Day 4 Angers – rest day

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Day 4 Angers – rest day

After a late start, we had a bit of a walk to find a great cafe in the sun, and managed to talk them into making us an omelet for breakfast - we never managed to achieve an omelet for breakfast again, despite a constant search. The owner of the cafe was a curious about us and came out for a chat. He was impressed that we came out from Australia to ride the Loire Valley. He then proudly produced a photo of himself with Bradley McGee. Apparently Brad McGee lives and trains in Angers. We must have been pushing along a bit too quickly, as he never managed to catch up to us for a chat. Des handed over the usual kangaroo pin, much appreciated.

We took the petit train ride around town, spotting a couple of places for dinner on the way. We visited the very prominent chateau, saw the big rug ( tapestry) and enjoyed the grand construction of the chateau. We than adjourned to the the wine centre adjacent to the Chateau, where a very helpful and informative young lady showed us a range of local wines. We were impressed enough to purchase a chenin blanc for lunch. The young lady informed us that Australians and Americans generally don't enjoy unoaked wines, as they normally drink oaked wines (some heavily oaked). We picked up sandwiches to have with our chenin blanc, and found a spot by the chateau overlooking the river, where we got chatting to a Belgium/Dutch couple who were traveling with bikes that they purchased in France.

During a walk around town, I tried unsuccessfully to buy myself a man bag at the market. We walked through the Palais of Justice and stood in on a court session, all very formal and very French. A boule match was in progress, with some very flamboyant players and everyone very serious. Des was busting to have a go.

Time for an afternoon rest.

We put ourselves in Des's hands for dinner, as he had spotted a couple of places to eat from the “petit train”. 1.5 kilometers later we found a restaurant that looked OK, but we had no idea if it was the one Des saw or not! We were a bit early, so backtracked to a hole in the wall 'Australian Bar” that we had seen earlier. No one had any idea how the bar got its name, and it is currently being run by an African chap. We explained that we were from Australia. It was a very friendly place with great music being played, and we enjoyed our first round of beers. Des produced a kangaroo pin and handed it to the barman, who received it in the manner in which it was given, but many times over. He proudly showed it to his girlfriend and every one else in the bar -  thumbs up all round and a free round of beers for us – a bit special I think. It would have been nice to have gone back and built on the relationship. They agreed that the restaurant that we had chosen was good – and so it was, 3 course menu for 16E . Lentil entree and a veal shoulder for my main.Very good food, simple and well executed in a small neat space by a husband and wife team. Des introduced himself to the chef (wife) and we had a brief chat.

Later on, we got a big cheer from everyone at the Oz bar as we walked back past it on the way to our hotel. Earlier today, our tee shirts caused comments and questions from two young couples pulled up in a car at traffic lights.They asked about our trip and wished us bon velo!