I wasn't in Chinon long before I felt my mood worsen. Was it the same cloudy skies that were giving me S.A.D. in the middle of summer? Was it the energies in general, or just of this place? It was similar to how I'd felt in Tours. The town of Chinon was pleasant enough and is actually on the River Vienne rather than the Loire, although not far from the latter. I followed much of the River Vienne without feeling very inspired by it, or at least that stretch of it. Was it me or was it the place? It was hard to tell.
I went to a restaurant and ordered a steak. I felt annoyed over the incredibly slow service, that I seemed to be invisible to all the waiters, that I actually had to ask for salt on the table, and that I overhead a Frenchman talking about English people in an uncomplimentary way. He meant me of course. And I wasn't surprised, but a bit put out that he should generalise about a nation just because it was ME that was having a bad day. I felt incredibly 'down' without knowing why. I decided to cross out the Loire Valley, and Chinon in particular, off my list of potential areas to relocate to.
I had also done this side trip to Chinon thinking that it was within walking distance of a forest. I'd been looking forward to walking in the forest before heading back to Tours, but accordng to the Tourist Office it was too far to get to the forest without a car, plus there was nowhere I could even hire a bicycle. I had expected to do a lot of cycling in France and was disappointed at how difficult it was to find a cycle hire shop anywhere convenient. They need to have one near every station or Tourist Office - perhaps I ought to start my own chain of cycle hire shops. The bicycle is an icon of France, they revere the bicycle as it's part of their culture, the Tour de France is a national event, even traffic in France respects cyclists like they don't do in London. But finding a cycle to hire is another matter. I'd had visions of cycling down country lanes, past fields of sunflowers, through medieval villages on roads with hardly any traffic. My one memory of cycling in the French countryside, many years ago when I was living in countryside just outside of Paris and cycled to Chantilly on a borrowed bike, threatens to be the only memory I'll ever have of it.
So I guess I was feeling grumpy because I wasn't doing what I came here to do, and walking so much each day was leaving me exhausted, even though I'm used to walking a lot in London.
I decided that in the few hours I had in Chinon I'd walk up to the fortress on the hill, where there was also some kind of chateau. It wasn't until I got to the top that I learned that the chateau was closed for renovations, and there was nothing much to see up there anyway. I did however take some photos of the town of Chinon on the way up.
Slate roofs are more common in the north of France, with terracotta roofs more common in the south.
Once back in Tours I'd done more or less all I'd wanted to do there, including visiting two antiques markets. I bought two vintage perfume bottles as my only souvenir of Tours, and I took pleasure in admiring the design of them and felt pleased with my bargain purchase. Angouleme (further south) was my next stop, but I'll complete the Loire section here as my return journey brought me back to Blois, before taking the train west to Tours for my plane back to London.
I went to a restaurant and ordered a steak. I felt annoyed over the incredibly slow service, that I seemed to be invisible to all the waiters, that I actually had to ask for salt on the table, and that I overhead a Frenchman talking about English people in an uncomplimentary way. He meant me of course. And I wasn't surprised, but a bit put out that he should generalise about a nation just because it was ME that was having a bad day. I felt incredibly 'down' without knowing why. I decided to cross out the Loire Valley, and Chinon in particular, off my list of potential areas to relocate to.
I had also done this side trip to Chinon thinking that it was within walking distance of a forest. I'd been looking forward to walking in the forest before heading back to Tours, but accordng to the Tourist Office it was too far to get to the forest without a car, plus there was nowhere I could even hire a bicycle. I had expected to do a lot of cycling in France and was disappointed at how difficult it was to find a cycle hire shop anywhere convenient. They need to have one near every station or Tourist Office - perhaps I ought to start my own chain of cycle hire shops. The bicycle is an icon of France, they revere the bicycle as it's part of their culture, the Tour de France is a national event, even traffic in France respects cyclists like they don't do in London. But finding a cycle to hire is another matter. I'd had visions of cycling down country lanes, past fields of sunflowers, through medieval villages on roads with hardly any traffic. My one memory of cycling in the French countryside, many years ago when I was living in countryside just outside of Paris and cycled to Chantilly on a borrowed bike, threatens to be the only memory I'll ever have of it.
So I guess I was feeling grumpy because I wasn't doing what I came here to do, and walking so much each day was leaving me exhausted, even though I'm used to walking a lot in London.
I decided that in the few hours I had in Chinon I'd walk up to the fortress on the hill, where there was also some kind of chateau. It wasn't until I got to the top that I learned that the chateau was closed for renovations, and there was nothing much to see up there anyway. I did however take some photos of the town of Chinon on the way up.
Slate roofs are more common in the north of France, with terracotta roofs more common in the south.
Once back in Tours I'd done more or less all I'd wanted to do there, including visiting two antiques markets. I bought two vintage perfume bottles as my only souvenir of Tours, and I took pleasure in admiring the design of them and felt pleased with my bargain purchase. Angouleme (further south) was my next stop, but I'll complete the Loire section here as my return journey brought me back to Blois, before taking the train west to Tours for my plane back to London.
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