Flat out to the castle - In Brittany it only rains on the idiots. - CycleBlaze

August 5, 2018

Flat out to the castle

Boy, did I feel great today. Ten hours of sleep will do that to you. I thought upon retiring that I would be early for breakfast, but nope. Got up at eight to the sound of the angelus. The same nice lady from the night before served me the usual coffee and croissants ( does she ever sleep?) and even ran to refill my water bottles. Should you find yourself in Rochefort-en-Terre, stay at the Pelican. You won't be sorry.

Dragging myself away from this paradise, I headed back the way I came for a couple of kilometers before taking the turn to Questembert where I got onto a rail-trail headed north. Flat(mostly), shaded (again mostly), and paved, the trail let me glide along eating'up the kilometers.

Could this be cycling bliss?
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Soon enough, or maybe too soon, the old rail grade crosses the Nantes-Brest canal which I rejoined by walking the bike down a steep path where the railroad crossed over the canal on a bridge. The canal path here was also paved, although not as recently or as well as the rail-trail. In a very short while, I was in Josselin and the heat was starting to mount.

Josselin seen from the canal.
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It was almost noon, so I looked for a restaurant and spotted the Hotel du Chateau across the canal. Their restaurant was serving fresh langoustines for lunch so I ordered some and a glass of tomato juice. A fresh nougatine finished off the meal. The heat was really on now, so rather than ride, I asked if a room might be free. There was and I took it. I showered and changed into street clothes and went for a walk in town. 

Lots of old houses and narrow, crooked streets.
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First stop, the church which has a wooden rather than stone roof.
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After the church, I went on a tour of the chateau, which has been in the same family since the fourteenth century except for a period during the wars of religion and another time during the revolution.

Restored in the nineteenth century to its full gothic splendor.
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They don't allow photos inside the chateau, so you'll just have to imagine the sumptuous furnishings including the family portraits and a portrait of Louis XIV. The Rohan family still lives in the chateau and the senior male member still uses the title duc, even though it means nothing anymore. Afterward, I returned to the hotel to work on this journal.

The hotel seen from the chateau.
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The chateau seen from the hotel.
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Dinner at the hotel consisted of:

Mousseline of asparagus,
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Bavette of beef in wine sauce and mixed veg,
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and fresh fruit salad for dessert.
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Steve Miller/GrampiesReally wish we were back in France.
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5 years ago

A half bottle of Cotes du Bourg went nicely with the meal.

Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 192 km (119 miles)

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Kathleen JonesKeith,

Thank goodness you eat so well. I'm vicariously satisfied. Vicariously, but satisfied with the presentation to the ingredients to the finish. A sante!
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5 years ago
Kathleen Jones... though I have to admit that the presentation of the hot dogs Jeff Teel got on the second day of his current tour to Wisconsin have a regional appeal of their own.
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5 years ago