Well, I was right about one thing, Nevers is bigger than Gien. But to tell you the truth there isn’t a whole hell of a lot more going on here than there was in Gien.
After checking in to the urban Saint Bernadette Convent, I ran into a cyclist named, Bharti. We talked about the EuroVelo6 route and kept chatting straight through to dinner.
I recommend staying at the convent. It has all sorts of ornate prayer rooms and courtyards, a filling and inexpensive dinner and breakfast, plus the price is right.
I had to eat some meat tonight. After many miles of riding and no vegetarian option, I decided that it was more important for me to take in calories than it was to avoid the already served meat. But after a few bites of the beef Bharti could tell I was struggling and encouraged me to just ask if I could have more couscous. Good idea! I asked and the server kindly brought out a huge bowl of the stuff.
Bharti was a fascinating person. She works for nine years then takes one off with her husband and daughter to travel the world. She’s repeated this cycle at least twice.
Bharti and I will ride together to Bourbon-Lancy tomorrow. She tells me they have thermal baths there. That’s just what my saddle-sore sit bones need.
P.S. There’s an arboretum on today’s route. If you call ahead you can get a tour from the grounds-lady. Or, if you luck out as I did, you can tag along with a random group of strangers.
P.P.S. The signage at the below bridge is utterly inscrutable. I spent a good 25 minutes taking wrong routes in the rain. It’s possible that this says more about my sense of direction than it does about the signage. Nevertheless, good luck figuring it out.
