Sunday, May 30, 2010
Today was a day of different surfaces but we will come to that, first the story of our home away from home. After we retrieved the key from underneath the flowerpot we got into the cottage and offloaded all our stuff. I headed straight for the hot shower to thaw out those chilled bones while Ellie inspected the cupboards and supplies and to her delight discovered “real” coffee. So guess what we had plenty of. Then she discovered a washing machine in the bathroom so guess next…. all our clothes got washed and hung in front of the heaters so in no time the place felt like a sauna. Nevertheless we had a great time preparing and eating supper, watching series on the netbook etc etc.
This morning the sky looked still threatening but we managed to dry the tent, cleaned up the place so it looked better than we got there, took the key back to the lady at tourist info, pity she wasn’t there yet to thank her profusely but we left a note instead. Then the frustration began, first a bit of main road D-soixante-neuf for those of you in the know and then we asked many locals for the path along the canal only to be sent on many dead-end roads and tracks, from tar to dirt to mud. Eventually we found it only to discover it was more like a bmx route through the forest, very scenic but after the rain not the easiest. Much sooner than we though we arrived in the suburbs of Nantes, from there it was still a long way to the centre, fortunately very well marked and got our info at the trusted tourist info, this time the lady spoke French at a rapid rate so it was a bit hard for me to understand.
First we still had a look at the restored cathedral, very impressive, tall building even though the interior was a bit disappointing, found the Loire and had lunch on a bench beside it and started following the cycle route, very happy to be there and also to find it quite well marked.
So far we are not that impressed with the scenery, perhaps we have been spoilt by Brittany, we made it to Ancensis in no time at all on these flat tracks and are now happily ensconced in our tent planning our next moves.