Category Archives: Cycling

Cycling, Loire Valley, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Cycling in the Loire Valley – Agrémonts Windmill in Bléré and Château de Chenonceau at dusk

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Relationnel loves windmills (and wind for that matter) because he grew up in an abandoned windmill near Saumur.  Well, the house itself wasn’t abandoned but the windmill no longer had any sails and the wooden structure on top was missing. He was therefore delighted when we arrived in Bléré yesterday to see the beautifully renovated Aigremonts Windmill. Unfortunately we arrived after closing time but were able to walk right around it.

Aigremonts Windmill

This type of windmill is called a cavier because the milling room was in the cave or cellar of the house. Aigremonts was built between 1845 and 1848 and is 18 metres high. It was renovated by the Bléré municipal council. The base, called a masse, consists of 4 vaulted cellars made of local tufa stone. The massereau or central part housing the mill rooms and milling machinery, is surmounted by a tufa stone cone, the only one to have survived the ravages of war and time.

At the top, the hucherolle (which housed the drive shaft) and the sails (equipped with a Berton system) have been entirely reconstructed.

Air balloon taking off

We then cycled to Chenonceau Castle, one of our favourite rides, which I’ve already described in another post. Just before we reached the château, we came across an air balloon as it was taking off on the other side of the Cher river. You could hear the sound of the fire under the basket. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to one. I really would love to find the courage to go up. It must be quite marvellous.

Chenonceau from the bike path along the Cher

Then we rounded the corner and Chenonceau was waiting for us, as impressive as ever. The light was just perfect – it was about 8 pm and dusk was falling. We’d never seen it at that time of the day. You could even see the water on the other side through the windows of the gallery that spans the Cher.

Chenonceau reflected in the Cher at dusk

We rode down as far as the bridge and back towards the château. We would have loved to watch the sunset but the bike path would have been too dark to come back and it’s a pretty bumpy ride, with lots of large tree roots and stones. I didn’t want to take the risk of falling in the river!

The château from the other side

So we rode back to Bléré and had dinner at a little open-air restaurant on the main square called Le Bonheur est dans le pré. We ended up chatting to our neighbours who have a property where they hunt and fish in nearby Sologne. We exchanged phone numbers so it looks like we’ll be having game for Christmas this year!

Moulin des Aigremonts
Opening times :
27th May to 4th September : Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am to 12 noon and 3 pm to 6 pm.
Also open during heritage weekend (15th and 16th September 2012)
2 euro for adults, free for children up to 13.
Cycling, Loire Valley, Restaurants

Cycling in the Loire – Château de Chambord

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My highschool friend Jane is staying with me in Blois for a few days. It’s quite hot so we’ve decided to cycle late afternoon and dine out. Jane has been cycling in Townsville along the Ross River in preparation for her visit and the day before, we’ve already ridden along the Loire from Château Menars to Saint Dyé sur Loire and back, a comfortable 16 K.

17th century market place in Bracieux

I’ve checked my bike map, Les Châteaux à Vélo, and seen that Bracieux to Chambord is about 8 K, which is perfect. I know the route because I’ve cycled on it before. You may remember that Bracieux is the little town where Relationnel and I were recently dubbed “cute” by one of the locals. We arrive in Bracieux without mishap and take the bikes off the back of the car. We’re organised by now and have everything we need, including our rain capes because there are a few blackish clouds floating around.

Chambord in the sun, taken during a previous ride

We ride into the town and check out the 17th century market place. We see that the restaurant on the corner “Au Fil du Temps” is open because the tables under the market place are already set. Off we go and I realise that I don’t know where the bike route is. I hate to admit this, but when I’m with Relationnel, I leave that sort of thing to him. We head off in what seems a likely direction and eventually find a little bike sign saying “Chambord”.
“I guess it’s because we already went cycling yesterday”, says Jane after about 5 k, “but it doesn’t seem as easy today”. “Don’t worry”, I reply, “only about 3 K to go”. But we arrive in a town that I don’t remember seeing before called Neuvy. It’s a bit worrying because I can’t see it on my map either. Some other cyclists tell us they’ve just come from Chambord.

Entrance to the grounds of Chambord

I see a sign that says 11 K. Oops ! We find a street map and discover that we must have missed a turnoff early in the procedure and have been going east instead of north.
Jane looks very discouraged. We head off in the right direction this time, along a forest road, and when we get to the crossroads between Chambord (5 K) and Bracieux (3 K), she decides that we may as well push on to Chambord after coming all this way. We finally get to the stone wall surrounding the castle and enclosing what was François Ier’s favourite hunting domain. No one ever lived in Chambord – he used to travel with everything and everyone he needed, including furniture.

Jane discovers Chambord after a long, hard ride!

I miss the cycle route (again!) so we join it a little further on, which seems preferable to cycling along the edge of a 70 kph road. Now it’s spitting. We come out just before the château and as we round the corner, the view is breathtaking. We put on our capes but the sun then comes out and casts a wonderful light on the castle. We cycle through the grounds, past the château and finally stop and have a cold drink at a café with the castle in full view, just as everyone is packing up. By then it’s 7.45 pm but it’s still full daylight.

After a suitable rest, we go back along the 8 K route we were originally supposed to take! By the time we arrive back in Bracieux, we’ve ridden 30 K and Jane is understandably very proud of herself as 16 K is her record. We decide to have the full menu for 26 euro at Au Fil du Temps. There isn’t a wide choice, but the entrée (melon for Jane, smoked salmon for me) and main course (fresh salmon for Jane and entrecôte for me) are good value for money. The tarte tatin is somewhat disappointing. The service is friendly, however, and the setting is definitely worth it!

Au Fil du Temps, 11 Halle, 41250 Bracieux, France Tel. 0254460384
Cycling, France, French customs, Lifestyle, Loire Valley

La Promenade – Paris-Mont St.Michel Route Gets New Name: La Veloscenie – Blame France

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Many of the Anglophone bloggers who live in France are off on their summer holidays at the moment, often taking a break from blogging, which has given me the chance to discover some new blogs, in particular that of Gaynor B. from La Petite Presse who spends the summer in the Loire Valley. She takes us to a very enticing restaurant called La Promenade. This time, Experience France by Bike gives an exhaustive explanation of the bike route that connects up Paris and Le Mont Saint Michel – a mere 442 k!  Bread is Pain explains how, if you live in France, you can blame everything negative that ever happens to you on that very fact and not take any responsibility for anything you do! Enjoy!

La Promenade

by Gaynor B. from La Petite Presse who divides her time between the UK and the small village of Le Petit-Pressigny in the Touraine Sud area of France

We seem to have a ‘nose’ for picking homes in small villages with excellent places to eat. In Staffordshire it is the Hollybush, and in Le Petit-Pressigny La Promenade and Le Bon Coin. Different in price and ambiance but each offering good quality food. Last week we ate at La Promenade which is a Michelin starred restaurant run by Jacky Dallais. The food was fantastic and the wines of excellent quality and value. We’ve eaten here before and really think that it is an experience to savour and better shared with other people. Our partners in the gourmet experience this time were Maureen, John and their son Daniel (who live near to us in the UK and have a lovely home and gite near Chatillion sur Indre) together with Nick and Janet. Read more.

Paris-Mont St.Michel Route Gets New Name: La Veloscenie

by Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

If there are any more long-distance bike routes developed in France, I am definitely going to need to relocate so that I have more time to explore all of them!  This summer has already seen the grand opening of La Velodyssee, the Atlantic Coast route which I wrote about for 2 weeks in May. Now, the much talked about Paris-Mont-Saint-Michel route has introduced a new name, a new website, and significant improvements to the route. The new website for La Veloscenie is only in French, good for my French readers, but not for the rest of us.  So here are some key details about this itinerary in case you want to consider it for a future trip. Read more

Blame France

by Bread is Pain, a 30-something American living in the Rhone-Alps, and slowly eating and drinking herself through the country

Narrator’s Voice is heard: 

“Does this ever happen to you?”

Queue photos of a woman carrying a grocery bag that breaks, a man having a car splash water on him, a couple having the doors to a theater shut in their face.

“Do you ever feel like you just want to throw in the towel, like the world just isn’t on your side?”

Show image of unattractive depressed person looking out a window on a rainy day.

“What if you could change all that?  What if I told you that there is a way that you could never have a bad day again and nothing will ever be your fault?”

The word “HOPE” flashes across the screen. Read more.

Burgundy, Cycling, France, French customs, Germany, Paris, Sightseeing, Travelling

Paris Plage on a Saturday – Bacharach-on-the-Rhine – Biking in Burgundy: Upcoming Wine Events and Festivals

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This week, even Paris is on holiday.  Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris has captured the essence of Paris Plage which has got off to a wonderful start with exceptional weather. It’s supposed to be 30°C every day this week. Andrea from Destination Europe reports on the delightful little German village of Bacharach-on-the-Rhine whcih will make you want to include it in your next trip to Germany while Experience France by Bike has lots of suggestions for wine festivals and events this summer in Burgundy. You can enjoy them even if you’re not a cyclist!

Sunday’s picture and a song – Paris Plages on a Saturday

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

Vamos a la Playa! After weeks of grey skies and rainy weather, Parisians put on their flip flops and swimsuits and headed to the beach this morning. They didn’t have to travel far because the city of Paris has been creating an artificial beach along the Seine for its residents and guests since 2002. With deck chairs, ice cream vendors, bands, street performers and the smell of suntan lotion in the air, Stéphane and I felt as if we had been magically transported to a seaside locale.

To enhance the illusion, here’s the song that used to blast from the speakers of our little Fiat Uno as we whizzed along the highway from Switzerland to the beaches of Italy, Monaco or France. Listening to it now, I realize that it’s not a great song. But in those days, it was synonymous with freedom. No work, no worries…just long luxurious hours spent relaxing on the beach. Read more

Bacharach-on-the-Rhine

by Andrea from Destination Europe, also an Aussie Expat who’s been living in France for the last 5 years, food and travel blogger

While looking for a place to stay in between visits to Trier and Heidelberg, we stumbled across one of the most perfect German villages I’ve ever seen. Bacharach on the Rhine is made up almost exclusively of medieval timber framed houses with the oldest dating from 1368.

Sometimes when visiting Germany I get a bit bored with seeing this kind of architecture everywhere but Bacharach is so quaint and adorable I loved every minute I spent there. Each house is so well preserved and maintained it really is like stepping back in time. Read more

Biking in Burgundy: Upcoming Wine Events and Festivals

by Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history

Are you fortunate enough to be cycling in Burgundy in the next couple of months?  Perhaps bicycling on the Vineyard Trail in the Cote de Beaune, or along the Canal du Centre or Burgundy Canal voies vertes?

If so, why not plan to visit a local wine festival? If you’ve never stumbled upon a festival while touring the French countryside,  you are in for a treat.  They are an experience of a lifetime.  They remind me of old fashioned festivals that I remember going to when I was a kid: lots of food, games, pony rides and music.  And of course wine. Read more

Accommodation, Belgium, Cycling, France, Sightseeing, Travelling

Liege-Guillemins – Europe’s Most Impressive Railway Station – Fougères and the St. James American Cemetary, Brittany – Cycling the Atlantic Coast: Likes, Dislikes and What I Would Do Differently

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In my bloggers’ round-up this week, we start off in Liège in Belgium with a description of an iconic railway station by Kathy Standford from Femmes Francophiles who also shares her impressions of the Thalys train service. Abby from Paris Weekender then takes us on a trip to Fougères, which is also one of my favourites, discovered by accident on a return trip from Brittany. Experience France by Bike then sums up her recent trip along the Atlantic Coast.

Liège-Guillemins – Europe’s Most Impressive Railway Station

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles a fellow Australian and Francophile who is spending 3 months in Europe, based in France

In just over 2 hours after boarding the Thalys train at Gard de Nord in Paris, I arrived in Liège, Belgium at the spectacular Liège-Guillemins station. It has been described as one of the most impressive railway stations in Europe – and I would have to agree. Designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava Valls, it was inaugurated in 2009. Nestled against a tree-covered hill, the station is described to be in the shape of a woman lying on her back. It is easy to see why with its steel, glass and white concrete, wavelike structure rises 32 metres and extends 160 metres. Read more.

Fougères and the St. James American Cemetery, Brittany

by Abby from Paris Weekender, a collection of ideas for Paris weekends: staying put and getting out of town

Near the border of Brittany and Normandy in the department of Ile-et-Vilaine (Brittany), equidistant between Rennes and the northern coast, lies the medieval city of Fougères. I had often driven right past Fougères. It’s hard to drive all the way to Brittany and not head straight for the coast. Yet Fougères makes a perfect stop for a few hours on the way to Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo, Dinan or further west. Read more.

Cycling the Atlantic Coast: Likes, Dislikes and What I Would Do Differently

by Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

Looking back at my recent bicycling trip along the Atlantic Coast of France, the first word that comes to mind is adventure.  This is funny because that really wasn’t what I had in mind as I embarked on this trip!  This was my first trip to explore “La Velodyssee”, the French portion of EuroVelo 1, stretching from Roscoff to the Spanish border and I really had no idea what to expect as far as the route was concerned.  I researched the route thoroughly, knew which deviations I wanted to take, and, like all cyclists, hoped that the weather would cooperate. Read more.

Cycling, Loire Valley

Cycling to Saint Dye sur Loire

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When we used to live in Fontenay sous Bois, we usually went cycling along the Marne River three or four times a week in the summer. We’d take our bikes to Bry sur Marne on the back of the car then ride down to the old Meunier chocolate factory at Noisiel and back. Most of the way, it’s a bike path with houses on one side and the river on the other and woods at the end. Often we’d take a picnic or stop off for a côte de bœuf at La Pergola. When we moved to Paris, I really missed it.

But we think we’ve found an equivalent near Blois. Today we took our bikes over to the other side of the river about 7 or 8 K from Blois and parked near the bike path which runs along the river banks. The Loire is not like the Marne which is a navigable river and has stabilised banks. The Loire has a lot of sand banks and is mostly untamed. We were surprised to discover that the bike path is tarred and almost like a carpet most of the way!

Cours sur Loire

One of the first places we came to was Menar Castle which were had seen close up from the other side and was not very impressive. But the view from across the river is stunning. Just afterwards was the lovely little village of Cour sur Loire with its castle and church. But Saint Dyé was the highlight of our ride.

Saint Dyé sur Loire

It was once a walled city and has an immense church overlooking the Loire. We rode up into the village and through the quaint little streets with their pretty cottages. We saw a little old lady not a day under 80 outside cutting her Virginia creeper. I hesitated to take a photo but she gave me a toothy grin and said “photo?”. So I didn’t hesitate!

We rode back down to the banks of the Loire and along the old tow path until we came in sight of the Saint Laurent des Eaux nuclear power plant and turned back for obvious reasons. We hadn’t aken a picnic because we didn’t know if there were any tables along the way and after cycling for 20 K, a picnic on the grass is not my idea of comfort. I was rather hoping we’d find a restaurant with a river view of river but the only thing we saw was a bar inside a horse riding school.  I reckon that would be worse than sitting on the grass.

The views as we rode back were quite beautiful. The sun had come out (it was spitting very lightly when we set out) and made the water sparkle. So we decided to go home and picnic in the garden instead.

Cycling, France, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

At Your Age and In Love

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It’s an excruciatingly hot day in the Loire Valley and we’ve waited until quite late to go bike riding. After cycling about 15 K from Cour Cheverny, we’ve had our picnic dinner by a little lake in Bracieux and I want to find a place to have coffee. Relationnel doesn’t hold out much hope – it’s Thursday evening and Bracieux is a village with about 1300 inhabitants.

We ride into the centre and immediately come across a bar with a terrace jutting out into the street. We lean our bikes against the railing and Relationnel goes off to order. I think I hear someone say “Oh, they’re so cute!”. I look around but can’t see anyone that could possibly be described as cute.  I stand back a bit to take a photo of the café. Relationnel turns at the door to ask me what I want.

Our coffee comes and we drink it. I sneak a look at the other people on the terrace. They all look like regulars with a couple under their belt. A young woman and two men between 30 and 40 at one table and two men in the early thirties at the table closest to us. Relationnel goes off to pay. “Excusez-moi”, says one of the young men, “I just have to tell you how cute you both are.” Relationnel comes back at this point and hears the end of the conversation, “Like that”, continues the young man, “out for an evening ride, at your age, and in love”.

Relationnel (whence his name!) replies, “Yes, the most important part is being in love.” The young man isn’t quite sure what he means. “Finding the right person is the hard bit,” says Relationnel, “Bikes are easy to get.”

We ride off to visit the 17th century market place and as soon as they are out of site, we go into hysterics. “At our age”. Oh dear!

 

Croatia, Cycling, Sightseeing, Travelling, Uncategorized

My Croatian Itinerary – Part 6: Porec and Pula in Istria

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The previous leg of our Croatian itinerary (Part 5) ended at Plitvice lakes which were truly the highlight of our trip. The next stage of our journey took us to Porec in the very Italian peninsula of Istria. We arrived at Hotel Filipini, 7 or 8 K from Porec, around 3.30 pm. First problem – they didn’t have our reservation, despite the fact that it had been confirmed. They also only spoke Croatian and Italian! They eventually found us a room downstairs on the other side of the kitchen that turned out to be opposite a room full of noisy children. The bed was awful and I was bitten by mosquitoes.

We had hoped to cycle from the hotel to Porec but it was very hot and the cycle path proved to be of no interest whatsoever so we ended up driving there. We found free parking not far from the centre, just next to the post office and went off to visit the Euphrasian Episcopal Complex, a world heritage site and the town’s most important attraction. In addition to the architectural interest of the mainly Byzantine basilica, baptistry, palace and chapel, there is a 16th century bell-tower that affords a panoramic view of the old town. We strolled through the streets which, despite the tourists, seemed very typical with several well-preserved mediaeval houses of obviously Venetian influence.

We decided to go to the little village of Novrigrad for dinner. There was some sort of festivity going on which seemed to include food, drink and handicrafts but we had no idea what it really involved. We later saw they were selling mussels and other seafood that you ate standing up. In the meantime, we found a restaurant by the seafront appropriately called “Café del Mar” and had an enjoyable meal watching the sun set over the little harbour. Lots of shops were open so we purchased swimming shoes for next day because we had already seen that there is no sand on the beaches, just sharp rocks.

Despite the excellent breakfast, we left the hotel next day because of the bed, noise and mosquitoes. Their Visa card machine was “broken” so we had to drive into Porec to get cash. We then left for Pula. After a half an hour, I realised the hotel hadn’t returned our IDs, so back we went! We arrived in Fanzana at about 11.30 and immediately found a hotel more to our liking, the Villa Letan, in Peroj. It was a bit more expensive, but had a good bed, a balcony with a great view and air conditioning. I was even able to have my clothes ironed at a very reasonable price!

After lunch at a very friendly portside restaurant in Fanzana called the Batana and some well-deserved R&R at the hotel, we went swimming in the Adriatic for the first time. Thanks to our swimming shoes, we finally managed to get out far enough to enjoy ourselves before staggering back over the rocks.

We arrived in Pula at about 8 pm and were delighted to find the famous amphitheatre still open. It was wonderful to visit in the setting sun with hardly a soul in sight. I’m told it is packed during the daytime. They were preparing for some sort of show and it was easy to imagine the Romans occupying the 23,000 seats and milling in and out of the stores and shops beneath its 72 arches.  The old town was very animated and after strolling past the Temple of Augustus, the Town Hall built in 1296 and various gothic and renaissance buildings, we found a very friendly outdoor restaurant called Angulus on Hermana Dalmatina.

Breakfast next morning was nothing special but at least we’d had a good night’s sleep.  We had initially planned to visit some of the nearby islands, but they are very protected and you can’t take your own bikes so we decided to work out our own cycling itinerary around the tip of the peninsula west of Pula. It proved to be an excellent choice that I have already described in a previous post. Next day, we headed for Slovenia.

Cooking, Cycling, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

Summer Mushrooms in the Loire

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We really have had a beautiful week in the Loire. Everyone in France this year, particularly in Paris, has been complaining about the awful spring weather and it was no better in Blois. But when we came back last week, the potatoes we’d planted in the rain two weeks before were looking very happy (and so were the surrounding weeds of course!) and the vegetation, especially the roses, was flourishing.

The good weather stayed with us and as a result, we were able to go cycling several times. Our last excursion was to the nearest village, Chouzy sur Cisse, about 5 kilometers away, in the opposite direction from the centre of Blois. Being on our bikes, we were able to take a dirt road running parallel to the main highway along the Loire, thus avoiding the 70 kph road I’m not so keen on.

The entrance to the village is not particularly attractive, but in the centre there’s a butcher (very handy for barbecues), a baker, a little supermarket and a hairdresser. I had seen a sign saying “plan d’eau” which generally means a small lake so we kept going and, to our surprise, came across a lovely little stretch of water next to the Cisse. The river itself is very picturesque with yellow waterlilies and water irises.

We followed the path along the edge and found ourselves cycling along the river past lots of small market gardens. One even had a whole row of lilies-of-the-valley. Relationnel consulted the map and said we could take Rue Beaumont. I groaned inwardly because the name means “beautiful rise” which obviously means cycling uphill. We were rewarded though because it took us onto a flat though bumpy road through the forest.

Suddenly Relationnel stopped and said, “Not sure what it is but maybe … “. I continued cycling but soon realised he wasn’t following. I looked back to see him waving frantically. “You should get out the camera”, he said as I got closer. What a find! Several large fresh summer cep mushrooms. Now one of the reasons we chose Blois for our retirement is its proximity to a state forest so we can pick mushrooms in the autumn, so finding such wonderful specimens in summer is extremely promising! We cooked them in the frypan and ate them with our côte de boeuf!

Cycling, Switzerland, Travel photos

Sunday’s Travel Photos – Rheinfall near Schaffhausen in Switzerland

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Last summer, we spent three days in Germany and Switzerland cycling along part of the Eurovelo 6 bike route. The highlight was definitely the natural waterfalls on the Rhine river near Schaffhausen in Switzerland, the largest in Europe – 150 m wide and 23 metres high. When they came into view on our cycle path, the effect was stunning. It was a little overcast but when we came back again after lunch, the sun had come out, making the water dance and sparkle. We didn’t take the boat out to the falls because it looked as though you could get pretty wet!

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