Day 264 – EU – France [Lapalisse to Moulins]

24/12/20

48km

  From Lapalisse (France) to Moulins (France)

Europe

Back on the road in great company and cold and wet arrival in Moulins

Regine and Bruno surprised me this morning! They came to collect my keys on their bikes and announced they will be cycling alongside me and BoB the stroller. I was very happy: I am starting this new week of running with three long runs (48km-56km-48km) and I could definitely do with some company. These first 18km in their company went by very fast, chatting, being treated with stories about the region, the castles and by the time we reached Jaligny, it felt like the run just started!

After they left me I ran through more beautiful landscapes. Though it was grey and drizzling, the region is scattered with castles, little villages from ancient times, beautiful churches, town halls. As I was 16km from Moulins and pushing my cart up a little hill, a car stopped by to ask if I needed a lift and if my car had broken down somewhere. I explained I was out there in this weather, running, of my own volition, and only was about 16km away from reaching my destination. The driver gave me a funny look before driving away!

Moulins is a city that, if I look at it on a map and cut France S-N and W-E, is smack in the middle in the country! It is mostly famous for its museum of Costumes – which of course is closed nowadays, due to Covid19 restrictions. I am happy to just stay indoors today, get some good rest and meet my family online for Xmas eve – as the next few days will be quite demanding.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: