Tours – Capital of the Loire

France Stage 06 – Blois to Tours 69 Km (Thu 14 June 2018)

Weather: 15⁰C min – 21⁰C max, overcast

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“Do one thing every day that scares you.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Touring cyclists know only too well that some days are brilliant and some are a bit of a chore. But every day is a new adventure and enjoyable in its own way.

After yesterday’s fantastic introduction to Loire à Vélo, the stage from Blois to Tours was a bit of a let down. For a start it was a dull grey day, not conducive to good photography. Also, having a slight headwind most of the way made it seem longer than the 69 Km indicated by my Garmin GPS and made it a hard day’s work.

It was pleasant enough riding through vineyards and forests, but from the point of view of scenery there is no comparison with yesterday. The few tiny villages did not have the same sparkle and there were few points of interest demanding to be captured on camera.

On a positive note, it remained dry and the paths and country roads were all sealed, with no compacted dirt tracks at all. What was particularly good about the ride today was meeting other cyclists along the way. First there was a quartette riding e-bikes who greeted me with a hello instead of the usual bonjour. It turned out they were from Maastricht in the Netherlands and all spoke good English, so I rode with them for a few Km until our routes diverged. Then I teamed up for a while with an interesting chap from Berlin where I enjoyed spending a few days last year en route from Frankfurt to Copenhagen.

A highlight came at the 40 Km mark when I came to Amboise, rated a 3-flower town on their Ville Fleurie welcome sign. But as I found out when I stopped for a panini and coffee, touristy towns such as this certainly know how to capture the tourist euro.

Tours where I am staying tonight is much more understated and interesting, with a well-preserved old town. Place Plumerea, the central square, is the main attraction with all it’s bars and eating places. The narrow cobbled streets and half-timbered buildings give the city a charming medieval air.

With so many incredible eating places it is easy to understand why Tours, the capital of the Loire, has been crowned with its status of International City of Gastronomy. My challenge tonight is to choose one to eat at!