Speyer Technik Museum

A Lufthansa 747 with a long tube slide below

Often when leaving or arriving in Heidelberg we pass the Speyer Technik Museum--several large buildings with airplanes looming above--and think that we should make time for this place.  So today we did.  We rode most of the morning and reached Speyer about 1.  The town itself, which we had seen several years ago, is filled with medieval buildings, a park along the Rhine, and a splendid cathedral.

After lunch in the museum cafe we set forth among the numerous airplanes, cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles in the first of two exhibition halls.  We took a break to view a film which documented the difficult transport of four planes to the museum via water and road.  Back to hall #1, then another break to see automated musical instruments, and finally hall #2 which is filled with space age vehicles and technology.  And more motorcycles.

1961 VW T1 bus, nicknamed "Bulli"

 

The heat made the day somewhat uncomfortable but the displays were not to be missed. We left at five and endured 45 minutes of traffic to our "home" in Heidelberg.  We're packing up for our Icelandair flight tomorrow.  We'll spend the weekend in Arlington, then 10 days of travel in Maine and NH on our Bergman, and finally 10 days in Minneapolis before returning to LA in mid-August

Bastogne

Since we need to return to Heidelberg tomorrow night, we split the trip in two and decided on Trier as tonight’s destination and Bastogne as the mid-day stop.  We were able to avoid autoroutes and enjoy the rolling hills and farmland of Belgium.

American soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge

The WWII museum outside Bastogne was another excellent example of providing a variation on the same material, namely WWII, with an emphasis on Belgium and especially Bastogne which lay at the heart of the Battle of the Bulge.  Much of the story was told in audio form by four individuals:  a German soldier, an American soldier, and two civilians of the town—a teacher and a 13 year old boy.

Belgium capitulated early to the German onslaught, hoping to save lives by limiting the bombing.  The museum covered the subsequent resistance movement and those who collaborated.  Video interviews of civilian survivors effectively gave a sense of those years under German control.  

interview with one of Bastogne's civilian survivors

After D-Day the Germans were pushed east and Bastogne was liberated.  The Germans held the line to the east and slowly surrounded the town.  The famous Battle of the Bulge occurred in December 1944 to January 1945 when American troops under General McAuliffe held off for six days German attempts to recapture the town. Patton’s troops arrived as reinforcements and the Germans retreated.  The Battle of the Ardennes which included the Bulge took a heavy toll:  100,000 men killed, wounded  or missing on the German side, and 85,000 on the Allied side.  The Americans suffered heavier losses than in the entire Normandy campaign.

We lunched in the cafe and left after 4 for another scenic ride to Trier which we have visited twice previously.  This city has much to offer—a fantastic Cathedral, Roman Constantine Basilica, huge Roman gate and ruins, and the Moselle running through it.  And Karl Marx’s house.  Whether we revisit any of these sites tomorrow remains to be seen.  

Arras

Arras Town Hall

We have been booking ahead day by day for the last several weeks and usually select a destination on size (large enough to have hotels but not too large) and sometimes Michelin stars.  Arras was selected on these criteria (**).  After last night's walk, the architecture and especially the Town Hall satisfied the ** designation, but we knew nothing of the town's history or other offerings.  So searching the internet last night we discovered the Carriere Wellington.

The Wellington Quarry is a series of tunnels beneath the town built by New Zealand miners, using pick axes but no dynamite, during WWI by enlarging the existing 17th century chalk quarries. The English held Arras in 1916 and were preparing for a 1917 spring offensive against the Germans who held the line just east of the city.  The tunnels allowed soldiers to arrive near the line unseen.

The tunnelling effort was enormous and in one sector, four Tunnelling companies of 500 men each, worked around-the-clock in 18-hour shifts for two months. The tunnellers dug 20 kilometres (12 mi) of subways (foot traffic only), tramways (with rails for hand-drawn trolleys, to take ammunition to the line and bring casualties back) and railways (a light railway system).^[18] Just before the assault, the tunnel system had been enlarged sufficient to conceal 24,000 men, with electric lighting provided by a small powerhouse, kitchens, latrines and a medical centre with an operating theatre.

bunks in the Wellington Quarry

We took the 45 minute tour which was quite well done and provided some sense of the size of the system, the difficult conditions for the men waiting there for battle, and the subsequent retreat of the British and French forces after an initial victory.  German reinforcements arrived the day after the British success and retook much of the gained ground.

We needed to cover some miles today since we are due in Heidelberg on Thursday, so the rest of the day was spent riding in overcast, chilly, and threatening weather (no rain materialized on this holiday). We picnicked beside the canal in ...and took a particularly lovely road along the Muse River, enjoying the forested hills after several days of flat farmland.  Tonight we are in Bouillon, Belgium, a town we know well from our travels five years ago.  The 10th century castle sits above this charming town along the Semois River in the Ardenne area.

Calais, Lens, Arras

Calais town Hall

It's a challenge to start the blog at 9:15 after a full day and evening walk.  I'll give it a go but may finish and post it tomorrow.  Although Calais was seriously destroyed during the war, it retained its most prominent building--the Town Hall--and used the huge German bunker in the nearby park to develop a museum.  The weather was not at its best--chilly, overcast, occasional rain, very windy.  

Our first hour was spent at the Town Hall and attached Belfry.  The fine stained glass window presents the history of the English taking over Calais (1346) until the French took it back (1558).  We got a tour of the belfry with fine views of the town, and learned that Charles de Gaul married his wife Yvonne (a Calais native) here.  Nearby was the park and the huge German bunker which had served as their headquarters.  The 21 rooms of the museum are filled with uniforms, artifacts, newspapers, posters, artillery, and a video produced by the US, meant to drum up continuing support for the war. Another impressive museum in an unusual setting.

Louvre-Lens main gallery

An hour's windy ride to Lens brought us to Louvre-Lens, one of the Louvre's new satellite museums.  Lens was a mining town (the slag heaps are the highest in France), somewhat in decline, and the museum is one attempt to bring in tourists and cash.  We had lunch in the adjourning restaurant (delicious as always) and then spent about 75 minutes in the museum.  The collections are displayed in a single long room without partitions.  One wanders from the early Egyptian era to about 1850, one object at a time.  

At 6 we started towards our destination of Arras, but got sidetracked by a huge white monument looming on the horizon.  This turned out to be a Canadian memorial to the WWI Battle of Vimy Ridge, when the Canadian Corps succeeded in taking the ridge from the German 6th army.

On to Arras, a town with wonderful architecture and a stunning Town Hall outside our hotel window.  The houses surrounding the two main squares are quite uniform and are described as Flemish Baroque.  The town belonged to the Spanish Netherlands from 1556 to 1714 and the houses seem to reflect that influence. 

Caudebec-en-Caux to Calais

Caudebec-en-Caux church

The day was overcast with occasional rain and chilly temperatures.  We needed to cover some ground so the day was mostly spent riding, both autoroute and local roads.  First we visited the town's claim to fame--the Flamboyant church built in the 15th-16 c and known for its stained glass windows and elaborate exterior carving.  The nearby 13th c. Templar House included an information plaque indicating that the Friends of Historic Caudebec once dissuaded an American buyer from purchasing the house and shipping it to the US (as many others were).

We made a brief morning stop at the Abbaye Notre Dame du Pre in Valmont, founded by Benedictines in 1169.  The current buildings date from the 18th century.  The Abbey was dissolved after the Revolution and was privately owned (Delacroix vacationed nearby and painted the church) until 1994 when it again became a Benedictine Abbey.  We have passed several abbeys founded by the Normans in the 12th c.

Dieppe harbor

We reached Dieppe in time for lunch and then walked the harbor--mostly fishing boats.  We picked up the autoroute in order to make a dent in the travel plans, exiting near Boulogne-sur-Mer.  This was our first choice for accommodation but the town was booked solid so we had found a hotel in Calais instead.  We took the coast route from Boulogne and stopped at windy Cap de Gris Nez (Grey Nose), a bunkered point which looks north to Cap de Blanc Nez (White Nose) with Calais beyond.  From our hotel we can watch the ferries arrive and depart for England. The city is mainly post-war since it was heavily bombed.

Giverny

July 10:  A slow day--Rob at morning talks and me doing a laundry.  Lunch in the room, and then at 4 we took a long ride to Rambouillet, using back roads to avoid the Paris exodus on this Friday before the long holiday weekend.  The chateau was under renovation but we walked partway around the lake and along the shaded paths of the enormous park.  More riding and a return to Bures at 9.

water garden

July 11: We packed up and departed at 10:30, taking the autoroute and then secondary roads to Giverny where Monet's famous garden and house pull in the crowds.  We had ordered tickets online to avoided the long lines.  The garden is divided into two sections--the main flower garden and adjacent house and the water gardens across the railway and road, accessed by a tunnel.

Monet and his family settled in Giverny in 1883 and he began to develop the garden, arranging plants in color palettes and constantly searching for new and unusual varieties.  In 1893 he purchased the property on the other side of the railway.  It included a brook, and he first dug a single pond and then several, inspired by Japanese gardens in the prints he collected.  The house contains many of these prints and copies of his paintings as well as restored furnishings.

When Monet died in 1926 his son Michel inherited the house.  By the end of WWII both house and gardens were in poor condition.  The Musee des Beaux-Arts inherited the house in 1966 and the house, furnishings, gardens and ponds were restored over the next 10 years.  The site was opened to the public in 1980.

Chateau Gaillard

The small town of Giverny is blooming.  The shops and restaurants are surrounded by flowers.  But we were off again, stopping first in Les Andelys which lies at a bend in the Seine under the perched ruins of Chateau Gaillard, built in 1198 by Richard the Lionheart, Duke of Normandy and King of England. Two tour boats had docked there, suggesting that the town has some appeal.  We walked the riverside and back through town before heading around Rouen to tonight's destination--Caudebec-en-Caux.  

Two Museums

Notre Dame and the tourist boats

July 9: Another day to explore Paris.  After a late start we took the train to St. Michel/Notre Dame, crossed the Seine, and walked along the river, past the Louvre, through the Tuileries, to the Petit Palace.  This was designed by Charles Girault and built for the Universal Exposition of 1900, and retains its elegant interior and exterior.  Aside from a small collection of Greek and Roman antiquities and Renaissance pieces, the museum houses mainly 18th and 19th paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts.  The exhibition rooms surround an inner courtyard garden and cafe where we lunched upon arrival.

Leaving at 4:15 we walked north to the Boulevard Haussmann and the Musee Andre-Jacquemart. I'm including a brief history of the house and collections:

entrance hall of the Petit Palais

Édouard André, the scion of a Protestant banking family, devoted his considerable fortune to buying works of art. He then exhibited them in his new mansion built in 1869 by the architect Henri Parent, and completed in 1875.

He married a well-known society painter, Nélie Jacquemart, who had painted his portrait 10 years earlier. Every year, the couple would travel in Italy, amassing one of the finest collections of Italian art in France. When Edouard André died, Nélie Jacquemart completed the decoration of the Italian Museum and travelled in the Orient to add more precious works to the collection. Faithful to the plan agreed with her husband, she bequeathed the mansion and its collections to the Institut de France as a museum, and it opened to the public in 1913.

winter garden of the Musee Andre-Jacquemart

Leaving the museum and needing a sit-down, we walked to the Parc Monceau, filled on this late afternoon with children riding ponies and feeding the ducks. After coffee, ice cream, and a rest, we found a bus to take us to the Place de Trocadero from which we viewed and then walked to the Eiffel Tower.  Lines stretched out under the tower waiting for the elevator, and packed Bateau-Mouches carried tourists along the Seine.  The weather was close to perfect today.  We noticed, as usual, the need for people to take their own photo in front of every interesting site.  Street vendors sold selfie-sticks but everyone seemed to have theirs already.

We picked up a bus to take us back to our Metro stop but traffic slowed it nearly to a stop so we decided to walk the 2.5 k along the left bank of the Seine, finally catching our train to Bures at 8:45 and arriving home an hour later.  A long but quite satisfying day--our last look at Paris for this year.

Musee des Arts et Metiers

Foucault's pendulum

July 8: Rob skipped today's talks and we took the train to Paris for a look at the Musee des Arts et Metiers.  Another fantastic museum!  This is the National Conservatory of Arts and Industry, founded in 1794 as a repository for the preservation of scientific instruments and inventions.  Of the 80,000 objects and 15,000 drawings in the collection, about 2,500 are on display.  I wanted to take photos of almost everything.

The museum is housed in the deserted priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs which was renovated in 1990 and now includes the attached three level priory building. The largest objects such as planes and cars are displayed in the church along with Foucault's original pendulum. The seven different collections are: scientific instruments, materials, energy, mechanics,construction, communication, transportation. 

Clement Ader's Avion III

Among the most interesting of the many interesting items were:  the original model of Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty, Louis Bleriot's plane, Clement Ader's Avion III, Joseph Cugnot's 1770 steam-driven "Fardier", the 1684 Marly machine used to raise water from the Seine to the Versaille fountains.  Please check out the photos for more of the rich holdings. (these are as yet uncaptioned.  check tomorrow)

We returned to Bures in late afternoon to attend the conference reception at a chateau in nearby Gif which is run by CNRF, the French scientific organization. 

Musee du Quai Branly

Musee du Quai Branly

Yesterday was an "at home" day--the first since we started this trip six weeks ago.  We did ride around the area and shop for groceries for the week.  We spent several spring quarters in this town--Bures-sur-Yvette--in the 70s and the town seemed much the same. IHES--the Mathematics Institute that Rob visited--and l'Ormaille, the housing where we lived during our four visits--were relatively unchanged. In the afternoon Rob attended talks and I read.  A pleasant change to our usual hectic schedule.

bear costume from Oruro Bolivia

Today I took the metro into Paris and spent 5+ hours at the excellent Musee du Quai Branly near the Eiffel Tower.  The museum was designed by Jean Nouvel and brought together the ethnographic collections from two other museums. The extensive building along the Seine includes a circular entrance with a ramp leading to the long rectangular collection buildings which are raised on poles.  Surrounding and beneath the museum are gardens.

I've posted too many photos, but the variety of artifacts is quite amazing.  I barely made it through the main galleries before succumbing to hunger at 3.  A special exhibition on masks of the Ivory Coast was also comprehensive, identifying individual sculptors who covered a range of facial masks, mainly from the early 20th century.  

Le Memorial de Caen

Abbaye-aux-Hommes

Sunday. Rain.  We awoke to a steady rain which continued until noon.  Since we had to vacate the apartment by 11, and had a long day ahead of us, we put on the rain gear, packed the bike, and headed to the Abbaye-aux-Hommes which we had missed yesterday.  The Abbaye is a former Benedictine Monastery founded by William the C. as an act of redemption when his marriage to his distant cousin Matilda was considered irregular.  She also founded the Abbaye-des-Dames nearby.

Part of the Abbaye is now the Marie and the rest is viewable only via tour which we did not have time for.  We did look into the attached St. Stephen's church which houses William's tomb.  A Sunday service was in progress so we could not view the tomb itself.

Le Memorial statue based on Eisenstaedt's photo

The rain subsided as we approached our main event of the day--Le Memorial de Caen, the enormous museum which covers WWII in amazing detail but also the years leading up to it, post-War Europe and the Cold War, and some more general sections on war itself and reconciliation.  

There was of course too much to absorb but we gave it our best from noon to 5PM, with a short lunch break.  Finally we headed east on the autoroute for three hours to Orsay, south of Paris, for five days of mathematics for Rob, and a few visits to the city for me.  We are again booked into one of the aparthotel units run by Sejours & Affaires.  These comfortable studios with kitchenette are inexpensive (80+E for this one) and provide a bit more space while lacking the hotel facilities which we don't need.

Caen

Caen, which was badly damaged during WWII, has rebuilt itself as an attractive city which retains several historic buildings.  Caen Castle, founded by William the Conquerer, Duke of Normandy, in 1060 looms over the town.  The excavated ruins of the original castle are enclosed within the walls, along with two museums.  

The nearby Church of Saint Peter dates from the 13th to 16th centuries (quite a spread).  After viewing the interior we spent some time in the nearby extensive outdoor market--mostly clothes and other non-food offerings.  As to the shop offerings, we've noticed a high percentage of shoes and watches here as in many towns.  What accounts for that?

Pegasus Bridge--erector and the original behind

We had planned to head next to Le Memorial, the largest of the many Normandy museums covering the events around D-Day.  But passing the Botanical Garden we decided to leave the museum until tomorrow.  The gardens were worth the change of plan, and were surprisingly empty on this Saturday.  Post-gardens we found a convenient Kabab cafe at 2 to provide us with lunch.

The agenda starting in mid-afternoon was a ride to the Pegasus Bridge and along the coast to Arromanches and Omaha Beach.  The bridge crosses the Caen canal linking the city to the coast.  On the night of June 5 1944, 181 British troops under Major John Howard arrived by glider and successfully secured the bridge from German troops. "Horsa" bridge was similarly captured. The large museum here kept Rob busy for more than an hour.  The original 1934 bascule bridge is now in the museum, replaced in 1994 by a similar stronger one.  We later saw the bridge rise to let a small motorboat through, holding up traffic for 15 minutes.

Arromanches--part of the temporary harbor and "sailing" cars?

We rode to the coast at Ouistraham where ferries to England depart, and then along the coast, stopping at Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer for a walk and ice cream, and again at Arromanches to see the remnants of the temporary artificial harbor and watch interesting wheeled "sailboats" try to find some wind.

The final stop was at Omaha Beach, where the American Cemetery was unfortunately closed, but the stretch of beach and German bunkers still evoked scenes of D-Day. Rob says we camped on this beach on our 1965 motorcycle trip, but the memory eludes me. 

 An hour later we were back in Caen, stopped for breakfast supplies, and easily found our apartment before 9PM.  

Sainte-Mere-Eglise

Today’s route explored the Cotentin peninsula north of Granville--though not as far as Cherbourg. We needed a stop to break the morning and selected the ** town of Coutances  which promised a cathedral and gardens.  The morning ride took us first south past the faraway Mont St. Michel which we had bypassed yesterday and then north along the coast to Coutances.

Coutances garden

Coutances was just the ticket.  The Cathedral of Notre Dame is 13th century Gothic with an interesting lantern tower above the apse.   The public gardens provided lots of color, greenery, and some clever plantings.  We had noticed a creperie in town and though the timing was a bit early for us, there were no large towns on our afternoon agenda so we feasted on a quite tasty tuna salad and excellent crepe.

The highlight of the day was the town of Sainte Mere Eglise, the first town to be liberated in France on June 6, 1944.  Paratroopers of the 82th and 101st US airborne units parachuted into the town as the troops arrived on the beaches.  The Airborne Museum covers this early part of the invasion with photos, artifacts, videos, and a WACO glider and C-47 aircraft. A couple of hours later we departed for a ride past Utah and Omaha beaches.  Then a final hour on the motorway to Caen where we finally located the apartment (in a sea of apartment units) which we had booked.

As an aside, I would mention the 2001 series Band of Brothers which covers "Easy Company", part of the 101st Airborne, from training through the end of the war, and includes at the end of each episode, interviews with the surviving members of the Band.  Highly recommended.

The church at Sainte Mere Eglise

We will be here tomorrow night also and plan to visit the Memorial de Caen and perhaps something related to William the Conqueror as well, this being his base.

Saint Malo

We woke to rain and it continued through the morning.  Nonetheless we had plans, so we suited up and rode the two hours to St. Malo, keeping dry--no leaks in the rain pants and boots.  We had a recommendation for a restaurant at Cap Hornier which turned out to be a fine meal, eaten a bit earlier than our usual 1:50 and indoors due to the still-threatening weather.

Saint Malo walls

The famous walled town is 2k from Cap Hornier so we rode, parked, were duly impressed by the walls, and took a 90 minute walk around half the ramparts and through the inside town.  With the tide out, many people were walking on the sand or out to various forts nearby.  We noticed the statue of Jacques Cartier, a native son who departed from Saint Malo in 1534 on his voyage to claim Canada for France.  Apparently Chateaubriand was also born here, but we didn't see any mention of this.  The town is famous as a base for pirates.  It was fortified against attacks by Normans (British).  The city and walls were largely destroyed during WWII but have been painstakingly rebuilt.

Breton dancers in Saint Malo

At 4 we headed for Granville where Rob had secured a room.  This is a fairly large town but we had never heard of it.  We rode past the harbor and up to Le Roc with its lighthouse, bunkers from WWII German occupation, and sea views in all directions. Granville's most famous native son is Christian Dior.

Brittany coast II

crabs in the Roscoff market

Today turned out to be an extension of yesterday--exploring the coast of Brittany along the very tidal north coast from Roscoff to Paimpol.  But first we spent the morning using a local laundry facility and seeing the offerings at the local market.  Seafood topped the list.  This area is a big provider of oysters, lobsters, and crabs as well as various fish.  

We first rode south to Morlaix where we had considered staying last night.  The decision to find lodging in Roscoff was a smart one.  Morlaix is a bigger city and lacks the charm of Roscoff.  We did stop and enjoy lunch there.  During the entire day we noticed the very low tide, with many boats stranded in the mud flats.  Morlaix protected its harbor with a dam, as did Paimpol.  

Paimpol harbor

We stayed along the coast and the charming small Breton towns with their uniform houses and fishing fleets.  In good weather, as we had today, this area is lovely.  We wonder about the rest of the year.  We turned south from the coast to Lanmeur and on to Lannion and across to Paimpol where we had, during lunch, booked an Aparthotel.  The manager met us with the key and we are now enjoying an apartment with kitchen facilities (not to be used except for breakfast), living room and bedroom (80e).

We took a 90 minute evening ride to cover some missed coastline, including the Pointe de l'Arcouest with its ferries to the popular Ile de Brehat.  Back to Paimpol, noticing again the extensive farming, including artichokes, and greenhouses.  This area of Brittany is clearly fish and farm country.  And finally an evening walk to the harbor which protects its fleet from the tide with a weir and lock.  But one must have to time boat departures and arrivals carefully.

Brittany coast

kayak class in Port-Manech

Brittany has a long coastline and we can't possible explore it all in just a couple of days (though we do try), so today we had to skip some pieces.  From Concarneau we went east to two coastal towns--Port-Manech and Pont-Aven.  At the first--very low-key--we watched youngsters maneuvering their kayaks during a class and then took a walk past the old fort.  At Pont-Aven we joined the crowds who visit here due to its connection with impressionist artists who discovered this charming spot and painted it.  Some also may have come for the outdoor market.  We only checked out the market and small harbor and left the town to the other tourists.

Pointe de Pen-Hir

From Pont-Aven we traveled north through the interior to Chateauneuf for a late (but we did arrive before 2PM) lunch of the classic buckwheat crepes and cider.  Post lunch we headed west again past Crozon to Pointe de Pen-Hir, the rocky headland of this peninsula. A monument to the Bretons of Free France was dedicated here in 1960 by de Gaulle.

It was time to put more miles on the bike so we headed east, avoiding Brest, and then north, avoiding the threatening clouds (though we did get a brief soaking and watched the lightning and heard the thunder for 20 minutes), ending the day in Roscoff, a lovely town of stone buildings and the church of Our Lady of Croaz Batz outside our window.  It is also the ferry terminal for the English who want to vacation in Brittany.

Sea salt and Carnac

a small part of the La Baule beachfront, with the tide out

The resort town of La Baule was established in 1879 with the coming of the railroad and the stabilizing of the sand dunes by planting hundreds of trees.  The town boasts 12 k of sandy beaches which are lined with hotels, condos, apartments, and an occasional original house.  Behind the strip lies the commercial district and lovely tree-lined residential areas.  The tide was out as we rode the seafront, leaving many marina boats high and dry. 

We rode to the end of the peninsula and the town of Le Croisac and then through the salt mashes of Guerande which apparently produces the finest sea salt in France.  The whole elaborate process of hand producing this salt was a surprise to us.  (for a personal view of this, check out:  http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2006/09/fleur-de-sel-de-1/ ).  We stopped with the tour buses at the busy museum/store but decided there was no room on the bike for a bag of the salt.

salt mashes of Guerande

 

Next stop was lunch, unfortunately post-2PM and therefore whatever we could find which was a fancy hamburger topped with egg and fries and salad--rather tasty actually.  On to Carnac and the fabulous megalithic stones (3300 BC) forming "alignments"--long rows in sections along a 2-3 kilometer road.  Some are truly huge and one cannot imagine how they were transported here. 

Late afternoon and time to join the light traffic on the motorway to another walled city--Concarneau.  We located a Brit Hotel (a chain we have not tried before) just two blocks from the walls and took an evening walk along the ramparts and through the surprisingly quiet town. The action is all outside the walls.  

The Loire Valley

The Loire and a tourist boat

This was a day of leisurely riding along the Loire, mainly the quieter left (southern) bank, stopping briefly at small towns but mostly just enjoying the countryside and river.  Several chateaux appeared and we had intended to visit one—Ferrant— but the day seemed to evaporate without that happening.  We delayed lunch, having filled ourselves with the hotel buffet, and couldn’t find a town with a restaurant or even a bar until long after 2PM when we saw a McD sign outside the city of Angers and gave in.

Usse Chateau

Our target was Nantes but as we stopped for coffee we realized that heading for the coast (and avoiding city traffic) would provide more time in future days to explore areas of Brittany and Normandy.  So it is the resort  of La Baule where we have ended up.  The traffic heading east was packed while our westward ride was easy.  We’re sitting here on the beach enjoying our evening beer, and some repetitive music, as the very cool ocean breezes blow.  What a difference in temperature!  Although riding today was quite comfortable.

Tours and Chateau Cheverny

Saint Gatien Cathedral

We planned to spend the morning looking around Tours but the list of interesting sites kept growing and we ended up staying until 3, including lunch.  This turns out to be quite an attractive city with two fine churches, an old town, several ornate public buildings and gardens. We walked through the gardens of the Musee de Beaux Arts, housed in the former bishops residence, and headed for the nearby Saint Gatien Cathedral, constructed over the long period of 1160 to 1547 is famous for its stained glass windows of the 13th to 15th centuries.  A "tour group" near the alter turned out to be a German choir who produced a song or two for our pleasure.The attached La Psalette cloisters include two levels with a famous library (dispersed in 1802 after the revolution) where many illuminated manuscripts were produced and others collected.

tomb of St. Martin of Tours

The Basilica of St. Martin was built between 1886 and 1924, and contains the remains of St. Martin of Tours (316-397), one of the best known Christian saints.  Having walked a good 4 kilometers and viewed two churches, we were ready for lunch.  Rob had noticed a sign for merguez and couscous, which determined our eating location. I opted for fish and rice.  We finally returned to the hotel at 3:30 and departed (quite a bit later than planned) for a ride along the Loire.  

Having time to see only one chateau, we selected Cheverny.  We have visited most of the Loire chateaux during previous visits, but this one was unseen.  It turned out to be an excellent choice.  The Chateau was built between 1624 and 1640 and has lovely furnished rooms.  The Hurault family has owned the property for 6 centuries and currently lives here.  The extensive park and gardens and kennels for apparently famous hunting dogs, and an exhibition (sadly closed when we found it) on this location as the inspiration, for Tintin fans, of Herve's Castle of Moulinsart, added to the visit.

Chateau Cheverny

Our return ride took us past the chateaux of Chambord, Blois, and Amboise.  It was a lovely ride along the Loire.  We have been lucky in both weather and lack of tourists this week.  We hope it continues and we head to Normandy tomorrow.

I think I've fixed the defective link to photos June 24+.  There are lots of photos there.

Le Bugue to Tours

The Beaune Hospital created with 20 kilograms of dough

As expected most of the was spent riding in order to cover the distance to Tours in the Loire Valley, our weekend base. Initially Rob found some attractive and relatively fast roads but eventually we had to pick up the autoroute.  We arrived at 4:30 and decided to squeeze in a museum before checking in at our hotel.

Our lucky choice (Rob's actually since he did the search) was the Musee du Compagnonnage, housed in what was once the monks dormitory for the adjacent Saint-Julien Abbey.  The museum covers the various trades and their guilds in Tours by displaying numerous historic and some newer pieces from these, among other, trades:  carpenters, metalworkers, pastry chefs (check out some of their fantastic creations), shoemakers, tanners, barrel makers etc.  I have included probably too many photos but there was a temptation to show even more.  Lots of photographs and history of the guilds supplemented the examples, though the text was in French with just a small English handout.

Tours Town Hall

We checked into our Best Western, cooled off from the mid-80s temperatures, and took an evening walk, after enjoying a beer at the local cafe next to the ornate RR station. Tomorrow we will do some riding and look at a couple of chateaux.

Living in a rock cliff

We packed two sites into the morning.  The first--La Roque Saint Christophe--was exceptional.  The naturally carved out rock face along the Vezere is a kilometer long and first housed prehistoric man (55,000 years ago) was later a fortress built in 976  for protection against the Norman and Viking raiders, and finally a medieval town with houses, workshops and defensive machines, all built into three levels of the cliff face. The town and fortress existed until 1588 when they were destroyed during the Wars of Religion. 

La Roque Saint Christophe

Our second morning activity was to a Renaissance House, also built into a limestone cliff face.  Maison Forte de Reignac was built in the 14th century with windows added in the 16th.  The rooms are filled with Renaissance furnishings and have either a stone wall or stone ceiling.  There is also an exhibition of over 60 medieval torture instruments.  An underground rock chamber displays prehistoric objects discovered on the site.

Maison Forte de Reignac

The town of St-Leon-sur-Vezere provided a lunch stop along the river.  Again we ordered more food than needed and took home some of the large cheese selections.  We walked the river path and watched a school group in their rented canoes.

During the past year we have read the Martin Walker series on Police Chief Bruno of the fictional Dordogne town of St. Denis (from hints in the books we think this is Le Bugue, where we are staying).  The novels are full of local color, wine, food, and a bit of politics and history.  Walker often mentions other towns of the area and in addition provides a postscript to each book with suggestions of areas of interest.  So this afternoon we tried to include some of these in our ride:  St-Albere, Tremolat, La Linde, Audric , St-Chamassy, Limeuil.  All were charming and deserved a look or a stop.  I wish we'd had a bit more time for some of them.  Guess we will have to return another year.  Tomorrow we head north to Tours, so mostly a day of riding as the heat rises. 

Castle and Garden

Castlenaud

Last year we spent a week in the Dordogne and included a visit to Beynac Castle, a French Catholic stronghold during the Wars of Religion.  This year we wanted to see its rival across the river, Castelnaud, held by the Protestant English for much of the war.  Like many French castles it fell into disrepair, and has been renovated during the past 35 years.  The collections and video presentations mainly describe medieval warfare, including armor, castle defenses, attack mechanisms such as the trebuchet, used to hurl large rocks.  The many levels provide views of the river and surrounding countryside.

The small medieval village at the foot of the castle, and high above the Dordogne, includes shops and restaurants, one of which provided today's lunch.  Perhaps you have noticed that eating out has supplanted picnicking. 

carved boxwood at Jardins de Marqueyssac

We had purchased castle tickets which included the nearby Jardins de Marqueyssac, perched on a bluff above the river.  The gardens which were originally created in the 1860s fell into disrepair and were resurrected in the 1990s. They include the original carved boxwood shapes as well as extensive walks culminating in the belvedere above the river and view of the town of La Roque Gageac.

We found yet another back road to bring us to tonight's destination of Le Bugue along the Vezere River.  

Millau to Cahors

Millau VIaduct

From the new bridge to the old.  We exited Millau by riding under the amazing viaduct which we saw last year.  I won’t repeat the statistics on this bridge but check it out if you are interested.  We were headed for Cahors but of course took a roundabout route, passing near Rodez (another interesting city we visited last year) and then Decazville before reaching the Lot River.

We stayed along the Lot which was bordered by either farms or cliffs.  Walnut orchards were common, as they are in the nearby Dordogne.  We skipped Figeac and carried on to Cajarc where we stopped for lunch at 2PM.  This is the cutoff time for restaurants, so I asked if we could still “manger”.  Just the plat du jour was available, so we went with that—a steak (Rob said bien cuit—well done—but it looked as red as mine).  Tasty though, with roasted potatoes and a couple of veggies.  

Cahors Valentre Bridge

Next stop was the tourist mecca of St-Circ-Lapopie, a hilltop town with views of the Lot and the usual shops and restaurant. It was worth the stop though.  We carried on to Cahors, our target for tonight.  After securing a hotel we walked to the famous Valentre bridge, built in the mid 14th century.  The town is in an oxbow of the Lot and its history goes back to Celtic times.  It is also famous for its dark Malbec wine. We walked through the old town—fairly quiet and less interesting than we had expected.  The weather was comfortable today but appears to be rising in the coming days.

Riding in the Cevennes

view from Mount Aigoual

Rob had a full day of riding mapped out, up and down, along gorges, and through heavily forested countryside. For most of the day we were in the Cevennes and started with a ride to the top of Mount Aigoual where a tower provides fine views.  A long line of bicycles waited along the fence but no riders were in sight.  Hiking perhaps?  

From L'Esperou we descended to the valley and took another long loop ride back to L'Esperou where we found the one open restaurant.  A group of somewhat older bikers (not older than us, but older than most of the bikers we see) were enjoying lunch.  As they departed we realized that the men had ridden up to the town and the wives had driven up, meeting for the meal.

waiting for the laundry to finish

The last ride of the day was along the Gorges of the Dourbie River, leading us to Millau for the night. We just had time to use the local laundromat before it closed at 8:30. We stayed at the same hotel last year and were most amazed by the Millau Viaduct which we will see again tomorrow before exiting town. 

Chauvet Cave

Recreated Cauvet cave

We had intended to visit the famous recently opened Chauvet Cave site yesterday but didn't see any signs to it when we entered the Ardeche Gorge.  We did a little more research last night and discovered that the complex, which includes a replica of the cave (as at Lascaux), exhibition hall, and restaurant, is called the Caverne du Pont d'Arc.  Our hotel owner indicated that the Chauvet family (the real caves are named after one of the three discoverers) has a dispute with the French Government who owns the site, and who cannot use the Chauvet name. Confusing?  Even knowing the real name of the complex, we saw almost no signage to it.

one of the many cave images

We took a roundabout route to this day's highlight, stopping in the town of Goudargues to walk along the river.  Arriving at the Caverne at 12:30, we were able to secure tour tickets for 2, giving us time to view the exhibitions and have lunch.  

I'm including links to the cave site (http://www.experienceardeche.com/page/the-chauvet-cave/56) and to an April New York Times article on it (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/arts/design/the-chauvet-caves-hyperreal-wonders-replicated.html?_r=0).  Wiki also has details on the site. The caves were discovered in 1994, and some of the images date from 32,000 BC, older than Lascaux. The caves are more than 400 meters long and contain more than 1000 images. The cave entrance was sealed by landslides thousands of years ago.  The recreated cave is quite impressive.  The audio guide supplemented the French tour. The caves are the subject of the Werner Herzog 2010 movie "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" which is now on my must-see list.

Leaving at 3:30 we still had a bit of travel ahead of us.  More lovely back roads, a McDonald's stop for coffee--our first on this trip-- and then a stretch in the Cevennes Mountains to Florac, a relatively nondescript town but a convenient place to spend the night.