August 22, 2011
A wonderful farm stay near Nevers: Further than we meant in this heat but we had difficulty finding accomodation
Being Sunday the only possibility for food was a rather fancy (ie expensive) restaurant. The food was delicious with lots of little extras including a tiny lovely tomato salsa with goat's cream. Kens entre was an amazing looking smoked salmon lasagna, it was quite unlike any lasagna I have seen with a small amount of pasta, layers of vegetables and curling smoked salmon over the top. I had a crème brulee of foie gras served with icecream. Unusual but it tasted very good. For my main I had a hambuger, it bore no similarity to a McDonalds one. Ken had a veal dish and it was all washed down by a before dinner local beer and with our meal a half bottle of Rose from Provence.
The hotel last night was probably the poorest we have had with one of those very small rooms which didn't seem to cool off much during the night. It looked pretty though and had 2 cats. A heat wave was still predicted for today but our very early start was delayed because we couldn't get breakfast until 7.30 and we felt we needed some food for the journey, I think we are probably in negative calorie balance . The wind had dropped and turned around so our early progress was spectacular. We stopped at La Charite-sur-Loire for a coffee and watched a canal boat going through a lock there (coffee price back to 2.80euros). We reached Cuffy by midday, it was getting hot and as Ken said I was getting pathetic. We thought we would stay there and would have if there had been accommodation of any sort. I searched the GPS for 'lodging' - nothing before Nevers. We had lunch which rejuvenated me a bit and pushed on eventually finding a very pleasant track along le Canal Lateral a la Loire. At least it would have been a nice track if we weren't so hot and we had not just about run out of water. We met some Dutch cycle tourists who were having a similar struggle and looking for a camp ground (too hot to camp). We came to the small village of Semoise and spotted the Marie. I went up on the off chance that it was open. It appeared shut but a man came out, the mayor I think. He gave us bottles of ice cold water, filled our water bottles and told us of a gite about 3 km away.
The place when we arrived was a very ancient rambling farm house and buildings. We were invited into the glorious old kitchen. Madam was preparing beans. We had a charming conversation during which we discovered that we were born in the same year 1939. As she said it was indeed a bonne annee despite the fact that the guerre modial started that year. With the thick walls the kitchen was cool and we sat drinking cool drinks and chatting until Madam finished preparing her beans. We were then taking up to a similarly cool and beautiful room ( actually more of a suite than a room). She is preparing dinner for us tonight and we will be eating with the family, will be rather a strain on my French, but fun, I find it much harder to talk in a group that one to one. I am sure Rachel at Alliance Francaise would be horrified by my French.
No we didn't have beans for dinner. I had spent most of the afternoon inspecting the insides of my eyelids. Iin the cool of the evening we emerged at the appointed hour wondering what happened next. Then Le Patron came out and asked if we wanted a Pizza. Then followed a wild ride into Nevers to Ginos Pizza Emporter. We all shook hands greeted each other and waited for the Pizzas. Gino gave us a glass of Rose while we waited, then with much talk of the miracle of St Bernadette we tore back. Le patron had prevented us buying a bottle of Rose at the Pizza place as he imports it direct from Bordeaux. An outside table had been set, we got the promised bottle of wine and a huge bowl of grapes. Ken says this is the first time we have eaten enough to support our level of activity.
I wish I had trained a bit more but the only way to do it would be to ride an excercycle in a sauna.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 825 km (512 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |