Paris to Orleans

Following our host's recommendation we visited the Sunday market in Place Bastille.  It's huge, with amazing displays of fruit, vegetables, meats, seafood, and everything else.  We enjoyed a breakfast of gallette with ham cheese and egg, and fresh orange juice.

Even though our apartment was only a 20 minute walk to the train station, we wanted a cab due to the heavy (47 pounds each) bike suitcases.  Called for a ride on G7 (a local service like Uber) but when he arrived we couldn't fit the bags in his trunk.  We would have put one on the back seat but he was not willing.  Called another, larger cab: same problem.  Third one was more minivan sized and we made it to the station.  On time, but with less margin than we had hoped for.

After about an hour on a comfy train, we arrived in Orleans in a drizzle.  By the time we made it out of the station both cabs were already gone.  Called for an Uber; folded down half the back seat to accommodate the second bag (our driver is an engineering student at the university here), and in short order were at the Hotel d'Orleans.

Due to the lingering influence of jet lag I'd only slept about two hours the night before, so after lunch I took a nap before tackling the bike down in the hotel's garage.  Assembly took 1.5 hours: a new record for longest time (in the past it's usually been an hour or less).   Part of the extra time was repairing a flat on one wheel.  (I wonder whether the low pressure in the cargo compartment on the plane caused an inflated tube to rupture.)

Today we'll pack up the suitcases and send them to our end point hotel in Mulhouse, take a test ride on the bike, and explore Orleans.  We walked around the lovely Place du Martroi (with a statue of Joan of Arc) for a bite of breakfast and then made plans to mail the suitcases.  

This turned out to be a bit of an adventure...  The tourist office had told us there is a DHL place nearby.  When we asked at our hotel's desk about taking the tram there, she called the number to confirm.  Turns out that office is no longer open.  Our very helpful desk clerk, Erika, then looked for other locations.  But finding none nearby, she suggested the Post Office which is a five minute walk away from the hotel.  We walked up there to check on mailing suitcases, but (of course) the postal clerk spoke no English.  I called Erika, handed the phone over to the clerk, and after a little back and forth they established that we needed to wrap the suitcases in plastic film before mailing them.  Erika couldn't recall the English word for plastic wrap so we walked back to the hotel.  She showed us what we needed in their kitchen, and we walked up to a large market (which was right next to the Post Office) for plastic film, tape and a cheap pair of scissors.  Returned to the hotel, packed up the panniers, put our other clothes in the suitcases, and wrapped one of them very thoroughly in plastic.  (Erika suggested we wrap one to show to the Post Office and make sure it was wrapped sufficiently for their standard before wrapping the second one.)  We rolled the two suitcases back to the Post Office, got the ok for our wrapping job, and wrapped up the second one.  Then we waited on line for one clerk, who sent us back to the first one, who then passed us along to a third clerk.  Eventually we got the bags weighed and labeled, and (we hope!) on their way to Mulhouse.  Fingers crossed.

The Orleans Post Office

By the time we made it back to the hotel it was 3 pm.  We retrieved the bike from the garage to take it out for test ride to make sure everything was set up properly.  Just about 20 minutes through town and along the Loire River, a couple of minor adjustments to handlebars and saddles, and we were back.

And now we were ready for some sightseeing on foot in Orleans.  Joan of Arc is a big deal here because it was in Orleans in 1429 that she led the French army in defeating the British during the Hundred Years War.  The Cathedral (built between 1287 and 1829, a remarkably slow construction job) is large and truly magnificent.  There are many beautiful stained glass windows illustrating Joan of Arc's life, and one end of the building is adorned with banners illustrating family crests.

After the Cathedral we toured the former Hotel Groslot (now part museum, part municipal building), found the synagogue, and made it back to the hotel by a bit after 9.  

Room in the Hotel Groslot

Synagogue. Note star above the window

Just another street in Orleans

This bronze statue of Joan of Arc in front of the Hotel Grosmont was pierced by shrapnel in the Second World War.  Look closely and you'll see several holes.

Orleans is a delightful city.  Historic, easy to explore, relaxing after the bustle of Paris, friendly.  Today was a long day, but we accomplished all the important stuff.  And as they say in the old Westerns, "Tomorrow we ride."