I start the day by finding a shortcut from the campsite onto the viaduct and over the river thereby cutting out the arching downhill and uphill via the valley floor. I feel quite pleased with myself; one might even say smug. Anyway, with 800m of ascent today I need all the help I can get.
First stop is a pitstop for breakfast outside the racing circuit which I assume is akin to Silverstone; there were already plenty of motors roaring round the track.
I have brought the hefty guidebook along and today I am making more of an effort to read it, pause and observe such as a Castle which you can see only if you go 30m off route.
[Image of Castle above river]
French villages never cease to amaze me. Chirac is well tended, has its own Marie (Town Hall) and public toilets that are much needed by me and squeaky clean. The community has its own small orchard showcasing apple varieties. I know British towns and villages do the same but it just feels more prevalent and consistent in France. Unless that is just a feature of a well curated tour.
Unusually I stop for a camp stove cup of coffee, some tuna and sweetcorn and biscuits. There is more climbing in today's ride so I plan a relaxed final 20 km having done 45 km already.
The route has been roughly following La Vienne though frequently climbing up out of the valley floor. I apologise for picking the worst possible backdrop for the river sign.
I came across this sign and assume it is part of a commemerative walk which reminds me that there was a well attended memorial service by the war memorial in Confolens as I passed through finishing with the band playing La Marseillaise.
View from Confolens.
In keeping with today's unplanned theme of remembrance I took the time to photograph this memorial to the dead of the 1914-1918 war.
This one includes two small cannon along with the more usual four shell cases.
OK, I know its the wrong war as today the 8th May 1945 General de Gaulle announced the end of the Second World War to the French people. It is Victory in Europe (VE) day and in 1981 the 8th of May was made a bank holiday and national festival, though villages and towns I passed through were spookily quiet. The French do share the same armistice day for the First World War as the UK; 11th November.
I know the word "literally" gets used in a way that annoys many people but this Châteaux literally came from outer space. No, really, literally from space. A meteorite fell here many eons ago (OK about 200 million) and most of the Châteaux is built from the rock that formed on impact. The meteorite was about 2 km in diameter and amalgamated with the earthly rock to form a large volume of new concrete-like building material. Literally.
Today's modest climbing got me thinking about the hills to come. Above Nice is the Col de Turini which has appeared on the television programme Top Gear as they search for the perfect road to drive on. It's your classic ribbon of black stuff winding up from the Mediterranean Sea and I'd hoped I would get to ride it. However, it is a 100 km round trip from Nice and heads out to the East whereas I come in from the West. Sometimes you need to put your hopes aside; and that is my reflection on hope for today.
