining and the wind got going gale force style. We had no other option than to keep on trucking, yet we were about 15 km out of town. After another hour we were soaked with no sign of the rain letting up; now we could see our breath. It was still going okay but the final stretch, a road of about 7 km, was rough. The wind really got going and there was a lot of uphill to conquer. By this point we were just pushing to get back to the shop. We finally made it and returned the bikes; they charged us for the damage 'we caused' to the first bike. Not being able to speak fluent French made trying to argue the charge a mute point. It was just a bummer as the bike was rented to us in disrepair. We then walked back to the train station to get back home. We had about 20 minutes til the next train left (19 of which were spent in quiet, anxiety in line ( we were beat and ready to get home) luckily the first woman in line offered anyone catching the next bus to pass her so they could get a ticket in time. This was cool...a much needed break. We got back to town and hoofed it to the closest bus stop, still soaked and getting moreso with every step (which can be fun and enjoyable on a summer afternoon, almost romantic...but on a cold, February evening it feels about as warm and fluffy as Poe's literature). We caught the bus and got within a ten minute walk of the hotel. We buckled down and made it. Hot showers and canned ravioli for all... we couldn't have been happier! We decided to change our train tickets the next day to be able to relax for a day. Tomorrow it is back to Paris to catch a bus to Madrid where we will meet up with Dori and Nerea! Should be really great! We ate looking forward to the fast approaching Spring and southern lands! Well, there you have it!