Sunday, 22nd April Blois to Azay le Rideau

DISTANCE: 93 k/57.8 mi; TIME: 5h 7m; AV: 18.3 kph/11.4 mph; ODO: 633.1 k

As I was leaving the hotel a couple spoke to me in French, having seen my shell. It turned out that they were Dutch and knew all about the pilgrimage. They were on their way to Oviedo to see the cathedral there. We wished each other a good trip.

It was a grey and hazy start to the day and cold. Eventually the sun triumphed, however on reaching Tours it looked like it would revert to a grey day. The journey went well and I was in the old quarter in Tours just before 1 pm. I had lunch in the old quarter of Tours in a small restaurant, “Le Vert Galant,” where the waitress cooked the meal and served it.

I then had a long search for the churches. I found the Basilica of St. Martin (4c), but now only the NE tower and the clock tower exist. I think the crypt is there too, where St. Martin is buried. If the clock tower is 4c, it probably was a sun dial originally. I then found Le Notre Dame and then back tracked to St. Gratien, the main cathedral, where I got my tampon (stamp). The cathedral is light but does not seem to have any stained glass of significance, although the effect of the stained glass in the East window adds to the view down the nave. The chapels of the saints are not named as in Orléans and Chartres.

I found my way out to Balan Mir without difficulty and finally got on the D8 to Artannes. Unfortunately I turned a bit too soon, followed by a turn I did not see. This put me on the D102 and back to the main D975 to Azay le Rideau. So I had to lump it with the smelly traffic! When I arrived in Azay le Rideau, I looked for the “Hôtel Balzac,” but in vain. Eventually I chose the “Hôtel de Trois Lys,” a two star. The room had a shower, basin and WC en suite, and the bed seemed comfy. Having organised my route for tomorrow, I had dinner in the Hotel restaurant.

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