It was the best of days; it was the worst of days; it was the best of days.

 

A lovely start with much talk to other cyclists: a couple from Colorado traveling by tandem and fellow Bike Tuesday owners from Australia currently on rental bikes.  We had planned a side-trip slightly off the Loire a Velo route to see a particular troglodyte artwork we had read was in St. Georges des Sept Voies.  Feeling lost and facing a steep hill, we saw someone come out to fetch their mail and asked directions.  We were but 100 meters from the correct turn.  The wondrous modernistic carving was mostly below ground forming rooms in the tuffeau stone we have been learning so much about.

 

We returned to the planned route and cruised right into Angers, much earlier than we had thought likely.  So we decided to get to the north side of town, so as to be a few kilometers on our way for tomorrow.

 

Arriving at an area with hotels all about, we were stunned to find them ALL full.  The only recourse given to us was to go all the way to the center of this very busy city to the Tourist Office since they would not make a reservation for us by phone.  This we did, feeling more tired and frustrated and even scared (that there might not BE any place for us within biking distance).  Oh, and did I mention we had missed lunch because every business on our route was closed?

 

Well, the Tourist Office was able to find us a room, not far from where we had decided to head north to get a jumpstart on tomorrow’s ride.  Back we went.  Couldn’t find it.  The address didn’t exist.  Just then a local stepped out of his house to use his cell phone.  We ask for help.  He calls the hotel.  We get better directions.  We head there, noticing we are getting into countryside again and wondering will we have to go all the way back to town to find food.  We find the hotel after having added 30 km through the city to what as intended to have been only 50 km today.