Nemours to Neronville

(Pictures: A section of the Bourdelle gardens, a field of blooming canola seed, Chateau-Landon from a distance)

Today was a great day full of biking. We covered 29 miles! We started off at 9 as usual and began making our way to Bourdelle. On the way there we had a small mishap. One member of the group got a flat tire just before the bottom of our first large climb. Unfortunately, she was at the back of the line so Odile had already made it to the top by the time she found out what had happened! She had to turn around, ride back down to patch the leak, and then do the climb all over again. I suppose that’s the price you pay for being the leader!

We were a little behind schedule after that so we didn’t take too many breaks until we got to the sight of our first excursion, Bourdelle. This is a tiny little town that is home to the gardens and museum of Antoine Bourdelle, a French sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The garden was very beautiful and the large sculptures are displayed all around. I had never heard of this artist before but the tour was very interesting and fun to learn about him.

After the tour of the garden, we biked a short ways to the town of Egreville where we stopped for lunch. We went to a little bakery and had quiche Larraine, and Gramzie and I split a country ham sandwich. Both were very good.

After lunch, we biked for a good while longer, conquered a few more hills, and made it to the town of Chateau-Landon. This is a medieval town that is set high on a hill (which we had to bike up!) and is fortressed all around. The large church dates back to 1064. There is also a very large abbey that used to be the home of Benedictine monks. At the foot of the hill there are some beautiful gardens which we were able to tour. The whole town was very quaint and idyllic.

Dinner was delicious, again. Chicken soup with angel hair pasta to start. Breaded catfish fillets with eggplant, zucchini, and sun-dried tomato, with a bean sprout and vinaigrette salad and some kind of potato cake as the main course. Dessert was something I’ve never had before – a cheese mousse parfait! It was served with sliced pears and cherries. It was delicious! Not everyone liked it but I really enjoyed it.

Tonight we stay on the canal in Neronville. There isn’t much around but the scenery is very pretty. Tomorrow is a sad day – our last day of biking. We travel to Montargis where our bike and barge journey ends.