August 20, 2011
The Antique Fair in Gien: We beat the heat
Chateauneuf has a small Chateau, a lot of which was destroyed in the 1800s. It is set in beautiful gardens. The tourist office called it 'the little Versailles'. Ken and I enjoyed wandering around in the beautiful formal gardens. Unfortunately by the time we got there the Maritime Museum had closed , they feature a history of the early bargemen on the Loire. We had been completely unaware of the unusual boats they had , and how they used the river for transport from very early on. Now days there are lots of replicas, mostly of course with very discretely hidden motors.
Coming over the TV last night were lots of warnings of a heat wave in this area with temperatures going up to 40 degrees. Lots of instructions to old people to drink lots of fluids. We therefore decided too get away a bit earlier as the heat doesn't really build up until the afternoon. It was glorious on the river in the early morning light. People were walking their dogs, fishermen were about their business and the bird life was amazing. We saw swans, all sorts of ducks and many other birds a our track took us beside the river.
Our destination today was only Gien which was only about 50km. Grien was very busy as they are having a huge Antique Fair over 3 days. We were pretty lucky to get accommodation here I think. After a cold shower and general rejuvenation we took off for the Antique Fair. It was held in numerous marquees along the river and was a veritable treasure trove. Our good friend John Otto would have been in seventh heaven. It is lucky that it is impossible for us to carry anything. I did buy one thing however a tiny model Gordini racing car - pretty beaten up but it will remind us of this place.
One pharmacy tells us it is 37degrees and the other 40degrees so I think we will hide out in our room till we go and eat
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 705 km (438 miles)
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