mars 1-4: Tours, Biking the Loire, Nantes take 2

I headed straight to the bike shop when I reached Tours, renting a 21-speed hybrid with two waterproof panniers for my stuff, helmet and lock all for just 34 euro for three days. The guy at the shop was very helpful with itineraries and general advice about using the bike maps of France. He also told me that lots of city centers are losing their bike shops as they move to the outskirts which I found a little strange since it seems that the city centers are all very bike-conscious.

I took the bike around Tours a bit, finding the spot where it seemed all the locals were out for their Saturday afternoon walk/jog/sail. I also encountered the first bit of Loire à Vélo infrastrcuture, a large sign with a map, that would be very helpful throughout my trip.

The next day after hostel breakfast I headed out on the itinerary marked for me towards Amboise. The first bit was on one of France's Grande Randonées, the national system of long-distance hiking trails. It was a bit hairy at times what with slippery mud and weight on the back of the bike, but I managed to stay upright the whole time. I was happy to meet up with the small departmental route paved road, though. I went through Vouvray where there were tons of (closed on Sunday) wine caves ("cahves") in the cliffs next to the Loire. Overall it was very green and mossy and grey with spitting rain. I lunched in a little roofed structure by the side of the road which was a good escape from the rain.

After a long day of biking I was happy to get the warm welcome at my guesthouse and then head into the town of Amboise for a bit where I had an early dinner at a tarterie.

The Chateau de Chambord was on tap for the next day which was even rainer than the first. I took the train to Blois, about 20km from Chambord. I had the good fortune to meet up with the equally soggy guy from the bike shop at the train station in Amboise who was headed home to Blois after a morning of leading a bike trip for 10-12-year-olds. He kindly told me the way through Blois to where I would meet up with the Loire à Vélo itinerary to the chateau.

The best thing about the chateau was actually not its legendary double-helix staircase that may or may not have been designed by DaVinci (who lived out his last years in Amboise). There was in fact a super exhibit about the history of Chambord as a tourist destination and marketing tool. In addition to the raspberry liqueur that we know in the U.S., there are apparently Chambord cookies, vacuum cleaners, toasters, shoes, cruise ship dining rooms, and what have you. The European branch of Ford even made a Chambord car for a while. It was a very conscious look at luxury marketing and the tourist trade, again beautifully designed with some of the exhibit in those inflatable snow globes to echo the content.

On the way back to Blois I think I biked by a Francais des Jeux cyclying team support vehicle. Cool! That night I took advantage of the table d'hôtes -- what one calls dinner at a French guesthouse. Made by my host Monique, it was all delicious and enjoyed in the company of the other guests who were all from Paris.

My last day of biking was down to the chateau at Chenonceau which is on the Cher river. Unlike Chambord, this one is furnished as it would have been when people lived there. My favorite room was that of Louise de Lorraine, the widow of Henri III, which was black and funerary and very different from the rest. The kitchen was also awesome, including a WWI-era stove that was installed while the chateau served as a war-time hospital.

That last day of biking was fairly miserable with 25-30 mph headwinds across wide open fields, so I didn't go very far, just the 12km back to Amboise to take the train to Tours. Crossing the Loire in Amboise I was welcomed by a bout of HAIL which thankfully only lasted about a minute.

I returned the bike in Tours then went on to Nantes where I happily had a warm shower at the hostel and then dinner at the Lieu Unique, this awesome art space/ bookstore/ café/ bar/ restaurant housed in the former LU factory. I had a brief interesting conversation with the two Parisian businessmen at the table next to me who asked my opinoin on whether Nantes is part of Brittany.

After a brisk walk around Nantes the next morning, including back to La Petite Boulangerie which is unfortunatly closed on Wednesdays, I took the train to Rennes where I am now.