Nantes > Angers 95km

[Originally posted Jul 22, 2014]

I'm at the MacDonald's (this is how they say it) in Saumur, France on the Loire River Valley.  Surely I should be able to find better food than McDonald's in France, and you are correct.  But McDonalds (although maybe not healthy - or even at times not even tasty) has a business plan that is second to none (free WiFi, free bathrooms, air conditioning, and they don't close from noon to 2pm like the rest of this country).  And so we are here.

The last two nights have been with WS hosts who have made Katy and I feel "average".  Two nights ago was with Elodie, Maxime and their son Timeo.  Last year, when Timeo was 3 years old they completed a 7 month bike tour through all of Europe - with a trailer behind their tandem - really carrying a long load.  (So, as Katy and I set on this trip before we had kids, they decided that traveling with one would also be possible).  And last night we stayed with Michel.

When we entered the town of Angers we did not have Michel's address easily available.  I had previously put it into Google Maps on my iPhone to get a general idea of what part of the city he lived in, but throughout the day the dropped Pin was lost.  As we sat in the city, wondering if anywhere was open (it seems the whole country is currently on holiday - either on the Atlantic or Mediterranean) I got out my phone and tried to guess where to go.  Google Maps has an amazing feature - while on WiFi the app will download map data of whatever area you look at - and then store this data as long as the app isn't closed.  By doing this every night, Katy and I have access to detailed maps of where we are going.  All of this works without using data (cause we have yet to buy a SIM card for Europe).  The amazing feat on top of all of this - Google Maps is able to show you where you are with GPS without using any data.  How this works? I know not.  Anyways, in the midst of this state of "where does this dude live" I remembered the last thing I had "copied and pasted" was his address.  I quickly repasted his address into Google Maps and we were off.

Upon entering Michel's small flat just north of the Centre Ville of Angers, you are quickly aware of his love for cycling and traveling.  Bicycle paraphernalia adorns the walls of the opening hallway, as well as the kitchen, dining room, bedroom and bathroom (it seems most people have two bathrooms - one with just a toilet and another with the shower and sink - making going to the bathroom and washing your hands (if you do this sort of thing) a two room operation).  Small blue circular placards of a Bicycle were carefully placed throughout his home - a souvenir he had picked up on a previous trip to the UK.  And then their were the maps.  The walls had maps on them, the dining room table was covered in a dozen maps, next to the kitchen sink another map and the drawers in the bedroom - all filled with maps.  It was readily apparent that Michel was a lover of new roads and new places.

As we sat on the back terrace, sun slowly setting (it is slow, it doesn't get dark til late) and drinking our jus de pomme (beer and wine was of course offered, and again turned down) we discussed these travels.  Michel caught the travel bug at the age of 15 - covering most of France and neighboring countries on foot by "checking" (hitchhiking).  By the age of 22 he had visited all of Europe - with nothing more than a day pack and a sleeping bag.  At 23 he decided to see beyond Europe and traveled by freight and commercial sailing boats through the Mediterranean and Caribbean - only to catch a return boat sailing up to Halifax and across the North Atlantic.  He recounted in great detail the storms that threw 10 meter tall waves at the 18 meter sailboat he and 7 other men worked as they navigated their way home to France.  "This is the second best thing I have ever done" he said.  In 1986 his traveling first occurred on a bike.  He set off on a 17 month bike ride from his home in Brest, France and headed towards Hong Kong.  He crossed the Alps, then followed the Danube to Turkey and along the Black Sea, only to be turned around in Syria.  He returned to Athens and flew to Pakistan where we crossed into India and through Kathmandu up on to the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa and then east through China.  In the city of Chengdu he became very sick and lost 15 kilos (33 pounds) and spent the better part of a month in a hospital with an IV.  The bad food and water of Tibet along with the extreme conditions and physical demands of crossing twelve 5400 meter passes.  Eventually he was flown to Hong Kong to recover because his insurance in Paris thought "he was crazy to be over there on a bike".  "This is the best thing I have ever done" he finished.

Dinner occurred in typical French fashion.  Long, slow and delicious.  But, as Katy and I discussed, the manner in which the French eat is a little bit unnerving to us foreigners.  When we sit down to the table in America all the food is before your eyes, you see your options and can pace yourself accordingly.  The only question worth asking is, "is there dessert?" which whether answered yes or no doesn't really matter (because we all know that for some reason the stomach knows about dessert - which often shows up unexpectedly - and so the stomach has a special reserve compartment for these delicious treats).  But in France food shows up in "courses".  Which means first we sit on the terrace and have juice and bread and cheese.  And then when we move to the dining room we have melon (which is actually cantaloupe - but they've never heard of this).  Along with the melon is some bread and butter (which in Brittany contains salt - they tell us this at every meal (no salt in butter in the rest of France)).  It is at this point that our Americanness kicks in and Katy and I get nervous - oh damn, is this it?  Should we gorge ourselves on bread?  Without knowing how many courses remain we don't whether to dig in or be patient.  After this we had delicious salmon (from Scotland - not Alaska) with zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, peppers.  Then our first dessert was pineapple followed by the local Brittany dessert - Patés de Prunes (Michel had made his mother's recipe and it was delicious).  It is often served in the winter - but our presence was worthy of a celebration.  It was similar to Liz's Eggs (which most people know as German Pancakes) but with large prunes cooked into it.  I think I had 3 pieces (a third of the cake).  It was at this point that fatigue shown through Katy's face like the bright sun on that morning in 1820.  At the end of a long day in the saddle it takes all our energy to persist through these long and delicious French meals.  At 11:30 he pulled out his photo albums and invited us onto the terrace.  Katy pulled the plug and politely excused herself while I continued to hear tales from the road.  In the past 14 years he has been on a tour every year, usually between two weeks and a month or so - always with one of his daughters.  This is a man who loves to tour.

We had a great night sleep in the master bedroom (Michel slept on the couch).  This just gives you a hint at the generosity of this great guy.

Breakfast is France is served in a fashion more suited to us.  Everything is placed on the table at once - and you get the idea to "dig in".  We awoke to a beautiful spread on the table.  After dinner, we tried to make a speedy departure because we had a fair amount of road to cover.  Michel got out the maps and showed us where he was planning his next trip.  He has his sights set on crossing Canada from Halifax to Vancouver and then heading south to the bottom of Patagonia.  I said, this is a long time to be on your bike.  "But why not," was his response.

Michel then insisted we see his city.  For the next two hours we followed him through Angers to see the Castle, Cathedral, Centre Ville and the old Slate Mining area that was so fundamental to the development of the town.  Finally we reached the Loire where we parted ways.

The road was flat, the sun warm and the wind negligible.  We put in some Beatles and ventured off on our journey.

Expenses: €6.20 First Lunch, €8.50 Second Lunch, €4.10 Lunch