Angers: Cold Winds and a Warm Welcome

Day 39: Bressuire to Angers (69 miles / 2500 ft.)

For me, it was not the best night of sleep. Our somewhat janky Airbnb felt old and dusty, my eyes were scratchy, and I finally took a Zyrtec in the middle of the night. Maybe it was allergies, or perhaps I was fighting off a cold.

I was also a little stressed. Our expected Warmshowers hosts in Angers, with whom we had communicated well before the trip, told us they would not be home until 8:15 p.m., after dark. Following some back-and-forth messages, we agreed it would be better to make other arrangements.

Fortunately, the alternative request connected us with Benoît and Angelica. In hindsight, that change was a blessing.

Both Lisa’s legs and mine were unusually sore. Maybe it was the six-hour car ride two days earlier, the previous day’s relentless headwind, the colder weather, or simply the accumulated miles. Whatever the reason, we both agreed that riding felt difficult.

We rolled away from Bressuire beneath gray skies, passing the medieval remains of its château. Built on a rocky promontory, it once had three defensive walls and dozens of towers. Its old stone gateway provided an appropriately dramatic beginning to our ride north.

Much of the day felt more like business than sightseeing. We pushed into the cold wind, concentrating on moving forward and dreaming about a warm room and a relaxing evening with our new hosts.

As we moved from the Bocage Bressuirais into Anjou, the landscape gradually changed. The thick hedgerows and pastures gave way to more open farmland and then rows of grapevines. Near the Layon Valley, vineyards stretched across the rolling hills, their leaves beginning to show autumn colors.

The most impressive landmark was Château de Brissac rising above the vineyards. Known as the “Giant of the Loire Valley,” it is the tallest château in France, with seven floors and more than 200 rooms. Even beneath the dark sky, it was an incredible sight.

The final approach to Angers carried us across the broad Loire at Les Ponts-de-Cé. We stopped beside the monument to Dumnacus, an ancient leader of the Andecavi people who once lived in this region. From the bridge, the wide river and its islands made it clear that we had finally reached the Loire Valley.

We arrived in Angers around 4:30 p.m., just in time for the evening rush. Students were leaving school, people were finishing work, buses and trams moved through the streets, and bicycles and scooters seemed to appear from every direction.

The changing bike lanes, tram tracks, one-way streets, and signs warning of a €150 fine for riding in certain areas made navigating feel like a puzzle in which every piece was the same color.

We jostled around long enough to see a few of the city’s large churches, including Saint-Joseph, and rode through the busy center. As the ominous sky began to sprinkle, we decided we had experienced enough urban confusion and headed toward Benoît and Angelica’s home.

For the umpteenth time, Warmshowers gave us exactly what we needed.

Benoît and Angelica were still finishing their remote work, but they welcomed us inside, showed us the shower and our wonderfully clean, dust-free room, and brought us water and glasses. Lisa and I both sighed with relief. I stretched out for a little while, while Lisa somehow found the energy to catch up on a little work.

Once they finished working, we gathered for snacks and Ch’ti, a northern French bière de garde with a little Belgian character. A slideshow of their travels played across the television, showing Japan, Colombia, and several bicycle trips. Naturally, every photograph led to another question, story, or shared memory.

Dinner began with salad and French shepherd’s pie, accompanied by one of their favorite red wines.

Then came the cheese platter!

Seven different cheeses were arranged before us, including both Benoît’s and Angelica’s favorites. Angelica joked that although she comes from Normandy, a region famous for cheese, her favorite comes from the Swiss mountains. Practically a traitor!

As always, the longer we talked, the more common ground we discovered: our love for our sons, travel, kindness, food, humor, puzzles, and owning different bicycles for different purposes. Their commuter bikes were only the beginning.

For dessert, we shared canelés from a bakery where Lisa and I had stopped earlier. These small pastries have a dark, caramelized shell surrounding a soft, custardy rum and vanilla center. They may now be my favorite dessert in the world. Benoît and Angelica made them even better by adding vanilla ice cream.

We sat around the table for nearly three hours, talking, laughing, and learning from one another. As the evening wound down, they offered tea or coffee. I chose decaf, but by then both Lisa’s eyelids and mine were drooping.

The day had begun with poor sleep, sore legs, uncertainty, gray skies, and cold wind. It ended in a clean, comfortable home with delicious food, laughter, and two more people we felt fortunate to meet.

Their cute white cat also made us feel welcome by snuggling against us on the couch while slowly claiming more and more space, as if its real goal was to push us onto the floor.

Once again, Warmshowers turned a difficult day into a wonderful one.Read more