102 km, 4hours 38 mins. Route etc.
For no particular reason other than doing what the fancy takes me, I decided that I wanted to turn south today, so headed down the D910 to Poitiers.
Poitiers is one of those places that has been in my head for a long time, for reasons that most will find odd. It first caught my attention when at school, as the place where Charles Martel turned back the Moors in seven hundred and something. I thought it was vaguely cool that a near-namesake of mine had been such an important figure - amazing how tenuous are the connections that snare the imagination. More recently, ever since visiting the Chateau at Chenonceux several years ago I've been intrigued by Diane de Poitiers. Even though he was one of the more successful kings of France, and therefore might have been expected to make grand gestures, that chateau was a princely gift for Henry II to bestow on his mistress. And she held his attention for his whole life despite being 20 years older than him. I've always thought she must have been remarkable. How the queen must have hated her!
As for her home town, I suppose she might feel that the town hall is worthy of her:
The more modern parts of town, maybe not so much.
Today was one of those days that remind me why I do this sort of thing. Just a great day on the bike. Cold when I left Tours at 0815, but brilliant sunshine which lasted all the way to Poitiers. I was feeling pretty strong, too, cranking along at a briskish pace by loaded touring standards. A long way to go, but I can see that at some point I'll be able to remember what fit felt like.
One interesting cultural sidelight. About halfway I stopped for a cafe creme at a cafe that doubled as a bookmakers, with a FDJ terminal on the premises. Eleven a.m. on a Sunday morning, and the place was packed with (mostly) middle-aged men drinking beer and playing the numbers while watching the racing on the TV. Not something I've seen on previous visits, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
Not sure where I'll go tomorrow. Certainly in the direction of La Rochelle, but it's probably a bit further than I'll want to do in a single day.
3 comments:
Hi Charlie, got the link to your blog via R & C. Glad it's all going well, you are moving into the one area of France I have visited a number of times. If you like oysters, head for Isle D'Oleron. On the road between there are Saintes is a marshy area that goes on for miles with large numbers of raptors flying around; never got a chance to explore, always wanted to!
Hello Geoff. You may be talking about the Poitevin Marsh? Pretty big. Anyway, I should be skirting the edge of it tomorrow on my way to La Rochelle, I'll report.
Sounds wonderful. Always think of Poitiers as being a real crucible for key mediaeval events. If you are heading coastwards, much further south there is Arcachon. Nothing architecturally, but such a beautiful and relaxing place. You have had the most interesting time so far, and glad the pedalling is good apart from the headwinds!
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