Saturday 28 March 2015

From Limoges to Tours

We're fairly zooming through France at the moment in readiness for our
Metal man in Limoges walking across France 
Caen ferry on Tuesday. There's less than a week now until our UK return - it seems almost unreal.

Yesterday afternoon we made the best of a cloudy day with a walk around Limoges. We had considered cycling in, but in the end I was glad we drove as there was very little in the way of safe cycle paths and quite heavy traffic. The medieval old town parts are very cute with lots of preserved half timbered houses. I saw the metal walking man artwork on the side of a building but have no idea whether it was there for a reason or purely as decoration. We also spotted metal shell motifs in the pavement - does a Santiago pilgrim route go though Limoges?

The art deco railway station is worth a visit although we had already
Limoges railway station from the park 
been spoilt by Valencia Del Nord. It's clock looms high and can be seen across the pretty park in front of the station. The flower beds were already blooming with daffodils and pansies in bright cheerful colours. We were lucky (or unlucky depending on your point of view) to stumble across a small market of regional products in the Quartier De La Boucherie. We made a couple of purchases although honey, which we really need, was outrageously expensive. At the market's very centre was a strawed pen with a sheep and her lambs, and a pig with her piglets.

There is a fantastic garden by the cathedral, or at least it will be fantastic
Limoges cathedral 
for visitors in the summer. At the moment there are hundreds of different labels, each indicating a small plant and I'd love to go back once they all start flowering! If you're heading that way with a caravan or motorhome, we can highly recommend Camping d'Uzurat as a base.

And for visitors to Tours, we are happily settled in Camping Les Acacias which is open all year round. The site is out of town and is very near the Loire river. A few minutes walk this afternoon and we were strolling through peaceful woodland, listening to birdsong and gazing out on an incredibly wide river! There are dozens of tracks suitable for walking and mountain biking. There is also a tarmaced cycle path which passes the campsite and offers a leisurely way to get to Tours. Weather permitting, we are hoping to try it out tomorrow.

I liked this doorway in Limoges, but am yet
to translate it properly 

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