Blogs from Pays-de-la-Loire, France, Europe - page 12

For anyone interested, the 'g' is more of a 'j' sound, unless the man in the tabac was toying with me. Mon francaise est terrible encore... Anyway, I made it again, 115 miles today and yet again quite a sore backside at the end of it. My left foot actually began to hurt a little today, so it seems unless I can come up with a revolutionary method for riding a bike the next 18 days could vary between moderate and extreme discomfort. It's not that bad actually, yet... Just quickly, the worst part so far would have to be yesterday getting the Man United chant "this is how it feels to be city... etc" stuck in my head, after hearing it on repeat for about 15 minutes at Craven cottage a week ago. Today was ... read more

Day 4 & 5 Today i’m writing for the last two days as we were too tired to type last night! The goal for yesterday was to get within striking distance of the town of La Rochelle. A long day, but it would mea n that we would get today to relax and re-couperate as well as to get ready for the next leg of our journey. We awoke to a clear sky and the sun shining glouriously down upon our tent. So it was up, dressed and away by 8.30 off to the supermarket to find some breakfast and some supplies for the morning. It was here that we met a real nice french man who has just got back from living in london for the last two years. He came and spoke to us ... read more

Planning for my spring road trip through France's Loire Valley began with the Château de Chambord and everything else followed. The famous Château de Chambord was the reason I got in a Smart Cart, errr...Car and took off through the sprawling fields of poppies and pastures, along the way waving at the superb butter producing cows. Mr. MuseumChick was in it for the wine. Entering the Château, I got an audio guide (I usually do, especially since this was my first time here). The Château de Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire Valley and construction began in 1519 under King François I. The architecture is Renaissance French inspired from Renaissance Italy... ...Visit the Château de Chambord with me!... read more

Le Mans: After a few hours of driving the world famous Dunlop Bridge came into view on the horizon, I beamed with excitement. When talking to the American about motor sport, he could only picture NASCAR. I explained how racing circuits in Europe were a little more exciting than the oval circuits of NASCAR. I had told him all about the Circuit de la Sarthe used for the endurance race and how most of the thirteen and a bit kilometre lap was on actual roads that we could drive on. When we got there, that is exactly what we did. In my mind I was tearing up the asphalt doing a reverse lap of the circuit, my gear changes, perfect, throttle control, smooth. In reality I was in a 1l Daewoo rip off that squealed in ... read more

CHENONCEAU It seemed as though we had stepped out of the bus into a fairy tale. The castle and its grounds are absolutely beautiful. A moat is formed by a river. The castle is small, but wonderful. I chose to follow the French speaking tour guide, and understood quite well! I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I had fun walking in the labyrinth, though it was quite easy. img=http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs411.snc3/24848_1310474885345_1334790173_30936895_2228864_n.jpg The flower garden from which they make the fresh bouquets all around the caste. img=http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs431.snc3/24848_1310475005348_1334790173_30936896_6688898_n.jpg img=http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs411.snc3/24848_1310475125351_1334790173_30936897_3381826_n.jpg img=http://sphotos.ak... read more