Friday, July 23, 2010

On the road again... just can't wait to get back on the road again

So where are we - we're not really sure. North East of Orleans near a forest and a road.

As like the second half of yesterday, today has been about travel. Pluis - wet weather makes it or more the better for travelling when it's not much fun looking at things.

Additionally, today is a rest day for the tour. Just like the cyclists, directors, organisation, press the followers too need a rest day. Whether it's for travel, fitting in that longer ride for those who can squeeze it in.

For Team JMC it was a bit of reality bites - heading back to Paris to the end of the tour. It also changed our pespective on France. We were now tourists per say. Not sports fanatics fitting in a holiday.

So accordingly we behaved like tourists. We stopped off at the Cahors markets early in the morning to beat the peak hour rush in our gigantic car. The thunderstorm through the night had cooled the hot limestone cliffs which surrounded us. It was still close to 28 C at 11 pm and we were cursing the spainards who were up late partying.

Fortunately France hasn't fully embraced the McDonalds breakfast cuture - really Maccas has nothing in it's arsenal to defeat France. The french invented crepes - the boulangeries are open from 6.30, it's easy to get a coffee and the french have crepes. While Macca's was closed on the edge of Cahors, their WIFI was going strong in the carpark and subsequently a great spot to enjoy our breakfast.

Cadel's diary brought a smile to the face - his most recent upload included the aussie flags which were flying in the pyrenees - and that meant us!! Yell for Cadel was our motto.

We travelled North sopping at a cute town just south of Limoges with quintessential Limousine architechture- mini turrets on houses, lunch was somewhere and arrived at Chambourd Chateau in the Loire Valley at 1500hrs - exactly as Jac had estimated.

Quick history lesson- built by Louis 1st and is a 2 day trip in horse and carriage from Paris.Took many years to build as Louis kept changing his mind. There is a huge hunting ground surrounding it and is the official hunting ground of the French president. It is symmetrical and has enormous Greek architechural influences. Louis 14th and Marie Antoinette were dragged from before their heads were chopped off.

Not only is it pretty, it's the first flat part of France Jac and Mark have come across. It's a bit like Echuca just greener and with Villages closer together! It's perfect riding for Mark to return to next time we come back.

But alors - Mark was determined to head closer to Paris and by doing so Jac waved good bye to the last chance to ride in the land of frogs legs and snails. However by leaving the Loire, Team JMC discovered they were leaving the nooks and crannies of the forests - perfect for hiding a 3 m high campervan for open paddocks - not so good for free accommodation for the night. With a little back tracking we found the forest, checked out a few nooks, found a cranny and settled in for the night. Well that's what we thought. We could hear the hunting happening in the forest. We had a visitor pull in who needed to use the naturale toilet that was supposed to be hiding us. Then either side of dinner, two semi trailers had pulled up. What had we occupied? Was this the drug exchange spot? There were no shoes hanging over power lines in cooee of us! Then with our light fading, we let our imaginations run - what if a tree fell on us? Could we get shot? Do they hunt at night here in France? We jumped in the white beast and headed to the nearest Village, pulled up in the car park pulled up the blinds and closed the day on another chapter.

No comments:

Post a Comment