Paris to Milan by bike

The Loire à velo, leaving Oudon, is a lovely stretch of biking. Being Sunday, however, many of the boulangeries and patisseries were closed- quel horreur! We managed to find enough sustenance in our panniers to cobble together morning tea. We stopped opposite the gorgeous little town of Ingrandes.
Further along we came across an obviously popular restaurant /bar near Chalonnes. Pat went for the steak and chips and I had a chicken salad. Riding on, we attempted to find accommodation in a number of towns without success. By 4pm and 70km we were starting to wonder. For some reason, the place was very busy. At this point in time, a lady stopped Pat, to enquire in French if he had a bike pump. Luckily he grasped her meaning and stopped to pump up her son's tyre. While this was happening, I was chatting with their friends and enquired whether they knew of any available accommodation. They did and rang their friend who runs a B& B. On being told that it was also full, they most generously offered to host us themselves. How lucky were we and how delightful that we ran into such generous and open-hearted people.
Hedi, Olivia & Eliam were not getting home until 7pm, so Pat & I enjoyed a Loire-side dinner at a pop-up restaurant and bar. There were hordes of Anjouvins enjoying the same thing.
After our fortunate rendez-vous with Hedi, Olivia and Eliam on the bike track this afternoon, we arrived at their lovely home in Angers. Luckily for us, it was right in the middle of town. We all enjoyed a drink and swapped some life history and viewpoints on the terrace.
Hedi graciously escorted us on a night tour of Angers, pointing out all the monuments- the castle, cathedral, the oldest buildings, noting their construction from tree roots, the city viewpoints. It was lovely to have the local knowledge and we look forward to hosting them at home in Albury, whenever they can make it. The kangaroos are waiting Eliam.Read more