Chateauroux

May 21, Wednesday, 7,900 steps. 3.1 miles (mostly without backpacks).

Thanks to Mme Tessier, we arrived in Chateauroux about 8:30 this morning.  She left us at the train and bus station and our hotel was just across the street.  We brought our backpacks over, and it was Ok with my mixed up day for our reservation. They took our packs and said come back at 2.  Did they have a city map? No.

So we sat in the lobby for a bit and pulled Google maps before heading toward the tourist office, closed until 10.  I gaped at the shop windows filled with elegant clothes, shoes, and travel brochures.  Of course nothing was yet open. We wandered toward green trees, and spied a golden Mary atop a dome.  The Eglise de Notre Dame was open and filled with luminous stained glass. I spied a St. Leo, and wondered if this was the one from whom the new pope chose his name. I was fascinated by windows with Martha and Margaret with dragons at their feet.

Back outside we followed the green spaces to the impressive chateau, now holding government offices. Then down through old streets to an original gate to the city, later a prison, and on to the Indre River with ducks, a fisherman and walkways through parkland.

Back up through medieval streets to a welcoming tourist office with maps. After espresso and pastry and we continued wandering. It was getting colder and windier, so we joined a group of people waiting for a bus (free city buses). We ended up at what must have been a suburban shopping mall, but stayed on for the return trip and lunchtime in the city center at a lively Italian restaurant where we had pizza and too much wine (at least for me).

A sweet perhaps 3-year-old girl at the next table waved goodbye to us, so I showed her a picture of Amar, and then one of Psyche and all 3, and she smiled and said, “Bebe!” before she and mother and two friends left.

We have a rather quirky split-level hotel room with bed atop two steps and windows at the other end of the room.

It is cold, high of 60, with rain predicted, which could have been good walking weather

One day would probably be enough here, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.  On to Bourges on Friday and Paris on Sunday.

We heard from Alain.  His knee is giving him trouble, and his wife will pick him up in Gargilesse, where we were going to finish and could have arrived today.