I only made 1 more days progress from Amboise before I was back in Tours! However, I had to face a classroom of inquisitive 12 year olds first - this is not usually my thing and I was nervous. But having been asked to talk about my trip in the school where Julia (my host, now friend, in Tours) works, I had said yes .... And it was actually lots of fun. Having told them a bit about my trip, got them to try lifting my bag and cleared up exactly where Istanbul is, the questions turned to England. Is everyone there rich? Have I seen the queen, William or Kate? (no, but I did once see Diana drive past my school at a relatively slow speed with no paps in pursuit - I don't think they were impressed) But the best was probably Do you eat cats and dogs? I must be looking a bit oriental!
It was a really good experience and made me understand a little bit of the satisfaction you crazy teachers get from inspiring and encouraging young minds. None of them took up my offer to carry my bag though!
And so back to Tours for the weekend. Some more couch surfers were in town to play a Celtic music gig - it was St Patricks weekend, I was ahead of schedule to meet friends in Paris and I had been sad to leave the first time, so how could I say no? Thus ensued a premature guiness fest (i couldn't wait until St Patrick's, so drank the night before and spent the 17th nursing a belter of a hangover!), a wine tasting festival (in no way helpful for the hangover) and a proper Sunday roast.
The roast had a lot riding on it too - English food really doesn't have a good reputation over here. But I think my rosemary and garlic sprigged roast lamb, with proper roast spuds, honey roast parsnips, red wine gravy and home made mint sauce may have improved things a bit.
I was equally reluctant to leave Tours the 2nd time, a nod to Julia and her housemates for making me feel so at home,( and concocting plans for me to do the rest of my trip via Tours!) but back to a chilly, overcast river Loire it was on Monday morning. Even seeing a beaver on the river bank and following it back to it's dam struggled to lift my spirits.
The sun came out for the rest of the week though and I couldn't help but enjoy the woodpeckers, red squirrels and deer in the Foret Dominiale de Bologne, the spectacular Chateau Chambord and lazy lunchtime breaks by the riverside. I also shared my dinner at a hostel with a Spanish guy called Alfredo.
Through a mixture of jumbled language we managed to tell each other about our trips. He has run the Santiago Di Compostella from his home town Pamplona and is heading for Paris. There he's resting for a couple of weeks before doing the Paris marathon. His average of 50km running each day blew me away, and I was also green with envy at his miniscule 5kg backpack and apparent lack of problems with blisters! He's doing it to raise money for a very poorly girl he knows who is referred to as "bubble girl", check his blog here vengoportodalaorilla.blogspot.com/
And now i'm relaxing in the sun in Orleans, famous for Joan of Arc and. . . . . . not really sure what else. The streets have all been ripped up and relayed as tramways for trams that don't yet run, the sun is baking and the best place to be is riverside. So that's where i'm headed. Next weekend - a mini break in Paris!