10th day: from Orleans to Blois

उजवाडाक आयलां: 08.09.2022

The day starts well: overslept! Finally, at half past nine, we are on our bikes; it's relatively cool, cloudy, and windy - and how: a strong west wind blows in our faces; the day promises a certain level of effort ...

On the way: This is a nuclear power plant

We follow the Loire river, often exposed to the forces of nature on top of the dyke, towards Chambord and Blois.

Occasionally there is a shower, which we then wait out in a barn or under a bridge.

Taking shelter from the rain
Guidebook? On the way: Call to all French people from 1940
Flower decoration

At some point, Chambord castle emerges from the forest; it was built by King Francis I of France in the 16th century as a hunting lodge, just like other people would build a garden shed. I believe the roofers guild had quite a say in the design. And the building probably doesn't have central heating either. Actually, he was aiming for the imperial crown, which was worn by Charles V (of Habsburg) and had no intention of giving it up. Chambord was supposed to show what the French were capable of, so that the imperial crown would naturally go to the French - as it is well known, it didn't work. So the castle was ultimately used very little.

Chambord Castle

From Chambord, we went to Blois, where we booked a hotel with separate entrances for each room ...; such properties are often located outside the cities on busy roads - and here the problem arose again, which we had already experienced several times in the past few days; however, let me explain briefly: the route was planned using Komoot, but the accommodations, campsites, etc. are not necessarily directly on it. So, after the accommodation is fixed, I enter the address directly into Garmin's bike navigation system - and, no matter how it is pre-set (there are several options, e.g. min. distance or min. time), the routing always offers something special. Once it led us to the wrong place, another time it took us on a detour to the destination. Today it led us onto a multi-stage access road with acceleration and deceleration lanes. The drivers responded to our appearance there with joyful honking!
Before Blois: Rain again

Skyline of Blois
Blois
Our castle for tonight

At some point, we arrived at the hotel with the impression that a shorter route might have been possible.

The location of the hotel also seemed to make a Decathlon shop in Blois accessible, which hopefully carries the gas cartridges we need for our travel kitchen. In this case, Google Maps suggested good accessibility, which turned out to be a combination of dirt roads and crossing a railway embankment in reality. But there's nothing like a well-functioning travel kitchen - and if you also have a woman who knows how to handle it, it's even better!


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