Beaugency to Romorantin Lathenay
An easy ride in sunshine and I had expected hills. We were at the hotel at 1 pm and it is closed until 5pm. However there is a deck, the sun is shining and there are chairs and tables. The SuperU is over the road so Willem made a quick visit for beer and coca cola and we had our fresh bread and cheese and an apple pastry I had bought at the boulangerie at seven this morning.
At 5pm I looked into the office. We had seen no one arrive but there was a woman behind the desk and the door was at last unlocked. She was a most unusual looking woman, white faced, long black hair and staring dark eyes. She looked as though she was going to a Halloween party. I was very shocked when I realised she could not talk or barely move her mouth which stayed wide open, she just made grunting sounds. However she gave us our room key and when I asked for the Wifi code and she wrote it for me she smiled with her eyes. I have no idea what is wrong with her but she manages the reception desk the bar etc. I can only think maybe she has been badly burned and the strange hair is a wig. What guts and determination. The only other staff seem to be the chef who arrived at 6.30 and a waiter. The hotel is quite large and next to a motorway. It is quite uncared for and probably has only about twenty people in tonight.
Breakfast and again the lady was the only staff member present. I wonder what story is behind this strange place,
Romorantin Lathenay to Buzancais
A good ride and sunshine. Saw fields of sunflowers, they have lost their pretty yellow colour and now the heads hang heavy with seeds. Some maize 'as high as an elephants eye' and clover and lucern which I guess they will plough in later. We ALMOST visited a chateau but arrived at 12.15 when it was closed for two hours! The hotel here is good, roomy and has just provided the best hotel meal so far of our trip. For the foodies; a small chicken and avocado salad with just the right amount of dressing, the best risotto ever with fennel and peas and a delicious apricot clafoutis.
Off to the boulangerie before breakfast. Writing this in the courtyard behind the hotel.
Buzancais to Bonnat
A long ride today and the last third was hilly. Warmer and sunshine all the way and very little wind. Now we have passed the 1000 km mark I'm getting better at this biking game somehow keeping those legs turning and managing to get up the hills without running out of breath. There were some fantastic long downhills to compensate. I can't imagine though how I will get on in the mountains which are getting nearer Just take it day by day. If I feel a bit weary and Willem says just 3km I think 'to the wool shed and back' ,7km. 'Amodeo Bay and back', 12 km 'as far as Coro'. I must say I was tired when we arrived here after 86km with a nasty little climb to the town. Even before going to the room we sat in the bar and had a cold drink. Frans, I have become a tonic drinker ( no gin) when I need something refreshing. Just ask for a 'Schweppes' here and it comes in a nice special Schweppes glass. The hotel is called the Orangerie. It is set in park like surrounds and has a heated outdoor pool which we might try tomorrow as we are due a rest day. Our very nice room is now festooned with washing which should dry overnight as the sun is in the room and we have the heater on in the bathroom!
Today we saw more pasture land and cattle, though not huge numbers. There were hedges surrounding the smaller fields and lots of wooded areas. On one stretch of road we noticed lots of signs of mole activity which made us laugh. At the side of the tarmac was a half metre wide strip of metal (gravel) At intervals there were mole hills as though they were looking for a crossing place and we wondered how they coped when they reached the road. They must have bruised their little noses and broken their claws.
Bonnat rest day.
Wandered to the village to pick up things for a picnic lunch which we ate by the pool. Not tempted to swim though. Willem spent a huge amount of time again on determining our exact route to be
sure there is accommodation at a manageable distance for me. It is a pain for him I know but I don't have the confidence to just let it happen though he assures me it will be OK. It means that he has very little down time so to speak and I realise that I am having a cushy time only having to bike the distance each day and do the washing every three days. Even then Willem tells me that the wringing out is the hardest part.!!!
Tonight the hotel restaurant is closed but they will put on a 'menu du jour' for us at 7pm so that will be a surprise meal. The washing is dry and we are ready to set off tomorrow
I have to tell you the menu du jour was delicious foodies.
Aubergine terrine. Layered mashed aubergine with roasted red peppers the terrine dish was lined with slices of aubergine. Served with a very creamy tomato sauce garnished with pesto
Chicken breast roasted and served with delicious fancy mushrooms in a sauce and rice
Two sorts of cheese with bread
Layered chocolate cake with pistachios
We finished with coffee,a walk in the garden under a new moon and feel very privileged. (And full!)
Willem Biketourer
Monday, 1 September 2014
France 4
The fist 2 days out from Beaugency are great, first of all the weather improved, it is getting much warmer, the sun is out most of the day. The contour of the land is flatter and only at the end of the second day does it rise again.
The first stop is at Romorantin-Lanthenay, where we arrived early and found the hotel on a motorway intersection after riding along a long straight road through the old town.
The hotel was shut with a notice saying that checking in would be at 5 pm.
We sat on the terrace in front, put up the sun umbrella and after getting a couple of cans of beer and a coke, we had our lunch and relaxed.
The hotel when it opened gave us a bit of a shock, first the receptionist than the room, which had a few maintenance defects, and a toilet/shower/handbasin arrangement along one wall. A moulded fibreglass unit one would find in a train or on a ship.
But who's complaining for € 44.00 !
The next day was another glorious ride to Buzancais, with Veronica singing behind me, and twice telling me to speed up a bit ! That will keep for when we get into the hills.
We passed quite a few lakes, some small Chateaux and many patches of forest. The farms are much smaller here and the soil has changed from chalky the a brown and reddish clay.
We climbed a bit into Buzancais, a sign of things to come perhaps.
The town has a small river flowing through it, and an early watermill was constructed across it. Unfortunately it was closed and despite it being the holiday season there are very few tourists about. We had a good walk to the supermarket on the edge of town to stock up with emergency rations for the days ahead. The hotel was interesting, a family run establishment, with a very good restaurant, one of the best so far. I am enjoying the half bottle of red wine I sample with the meals and will soon have to go on a diet.
The ride to Bonnat ( day 17 on the bike) was a prelude to the next 11 days to come before we arrive at our destination. We climbed 836 m, with a few huffs, puffs and drink stops but Veronica did very well, and was still telling me what to do by the time we arrived in a lovely hotel called L'Orangerie for a well earned rest day by the pool. It is hard to believe but on Sunday there were only 4 guests in the place.
The area we have entered is where the foothills of the pyrenees meet the foothills of the central massif. We will cross them in a south easterly direction, going due east for the last few days. That's the plan !
We have now covered 1,083.5 km and climbed a total of 6,513 m, celebrated with a glass of champagne before dinner.
Don't steal my vegies !
Romoratin-Lathanay
Scrapmetal Knight
Bonnat
Hotel L'Orangerie.Thursday, 28 August 2014
Veronica 5
La Gatine to Voves
Breakfast was in the conservatory and was good. I especially enjoyed the cream cheese on my bread. I am eating as much as I can manage at breakfast to power me on my way. The company was convivial with one French gentleman very keen to use his English which he spoke very well. As we cycled off he took photos of us, 'French TV 'he joked.
We rode again with some rain and head wind over a plateau of vast fields. In the distance below we saw the Cathedral of Chartres and remembered our visit there years ago. There are huge grain silos on the horizon. I think they are cathedrals too when I first spot them as they look tall and elegant from afar. It didn't rain hard and the sound of it pitter pattering on my cap and the wind whooshing under my hood was pleasant. I was pleased I had packed my cap, it keeps the rain out of my eyes. I bought it a couple of years ago in France when my Coromandel sun hat flopped over my eyes while I was biking causing a safety hazard
Our planned route skirted Maintenon but we deviated and visited. Willem stayed there last year on his trip, just over the road from the chateau built by Louis XIV for his mistress. We had coffee in a bar, cosy out of the rain. Willem asked about the old lady who was there last year, he remembered her having a very bad cough which he attributed to too many cigarettes. There are an astounding number of smokers here in France. The young woman who served us said it was her mother and she was in the kitchen cooking! The poor woman didn't smoke at all she has very bad asthma.
The bar provided a loo stop as well as coffee. There is a dearth of public toilets here. I have seen only one and then I didn't need it. Men are so lucky much easier for them. Not so for us lady hikers and bikers. Finding a secluded spot free from brambles and stinging nettles is a challenge n'est pas? One day I even managed to cover the inside of my bike pants with sticky seeds which I then had to pluck out. However the open air is sometimes preferable as toilets in bars are often shared and a bit unpleasant.
We arrived in Voves still rather damp and pleased to find a cosy hotel with a bar and very nice restaurant where we enjoyed drinks and a meal.
Voves to Beaugency sur Loire
Our clothes had dried overnight but we set out again in the rain. This time quite heavy but at least less wind and a much more gentle terrain. ' Rain before 7 clear up by 11' didn't quite work but it was better by midday when we stopped for a bite. A man came up to us to offer coffee which we declined and showed him our thermos. He then returned with a large red tomato and shallot for us. People are kind. We had several call out ' Bon courage' again as we biked through the rain. They probably meant 'you fools what are you doing?' When the rain stopped the wind came and so again I hung on gamely to Willem's wheel calling out periodically 'slow down' which he did of course.
Our clothes were almost dry when we arrived at this pretty medieval town in sunshine and I had enjoyed the journey. I spat at lots of white horses and touched my ankle once Pete S, for your mother, though I could find no references on google to ankle tapping with white horses but lots to spitting!
Our rest day in Beaugency has been lovely. Though we did rather grumpily wish for a good flat white. A sentiment echoed by an Aussie couple who are doing a bike tour of the Loire.
Tourists eh!
The hotel is comfy and central. Once again unlimited free WiFi which is fantastic and puts NZ accommodation to shame.
In the afternoon we walked over the bridge to a nature reserve. We saw two egret and some butterflies and a fox. He was a young sleek thing and streaked over the path in front of us. The first fox I have seen in years apart from those which regularly visit Angie and Martin's garden in Highgate. This one was much more handsome. I was interested to reflect that I was enjoying the vegetation but if I had been walking through the same vegetation in NZ I would be cursing the weeds. 'A plant in the wrong place' and all that.
Later we ate at an Italian restaurant for some more familiar flavours. Speaking to a man as we left he asked if we were from England. When I said New Zealand his eyes glazed over and he said in English 'land of the beautiful ferns, dicksonia.....'
I had a nice surprise this morning. The lady who owns the hotel gave me a teapot , all wrapped up just as we were leaving! The little dining room had four teapots on the buffet bar and the first morning I used one for my tea. It was only after I sat down that we noticed teapots on every shelf and surface. Were they just for display we wondered and had I committed a faux pas. In my best French I asked if it was OK. It was fine and she has no idea how many she has, some are still in boxes. So I guess she was pleased to give one away to someone who will appreciate it. It could be useful on this trip if there is not one in the villa Shalini.
France 3
Our first B&B will probably be our last, the place has a 9.2 rating out of ten, but we did not want to be spoilsports to give them a bad writeup. The people were nice enough, but I wonder how practical they are. They are manicuring the little hedges and garden but seem unaware that the place itself needs some maintenance too. For instance the curtains were badly connected to the rails, the wardrobe and bathroom had sliding doors, so with one open the other was blocked. They needed maintenance as the wardrobe one was nearly impossible to move. I could have lost Veronica locked in the bathroom. The french doors were the only source of light, they had no opening windows and no ventilation and in need of a coat of paint.
The breakfast was ok with extra baguettes and even a small cup of yoghurt. The best part of that was meeting a large Frenchman, who was very keen to talk English, which he learned in England where he was sent by his father 60 years ago. He was staying with an English doctor in Eastbourne, and I reminded him of the doctor, because I am his spitting image! He must have thought I was the doctor, reincarnated!
We left under dark skies and it did not take long and we were biking in the rain, all the way to Voves. The ride was much flatter, over a large plateau, with huge farms and fields full of crops, from maize, sunflowers, serials, potatoes and onions. There are no small holdings here.
The B and C roads we ride on are agricultural access roads and with the rain, the mud left on the roads by the large farm machinery etc is quite hazardous at times. It does not make the bikes or our legs look good in this weather. We managed to find shelter for our refuelling stops and were pleased to get to the hotel.
Voves we were told,has nothing to offer, as it is nothing but farms, which is true, in fact it reminds me of middle America with it's vast open spaces and planted fields as far as the eye can see. But that has a charm of it's own and the town of Voves including the hotel were a pleasant surprise. The garden and paving around the hotel were in need of some attention, but the hotel itself was modern, clean and very cozy. The town was attractive too as we rode through the next morning, despite the rain.
We were due a rest day, but decided to push on to the Loire river and the medieval town of Beaugency. We had regained the day lost earlier on by doing a few extra km, but now discover that in my planned itinerary, I have this rest day on the same day as the ride to the Loire river, so we are one behind again!
The ride to Beaugency was very wet, the wind was strong and blew the rain into the most awkward places. It stopped about 10 km before reaching the hotel so we were almost dry again by the time we arrived. After a cleanup and unpacking we walked into town in bright sunshine. Things we take for granted most of the time.
The hotel is called Le Relais de Templiers, which was a staging post for the crusaders a thousand years ago. Little did they know it still goes on today with latter day saints crusaders Bush and Blair.
The town has some interesting relics from the past, the remains of a large Roman Tower, a fifteenth century castle and a 450 m bridge. For centuries this was the only place between Orleans and Blois where the Loire could be crossed. It has seen many battles in its time, it was partly blown up to slow the enemy in 1815, 1870 and 1940 and Joan of Arc captured the town from the English, which is a well known episode in the history of the area.
A more recent addition to the area are two giant cooling towers, a few km down stream, of the nuclear power station, built in the 1960's on an artificial island.
Hotel
The roman Tower
The bridge
The view from our room
Sunday, 24 August 2014
France 2
We left St Omer en Chaussee after our enjoyable rest day and continue, as do the rolling hills and the unsettled weather. We have "managed" to avoid most of the rain, but not the wind. I am use to having Veronica "sitting on my back wheel"so to speak, most of the time, except when climbing. So far we have biked in our rain jackets every day as the temperatures barely rise above comfort level. Mind you Veronica manages to sweat or glow as ladies do, after some of the climbs which reminds me, to not under estimate the effort required.
The GPS taking us the shortest route and avoiding major highways, tends to cut corners and takes us through the most unusual places, through farmyards and fields, approaching our destination from unexpected directions.
The ride into Seraincourt was one of those, telling me we were approaching our destination on the left, coming down a farm track, then loosing the plot and showing it to be behind us, when in fact it was 100 m ahead of us.
The hotel was all shut up and if I had been on my own, I would not have waited around. But it all turned out ok and we met some lovely people in the process. After the bar opened and we enjoyed a beer ( yes Veronica too ! ) a large dutchman arrived who is biking from Holland the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He carries a lot of gear and had already broken 2 spokes. He would have to stay till Monday to get it fixed in the nearest town and send half his gear home, including his camping gear.
We left this morning in beautiful sunshine and we rode for the first time without our jackets on. Plenty of climbing early on and it was a puzzle to get through the city of Mantes Jolly. The GPS maps are out of date and did not know about the large shopping malls that had been built. First it sent us into a building site, followed by several rounds of a large carpark.
We managed to find our way to the river Seine and the bridge to cross it. The view of the cathedral is spectacular from the bridge as you can see. The confusion did not end there as it twice tried to drive us into a building telling us there was a road there. However we came out of the other end ok and arrived at our first B&B mid afternoon. It is in a large thatched house with 6 or 8 rooms and beautifully maintained. Unfortunately there is no restaurant nearby so we have to eat our emergency rations tonight, and no alcohol ! Our ride tomorrow will takes us on a route between Chartres and Orleans to a small town called Voves.
Mantes Jolly Cathedral
La Gatine B&B at La Boissiere Ecole
Lunch at Bazainville
Veronica 4
Beauvais Cathedral
45 m high choir
Mistletowe
Notify OHS ?
Marie-Laure
Dinner again was delicious. A glass of champagne to begin to celebrate our first 600km. From the €32 set menu ( in English ) I chose a salade with gizzards,liver,potatoes and nuts, salmon with white butter sauce and of course creme brûlée. This is only the start. With our champers we were give a small dish of tasty nibbles then an amuse bouche of half of a cherry tomato and a tiny piece of mozzarella. After the gizzard salad came an apple sorbet with plum liqueur. The salmon was small but good and the creme brûlée excellent. And now to bed.....
Saturday. On the road again. A really lovely route with some big( for me) hills. 'Not much of a hill' Willem said to me encouragingly at the start of one of them. But at each corner it just kept going up. .They were steeper going up so at least we had some really nice long descents. On one hill a lady driver waiting patiently to turn after I had passed,
opened her window and called out 'courage!' That made me feel better, I had been wanting applause from the people driving by but they didn't seem to notice my effort. After some searching we found our hotel. Locked up and no one to be found..... We were saved by the neighbours. I asked a man if he knew where the owners were. He spoke no English but his friend, a lady appeared,who did. She invited us in. She tried the three phone numbers on the hotel door, no reply. She made us coffee and fed us cake and we talked in a mix of English and French. Eventually Daniel,the man said that someone was home. We said fond farewells to him and to Marie-Laure and booked in to the hotel.
It was old fashioned but OK and the bar was lively when it opened about 5pm. People coming in and shaking hands with everyone including us. I like that courtesy.
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