Day 7, Wednesday 13 September
Thorigné-d’Anjou to Angers
30k
Feeling a bit damp, but in good shape and spirits
Our B&B at Thorigné-d’Anjou, Le Rideau Miné, proved to be another real find. Sat in the garden on the banks of the river Mayenne, drinking cold beer with Serge, the proprietor, like we were old mates. He’s a source of endless stories and jokes, and whatever language barriers existed just melted away as more and more liquid refreshment was served.
Aperitifs for all his guests were served by a logfire – it was a chilly evening – and was some home-made concoction of Cointreau, citron, and a Loire Cremant. Brilliant. We progressed through assorted Loire wines over a supper of pork fillet with a crust of parmesan and nuts. There were other cyclists, doing a section of the Caen to La Rochelle long-distance velo route. And a trainer, who had a horse running in the 3:40 at the nearby hippodrome, today. Was it going to win? Well, of course. Bets were made ready.
So, today was a shorter run, as planned, to give us some sightseeing time in Angers. 30k in damp and windy conditions along the Mayenne navigation towpath.
Having checked into our central B&B, we went off to see the Apocalypse Tapestry, a large medieval French set of tapestries commissioned by Louis I, the Duke of Anjou, and produced between 1377 and 1382 and which are on show at the Musée de la Tapisserie, Château d’Angers. If you’ve never seen them, put them on your list. I’ve put a pic in the heading of this post.
Amazing Malcolm, I like the idea of a log fire. Very autumny here in Oxford.
What my mother would call a soft day ie light drizzle. But lovely Riverside ride albeit on the wet sand paths that seem to be ubiquitous here so going tougher than it looks. Saw a red squirrel. Have a very sore bottom eek! The tapestries are truly one of the wonders of the world. A real insight into the medieval mind. On to fabulous stained glass of the cathedral and strolling the vibrant old city. High point now sitting on the bed with Malcolm watching Tottenham on some Arabic internet channel. Thank God they are winning as I write…