Tail Wind

 We awoke in our minimalist room. Quite chic. Modern clean lines an all that. And perhaps too comfortable as we needed the jump leads to get going this morning. Once we had pulled ourselves and our meagre belongings together, we made our way to the 'real' hotel because we had been told that we were allowed a cup of coffee in the morning from its hallowed corridors.  

We went from the sublime to the ridiculous. The upholstery on the very comfy sofas was a combination of orange, red, blue and purple. And that was without taking all the other colours used in the room into account. If the bedrooms were decorated similarly, then we would have been lucky to get any sleep!

After one and a half coffees each, we set forth through Chatellerault. It is impressive. We crossed a mighty bridge crossing what I think was the Vienne (but I'm open to suggestions) and the ends of the bridge were guarded by fortified turrets. At one end the turrets were also guarding a boulangerie which was open and allowed us to breakfast.  

I was delighted to note that the weather app had predicted a complete change of wind direction accurately. The result of this was that we were blown all the way to Tours. 

What a difference! We tanked it in high gears most of the way even though we were often on high ground. Much of today's terrain was on open moorland. Quite barren. A bit like the North York moors on steroids. The only draw back was looking for somewhere to relieve oneself. No convenient trees or bushes here. Not that they are quite so fussed in France. I remember a friend saying to me a while ago how, when he was in France, he asked a friend where he could go for a pee, and a French man said to him, "My friend, you 'ave ze ole of France."

The only temporary fly in the ointment today was the noise...

The tandem developed a strange clank which was intermittent and irregular, making it very hard to diagnose. I tried several things  to remedy it to no avail. It worried me. Then, after several miles, it made a noise like there was a small stone stuck somewhere in a crank which suddenly got ground up and spat out. Anyway,  whatever it was, all now seems good and we bowled along very nicely. We spent much of the day on a fairly popular cycle route which meant that every few miles, you would see cyclists coming the other way. (Head wind for them today)

You do see some extraordinary sights. I know we can't really talk but frequently, we would see what appeared to be a collection of panniers approaching, with a helmet on top and a pair of eyes peering over the highest pannier. The amount of stuff some people carry. Anybody would think they had packed three dresses! Very often they would be alone. I'm not sure I could cycle for days on end by myself. I might 'find myself' and never get over the shock of it.

Still, these enormous monstrosities seem to stay upright. Which is more than we did yesterday... I have expunged the thought so thoroughly from my mind that I forgot to mention it yesterday. But in the interest of a true and accurate account, yesterday we fell off. There have been countless times when I have executed a perfect about turn, taking just the width of a minor road, even with a laden tandem. But this time it went wrong. I have no idea why. At least we were going at snail's pace. (Perhaps too slowly) You get that feeling just before, that things are not going to end well. We both did. We also both know that, especially at our age, you have to fall well. So we did. The coast was clear so we met the road as gently as possible then rolled around until coming to graceful stops when convinced that no more rolling was required. It was quite a relief that our free fall techniques were able to go unobserved and it also meant that we had time to run a check on limbs, backs, heads and egos.

But back to today, progress was so good that we were in Tours by 1:30. The hotel allowed us to book in which was great. The hotel is wonderfully French. The staff are charming and it is located very centrally which meant we could explore Tours. What a magnificent city. We may have been here before in 1990. We can't remember. But in 1990, we were young and foolish and didn't know what we were doing... If we did come here, it was with our friends Simon and Trudy. Simon knows everything in the whole world, so, Simon, if you're reading this, did we come here in 1990?

After a quick tour (see what I did there?) We came back to the hotel. It was 4:30. We laid on the bed and were asleep in minutes. We got up at 6pm. We really needed this rest day. 55 miles is very different to 65 miles and there was less climbing as well as a tail wind. I think we have done some serious recuperation today.

We have just returned from a final foray into Tours where we even did cultured things like visit an art gallery and the Cathedral.

It was quite odd to behave like normal holiday goers. Did we look like normal holiday goers? I leave you to look at the photos and decide.....

The stairs in our hotel.

Our hotel

Tours cathedral just as a wedding was taking place.

I want that car!

The main drag in Tours. 

 

Now do I look like a normal tourist or what?

Bridge at Chatellerault. The turret on the left is guarding the bakery.

Snazzy colour combos in the dining room where 'steerage' was allowed a coffee before being sent on their way.