Tours

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We arrived in Tours by the train from Orleans. Unfortunately, after we got to Gare d Orleans, we discovered that the early train we thought we'd catch was affected by a strike. Christine and others had warned us that this was a frequent occurrence on the French railway system. The only other option that day was a later train from the other station, Les Aubrais, which left at 6:30pm. So we had the best part of another day in Orleans. I assembled my folding bike and attached the luggage to make moving about easier. We walked back to the cathederal square. There we had lunch at the Cafe Letutia, which we had eaten at the previous day on Christine's recommendation.

There was a small demonstration in the square when we arrived. Loudspeakers and a small number of people carrying banners in the square. It seemed from the music that they were communists. There is presidential election looming and we thought that this event and the rail strike might be linked to the coming poll. By the way, almost everyone seems to think that Sarkozy is finished but seem non-plussed by Hollande, his most likely rival.

With hours to pass we read, amidst jackhammers and construction in the cathederal square before moving on to the Place Joan d Arc as it is the heart of the city and much quieter. Here it was abuzz with midday crowds. After checking the tram line to Les Aubrais we decided that it was prudent to go early rather than risk missing the train. Dianne caught the tram and I rode the 4 or so kilometres to the station, meeting up at outside the station. I had read that Les Aubrais was a major rail hub for the Germans during the war and was very heavily bombed in May 1944. In the entry hall to the station there is a memorial plaque to the victims of the bombing. France is rich in history from ancient to modern times and if, like me, you love history there is always something to engage your fascination.

The train arrived in Tours at about 7.30 and by 8:30pm we were in our hotel eating some baguettes we had stashed away earlier. The Hotel de la Loire is two star but recently renovated with a nice feel. There were two women on alternating rosters who ran the hotel. One was an Indonesian woman, recently separated, who had come to France as a student 11 years earlier and married a local man. We talked about learning the French language and about how life can take unexpected turns. She was born and raised in Jakarta and now lives independently in Tours. "Who would have thought", she said.

Thursday saw us walking around the town getting our bearings, finding the river and discovering the places Christine recommended. The most impressive is Place Plumereau, a medieval square in the centre of the old town. The square is approached by cobbled streets and flanked by ancient wood and brick houses without a straight line to be seen in the structures. Many meandering small lanes lead away from this central place. It was beautiful. Later we had lunch there. We returned to the streets in the evening after some down time at the hotel and found a good bar in which we had the obligatory red wine, which is cheaper than beer, and a plate of antipasti to share. The good-humoured waiter enjoyed practicing his English with us and I learned a few more French phrases in return. Although I practice my phrases, I quickly forget and this is very frustrating!! One english term that recurs is "not possible" - a common phrase uttered especially by railway & postal staff.

Friday was time to pack up and go to La Rochelle. With an 11am checkout we had some time to explore a little further. Dianne went for another walk around the town and I biked over the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the Loire to discover Tours Sud. We met back a the hotel at 10am and packed up. Kindly, the hotel allowed us to store our baggage in the lobby while we went to the station to look into rail options for trips in the coming days. We returned for the bags at 1pm and went back to the station to wait for Patricia and her other passengers. She was giving us a ride to La Rochelle. Christine found her using an Internet site called covoiturage (car share). This would be substantially cheaper than the train and another way to meet new people.

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