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Monday 15th June 2015 Tours to Dangé St Romain Well Tours is an old, historic city and has some fine points in its favour but I wasn't sorry to leave. It's just too big, seemed like London size, and the ride out of town takes a long time, about 4 or 5 miles before you're clear of it. At least breakfast at the Rippoff Hotel was ok and I loaded up with enough to keep me going for the short hop to Dangé St Romain. This was the first day I'd had to set off in the wet but it couldn't be helped - I could hardly stay there, not at those prices! It was only the lightest rain anyway and nowhere near as cold as the Scottish rain I was more accustomed to.
Having got out of Tours I cycled merrily along and it was so easy - the roads were virtually empty and the gradients gentle. Where in England could you find somewhere so hill-free? Lincolnshire maybe, must try it. But really this route, fortuitously, is real cycling country - wonderful. And France is indeed 'La Belle France' - full of small villages, each with its own 'artisan boulangerie-patisserie' where the locals stock up with freshly-baked baguettes, tarts and cakes, and each village has its own disproportionally massive and centuries-old stone church.
But the other remarkable fact about it is… there are no French people! Towns and villages alike were deserted as I rode through them. Where were all the French people? Do they live in their homes all the time and never step outside? Not even any menacing gangs of kids hanging around on street corners. It was all just empty. In England at any time of day you'd see people wandering about looking for a chance of a bit of mayhem or something. In France, however, it's just spookily quiet, the same weekends as weekdays. In the cities it's different but in villages and even towns the size of Ware it's as if the aliens have abducted everyone. Very strange.
Ah well, despite being a bit wet today was good. Pleasant riding even as the roads were so kind. Dangé St Romain was a small place but I had no trouble finding a hotel there and checked in at a nice enough Logis one, the St Romain.
The patron of the St Romain was obviously quite proud of his command of English and both he and his more monoglottal wife were very welcoming. I had a bit of a walk round Dange St Romain and the highlight seemed to be the big mechanized road-scraper round which hordes of workmen were gathered, watching as it ate the road prior, hopefully, to it being relaid to the proper French standard - which is actually very good. In the evening I had my first good French vegetarian meal, courtesy of my host. Eggs cocotte for starter, 'legumes' which included herby potatoes, saucy mushrooms and some diced and spiced veg and bread roll. Very nice actually. Accompanied by half a bottle of vin rosé and followed by a fine crème brulee adorned with bitter chocolate powder to give an edge to its sweetness. It was very nice and I followed all that with a couple of those fine Leffe beers. Jolly bon. Poitiers tomorrow. Bike computer: 37.93 miles GPS: 39.0 miles 10.9 mph avg 27.9 mph max 1732 ft ascent English miles: 117.8 French miles: 400.2 | ||||||||
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