By By Chris Whitaker / staff writer
June 1, 2002
Retired teacher Andy Armstrong of Newton and his grandson, Eric, who will enter the 11th grade in LaPlace, La., this fall, biked nearly 50 miles across France on Friday and got lost twice.
The pair woke up at 4 a.m. and got going around 7:30 a.m. after a continental breakfast at the hotel. Eric was surprised to find eggs were not part of the meal.
Armstrong said the countryside was beautiful, with crops on both sides of the road.
After going down a wrong road, they ended up at a house where a father and son were working on a barn.
Before stopping for lunch in Senlis, they saw horse-drawn buggies. They ate at an Italian restaurant and Armstrong said they ordered pizza because that was the only word they could read on the menu.
Armstrong laughed as he described Eric trying to cough his food up. They left and got a milkshake at a McDonald's.
They got lost again because Armstrong wouldn't listen to Eric, who said they were traveling south instead of north.
When they got back on track, they stopped to ask a woman for some water. Armstrong said she couldn't understand what they were saying, so they shook their bottles until she figured it out. Armstrong said she gave them a 2-liter bottle, and that 12 ounces of water costs almost $3.
Eric said he feels great and likes seeing all the people. Andy and Eric continued their trip to Crepyvalois, where they will stay in a hotel for the night.