Rainstorm! Wind! Lightning!
We were crushed last night by the elements. Both of our tents held up fine, but the deluge didn’t stop until after nine o’clock in the morning. Being in no particular rush to leave, we hunkered down until the coast was clear. We didn’t start cycling until close to eleven.
Bakeries are a common site in France, and I am happy for it. The assortment of sandwiches and desserts that are available are difficult to resist. All have been quite small, not offering a place to eat inside. Being weak (to put it lightly) with the language, I do quite a lot of pointing. Peppering in please and thank you always seems to help.
We spent the majority of the day in Amboise. Wanting a small coffee, we stopped at a curbside cafe. After ordering the cheese plate, and furthering our discussions, we left over an hour later bound for the great unknown.
We cycled three hundred feet.
In the city center, a large castle, Le Chateau d’Amboise, overthrew our desire to continue. The interior patiently waited while we admired her exterior over a light beer.
This structure had, for hundreds of years, housed kings of France. In such a place, it’s natural for a mind to slip five hundred years into the past and don the crown. I would hope to aspire to what Plato described as a benevolent philosopher king. How did these people relate, living in such luxury above the rest? Has our society fundamentally changed under capitalism?
Putting in mileage in the evening hours, we rolled into Chaumont, found a small restaurant and indulged in a delicious escargot pizza (Note to Self: Take more food pictures).
The municipal campground offered nice showers and an open field for 4.50€ apiece. Thus far, we have spent next to nothing on our nighttime accommodations. The French obviously encourage this form of budget travel through the Loire valley. Why are the people of the world not taking advantage?
PS - Poaching power for supplemental phone batteries at open RV hookups comes with some risk to property, but also offers high reward. Keep rolling the dice.
After those 300 feet, we had a beer.
ReplyDeleteWe're also alternating days kicking the hackey sack and throwing the frisbee.