Where in the world has David been today? Chambord, Blois and Tours

Time to get blogging. Photos and trip data already uploaded. Phone calls made. Shower taken. Supper eaten. Fluids replenished.

Today was one of the best days of riding so far in a lot of ways, marred only by one incident which we'll come to shortly. I was slightly slow off the mark this morning (9.20am departure) which was not what I had intended, but if sleep is needed, sleep is needed! The reason I was anxious was that it was a long ride today and I wasn't sure where I was going to get my pilgrim stamp in Tours (and what time I would need to be there if I wanted to be in time). Hence it was a good thing that it was a flattish ride (especially after yesterday's wind) and I was able to keep the average speed much higher most of the time without overdoing it or missing out on gazing at my surroundings.

Just a few miles into the journey I stopped to take a look around Meung-sur-Loire, which had both a castle I hadn't heard of and a church dedicated to a saint I hadn't heard of. However, the Catholic Online dictionary of saints came to my aid and I soon learned all there is to know about St Liphardus. He turns out to have been a very, very local saint indeed - founder and Abbot of the monastery attached to the church in the 6th century. His feast day is June 3rd - next Thursday - so that's why the flower arrangers and church cleaners were so hard at work when I wandered around for a few minutes. The road continued straight and flat for quite a few miles past Beaugency to Mer, and then I crossed over the Loire to the south bank for most of the rest of the day and made a special deviation before starting to follow that grand river much more closely.

There wasn't really time for proper tourism, but Kate seemed especially keen for me to see Chambord - her favourite of the Loire chateaux. The slow climb up through the woods of the Parc de Chambord was absolutely gorgeous. I didn't spot any of the promised deer or wild boar, but never mind. My pilgrim's guide had commented that the royal sights along the Loire don't fit entirely within a pilgrimage, but I didn't mind. As I rode along at a steady 16-18mph I was just thinking how much Kate would be enjoying riding through those woods on the tandem and other happy thoughts about how we could spend bits of July. Somewhere in the midst of that reverie I must have lost concentration, because I suddenly realised I was heading for the dusty verge of the road where there was no way of controlling the bike or coming to a nice halt. Bike and I both went flying, and I have grazes and bruises to prove it (and may be stiff in the morning). Bike and bags are still dusty, but we are all none the worse for wear really. Crashing at that speed could have been a lot worse!

Still, up and at em. I sorted things out, got back on board and headed up to Chambord itself where I parked and had a mooch before pressing on. From Chambord it was time to head down to the river bank as fast as possible, and from then on except for just a few miles the river was close alongside if not visible. And sometimes it was even audible - a delightful sound to stop and take in. Very soon, Blois came up, and it was time to cross over for a stop for lunch and a leisurely break. I didn't spend time sightseeing, but enjoyed my time in Blois and treated myself to a good lunch (which was a very good idea in the middle of a long day).

Blois had its amusements. One was a bicycle shop sign visible from my cafe table, proclaiming "THEO Cycles" - a profound statement: "God cycles". That was amusingly reassuring after my tumble. The second amusement was a call from Martin Cooke - from Santiago de Compstela. I think he felt he had cheated. He had told me he was going on a business trip to the area, and predicted that his hosts would want to show him the city. He was right. The third amusement happened as I unlocked and loaded up my bike again to set off from Blois, and a couple were loading their bikes up too. Their task consisted mainly of sticking a tiny dog in her front basket.

My last deviation inland from the river was through Cande-sur-Beuvron, which was absolutely delightful - another place I could happily have lingered. Instead, I had to push on through Chaumont-sur-Loire and Amboise in the direction of Tours, all the time beginning to believe that I might actually arrive in time for my pilgrim stamp. There was a lot more to see along this stretch too, in particular the many wine caves and 'troglodyte chateaux' cut into the chalk cliffs along the southern side of the road. Since I was low down I didn't ride through vineyards, but you couldn't fail to realise you had entered a prominent wine area. Amboise has two castles, both of which will have to wait for another time: the Royal Chateau and Clos Luce. The latter was where Leonardo da Vinci died, and now houses reconstructions of his famous inventions.

From Amboise it was a straight (but not short) run into Tours itself, and I pulled up at Tours Cathedral at just 5.05pm - just a quarter hour under eight hours from departure. I was pretty impressed after my Chambord sightseeing, such a long voluntary lunch stop, and my involuntary stop in the forest. The cathedral was worth a visit - it was another living church, without a doubt, with Alpha course posters to prove it. There was a good feel, and again some interesting stained glass with good interpretation. I was particularly taken with some modern glass, however, and there was nothing to explain that at all. However, what became plain was that there was nobody to provide a pilgrim stamp. For that I would need to go to the Basilique St Martin, which turned out to be a 10 minute cycle ride away. I was given excellent instructions (so my request must have been comprehensible) and soon found it first time. When I arrived, worried that it might just have closed, I discovered that it would be open for hours yet, and a lovely nun both provided me with my stamp - amazed at where and when the previous two had been received - and told me that I could have stayed there free that night. Never mind.

I very much enjoyed the time I spent in the Basilique. Given the history of Tours as a place of pilgrimage in itself, it is sad to think that the original basilica was almost completely destroyed in 1802, and the stone sold off, simply in order to drive through the rue des Halles. However, the new basilica has a sense of peace and beauty of its own, and it was possible to build it so that the grave of St Martin of Tours - once in the apse of the old basilica - could be incorporated into the crypt of the new. A line on the floor in the crypt marks the shape of the old church.

I found a great sense of peace in the crypt, and reflected on the thin line that separates the living and the dead and what really happens at that mysterious interface. What are the saints all about? Well, St Martin of Tours was a much loved and inspiring man, and in this case I probably truly was in the presence of his remains - unlike many supposed relics. He is often referred to as the 'pearl of priests' and I enjoyed seeing the inscription (one of the many 'thanksgivings' to St Martin carved into blocks of stone in the roof and walls) which read "O, St Martin, pearl of priests, make of us priests in your image according to the heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ". That seemed a fitting prayer for a priest on sabbatical, and the pilgrim's prayer which was placed in the crypt was helpful too. I reproduce it here, as I prayed it in French:

Bienheureux Martin, nous venons à toi.
Soldat de Dieu, Apôtre du Christ,
Témoin de son Evangile et Pasteur de son Eglise,
nous te prions:

Tu étais présent à Dieu
dans le grand silence des nuits solitaires,
donne-nous de lui rester fidèles dans la foi et la prière.

Catéchumène, tu donnas au mendiant
la moitié de ton manteau,
aide-nous à partager avec nos frères.

A travers champs et bois
tu as défié le démon et détruit ses idoles,
prends-nous en ta garde et protège-nous du mal.

Au soir de ta vie,
tu n’as point refusé le poids des jours et des travaux,
fais que nous soyons dociles à la volonté du Père.

Au ciel de gloire, tu jouis de ton repos dans la maison de Dieu,
mets en nos cœurs le désir de te rejoindre
et de connaître près de toi la joie de l’éternité bienheureuse.
Amen.

This evening I completed 51% of the mileage of the trip (as planned), and the 18th leg of the journey. There are a few more long days to complete, but not many. I have been able to do some re-planning to split the two long days in Spain in half so that as I enter Spain a week tomorrow there will be no more really long days - in fact nothing over 50 miles in a day. Dropping the pace will allow more time for contemplation and make the heat more manageable. Suddenly it all feels very possible, when 24 hours ago it seemed extremely daunting, and this evening Kate was going to purchase tickets to come out and meet me in Santiago de Compostela (hopefully on 18th June) and fly back on 21st June. That's just three weeks away, and a very exciting thought.