Day 6: Angers to Thouars 101 km. Who pays the ferryman?

A sunny morning at last as I leave Angers. Last night's search for a red check table cloth kinda place with Boeuf Bourguinon you can stand your knife up in and a cheap carafe of red that would angry up the blood (as Abe Simpson would say) was futile. Hospital/University area means sushi, pizza, burgers and noodle bars prevail. 

Now see here France. We are in danger of falling out twice. We Brits want your restaurants and prices to stay firmly embedded in the 70's. This multi-cultural cuisine malarkey must stop immediately. Let's get back to sticky coq au vin and that cheesy creamy potato thing that burnt our mouths and then  dribbled down our shirts. Those were the days. You wouldn't want us to stay away would you? Ah........ ok.

About 15 km into today's ride I came across the River Loire. That's nice enough but there's a ferry to cross it and it's a DIY affair. I watch a group of cyclists unload their bikes having reached the other side and realise there is no ferryman. What there is is a chain that you need to pull to get the ferry boat over to your side, you then load up and pull the ferry across with the same chain. OK I'm good with that. I wait a bit in case some other cyclists turn up and we can share the work. I practice limping to tap the sympathy vote should anyone arrive but after 20 minutes I realise I'm in my own and pull the ferry across. It's hard work and will be even harder when my bike and me are on it. Takes a while and quite a bit of effort but I get across the Loire and ride on.

I'm following La Velo Francette along the Loire now and tres jolie it is too. The only thing is every now and then the 'official' route deviates from the obvious straight line to take in a small village. The idea is, I guess, to help the local village businesses to benefit from the tourist trail. I can imagine the Mayor of Gennes attending the route planning committee and arguing that the route should pass by his business interests: "Mes amis the route must come through this way otherwise how will I sell all the Nappy Creme de la Boots in my Pattissiere!" 

The day is done and I'm on the outside of a cold beer so all is well. Short day tomorrow I think as I suffered the ignomy of having to push my bike up the last hill of the day. It was 12% and the 100th kilometre of the day but the image of small children pointing at me and laughing, women turning away in disgust, men shaking their beret clad heads and scoffing as I walked by and horses fainting will stay with me. I think that's what happened. I was too knackered to notice.