Finish - Montceau les Mines
Distance - 100km
Time - 6.5 hours
Total - 950km
It just turns out to be exactly 100km. No, I am not rounding it up! I will break the 1000 tomorrow, a good milestone, or should it be a kilometre stone!
Well last nights Vietnamese meal was only OK, I had the Won Ton Soup with crevettes followed by Beef Satay on a sizzling platter. The food was OK but the place had any atmosphere sucked out of it even though there were a few people in the restaurant.
I had a decent sleep and allowed myself to set off at 8.30am knowing that it was a Sunday and nowhere would be open except the odd boulangerie. I set off without breakfast and had a sneaky peek at the Chateau at St Aubin which was described to me as one of the best in the Loire. Of course it was closed and I wasn't sure it worth cycling up the hill although it had two big brick built buildings on either side of it, very unusual.
I couldn't wait any longer to eat so i had an apple and a biscuit that I had with me and then I found a small general store open at a town on the route. I got some cheese and fruit for later in the journey and I asked about bread but she had none left. however, she went into her home and brought be a baguette, how nice. The large town of Digion which was rather drab I'm glad I didn't stay there but jt was there that I left La Loire and joined the Canal du Centre.
Next was Paray le Monial which was a nice place with a nice church/basilica and a clock tower. I had lunch at a lovely location, just outside the gate of Chateau de Digoine (not to be mistaken for the town I went through earlier as it is about 30km away). Of course it was shut. There were only one couple there at the same time as me. I said 'tres bien' meaning the good view and the French woman said 'its shut'. How did she assume that I was English from my one phrase? I must have Englishness ousing from me?
Not far to go now and I caught up another cyclist with a full load. He was a young French man called Phillip from Paris. He was cycling to the Black Sea and ending in Istanbul. He was the first person I have met doing a similar route. We had a good chat in English till I split off to Montceau and he carried on to Challon (my destination for tomorrow). See the photo.
My hotel at Montceau is rather more luxurious than I am used to. It's the Nota Bene and its a 3 star establishment but the price wasn't too bad and its right in the town. I was ready for my stop today.
My music for today is All Around the World by Paul Simon from his Graceland album. I'm not quite going around the world but it feels like it!
Photo 1, Vietnamese Reetaurant I stayed at last night.
Photo 2, Last sight of the Loire at Digoin.
Photo 3, Church at Paray le Monial.
Photo 4, Charolais cow and calf....aaahh!
Photo 5, Phillip also cycling the Eurovelo 6
Photo 6, Centre of Montceau.
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