The evolution of a cycle tourist part 4

After a delightful few days wandering around Groningen, I hopped a train back to Amsterdam, where I spent a few days outfitting the Brompton for heavier touring and getting some natural medicines from the coffee shops who don't sell coffee.
Stayed at one the big tourist campgrounds, which is great fun meeting and making new friends; fellow cycle tourists from Mexico DF, a car camping dude from Scotland, motorcyclists from Poland.
A truly marvelous mix of folks to enhance an already rich and exiting journey.

On departure day for Paris I managed to getting horribly lost on the way to the train station. Amsterdam can be a little confusing to the newbie in town.
Made the train just in time.

A few hours later Paris was another adventure.

The train from Amsterdam arrives at the Gare du Nord. My next connection for a TGV south was from the Gare Montparnasse all the way accross town.
Outside the Gare du Nord I met a local cyclist who was going that way offered to lead the way!
In a blurr of riding to keep up with my host on a road bike I found myself at the Gare Montparnasse.
Got my TGV ticket south and went for some beer and food.
Went departure time approached I found the elevator to the train platform broken. Finally after making two trips on the escalator with all my gear, I got to the platform just as the train was leaving.
The SNCF folks offered to rebook for a whopping 68 euro. (The original ticket was not much more than that!)
I decided to simply board the first train out the next morning with my exixting ticket.
By this time I was getting to know my way around found an easy service access to the train platforms and a perfect place to camp for the night at a little shopping mall closed for the night.

Made it out of Paris without further adventure and on to visit some old friends in Dordogne. (South central France)

There I decided the next leg was to follow the Canal du Midi to Séte on the Mediteranean coast.
The Canal du Midi was built between 1666 and 1681 linking the Atlantic to the Mediteranean.

I picked up the Canal trail in the town of Carcassonne.

The canal itself is now used mostly for a tourist trade renting leisure cruise boats

Sometimes there would be boating traffic jams at the locks.

The canal would make river crossings!

From Séte I headed for Arles and Nîmes where the best presserved old Roman colosseums reside.
The colosseum in Nîmes

After Nîmes it was on to Avignon, a fascinating old city of Roman and early Christian heritage.
Stayed at terrific camping along the magnificent Rhône river.
After a few days in Avignon I grew tired of all the tourists and hopped another TGV to Brussels.
Five hours later I was wandering around downtown Brussels looking for the downtown camping.
It was early in the season and they were set to open the next day, but were accomodating nonetheless, lovely folks indeed.

From Brussels I followed a fantastic long distance cycling route back to Amsterdam.
Making regular pilgrimages to the Belgium trappist monks.

A magnificent Roman Cathedral outside Brussels

Some fancy digs along a canal near Amsterdam

Stayed in Amsterdam a few nights more at a different camping accross town closer to the airport.
I was able to ride right up to the terminal, truly a cycle friendly place!