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@Arawn
Hi,
So, my goal is to travel through France, from the Netherlands, through Belgium to the French Alps.
My route is going something like this:
Rotterdam
Dordrecht
Brussel
Charleroi
Reims
Dijon
Lyon
Grenoble
The Dutch and Belgian part isn't worrying me at all. I'm used to that. What I'm worrying about is France. I have no idea how it is to cycle there and if there are any written and unwritten rules I should follow.
I have no idea how it is in France, but in northern Italy, Greece, Spain and other southern country's there are a lot of dangerous dogs walking around (it's in the news quite often that people are being killed by dogs in Italy and Greece). Wolves aren't scary (I probably won't even see one) since they are scared of animals on two legs (humans, bears etc.), but dogs can be very dangerous. I heard it's legal in France to buy pepper spray to protect myself against them. Is that true and if so, where can I buy it?
I've been bitten quite a few times by dogs as a child and young adult so I am naturally scared of them which won’t help me at all. I don't understand their emotions so I can't predict what they are going to do. Even just having pepper spray might make me more confident around them so that they will leave me alone. And have it as a protection just in case. (I'm a vegetarian and have been that for the last 18 years. I don't want to hurt an animal at all, pepper spray hurts but it doesn't do permanent damage the eyes of a dog so it's probably one of the best ways to get rid of them)