Nogent-Le-Roi

The prospect of a warmer day today, it was 18c when we got up this morning.

The view across the river Loire was stunning, with the bridge reflecting perfectly in the still water, whilst the cormorants stood guard on a nearby sandbank.

After breakfast, we took a walk along the river bank, the withered leaves like taffeta rustling under foot. Heron’s a plenty, fly towards us from all directions, then scared away by our footsteps, flee to the other side of the river, fighting amongst themselves for pole position. Amongst them, the swans are squabbling, but unperturbed the cormorants sit quietly, stretching their wings in the morning air.

We leave the riverside, and the birds, to get on with their day, climbing up towards the town, we walked through the avenue of trees, turning to look back at the view across the river, and a house on the opposite bank.

In the town we stop to photograph a living wall, based around two old pallets, and admire someone's artistic streak, flowers made from plastic bottle bottoms, and painted, then planted in plastic troughs. Simple but pretty.

It was midday before we left, bidding farewell to the English couple in the only other van left on the aire. Our destination for today was Nogent-Le-Roi, northwest of Chartres.

As we motored along through the flat land, with large expanses of fields on either side, we sympathised with the farmer who had to plough them. Acres of fields, mile after mile, some still having their crop of sweetcorn harvested, others being ploughed for planting, a tapestry of carpet samples.

We arrived at tonight’s aire mid afternoon, ready for lunch, after an uneventful journey. Yesterday, when we stopped for lunch, we had to investigate why Marge had developed a squeak, on her clutch pedal, fortunately, a spray of WD40 on a spring cured the problem.

The aire is meant for four vans and has free electricity. We are in V.W. heaven, out of the four vans, three are V.W.’s, and not just any old Volkswagens, we are all English (and we are the yougest)! There is not really enough space for the larger vans (even though they are still coming in). So Mr Englishman, from a couple of days ago, with the ‘big unit’, thankfully we won’t be seeing you here!

The van next to us is owned by a young Australian couple, they have been in Europe for two months and have travelled through France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. When they arrive back in England, they will be selling their van and returning to Australia.

Late this afternoon, we walked into town, someone had left a chair out on the pavement, free to anyone who wanted it. It wasn’t Ercol, but I could see John was tempted, luckily upon our return it had gone.

We took a look at the church, and some interesting medieval buildings, then after a quick shop in the supermarket for some Toulouse sausages and ice creams, we walked up to the Chateau du Parc.

A fantastic public space, complete with free deckchairs.

Back at the van, the temperature was showing at 26c. After a shower and a sort out, ready for tomorrows stop at a supermarket for wine to take home, we settled into the evening, watching the sun set behind the trees.

Tomorrow will be our last full day in France. A message from home says ‘we won't want to come back’. Of course we miss our family, but, the urge to carry on travelling with Marge is strong.

Beaugency

Last night, we took a short walk along the main street of the village, 

the night sky was clear, and we took the opportunity to take some late evening photographs.

This morning we were glad to see the other English van leaving, the man from it, came over to us late yesterday afternoon, and was pontificating how wonderful his really long unit was (van, plus trailer for his scooter). He was derogatory about our blog, which I was trying to write while he talk incessantly. I know Margery herself would have said something to him, and the less tolerant one of us, was about to question does size matter? Moving on, all owners of small VW campers, know, that we can stop easily wherever and whenever, we want to.

Before we left the aire, we walked across tomorrow the trees opposite, where sixty three pictures, done in mosaic, culminating in the shape of a bunch of grapes, had been produced by the local children, their names appearing around the edge of it.

After leaving Turquant, we passed by the caves that have been used for many years to grow mushrooms. Above the caves was a large mushroom made from the tufa rock.

Further along the road, at one of the riverside ports, we stopped to photograph the traditional flat bottomed river boats.

Today, much of our journey has been alongside the river Loire, the meandering roads hugging the river banks. We have seen many black cormorants grouped together on the sandbanks, one broke away from the flock and raced alongside us.

After dismissing the aire we stopped at for lunch, we moved to another right on the river bank. We felt this one was too isolated, so decided to move on, but before doing so, John spotted the walnut trees, and he managed to obtain a few fresh walnuts off a nearby tree. There were two women there, determined to have all the nuts, armed with a clothes line prop, they beat the branches, harvesting on an industrial scale. John, note for trip to France in the autumn, don’t forget clothes line prop!

After passing by many chateau, we eventually found an aire, which was both suitable and had room. Tonight we are staying at Beaugency.

We are parked right beside the river Loire, with the Euro Velo 6 cycle path running along beside us, taking us back to another time when we passed this way.

Late afternoon, we took a walk into the town, part of which is medieval. We took a look inside the Abbaye Notre Dame, and the ruins of the chateau. The flowers all around the town were beautiful.

The temperature has been much cooler today, only 18c, so we had to wear our outdoor jackets for the first time this holiday. But this evening, it is still warm enough for us to be sat with our side door open, with some quiet instrumental background music playing, whilst looking across the river at the soft orange glow of the street lights and listening to the water of the river, washing over the rocks as it passes under the Bridge.

Turquant

Last night's aire turned out to be very popular, with fifteen of the eighteen spaces taken, we were the only English people. Today’s aire looks like being popular as well, there is another English van here. We both commented, that it has been some days since we bumped into any English people, but most of the campsites in France will be closed now, so as we approach the northern coast and the ports we expect to see more, hopefully this man is a one off!

For the last few days of our holiday we have decided to slow things down and travel only a couple of hours a day. This gives us time to stop and take in some sights we might otherwise have passed by, like La Pointe, a small village alongside the Loire.

It has been declared a world heritage sight by UNESCO. Years ago when the river Loire was alive with barges and flat bottomed boats used for transporting all kinds of goods, it was a popular stopping port. Today it appeared to be a popular stopping place for sparrows, a large tree near our van was full of them, chattering merrily.

And, just off the river bank we spotted the rare pink flamingo, last time we sighted one it was in Spain.

Driving along the side of the Loire, the clouds overhead, darkened the water of the Loire, and the late summer sun, low in the sky, cast long shadows across the road.

Mid afternoon, we arrived in Turquant. It is a pretty troglodyte village in a wine producing region of the Loire.

During the renaissance, sailors, farmers and other trades people lived and hid in the caves cut into the tufa rock. The rock is soft, and weathers badly, some of the properties in the village seemed in quite a bad state of repair. At one property, a man was sawing through a block of tufa rock with just a hand saw, it sliced through it like a knife through butter. The village is home to many wine houses, and as we walked around the village, tractors passed us by, with trailers piled high with grapes, on their way to the stainless steel hoppers awaiting them.

Outside most of the properties, there were grapevines, John took it upon himself to taste his way around the village, frustrated that he couldn’t also access the eating apples and walnuts that lay on the ground in the surrounding gardens.

Tonight is pizza night in the van, we have sourced some small size pizzas in a supermarket that will fit onto our tiny grill. 

My brother in law Peter likes to set me chilli challenges, so this is to show I am in training for whatever he throws at me!

And lasty something we saw

growing in a garden as we walked past dedicate to Margery herself.