Tag 30 HOUSEMESS 03.09.2022

Today I am writing for the first time late at night!? Karin is a few steps away from me in bed and I can't sleep well on the couch in the shared living, dining, dining and overall space, because there is another, occupied accommodation above us. The insulation is not very good and my thought carousel doesn't let me rest well; so travel blog!

This morning we left our hotel in Azay-de-Rideau after having breakfast. Just like our bikes were accommodated in the dining area of the hotel the whole time, so was the Petit-Dejeuner! The coffee machine didn't work properly and the hotel Madame simply went across the street to get what was missing at the cafe' opposite. Also the hot water for Karin's tea, green as desired. All 'sans problemes'! Same in the tourist information next to the hotel, which gave us some tips about our planned day.

So we had no difficulties finding the way to Chateau de L'Islette. Actually, my tolerance for castle and castle garden visits had already been satisfied since yesterday, but this castle changed everything again! The owners acquired the property in 1965 and saved it from decay and invested a lot of personal effort. They themselves only live in the castle from October to May and make it available for tourists in the meantime. A property with a lot, lot of history! Even French King Ludwig X? once spent two nights here and the famous French sculptor Rodin secretly frequented this place with his lover Camille ?! So we were able to visit a castle that is also inhabited by a family, which we could see in various photos! Amazing, because the family was traceable with at least three children in various rooms. The kitchen, as the best example, on one side with a huge fireplace and old oven with various fire rings, but at the same time with a microwave, steam oven, induction stove and...and! In addition, pictures of the family/children on a magnetic wall, just like at home! You had the feeling that the doorbell could ring at any moment and the children from the neighbor would ask for their playmates! This visit was really great and worth it, because even the modern renovations (partially central heating radiators, super modern bathroom with mirror mosaics, etc.) were visible. In addition, a very spacious area with a river and a former mill, really just beautiful and understandable that some visitors came with large picnic baskets and blankets just to relax. A castle that we can only recommend to all visitors!

Then we continued to the Loire, because we wanted to visit the town of Langeais with its castle/fortress. We also realized that our pre-booked accommodation in Huismes would not offer any shopping facilities. So we first went in the wrong direction (back to Tours) to get to Langeais, because there is also, what a surprise, a castle. It is located in the middle of the town and if Karin hadn't pointed it out to me, I would have missed it initially. But after a somewhat exciting bike pushing tour (we also take photos) over the only connecting Loire bridge to the town, we quickly found our way. We did not visit the castle/fortress in detail, because 32 interior rooms and a rather child-friendly garden area for €11 per person did not appeal to us! We preferred to spend the money in the cafe opposite and also clarified that there is only a supermarket here with the essential food for us. We also have to consider this in the next few days, because wherever smaller clusters of houses are documented on our Loire bike route map, there may not necessarily be shopping or accommodation options! After shopping at a huge Carefour and with fully loaded saddlebags, we finally headed towards our accommodation.

At some point, Karin's cell phone took over the supremacy, because I no longer trusted or understood the map. But I didn't trust the cell phone either and complained to myself. We reached our accommodation via very strange and certainly seldom used paths. We can't describe such an accommodation offer well. With a numeric code that Karin received from the landlady, an unlocked entrance door, a dog that didn't bark but just looked, behind a fence and a courtyard that led to various entrance doors, we finally reached our destination!

Yesterday we really thought that today's stage would be too short. Actually, everything is a piece of cake, but today has shown us that the distances should not be underestimated and that visits can take much more time than planned. Tomorrow we might embark on the adventure of finding a room by the wayside (Chambres d'Hotel), then we can decide at any time when it's time to stop!? Let's see if it works that way!? And out of our entire planned route (Tours to Angers), we have only covered a third in two days. Even though everything on the map seems so close!!?

The evening began with a cold beer, which the landlady had put in the fridge for us, and turned into a meal from cans that we had bought in Langeais. Then the landlady came by, who, together with her daughter, both have some knowledge of German, turned out to be very friendly. The white, very hairy dog, Satie, also belongs to the pleasant department. And the TV, with Netflix, fit in well!