The importance of padded shorts & a yoga routine

4-7th May [WARNING! A LONG ONE!]
I'm sitting here in Saumur contemplating the last few days; they have been a mix of emotions and experiences to say the least.
Cycling relatively long distances with about 25-30kg of luggage pretty much everyday can get quite wearying .... I've had my moments of wondering why we decided to set out on this adventure but they have been tempered by the wonderful sites we have seen (both natural & human created) and the delightful & interesting people we have met. Two other things have also helped make the days bearable:

• Comfortable, well padded cycling shorts, worn commando-style and cared for daily. My Ground Effect gear is proving to be a godsend.
• A daily yoga routine of stretches & breathing each morning & night. (Caroline does her qui gong). My knees, neck & wrists are always in particular need of attention ..... so far all are holding out due to the yoga (& a German rub for horses!)

A daily massage would also help as the roads & pathways we travel along are not always smooth & my old bones aren't keen on the jarring. I would have to say tho' that Chch folk are 'bloody wingers' for constantly complaining that our roads are still bumpy 6 years after our quakes. French people have lived for centuries with cobbled streets so perhaps they don't notice the ruts in their newer pavements & roads! I must admit we have ridden on some lovely new tarmaced surfaces partly funded by EU money - I guess with the aim of encouraging more tourists to enjoy cycling the EV 6 (etc) and Loire á vèlo. This period of our trip we're certainly seeing many more cyclists on the route either out of a few days or just a day's outing in the countryside. [French people really do enjoy getting outdoors & making the most of their extensive greenspaces].

So what have we done since leaving Orleans? We're now in chateaux territory so there's plenty to see and do.

We left Orleans later that planned as I accidentally let the door to the courtyard close behind me as I help Caroline out the front door. Bang! BUGGER! My bike with all my gear was locked inside & the key was now in the letterbox ...... unobtainable! No neighbours were home as the one likely person, an elderly woman, we'd seen leaving only 5 min prior on a shopping trip! So we waited in the entrance way for her return  ......it was a cold, wet misty day. Many passers-by looked at us strangely, huddled as we were in the doorway, taking occaisional walks up the road to see whether the neighbour was returning; nearly two hours later she returned with a lovely gentleman helping to carry her many goods!!

11am - Bike retrieved & we were off! The day was misty for quite some time, adding to the ambience of the countryside we passed through. Passed by a number of corn fields as well as rape seed (holding my noses) and through small farming hamlets. I'm constantly surprised that houses I think look condemned have people still living in them; on the outside many of them look in a state of collapse, rubble barely holding together but I guess on the inside they're neat as new pins! Mind you there are also a great deal of new housing developments going up in this part of the Loire Valley. Most are similarly shaped as the old with one standard colour (creamy) but sturdily built with double glazing & electric shutters. Most with small gardens or linked round shared coutyards.

Our first stop of the day was Chateau de Meung - the castle with two visages. We explored the interior as well as the gardens (the ice house was particularly impressive) and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Lunch was 'experienced' at the local pub across the square from the castle - they mostly do steak & chips plus dessert for lunch (Kiwi blikes would love this place) but they rustled up a huge, glorious cheese on toast that gave use energy for the next 10 hours of exertion!

A joint discounted ticket meant our next stop was Chateau de Beaugency, where we were offered a tablet to take round with us so we could 'interact' with the rooms & displays. Such fun!! The knights in armour came alive as did the chapel where Joan of Arc prayed before going out & defeating the English.  The perfectly formed gardens were also a delight to visit.

From there we cycled about 25km (rapidly) to Chateau-de-Chambord via the town of Muides (lovely curved bridge), taking a 'shortcut' across fields out of Montlivault, back-tracking a little to Maslives then suddenly arriving at the grounds of Chambord after closing.  But at a time when the evening light brought out the best of the building & grounds. Caroline was in heaven! We spent a bit of time just cycling gently round the grounds - it was busy enough at that time to make us wonder what this gem of a chateau must be like in the peak season!!

We looked at our watches & realised that it was already 6pm so we decided we really needed to find our Air B&B accommodation at Mont-pres-Chambord before the day ended. Hmmmm! Finding the signs to that village proved easier said than done but finally found signs to Huisseau-sur-Cosson, turned left from there & up a hill to Mont-pres. Got further directions from people at the local bar, arriving to be welcomed by Severine, who despite entertaining friends ensured we were settled & able to prepare ourselves a warming meal (bread, cheese & miso soup). Her daughter was a delightful 8 year old who practiced what English she had learnt at school on us. The house was in a new subdivision & was spacious with all the mod-cons but absolutely nothing beyond yoghurt in the fridge!
Sleep was very welcome that night. [79 km day]

Chambord in the evening

Our bikes at Chambord

Fri 5th
Mont-pre-Chambord to Montlouis (72km)
Our host was up and away early before we got up so ate a breakfast we provided washed down with a couple of cups of tea using the one teabag we could find in the kitchen. Her fridge was a pretty empty vessel but thankfully there was some milk for our muesli otherwise it would have been a dry old morning. Arriving so late the evening before meant we had become low on supplies and no shops were open in the village by the time we arrived …. unless you wanted a wine, some beer or schnapps as the bar was open.

The weather looked okay as we checked over our bikes & readied ourselves to leave but we could see threatening clouds on the horizon. Didn’t look promising for a visit to Chateau Chaumont but as it happened it was just fine! The ride from Mont-pres down to Huisseau was fast but then the EV6 signs became confusing & we ended up at St Claude where I decided we’d best head toward Vineuil to pick the route back up again so we could get to Blois for a quick look at the architecture from across the river (mix of ancient & new high rises).

The thing with the EV6 bike route in the Loire region is that it is intersected by numerous other cycle routes of the Loire á vélo or a local circuit round wineries so it is relatively easy to get confused. Love the fact though that the EV6 is not just a straight point to point tour – it is very much about experiencing the communities, villages, towns and nature as we twist & turn along the route. I love seeing the natural play areas for children created on the edge of communities, I delight in watching the hawks, terns & swallows swoop & dive across the Loire. At one place we saw a teaching garden – Jardin de pedagogy – where they obviously teach tree cropping & espaliering. We’ve also passed some pretty manky looking streams full of long strands of algae – these often near livestock farming areas though we mainly passed corn & barley field this day. And, of course, the Loire region is where most of the nuclear power stations are to be found so we've passed by at least 4 of them.

Parking our bikes at Chateau Chaumont was a bit of a mission as we had to lift them up some stairs & through a narrow door; I think they were only thinking of day trippers on bikes with no gear! We then had our bags searched by security before we entered the ticket office where we decided on a combined grounds & house ticket.
Chaumont is known for its extensive grounds but the buildings are also interesting architecturally. Currently they have numerous artists interpreting the inside & outside spaces so the nearly 4 hours we spent exploring the place was truly an artistic feast. Some of the abandoned rooms have been used as art spaces incorporating articles found in the chateau’s attics. Again, I particularly loved the tapestries. Thankfully they have cafes onsite so we could at least eat & drink as we’d left everything on our bikes!

 

 

The day had got on & we still had 35 kms to go before we got to our B&B for the night in Montlouis-sur-Loire and we wanted to also make a quick tour of Amboise on our way.  Amboise is a pretty city with many ancient buildings some dating back to Roman times, a chateau and lots of very tasty looking shops. It would have been a lovely place to stay but we couldn’t find suitable accommodation there. Onward - very much in vineyard territory now, winding our way through villages, uphill & down dale …… one particularly steep hill took me out, I’d run right out of energy with just pushing the bike up taking all that I had. Luckily we had a good supply of nuts, a banana and half

a sandwich (left over from the lovely lunch we had in a new FANTASTIC bakery in a lovely village) to help restore some power. Hard though when an elderly couple whom we’d passed before the village (they were going so slow I wondered how they stayed on their bikes) motored passed me on the hill ….. electric bikes! Through still more vineyards as we travelled on seeking our B&B address – thankfully our host was outside her gate & hailed us as we nearly cycled right past. It was nearly 7.30pm!!

Our host Angelik was delightful & settled us right in, offering to take us down to a pizza place to get a takeaway but I was keen to eat at the creperie. A quick shower & into cleaner clothes and we were on our bikes again for a 3km ride into the township for a vegetarian crepe (me) and vege burger (Caroline) at Creperie Le Bas Rocher. I accompanied my meal with a locally produced rose’ while C opted for tea. We followed our mains with a dessert crepe each. Only two other couples in the restaurant & the restaurant next door looked quiet too. Our B&B host explained that the long weekend was very quiet due to the elections happening on Sunday – we were her only guests when normally over a long-weekend she’s busy. We cycled back to our beds happily tired & spent a very comfortable night at Nir

Sat 6th
Montlouis to Savonneries (45km)
It was pouring with rain when we awoke – the kind of day one just wants to turn over & go back to sleep but we had asked for breakfast at 8am, and there it was promptly at 8 – crepes, bread & jam with hot drink of our choice. We talked a while with Angelik about the elections (not happy with the two choices) & terrorism. She & her husband (who spent a year training as a pilot in Canada so speaks good English) have two delightful wee boys; they both love concerts but she decided not to go to Paris with her husband to attend one recently as she was scared …. more for her boys should anything happen to them both while in Paris, so she is happy in the relative peace & quiet of Husseau. They have a lovely new house (2 car garage), a garden they are creating & at least a two room B&B to run – life seems pretty good for them yet they don’t believe Macron can deliver the economic or public security France needs right now and certainly Le Pen would only cause more dissension with the EU. She very much values a united Europe.

The rain had reduced to a drizzle so coats on we were off by just after 10am toward Tours for a morning looking at a couple of key sites there: the Cathedral (marvellous stained glass windows), the basilica and the old town. The city was bustling, very vibrant shopping streets, a large indoor & outdoor market and a couple of densely populated eatery streets. Quite a few photo on my camera s taken there of the various places. Had to avoid a couple of persistent beggars outside the churches – we’ve been told not to give as everyone in France is entitled to a benefit & have no need to beg. Much the same as in NZ I guess but neo-liberalism has done nothing to build up people’s sense of self-worth & place in society. I’m quite conflicted on this issue.

Tours cathedral

Onward then to our Air B&B in Savonnieres arriving just on 3pm to drop off our gear with Frédéric heading on to visit Chateau Villandry 3km down the road. The day had cleared and the light was beautiful for a 3+ hour exploration of these extraordinary gardens. Caroline was in 7th heaven & I was pretty impressed by the time and creative effort that goes into the designs for the various parts of the gardens.

 

It is also interesting to see historical events recorded in such public spaces such as the capture of Edouard Carvallo, a partisan during WWII. We have seen numerous such plaques around, either separate or part of the general memorial monument to wars found in town centres. Local Jewish people deported are also commemorated - 'Lest we forget'.





Few of the local restaurants were open & those that were weren’t serving until 7pm …. and mostly only meaty fayre (even escargots) so we cycled back to Savonnieres and ate takeaway pizza from the van parked on the water front, enjoying the evening sun & the promenade of people enjoying the green spaces of the Loire river.

Back in our B&B we spent time writing postcards & sorting accommodation plus activities for the next few days until realising that it was midnight & we should be asleep!! The bed was fine but my pillow was NOT …. a difficult night until I decided to use the towel as a pillow. [French pillows are not to my liking as they are square & over-stuffed - I'm missing my wee flat pillow & will resort to my camping one soon]

Sun 7th
Savonnieres to Saumur (70 km)
Another wet start to the day. Dowstairs to enjoy a lovely petite dejeuner with the other couple, from Belgium, staying in the B&B. The Presidential election was discussed as was the madness of the US with Trump in charge! Frédéric was an attentive host and ensured we had all that we required for breakfast. He introduced us to his wife & grandson – half German/half French .. a true son of Europe.

Packed up our bikes & away by 9.30am toward Chateau Ussé. Travelled mainly along the levees and stopbanks of the Loire. Passed a few dairy farms – obviously have lots feed in the paddocks as well as hay in barns, a good lot of silage made as could smell the latter. Being a holiday weekend & voting day many people were out & about in the towns though no shops were open after noon – luckily we’d got our daily bakery hit earlier. The bike routes were busy with groups cycling to chateaux or to restaurants along the Loire. Ussé was just starting to get busy when we arrived – by the time we left 2 hours later the bike racks were full and the chateau shop busy with souvenir hunters.

 

Chateau de Usse is supposedly the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty so within some of its upstairs rooms one finds vignettes of pages from the storybook. Quite delightful & silly! The other historic rooms have models in period costume to demonstrate what the place would have looked like in the 1920s. The views from the upstairs down over the plains of the Loire is magnificent. The gardens are much more wild than Villandry & have wine caves, stables & a chapel in them. BUT the tapestries they had displayed really captured my interest.

From Usse it was a pleasant bike ride through the countryside to Avoine, Savigny & Candes-Saint-Martin, where we stopped for a cuppa & a look at the church & viewpoint. Chatted to a German couple cycling the Loire à vélo & have caught up with them at different times since. Then uphill & down dale passed Le Troglo des Pommes Tapees (we think we visited here in 1998) & through vineyards again into Saumur. Arrived about 6.30pm at our AirB&B – a delightfully zen room hosted by Nathalie and Jean. Dropped our gear off & headed out to find food … on a holiday & a Sunday evening! After walking around the Chateau gardens we spied a restaurant open – Le Panorama & enjoyed a 4 egg omelette with potato, herbs, cheese & tomato, again accompanied by a rose’. Dessert was an apple flan with coconut sorbet. Yum. A leisurely walk back to the room & a VERY comfy night’s sleep.

 

To conclude - these days have been quite hard with numerous hills & on-road sections. The long weekend has compounded things as shops were seriously closed ... hard to get food. It was like many towns were deserted! Anyway, as I said at the beginning, a good pair of padded cycling shorts and yoga stretches have kept me going ...... as well as singing out loud some of the songs from choir!