I biked up to Chinon in the sun, stopped for a quiet café on the square, parked up Selma the bike by the drawbridge, and strolled on in. Meh…not such a grand chateau as the others here on the Loire, I thought, just a few crumbled towers on a
This came as a complete surprise, Selma the e-bike and I were just biking along the river back to the van and took a back way because the road along the Loire was a bit narrow. And suddenly found ourselves ducking through arches and tunnels, our path took us through
Selma and I are out exploring, and look what we found! Lots of these houses, shops, garages dug into the cliffside. They call them trogdolyte dwellings, for some reason that makes me think of Shrek. Actually it just means houses in caves. We’ve just stopped at a troglodyte cafe
Mission accomplished! I found the three powerbrokers of the 12th century! Eleonore, Henry, Richard. Plus a daughter-in-law, the wife of John. Eleonore of Aquitaine was one hell of a woman, she was married to two kings, father of three kings, and her daughters were married into crowns of their own.
Parked up on the Loire! With sun, boats, random châteaux, and wisteria in bloom. And a beer in the bar-tabac because its not quite sunny-cafe tourist season yet. 📍Montsoreau, Loire Valley, France 🇫🇷 (between Saumur and Chinon, and biking distance to Fontevraud)
Today’s micro adventure is a sunny bike ride through farms and fields. The blossoms are out, the leaves popped yesterday, and there are petit-châteaux here and there hidden behind walls and hedges. And its warm enough for shorts! Also, the old ladies all say bonjour, and I say bonjour
It’s a rain day here today, so I’m looking into some stories. This one really caught my imagination when I wandered into an ancient church just below where the old city walls of Poitiers would once have wrapped the town. And yes, there was a saint and a
Have to say I’m rather fascinated by this woman, her story, her family. There’s so much of it! And only so much you can learn reading books, for me at least the story only really starts to make sense when you can touch it in some way. So
Poitiers, France 🇫🇷 Made it there, and back, safe! This has been a day of inspiring women. * the guerilla gardeners and artists bringing life to ancient cobblestone roads, 2025 * a princess-prisoner-queen-divorcee-nun-convent founder-dragon slayer-saint from the 500s * the intense and devoted Jeanne d’Arc who stayed here on her victorious march to
So…this morning I’m trying to catch a bus, train, anything, to Poitiers. Ten minutes down the road. But this week they’re digging up the road, they’re digging up the tracks, digging up the bus stops, and it’s all a right mess. Regrouping with a café
There’s a tiny trickle of a creek running down this hill, and believe it not it’s one of the most historic in France. Obviously I’d never heard of it until today or I would have been excited for weeks. But it turns out it’s the creek
📍Martel, Lot, France 🇫🇷 As I was packing up to leave the campground in La Roque-Gageac, the gardener came over to have a chat on his lawnmower. Semi-english, semi-french, but we managed, and talked about this lovely area of his. He was really recommending some small town called Martel, so I