Sutra 6 - July,8th CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES – SEDAN – MONTMEDY (75,5KM) THE DARK YEARS... Blind Man’s bl
Cycling now for more than a week ... with Patanjali's teachings. Already in the second sutra ... the whole meaning of this practice is explained. Controlling, silencing the busy mind, creating some space there to see how our thoughts and own perception has the power to limit us or grand us freedom. Our attitude and mindset towards situations is liberating or binding us. The external world as it is has no power upon us ... this ''outside world'' is the outcome of how we choose to see it. This was my mindful practice for this week ... and this ''cycling sutra''is a special one!
This was the hardest day of the whole first week, but I decided to take a step back and see beyond the frustration, fear and doubt I was feeling that day, and make a small adventure out of it, have fun, see the bright side, learn something out of it and enjoy a little journey ... back in time!
THE BLIND MAN'S BLUFF ...
Woke up quite a tiny bity late around 10:00, from the sounds of a guy with some kind of machine doing some maintenance down the cycling path … wow .. I started packing everything so fast, and decided to have breakfast later on in Charleville-Mezieres … it was only 8km away and I could have a nice ice-coffee too. Haha I was feeling so bad-ass that day, nothing would stand on my way, my ego was already overwhelmed by a sense of confidence and strength! I had everything figured, my maps my supplies! What could go wrong? Oh well … man makes plans and the Gods are always laughing !
Cycled to Charleville-Mezieres and already started feeling uncomfortable … being in a busy city centre after a few days in peace and silence. Found a café, had some epic cake-breakfast time catching up with my journal and trying to charge my phone through my power bank … both dying at that moment as the café didn’t have any plugs to soak some power. Time flew by and it was 15:00 when I decided to leave the city while the weather was a bit cold and cloudy.
OMG … little did I know of what was there ahead … awaiting for me that late afternoon …
Do you people remember of that cute but kinda annoying game we used to play as kids it's history actually goes really back in time… ‘’The blind man’s bluff’’ ... Let me remind you with a little video excerpt:
Well my ''blind man's bluff'' game didn't have a happy ending like this ... It cost me so many hours to get out of this city towards the correct direction and find the f*****g D764 leading to Sedan...
People not speaking a word in English and apparently not being sure about how to find that direction themselves, kept on sending me from the West to the South and from East to the North in endless circles, while others just pointed the huge motorway on the bridge above me leading to Sedan thinking I am stupid I don't see it! It's right there! Yea I would be stupid to take it and end up splashed on a car's window like a fly! ... PEOPLE I AM NOT DRIVING A CAR, I AM ON A FUCKIN' BICYCLE!!!!
My Gps had no signal and my battery was already dying again ... when the rain started ... I had already spent a good 2 hours, in vain of tracking down D764...
DEUS EX -MAC-HINA...
Standing at a corner of an even more tempting at that moment pattiserie, full of chocolate and goodies that would take this frustration away, leaving me with a short feeling of redemption ... I got the attention of an old french guy that must have felt sorry for me, as I was looking on my map like it was an ancient Egyptian scripture... came to offer some help and with the use of the Fren-glish language ... I got where he was pointing me to. Thanked him and thought to take this last chance before I call it a day, and throw my escaping plan down the drain.
Finally to my surprise,after hours of struggle I was getting somewhere!!! I soon found my precious D764 and not only! Following my way out of the city towards Sedan I saw the very known Mcdonalds sign ...
I don't like supporting this piece-of-plastic-immortal-food-shit burger chain but with just a cup of tea I could use the Wi-Fi, charge my phone, refill my water bag, and get a shelter away from the rain for a while to organize myself!
THE SIRENS' ENCHANTING SONG...
When I started cycling again the rain had calmed down a bit ... I wasn't sure of what to do ... the time was already 19:30, when a thought came to me expressed through the words : FUCK IT! I would make it to Montmedy tonight, were I could reach the only camping on the way, istead of spending the night wild camping once more.
I had food, I had water, and I had the will (plus some excessive sugar I had eaten and needed to be burnt) plus ... MY GPS ON BOARD .. so I said to Jack ... Let's do this!
I was ready to squeeze the last ray of light out of sky to my advantage, and make it to Montmedy the late evening. I was determined, and needed to cycle-off the city-trap frustration of the day! When I also saw my map indicating that the way would be flat enough up to 24 km before Montmedy ... I started flying! Not listening to music being so focused on my GPS directions that kept on calling me to letting my map to rest and put my faith and trust on the beautiful enchanting siren's voice ... what a melody ... sweet and warm... turn right ... in 300 meters turn left ... in 500 meters turn ... before I knew it I had fallen under her wicked spell... like Odysseas I had to find my way to Ithaka the hard way ... through a lot of obstacles ... sometimes leading nowhere like this one:
a little ''line'' leading to this construction next to the river and ending to someone's garden behind it ... dare to cross it with a heavy load from the side and good like swimming to drag your bike out of the river ...
Or this one ...
leading to a non- walked - since - the - middle - ages path till I had to walk through it that day... thinking that : someone had the idea to make a cycling path out of it once ... and a smarter guy was sitting next to him said: ''Great! Let's put it on google maps as a cycling route then! Brilliant!'' Well done guys ... you seriously ''rock'' big time! ...
Anyhow ... I could right a whole page of the route's mistakes that the siren (GPS) was sending me to, showing no mercy ... so my only advice is if you are cycling from Sedan to Montmedy STAY PUT ON D764 OR D8043 and DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SIREN'S CALL ... as Odysseas adviced his argonauts to put wax and shut their ears to keep on going while the siren was singing I will tell you ... follow your map and put your earphones on ... listening to this tune: '' The siren'' by Nightwish ;-)
Of course that had concequences ... the siren's curse and spell kept on going even stronger now and just at the start of the uphill demanding part 24 km before reaching Montmedy, the storm that I had been playing hide and seek for days now finally got me for good! The skies literaly opened and I was standing in the middle of nowhere with no shelter around thinking that the only option was just to keep on going ... hoping it would stop soon and the mountain's air would dry me by the time I 'd reach the camping ... well that never happened! At least I still had my music on to keep me going as the road was getting steeper and only steeper. I would have to cycle through a storm so late in the night through mountain roads for the first time in my life ... and I didn't know if I was ready for something like this ... :-s
SPECIAL CHAPTER: THE QUEST - DARK (K)NIGHT AT THE CITADEL'S GATE ...
Montmedy July, 8th 1657 midnight... Spanish legions approaching the Citadel ....
It was not long ago I had the last glance of the sun’s descending dance, taking the last sense of warmth from the land, giving way to the mist that now had covered the valley beneath us. He had gracefully melted it’s rays behind the mountains leaving it’s last reflection on the river … the only sign left for us to follow faithfully and surely as it’s waters' were following an aeternal flow, from the mountains to the lands beneath, them, nourishing the Earth., in this neverending circle of existence
A furious storm was now dominating our path, showing the wrath of the Gods upon us with lightning and thunder. My armour felt heavy on my shoulders, and the frost was spearing my old wound. Our precious supplies seemed nothing but a chain of burden tied on our legs, slowing down our effort to push through the distance...
My eyes that had seen so many battles, cities burnt and be born from ash once again, men getting weak or rising through fire, were still wide open… looking for a sign, something to believe in.
My horse’s breath was steaming out his mouth as he was pacing up the mountain’s path and my thirst would not be quenched even if I tried to taste the drops of rain hitting my face showing nature’s force. Although our journey and sacred mission had not seen many moons and suns rising, We had come a long way. ...
That night with no stars but only fire leading the way, we had to reach our destination. My heart started beating fast as the first sight of the Citadel and the fires around her walls appeared. She was standing beautiful and strong fighting nature’s and mens anger while winds and storm were beating against her walls merciless, wrinkling it’s beauty and scaring her towers. We started riding faster, Craving to reach her feet and smell it’s perfumes, listening to her sound and be caressed by her veils.
It was midnight when we finally arrived. The call behind the walls ‘’… Hold the gates!’’!! made me hold my sword stronger. We had been awaited... Soon our shadows would become one with the city’s dark embrace …blazed through fire and iron the city would be taken ...
Montmedy july 8th, 2015 midnight. A girl on her bicycle approaching the Citadel ...
Holy shit .... I was all soaked and completely exhausted! Nightfall was there for good and the storm too ... Last 15 kilometers to Montmedy's Citadelle and I had to start walking side by side with Jack pushing him up again, putting my trust and faith on my strong lights, my knife hanging around my waste, the road, and peoples good intentions and driving skills. Hoping I hadn't gone out of my way .... My vision was down to ground zero cause the rain was slapping my face like a bitch and if you expect finding any lights up those narrow mountain roads, forget about it...!!!
''Fucking hell'' I was thinking to my self while at the same time I was trying to practice my patience and positive thinking ... tones of theory equals one gram of experience as swami sivananda wisely said. Especially when fear and doubt had reached red levels ... still it was something to keep my mind focused.
Moreover my old shoulder injury was torturing me again from all this intense effort and Jack's heavy load was slowing us down making me think: ''Do I really need 100% of all the stuff I am carrying? tempted to even start throwing things away'' ... and then I saw it! The last turn up the hill and the citadelle was there!!!! with the camping right there too!!!!!
Yessssss the road started going downhill and I got a sudden sparkle ! I had made it ... and to be honest I stayed there for a minute to catch my breath starring in awe this monument, surrounded by lights so proud pointing the road ahead... felt like a little time - travel to be honest! Wandering what this city had seen centuries ago. That little ''cloud of greatness'' disappeared the moment a truck was coming down the road honking and scaring the shit out of me with it's speed ... soon I would be up the camping's La Citadelle (hopefully at this time) open gate!