Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc / As she went riding through the dark

Leonard Cohen

It’s just an 8km toddle from Chaingy to Orléans, but one that is a little fraught. I think this is the first time since we’ve been in France that there isn’t a defined bike lane on the road. We are just in the midst of what is probably peak-hour Friday morning traffic.

I guess there’s a reason why the EV6 route swaps to the other side of the river for the approach to Orléans.

We’re never in any real peril. Only one car comes anywhere near close and that’s really only because the road is divided, narrow and there’s nowhere really for the driver to go (and probably because it is a young and impatient driver). On the whole, drivers in France are incredibly tolerant and kind to cyclists.

There is another reason why this ride is a little fraught and that is because my rear tyre has developed a disconcerting bulge. I’m on tenterhooks expecting it to blow out if I hit a bump and that would be really unfortunate in this traffic.

We make it to Orléans in one piece and the first order of the after finding breakfast is to get to a bike shop and get this tyre replaced. The rear tyre is under a lot of weight pressure (no, not just my backside but the pannier weight as well) and I don’t want to be riding any more than needed. I’m hoping to be able to find the exact same tyre, which has served well for 8 years and many thousands of kilometres with not one puncture.

We have to ride across the river to find a shop that does have the right tyre and they put my bike on a stand and get the job done. Yay.

Before, during and after the tyre replacement

Back to the centre of town then and we make an effort to check in early at our hotel only to find it closes at 12pm for three hours! We are standing at the door at about two minutes to 12 so I rush in and beg to be allowed to bring the bikes in and leave the bags. We’re lucky to get a very kind young woman who must surely be cutting into her lunch hours waiting for us to store the bikes, rummage through panniers, change out of bike gear and get out of the hotel. 

Of course, being the lunch hour, everything is closed except restaurants. We give in and make like French people having lunch, drinking wine and waiting for the French world to reopen. The terrace area of the restaurant we choose is full, so we sit inside and this gives a unique perspective on the rush of the two-hour lunch. Outside, people are relaxed, eating, ordering bottles of wine. They’re serene, like a duck on water. Inside is like the duck legs with the waiters going like stink to deliver three-course meals, wine and smiling faces to the customers. Our waiter is run off his feet and he literally runs inside the restaurant, but walks calmly when carrying large trays of food to customers outside.

Orléans’ main attraction is the ‘Maid of Orléans,’ the patron saint of France, the defender of the French nation … the one, the only Jeanne d’Arc.

Jeanne, or Joan as we English speakers tend to call her got instructions from divine beings and somehow managed to get the ear of Charles VII, but only after passing a virginity test and being proven not a heretic. Dressed as a man and with a now-signature pageboy haircut, she led an army, waving her banner to gee-up the troops, in the Siege of Orléans and was by Charles’ side when he was crowned king. Things went significantly bad for her after a couple of battle defeats and she was captured and handed over to the British. She went to trial for her sins which included impersonating a man and acting on demonic visions and she ended her very short life burning at the stake.

In Orléans there is a replica of her house (where she stayed maybe only a few months). The original was destroyed by the Nazis during WW2. At the house you can watch a short film about her life and the times she lived in – but not visit any part of the house except the film room. The 6 euro ticket for that gets you into a few other museums around town.

The unexpected highlight of Orléans (for me) is the cathedral. Every town of any size in France has a cathedral, but this one seems bigger and more grand than many others. The outside is more plain than Strasbourg or the Paris Notre Dame. The gates lead to a vestibule that then leads into the cathedral proper. Once inside the size and space is breathtaking. A goodly portion of the place celebrates Joan of Arc – she has her own chapel with a stained glass window depicting her on her horse, and above the stations of the cross (which are appealing themselves in how light and shadow is used) are a set of stained glass windows depicting her story – a kind of stations of the cross for Joan.

Like all other places we’ve visited so far this trip in France, Orléans starts its day off quietly and only really hits its straps in the evening. Formerly deserted streets burst into life with bay bars and restaurants and people lingering over dinner until well late in the evening. It’s a way of life that so greatly differs from our own back in Australia.

Stats for today:

• Distance: 8.89km
• Climb: 30m
• Average speed: 14.1km/h
• Average temperature: 24C
• Moving time: 37:53
• See our ride on Strava

The beer picture

At the end of a day’s ride, our tradition is to enjoy a beer, and to photograph it for posterity. Today we need to catch up from yesterday, so there are two. The first is not actually beer, but a lovely Grenache rosé we both enjoyed for lunch. In fact we enjoyed it so much we had two each!

The second was taken outside the amazing Orléans cathedral after we’d spent way more time inside than anticipated.

Along the way today: