Barley A Whisper November 12, 2006
This morning the skies had cleared and it was warmer. We decided to take the bikes for one last spin as we are leaving Chissay tomorrow. We rode along the north side of the river following a dirt path to Montrichard to see the railway agent there and get our train routing for Monday completed. By the rail guide it looks like it will be a convoluted route to Les Eyzies de Tayac which is our destination.
I navigated us to and through Montrichard and found the rail tracks, but then to follow them we had to climb a long steep hill while the tracks went through a tunnel. The important thing is I found the station. The not so important point is that the station was only a block or so off the main road we had taken into town and we could have bypassed the Mt. Everest of France if I would have watched the signs more closely. Ces la vie! All this becomes rather a mute point when you consider the fact that the station was closed.
We decided to not make the same mistake we had on Friday and to go find lunch now before all the cafes closed. The first place we stopped, hopping off our steel steeds and jauntily making our way to the door of the hotel / restaurant where we were met by a lady that looked at our bike attire and then heard the English with which we inadequately tried to communicate and uttered a single sentence, almost silently as to not offend the other guests. The only word we could make out was “impossible”. We didn’t fall off the truffle truck yesterday so we left with our heads held perhaps a bit lower than we had arrived, but still hungry. We stalked the town looking through the eyes of a predator as he hunted his next meal. The rejection suddenly brought a new importance to what had started as “Hey why don’t we go get lunch before they all close”.
Holly’s eagle eye spotted a pizzeria sign and the stalk began. We crept up slightly to one side, first to see if any diners were enjoying their repast and also to see how they were dressed. When we determined the situation was in our favor we sprang. The two older ladies that ran the café were exceedingly helpful and although they spoke no English they showed more tolerance than usual in helping us with the menu. The small café seemed to be a “local’s” place. People came in by twos and threes and soon most of the tables were occupied. A group of six came in and one of the matronly proprietors seemed a bit flustered as she explained to the lead guy that there was no way to seat them all together, with a tense loud phrase he turned on his heel and ushered his group out the door. It seems the French are not only passionate about their food but also passionate when they can’t get it.
We finished lunch and headed back to the train station to find it as we had left it; dark and locked. We had hoped the agent was just out to lunch but now at 3PM it seemed unlikely that they would open today. Plan B; we would go on the internet to the French rail system site and try and determine the routing ourselves. Sometimes our innocence amazes even me. With no other shops open we headed back to the cottage. We rode on the south side of the river following a path and on the road when the path played out. With daylight to spare we enjoyed sitting in the mini courtyard in front of the cottage before turning our attention to the task of preparing for an early departure tomorrow.
From the rail web site it looked as though we needed to be in Tours before 8AM so we decided to catch the 6:57AM train from the Chissay Station. There is no station at Chissay so we planned to see the agent in Tours when we arrived. With the Eurail Pass we are able to ride most French trains as long as we put the travel date on the ticket before boarding. The pass allows us fifteen travel days during a two month period which means you can travel as far as you want and can during any 24 hour period and it counts as one travel day. We have our schedule worked out so that we will use up the remainder of days by the time we get to Rome which is where we will catch a plane for the US next month.
The great news is that we have now booked all hotels through Rome so the pressure is off to do research looking for that next place to stay. We still have the French Alps, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Naples and Rome ahead so stay tuned for the final chapters of the DEWE (Davis East West Expedition).
I navigated us to and through Montrichard and found the rail tracks, but then to follow them we had to climb a long steep hill while the tracks went through a tunnel. The important thing is I found the station. The not so important point is that the station was only a block or so off the main road we had taken into town and we could have bypassed the Mt. Everest of France if I would have watched the signs more closely. Ces la vie! All this becomes rather a mute point when you consider the fact that the station was closed.
We decided to not make the same mistake we had on Friday and to go find lunch now before all the cafes closed. The first place we stopped, hopping off our steel steeds and jauntily making our way to the door of the hotel / restaurant where we were met by a lady that looked at our bike attire and then heard the English with which we inadequately tried to communicate and uttered a single sentence, almost silently as to not offend the other guests. The only word we could make out was “impossible”. We didn’t fall off the truffle truck yesterday so we left with our heads held perhaps a bit lower than we had arrived, but still hungry. We stalked the town looking through the eyes of a predator as he hunted his next meal. The rejection suddenly brought a new importance to what had started as “Hey why don’t we go get lunch before they all close”.
Holly’s eagle eye spotted a pizzeria sign and the stalk began. We crept up slightly to one side, first to see if any diners were enjoying their repast and also to see how they were dressed. When we determined the situation was in our favor we sprang. The two older ladies that ran the café were exceedingly helpful and although they spoke no English they showed more tolerance than usual in helping us with the menu. The small café seemed to be a “local’s” place. People came in by twos and threes and soon most of the tables were occupied. A group of six came in and one of the matronly proprietors seemed a bit flustered as she explained to the lead guy that there was no way to seat them all together, with a tense loud phrase he turned on his heel and ushered his group out the door. It seems the French are not only passionate about their food but also passionate when they can’t get it.
We finished lunch and headed back to the train station to find it as we had left it; dark and locked. We had hoped the agent was just out to lunch but now at 3PM it seemed unlikely that they would open today. Plan B; we would go on the internet to the French rail system site and try and determine the routing ourselves. Sometimes our innocence amazes even me. With no other shops open we headed back to the cottage. We rode on the south side of the river following a path and on the road when the path played out. With daylight to spare we enjoyed sitting in the mini courtyard in front of the cottage before turning our attention to the task of preparing for an early departure tomorrow.
From the rail web site it looked as though we needed to be in Tours before 8AM so we decided to catch the 6:57AM train from the Chissay Station. There is no station at Chissay so we planned to see the agent in Tours when we arrived. With the Eurail Pass we are able to ride most French trains as long as we put the travel date on the ticket before boarding. The pass allows us fifteen travel days during a two month period which means you can travel as far as you want and can during any 24 hour period and it counts as one travel day. We have our schedule worked out so that we will use up the remainder of days by the time we get to Rome which is where we will catch a plane for the US next month.
The great news is that we have now booked all hotels through Rome so the pressure is off to do research looking for that next place to stay. We still have the French Alps, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Naples and Rome ahead so stay tuned for the final chapters of the DEWE (Davis East West Expedition).
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 12:09 PM
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