1st of August we could enjoy our breakfast together with Michel and Marie-Hélène because he had a day off and didn’t have to go to his laboratory this Friday morning. Before we left I still wanted to write some good old postcards to my family and to Matthias Helwig who runs the cinemas we had designed for him, including the restaurant which is called “Tati”. So he had definitely to get a souvenir from the film location, also for the Rotarian friends from Starnberg.
When we said goodbye to our new friends, who were so helpful and hospitable it just started to rain. Reaching the tourism office everything was already completely wet. We got our stamp in the credentials and were rushing to the post office to get stamps for our postcards and a little package to send back home. The envelope was at the end a piece of art being covered by stamps because it was so expensive. Short stop at the pharmacy because in the high grass I had caught harvest mites which are called in French “Aoûtats” coming with the month of August (=août). So these beasts knew the calendar well and drove me crazy with being itchier than any mosquito bites I know. Just don’t scratch them!
We grabbed sandwiches for later and we were off following the river of Indre which connected us in our memories with Saint-Sévère-sur-Indre from yesterday. We didn’t get very far as the next rain shower rolled in. We found some shelter in a riding hall and the farmer joined us for a talk. His dogs were so nice and friendly they even hadn’t barked at us and just wanted to be petted. After 15 minutes we could continue until it intensified again and we had to find another barn to hide from the rain. I used the time to take a photo, which I called “It’s raining men-Halleluja” because it looks like I am falling from the sky as I jumped in the right moment of the countdown. Another fun fact of this farmer’s court was a huge balance in the middle of it for measuring the weight of harvested goods. It worked for us two perfectly to find out that Robert and I weighed together with all the equipment – 300 kg.
Following the bike signs in this region was much easier as they were nearly at each corner showing you the routes. There were more and more little chateaux along the way which were owned by people from Paris or famous artists from Russia as one lady who fetched her mail told us at her gate when we biked by. One castle was outstanding because a whole forest was named by it: Lancosme. By coincidence we just got to meet the mayor of the place who wanted to clean up an art exhibition which was held in one of the manufacture houses. They were built in red and black brick and had a Dutch appearance as the owner in the 19th century came from Flanders. They were originally producing dermatological products which most of the people know nowadays as Lancôme. But that’s long time ago. Now the castle was bought by the community and they try to save it from deterioration.
In the village of Vandoeuvre we found at least a shop open to buy something for our lunch break. Robert was already searching for a place where we could stay overnight and found a bed without breakfast in an old castle on the southern side of the Natural Park de la Brenne. It’s supposed to be an area full of ponds system created by monks in the medieval times to gain farm land from the swamps and have a possibility for fishing. But due to the drought most of the ponds even didn’t have water. We expected a lot more birds, but most of them must have all left, because where’s no water there’s no fish. Even at the Parc Information Centre beside the castle of Bouchet they told us that the water shortage is a real problem.
We had no time to stay any longer as we still had to finish our 90km bike ride. The sun was setting over beautiful sunflower fields and we arrived quite late at the castle of the Island (L’Isle de Mauvières).
The family running the place had renovated already one room in the oldest part of the castle for guests. They were still continuing to renovate the place and the surrounding buildings. As we arrived we asked them whether there would still be a place open in Mauvières to find something to eat, but they said that there’s nothing close by and we would have to look for a place in 5 to 10 km distance. I explained that we just had biked 90 km but had saved our sandwiches. While we unloaded our bikes they had pity with us and said it would be fine to have dinner with them together.
So we got to know the family Camus la Guèrnière: Laurent, Anne-Pascale, Eleanor, Antheaume, Cyprille and Ysoie. We all joined on their terrace and we wouldn’t be in France if it wouldn’t start with a little “amuse bouche” followed by an entrée with Ratatouille and as a main course the French way of a Hamburger, plus dessert after it. It was already dark when we finished and slept really well in the 15th century old tower.
