This week’s on this day post comes from the 7th-July-2010. I’d spent the past couple of months cycling around Italy and was heading back home through France and had now found somebody to cycle with.
Wednesday 7th July. Gien to Orleans. 56 miles.
Not a good start to the day! I was woken at 3 am by a rumbling in my tummy! Not the I want something to eat rumble, that horrible feeling that you need to get to the bathroom asap! I then spent the rest of the night in and out of the toilet! So glad I was staying in a hotel! I knew that seafood platter last night was a mistake! I blame Katrin; she told me to have it!
Last night after exploring Gien and eating supper, oh yes, the seafood platter! We walked back across the bridge to our hotel. It was dark now, and we could hear a chorus of frogs croaking in the night as we crossed the bridge.
Because of my stomach, I didn’t have too much to eat at breakfast. Just coffee, toast and some Imodium! After breakfast, we retrieved our bikes from the garage and set off along the Loire again. Katrin did ask me if I was okay to ride. I would have said yes whether I was or not!
Another nice ride today, although we did pick up another cyclist that wanted to join us! Cycling along, we came across a cyclist by the side of the track. So we stopped to make sure he was okay, but he didn’t speak English. Not a problem; I have my own translator! Although Katrin later said she struggled to understand him, with his strong accent. It turned out that he was fine, so we continued on our way.
Let’s Lose Him
A few minutes later, he was behind us, asking us where we were going and which way we were heading. Or so my translator told me. He kept talking, and Katrin kept translating for me. He was a bit persistent and wouldn’t stop talking. In the end, we dropped back a bit, and when we came to a fork in the road, we made sure we took the opposite one to him. Regardless of whether or not it was the way we wanted to go! We spent the next hour looking over our shoulders but never saw him again.
We came across an impressive Chateau after we’d managed to lose our tag! Chateaux Sully-sur-Loire is an imposing fortress with thick-set walls and fairy-tale towers surrounded by a wide moat. We took a few photos there!
What was I saying yesterday about hotels having parking areas for bikes? Tonight’s hotel didn’t, but they did let us leave them in the corridor. The only problem, the corridor was up a narrow flight of stairs, as was the hotel.
We’re going to stay in Orleans for two nights, as it’s easy for Katrin to get the train to Paris on Friday. I think tomorrow we’re going to really play the tourist and visit a Chateau!
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