September 1, 2016
Gien: A marvellous day
The French schools have gone back today, the Minster of Education has made a decree that Pokemon is prohibited in all French schools. With the new school year there has been increased security around schools and reservists have even been called up. Is it because they want them to machine gun down any Pokemons seen lingering around French schools?
For us today has really been a great day with lots of variety, so much that it is almost hard to remember what has happened. We started out on a long section along the Canal Lateral, as we passed the Port we looked out for the very nice English couple, John and Val who we met last night. They are on a hire boat and are testament to John Stoppard's assertion that hire boat companies give their clients inadequate instruction before they set out on their adventures. We continued along the built up banks of the Loire passing the Nuclear reactor surrounded by fields of sunflowers that led us to the pretty little Canal side town of Belleville where we had a coffee and met up with fellow Kiwis from Te Puke who were on a hire boat.
We rejoined the river bank then crossed the bridge to Bonny-sur-Loire. From here the route passed along one of the most beautiful stretches of the journey following the course of a small river which eventually merged with the Loire. We sat under a tree and while we were eating our lunch watched the swallows and the jumping fish competing for small insects of which there must be a myriad. The end of this section was at Briare the town of a magnificent canal bridge over the river which is said to be as wide as the height of two Eiffel Towers. From here for the short ride to Gien we passed through small villages and along the way the medieval castle of Saint-Brisson. The views as we were approaching Gien were across the river to the Chateau with little houses gathered around it.
We easily found the hotel then went over the old stone bridge to the town in search of the supermarket we knew was there - it was a very long way on foot. The good news today is that I don't have to ring Emirates.
Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,403 km (871 miles)
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