So I’m now here in Toulouse, Managed to do a stonking 170km from Andorra felt fantastic to finally get some real downhill after all that climb. I will upload photos when things are little less turbulent here. In fact I’ll probably write more about all of it when I get the chance at present things are going… Well I have a place to stay, I have arranged accommodation and schooling from the language school. Met some nice people, it all seems quite hopeful right now.

My only real worry is French, or rather my ability to learn it. I know it doesn’t help to worry about such things I just need to do my best consistently and time will sort it all out. Well I’m going to upload photos over the weekend and try and find somewhere to couchsurf instead of staying in the auberge I’m at until the 5th.

I’m also looking at books to buy, lists of words and verbs to learn, I have a suggested book by the course which I’m buying today, I’ve also found stores stocking English language books but I guess I should pick up French versions. I feel like this is a baptism of fire, but little by little I’ll get there, it’s a lot like cycling I guess .

So while I got here days ago I’m still here enjoying myself rather than passing over the top to France. Met some great people had some good times. I’m also thinking a lot about France etc. Andorra is beautiful it’s also much like a shopping complex shoved into a mountain range.

I have been all over Andorra La Vella the ‘capital’ and have pretty much seen all there is to see, part of me might be hanging on here before I approach France and I know how tough that’s going to be (I’m not talking about the mountains in the way, I mean the larger difficulties of finding work and speaking French).

I have got a lot on my mind recently much more than I can write here or want to write here. But it’s all positive. I just need to stop thinking and start acting I think that would be a constructive first step. All the thinking is just driving me a little nuts. But hey I’m alive loving life here, only 186km to Toulouse. No problems .

I guess I’ll write the next entry from France and let you know how the getting over the final ridge of the mountains went. I’m imagining it’ll be hard as hell but very rewarding to go down the other side.

I’m less than 100km from the border and 111km (ish) from the city of Andorra La Vella. Where I’ll stay a day or two before crossing the spine of the Pyrenees and head down into France. Until then I’m busying myself trying to find places to stay in Toulouse via couchsurfing. A friend I made in Amiens said that she had contact’s down here so I’ll attempt to see what I can see .

Aside that I biked up a mountain yesterday, strangely it wasn’t so bad, that sounds odd but seriously I was amazed how easy it was to travel up for 10km on 4-5% slopes. As long as you keep your pace no matter how slow that becomes you’ll eventually get there. I know that now, it’s not a problem the mountains don’t worry me any more, they are more a nuisance that’s stopping me from reaching France.

When I get to France I know it’ll be a shock, I know I’ll need to work hard, something very different to biking hard, I’ll have to study a lot, and it’ll be difficult. But I also know that the rewards will be great and the problems surmountable. Just like the mountains, I have to just keep going, eventually I’ll get there.

So much has happened in the last month, I’m still adjusting to this new lifestyle. With no fixed abode, no certainty and the only definite thing being the next destination to head towards and that I’ll have to bike there. The bike becomes a companion after awhile, a companion that right now needs a bit of fine tuning on the gears I think, something I should definitely do before I leave for Spain.

Bizarrely, I’m not concerned about my complete lack of Spanish. Nor am I concerned by the , literal, mountains I’ll have to surmount to get to Spain. I would say I’m getting concerned in trying to find a focus in my journey. Maybe it’s unimportant, maybe I don’t always need a reason and I Should just enjoy the moment. But I feel like there should be.. Something. Possibly the old me searching for a reason where there isn’t one. I have decided after it’s done to teach English abroad. I don’t know where but I think it must be done.

I’ve also been doing some soul searching, I’ve met so many people all with their own directions in life, from people travelling just months to people travelling for years. So many experiences and I want to decide what direction I want to move in.

Well that’s enough for now. I may write more later today. I’m not feeling down just floating slightly, life is crazy on the road and I guess I’m just adjusting. I want to have a goal in life, while one is finishing this ride around Europe, I think now is the perfect time to decide what I want to achieve with my time here. For some it’s a career and money, fame and fortune or a career that they’ve always known that they wanted to do. For me I’ve never known and floated right though life I think that focus, that ‘plan’ would change everything for me. Now if only I knew what it was .

So finally I dragged myself to Bordeaux it’s taken forever, not because of difficult biking but because I’ve been busy having fun. So I’m restricting myself to 2 days here leaving on the Sunday (maybe monday morning). Then I cross the green desert, seriously there’s nothing there but forest I think for freaking miles! I AM going to be in Spain by may. Then I’m going to put some serious miles in per day.

The trip though is going great, I have got sunburned but it’s not so severe I’m unable to move. Hopefully with a bit of luck I’ll be able to survive the Spanish heat when I get there. Today I’m searching for a cap to wear to keep the sun of my rudolph style nose .

I’ve met some fantastic people through Couchsurfing, through youth hostels, at bars and on the road. From people walking to Spain, to two English guys who biked around Europe in the 70’s and another bike tourist on his way to Madrid.

Everyone of them has been positive about my trip and envious, I feel I can’t ever stop now, as if I’d be letting them down along with myself. I have been slowed up and now it’s time to pull out the stops I feel when I see the Pyrénées things will change, I’ve set that as an end date to wasting my free moments and getting everything in gear.

Today I’m also sending my first batch of stuff back to home, excess stuff that’s completely useless. This hasn’t been all that informative as a blog update apart from where I am but I’m on a french keyboard in a hostel (no wifi) so I’ll have to wait until I get that before writing more. Hopefully I’ll find a couchsurfer for Saturday/Sunday night.