Of thunderstorms, hot choclates and a Rosé

One could get used to this life. Cruising along beautiful waterways and through ancient towns by bike, stopping occasionally to purchase some delectable treat & exchange cheerful greetings with strangers doing similar things.

This is a holiday weekend (1st May on Monday) in France so everyone seems to be relaxed and enjoying themselves in the sunshine - walking the canal pathways with friends, taking their dogs for long walks, fishing for black bass, idling around in cafes overlooking the swiftly flowing Loire or taking an hour's cruise on a canal boat.
The latter is what we did this afternoon after deciding we would stay in Briare just as the thunderstorm broke as we were sampling yet another choclat-chaud-a-la-maison & a thè this time beside the famous canal aqueduct over the Loire at Briare.

The famous aqueduct

The thunderstorm on its way

On board the canal cruise

Earlier in the day we spent a very enjoyable time weaving between the Loire and the Canal Lateral, often on white stoney tracks and through small villages. At one stage we wound our way toward then beside a Nuclear power station; what a beast!! The two cooling towers stand out for miles on this flat landscape, and certainly dominate the closest village of Belleville-sur-Loire.  The town itself was very neat & tidy - we wondered whether the French state provides extra money as compensation to the district for having such a facility in its midst.

As we had left the campground late (10am) we thought we'd best buy our daily patisserie at Belleville when we saw that the boulanger was open .... and then promptly lost our way having missed the wee EV6 sign closer into the town centre. Luckily we were able to turn back on to the route at Maimbray, which took us to the banks of the Loire proper (where had our first snack) then past a farmer seeding his field and we were back onto the canal path beside the Canal Lateral waving at tourists enjoying a day out onboard a canal boat. We stopped to ate our lunch on a bench just past a cute wee restaurant by a lock where again, many people were enjoying the fine weather by strolling or lounging at a cafe. [I guess many putting the second round of the Presidential election out of their minds for a few days!]

 

Popped into Chatillon-sur-Loire to check out their old town & use the toilets (fewer quiet places & large trees to pee behind today!) before crossing a wonderful suspension bridge as we continued on to Briare - the town famous for it's magnificant canal bridge to which thousands flock each year. We hadn't committed to staying in the town overnight but the afore mentioned thunderstorm decided it for us. After a bit of 'discussion' outside the church known for its mosaics and enamelware, we determined to directly check out The Pont Canal hotel; luckily for me they had a room so we settled in for the afternoon/night.

I was keen to take a canal boat trip so bought the last two tickets for the 16.30-18.00 sailing. What fun! We shared the journey with about 90 other people (I would say all French) many of them families with small children but all out to enjoy their holiday weekend. At Briare two canals meet near the Loire & this journey took us from the upper canal (Lateral) down through a lock to the lower canal (de Briare). There was great excitment all round as we sunk down &, on the way back, rose up but mainly from the two Kiwis onboard! Wild life was pointed out to us via a running (and obviously entertaining) commentary - saw a beaver (castor) house, a rat & several herons. As we made our way back to dock the skies opened again and as I write this it is still raining!  Given that we decided to eat in at the hotel.

Hmmmm - as mentioned in previous posts being a vegetarian in France can pose some difficulties but we were able to be accommodated this evening. Starters: a goats cheese parcel (yum!); Main: I had an asparagus dish with salad accompanied by a local Rose, while Caroline had ratatouille with rice. (Give me green asparagus over white any day); Dessert: Apple tart (was expecting it to be hot) and Caroline had a Floating Island. Lovely to watch the animated conversations of the locals dining, and the very personable interactions with the waitresses; genuine interactions of equals and with an enjoyment of good food shared.

And so to bed - warm, cosy and well-fed after a short day's ride of 44km. Feeling very privileged to be able to live this life.