Petites Cités de Caractère
France Stage 09 – Angers to Ancenis 68 Km (Sun 17 June 2018)
Weather: 16⁰C min – 19⁰C max, mostly cloudy
“Keep calm and ride on.” ~ Unknown
Not every stage of a tour can be expected to be as memorable as the last couple of days. Today the light was a bit duller, the scenery more nondescript, and the paths less paved. Nevertheless, any day spent cycling through a country such as France is a new adventure and beats sitting around on a winter’s day at home (unless you are playing bridge).
Just as you start to get bored looking at the muddy river and dark green trees, you come to another charming petites cités de caractère, which as you can probably guess means small city of character in France. Today there were many, even sleeper than normal because it is Sunday. Frequent stops were needed to capture all the quaint little houses with brightly coloured wooden shutters.
Not far out of Angers I was confronted with a dreaded Route Baree sign blocking the path, but it was closed for a good reason … there was a fresh food market ahead. Aware that most shops and eating places are closed on Sundays, I took the opportunity of stocking up on grapes and apricots to sustain me on the 70 Km ride.
At about the 30 Km point there was a great little riverside cafe open, so naturally I stopped there for a dose of caffeine. Cappuccinos are not something they know how to make properly here in France, so I always order cafe au lait (white coffee) because at least you know what to expect.
Definitely the highlight of my day was stopping to talk to (and get photographed with) a group of high-spirited locals eating (but mostly drinking) at a riverside picnic table. When I mentioned that I am from Sydney they reminded me that France beat Australia 2-1 in the football yesterday. They wanted me to toast the France team with them, but I declined the alcohol because it is nearly 5 years since I touched a drop. I might have been tempted if Australia had been victorious!
The closer I got to Ancenis the better the scenery and roads became, in fact they were as good as it gets. Looking back on the day, perhaps this stage from Angers to Ancenis was just as memorable after all!
Hi Kevin, your daily cycling blog and photos are a highlight to read. I look forward to your next descriptive adventure, your words and photos are so interesting and must take a fair bit of your time to download, but it sure is worth it! Well done, you are amazing and inspirational to all of us to keep cycling. Safe pedalling, judy
Hi Judy.
Good to hear from you! It makes it all worthwhile to know that people like yourself are following my progress and enjoying my blog. Looking forward to a rest day in Nantes tomorrow before I head north for six more days if riding in France before catching the ferry and train to London on 27 June.
How did you bike ride down the Danube go?
Say hi to the gang from me.
Cheers, Kevin