Rain delay in Angers, part 1

October 1, 2021

It feels good to be off the bikes and away from tent life. I guess it's only been a week since our rest day in Morlaix. It seems longer. I'm not sure why. Other than a little rain overnight and cold mornings, the weather has been good. Other than some bumpy surfaces here and there, the riding has been pretty easy. I think the fatigue sets in when you combine all the elements of touring, where it seems like you're spending 14 hours a day doing something necessary, whether it be riding, setting up camp, shopping, cooking, washing shorts, etc. Basic things like brushing your teeth take more effort. Where did I put that little bar of soap? How did I get my pants dirty again so soon? Why won't those guys a few spots down just shut up and go to sleep already?

We are definitely in the process of switching over to credit card mode. A majority of the campgrounds have closed down anyway. When the weather is good and we find ourselves near an open campground, we'll stay there, but for the next week at least, that's going to be the exception rather than the rule.

Being a normal tourist was a lot of fun today. Even though it rained lightly, and it was a bit blustery, it wasn't too cold. We spent most of the day either outside or in a museum. We hemmed and hawed about whether to get a city pass. Finally I said "let's go for it." It's already payed for itself, and we still have until 2:00 tomorrow to visit more sights.

We even took the little tourist "train" that I've ridiculed in other cities, since it was included in the pass. The explanations were all in French, so it wasn't the most educational experience, but we got to see a few buildings that were a bit far for us to visit on foot.

I get self-conscious when describing rest days. I think of the tired trope of, for instance, Patty and Selma forcing the Simpsons family to sit through a showing of their vacation slides. It's the ironic, sardonic, sarcastic, cynical Gen-Xer in me displaying itself. Yet there's also the flip side of this, which you've noticed if you've read previous entries, where I ask why we have crossed an ocean only to ride bikes all day, when we can do that from our front door just as easily. Ideally, we'd make one or two tourist stops every day while on the road, but then you have to leave your loaded bikes behind, and figure out how, during these shorter days of autumn, you're going to make up that "lost" time and make it to your intended destination for the evening before dinner and darkness.

We arrived last night not knowing the first thing about Angers, and after 24 hours we have a decent grasp on the city and what it has to offer. We're staying right across the university, which explained the preponderance of 20-somethings in the neighborhood. Strangely, as we ventured further out, that demographic persisted. Even when we were about to start our touristy day in earnest, a college student approached to interview us as part of her studies in the tourism field. The best thing about this youth culture is that there are lots of affordable ethnic and street food restaurants. Tomorrow we are finally going to visit one or two of them.

The encounter with the student reminded me of something. Everyone, and I mean everyone, who has asked where we are visiting from, has reacted with mild astonishment when we tell them. They immediately say something like "Wow, that's a long way away!" I thought that France was always lousy with American tourists! I'm going to chalk it up to COVID and short memory spans.

So, without further ado, here's the slide show. We loved what we saw, and I encourage you to check it out too if you're in the area.

First, the château and tapestries. With so few people there, we could really take our time strolling around.

Next was a visit to the David d'Angers gallery. I'd never heard of this sculptor. We were both entranced by his work. We also loved the former abbey that housed this museum. The glass roof and overcast sky made the lighting perfect for viewing the details of each piece.

d'Angers created this relief of Claude Rouget de Lisle, composer of the French national anthem, then raffled it off to help Rouget de Lisle in a time of need.

Here are a couple of photos we took just walking around:

Finally, our drink selection of the evening. The French know their wine, and Belgium knows their ales:

Tomorrow is supposed to bring heavy wind and rain. By Sunday it's supposed to clear up a bit, so we're heading out then for sure. Hopefully the hardpack trails won't be flooded or washed away. It should be interesting regardless.

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