June 26, 2010
Amboise - Blois: Stairs and steep alleys
Hot again today. We find quiet roads along the river Cisse - which runs parallel to the Loire - and stop in Onzain to shop at the local grocer's for our picnic lunch.
Ahead of us at the cash register are two senior citizens, valiantly hanging on to their shopping cart to keep balance while pawing through their purses, unable to tell one bill or coin from the other. I admire the angelical patience of the young woman at the cash register as she bags their groceries for them and sorts their bills and coins to pay. I also admire the spirit of the not-so-spry shoppers for going to the market themselves and not depending on others to do it for them.
We leave the market with the makings for our picnic: a few slices of salami, a chunk of cheese, two tomatoes, two apples and a baguette. While we are packing our food into our panniers, I look up and see the elderly couple from the market. With some effort they climb into a car, their car, and drive off, the man at the steering wheel! It's one thing to push a shopping cart if your vision is weak and your reactions slow, but drive a car? At least they're not driving an RV.
Our choice of roads is not the suggested Loire bike path. We prefer to follow the south bank of the Loire and avoid the hills and vineyards. It's a lovely shady road to Candé-s-Beuvron. The remaining kilometers until we reach Blois are on a small road with little traffic on the river dam. I have no idea why the Loire bike route recommends riding over hills away from the river.
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There is no campground in Blois so we hope the tourist office, located across from the famous Chateau de Blois, one of the most famous chateaus of the Loire Valley, can help us find a room. As Blois is built on a pair of steep hills with the chateau at its center, staircases and steep pathways quickly discourage us from visiting the tourist office. It's hot, hot, hot and we don't feel like stairs. After some cold drinks in an outdoor cafe, we decide to walk our bikes to the train station. If Blois has any moderately priced hotels, most likely that's where we will find them.
Good strategy. On our way we pass the Hotel de France, I pop in to inquire and yes, they have a room. The hotelier even lowers the price when I say it's out of our price range. We get a big family room, I think it had six beds, and the bikes can be stored in the hotel's garage. We have been camping most nights now and appreciate the comfort of a hotel room in town.
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We have the rest of the day for sightseeing in Blois and relaxing.
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Louis XII was crowned in 1498 and Blois became the capital of the kingdom.
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Today's ride: 46 km (29 miles)
Total: 939 km (583 miles)
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