BClaire was in full flight conversation with a couple from the United Kingdom who were staying at the same place as us, as I fronted up and joined after doing a final departure room inspection.
Happy to report that all the three plugs we have carried since the panic episode of thinking we had left our only conduit between our technology and the continent power grid behind, are all still accounted for!
They were retired teachers now enjoying their later in life years traveling. They were firing off questions at BClaire about our travel. We stood for a good ten-fifteen minutes sharing and contributing to world current events and reminiscing that we had all grown up and lived through the better years of hard graft, respect and how they own the same issues we live with back home – poverty, crime, cost of living, Jacinda Adern legacy as much as Boris’s one. By the time we ended the gas bagging, the lovely lady was going to have her children on about getting a tattoo, will decide on the songs to have at her funeral, and when she looks at her husband the next time in the shower nude, remember what it was like when she first saw him standing there starkers all those years ago (five to six decades) because nowadays, the owwwwwarrrrrr you sexy beast had washed down the plug hole long ago!
We ventured to the Chateau d’Angers for a gawk. The walls rose high up. It’s just hard to imagine how they crafted such splendor. We rode up and around to it’s entrance. It had a draw-bridge with tourists pouring in and out. Ironically, we bumped into the three cyclists whom we met yesterday on route to Angers. From England also, a married couple of the three had lived for two years in New Zealand. We exchanged chat like speed dating before they had to leave to catch a train and we had to get back on the road. Cycle path.
The plan was to ride back to our point of right turn yesterday (6kms) to pick up the cycle way however, we spotted an EV6 sign that pointed in the opposite direction. Deciding to take that one, we went past the chateau again and where a photo was taken looking up, to cross the Maine River. A little further, we began to lose confidence that it wasn’t going in the direction we wanted to magnetise towards and so we halted and swung the bikes around to back track. Therefore, by the time we arrived at our actual starting point which was yesterday kind of finishing point before riding into the city centre, it had gone 12.30pm with 11 kms chalked up.
Lunch time already!
We again accidentally lost signs today and went off track, back on, off again and thank god, back on. Just on the outskirts of Savennieres, we arrived at a dead end scratching our heads as to where the hell the cycle trail went. Surely we didn’t miss another sign? Bikers appeared out of the brush to say they too were all over the place lost and advised us not to go the way they had come. It wasn’t pretty. We back tracked to Savennieres proper and yep, missed a damn sign. All was good in the easiest gear to hump upwards for 150 metres before road works meant diverting without any formal directional alternatives. After a scout to determine where we should divert too that had us all over the place, again, we decided to push through the road works, never saw one workman and happily picked up the signs beyond. Boy, were we now attentive reading every thing that looked like a sign, even if it wasn’t our signs, and hugged them for the remainder of the ride today.
It was a day for experiencing insect nature on the move. Firstly, hundreds of web strands were being carried like hot air balloons to float freely with the current of the breeze blowing. They glistened in the sun. They attached to our hats and backs and bikes and just about anything. Most likely young spiderlings leaving home to go make a name for themselves in the world.
Secondly, trillions of a the same type of insect in swarms, doing circles going round and round in mid-air. We wondered what they see which begged the question, do they ever get dizzy? They were a pain as we had to look down and keep the gobs closed for a good part of the pasture passing riding. Just hordes of the things. There is no taste to them and not wearing sun block meant none of the bastards free loaded.
It sums ups today riding ironically, how we went in circles for parts of it and used the word “Bugger” a number of times.
That last bit is a mistruth.
Stronger terse words were more appropriate. When losing signage and the fkn bugs themselves!
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