Thursday, 24 September 2009

Orleans - a nice place to be.


We certainly had a quiet time in Vichy, but it was a bit TOO quiet for my likng, so we moved on to Orleans. Had a good journey - good job, as it was my birthday. We found the campsite quite easily. They are often in out of the way places, as this one is. However, it is very nice, and also quite cheap. It is a short walk to the tramway, and in twenty minutes we are in Orleans. Yesterday was a beautiful day, quite hot, and we had a nice time exploring the old town and cathedral. The old town is the usual interesting and pretty mix of narrow streets, old buildings, shops and cafes. Very nice.

We have arrived just in time for the Festival de Loire, which is basically a celebration of navigation on the river through the ages. There are a lot of historial replica craft, and a lot of people go for rides on them. There are also bands, and many stalls selling very tempting local dishes. It's quite fascinating and jolly.

We are in MacDonald's, which is the best place for free Wi-Fi. Tony is enjoying his first McFlurry (Kit-Kat), so I don't think we'll be eating sausages down by the river. As this is quite a diverting place, we'll probably stay until the week-end, and then head for gay Paris.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, and all the great comments on the blog. We look forward to reading them, espcially yours, Dave.

Tony here - The cathedral in Orleans is impressive; gothic, of course, and huge. It reminds us of the bit in Pillars of the Earth when he first goes into a cathedral in France and he is in awe at the height and how light it is. There is a huge statue of Joan of Arc in the main square and references to her everywhere.

Life is very quiet here and we are reading a lot. Thanks for all your emails and comments on the blog.

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