Tuesday 26 May – We are heading for the Morbihan region in Brittany, where we will be spending a few days with Judith’s sister and brother-in-law. As we had already seen Tours and Angers on a cycling tour of the Loire Valley two years ago (hard to believe now somehow that we managed that!) we opt for a more direct western route which takes us to Chartres and skirts round Le Mans in the Department of Eure & Loir, through some very pleasant undulating countryside.
Pleasant undulating country roads in the Eure & Loir.
Monday 25 May – We arrive in Chartres shortly after lunchtime and realize immediately that something special is going on as a procession of faithful pilgrims is snaking its way through the town towards the ancient Gothic cathedral.
Chartres Cathedral is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and attracts pilgrims who come to venerate the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ’s birth.
Coincidentally, the pilgrims had just completed the 3-day annual Pentecost pilgrimage from Notre Dame in Paris – a walk of around 80 kms. It seems we too had unwittingly also performed the pilgrimage except in Brenda. Without expecting to, we find the event quite moving, knowing that we were witnessing an event which has been taking place since the 12th century. In amongst the line of people in the procession, we spot an Iraqi and a Syrian flag.
In amongst the arriving pilgrims, we spot an Iraqi and a Syrian flag.
In amongst the arriving pilgrims, we spot an Iraqi and a Syrian flag
Other interesting facts we discover about Chartres is that it is the birthplace of Marceau, General of the French Revolution as well Jean Moulin, organizer and martyr of the French Resistance.
Marceau – General of the French Revolution.
Jean Moulin, hero of the French Resistance.
After a tartelette of apple and apricot washed down by a cafe alonge (what they call an Americano in France) we decide to stop at a small, charming and quiet campsite in a village called Mamers – the Camping du Saosnois – not far from Alencon, just north of Le Mans.
The quiet charming and friendly Camping du Saosnois in Mamers.
The campsite adjoins a small lake and an idea plants itself in my head before we turn in for the night – that is, to brave its waters and do a bit of wild swimming.
Flavio doing a bit of ‘wild swimming’ in a small lake in Mamers. Despite appearances, the water was surprisingly not icy!
Un petit cafe in Mamers before hitting the road again.
After an après-swim petit cafe in Mamers, we resume our journey heading for Malestroit in Brittany, which we reach by late afternoon.
Sunday 24 May
We take the quick train link from Versailles to Paris conveniently alighting at St Michel Notre Dame where the friends we are visiting live. That is no exaggeration as their rooftop apartment surreally overlooks the East side of the great romanesque cathedral with its gargoyles and flying buttresses and mesmeric bells beguilingly close.
Saturday 23 May – Next day, we get off to not an excellent start by putting Versailleux instead of Versailles into the Tom Tom. It’s only when we notice the estimated time of 10 hours that we realise our mistake. It seems we were heading towards the Alps. We correct our mistake and “turn arround when possible” as instructed by Gavin, our Welsh-sounding Tom Tom. We decide Normandy is probably the least varied part of France and we take the toll-paying motorway to Paris to gain time. We arrive in Versailles in the early evening and check into a large, Central Parks-type campside – Le Camping International. It turns out it’s a Bank Holiday weekend in France too and the site is pretty full, but it’s France, so everyone is well-behaved and considerate.
Tree lined boulevards
We decide to take a stroll around the affluent suburb before supper.
The home of the ‘Roi Soleil’ is of course majestic but surprisingly sleepy. It takes us a good hour before we find a little bar to have our ‘kir’. Seems we headed in the wrong direction to begin with. But it meant we clocked up a good walking mileage on our ‘fitbits’ (these are the wristbands we got before we left to track our activity levels and calorie intake as well as heart beat – essential for staying fit during the journey of course!) The beds felt better, helped no doubt by our prolonged ‘passeggiata’ as well as some excellent French cognac .
Next morning, after an eclectic breakfast of fool and fresh baguette we’re off to Paris to visit friends. Apologies for the photo showing the tin of fool and the nearly finished baguette – we should have remembered to take it before finishing our breakfast.
Friday 22 May – After several false starts, our trip finally began at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend. We managed to evade the coach loads of school kids and find a mercifully quiet corner on the P&O Ferries from Dover to Calais where we were offered a glass of champagne. Reasonably calm crossing. So far so bien.
We don’t venture far on the first day and settle for a family-run campsite in La Lacque in the Commune of d’Aire sur la Lys – ‘La Belle Foret’. Friendly reception including the children who all say hello before you do and engage you in conversation. Ines says she wasn’t allowed breakfast because she hadn’t finished her ‘cassoulet’ the night before and has to wait till lunch and then has to finish her cassoulet. But she’s cheerful enough. Reminds us of the relatively more disciplinarian approach to parenthood in France. Main observation re Brenda so far: beds a bit narrow and hard but it’s only Day 1 and we’ll get used to it (won’t we??).
Travels with our van 