10th day: from Orleans to Blois

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 ...

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.

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.

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!