Through the vineyards from Bordeaux to Moustey, day 17

Thursday, 3.8.2023, Day 17. Today really had everything. The first 55 km were incredibly beautiful, the last 20 km were terrible. We had everything except elevation gain: bright sunshine, heavy rain 4-5 times, little wind and strong headwinds. We have become masters in finding shelter, even if it was just a single oak tree that provided us with some protection from the heavy rain.
We started in Bordeaux along the Garonne, where a huge ship, Europa 2, was docked at the pier. We continued south and as soon as we left Bordeaux, we entered beautiful vineyards with incredibly many grapevines. There were wineries everywhere, châteaus everywhere, some of them with awards, each more beautiful than the other. Then, after 35 km, we came across a bicycle highway, which we hadn't seen since Belgium. A so-called "piste cyclable" led us 20 km in a row to Hostens, we were completely alone, of course no cars, but also no other cyclists. Most of the time, it was a beautiful ride through the forest, with excellent paved roads, and it was really fun to use them. We had our lunch break in Hostens and then (only) 22 km left, but they were challenging. Not because of cycling, we still had good legs after three rest days, but because of the weather. First, there was very strong headwind, then there were heavy rain showers that caught us partly unprepared. Sometimes we stood with our rain capes on open fields and had to endure the downpour until it was over. Over time, we got better at recognizing and interpreting the threatening black rain clouds, and finding inventive places to take shelter. Sometimes it was just a small oak tree under which we sought a little protection. In the end, we arrived in Moustey, having covered a solid 77 km in just over 4 hours, and here we have a very nice private accommodation where we will surely sleep well.