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The trip to Troyes (TROY), where we were to stay the night, went quicker than we thought. We got to the town in a bit over 6 hours and found the ETAP easily thanks to Jane the Tom-Tom. Initially it seemed the heart of the old medieval city were quite far away and would require a real over land hike to get to...but as we discovered, that was not so. The old part of town is wedge shaped and thus we were only a couple of blocks from it. We parked our car on the upper level and soon learned that the rear door to the ETAP was quite locked and not available to us to open. We needed to verify our reservation in the front lobby...actually at the front door computer kiosk that serves as the modern lobby at an ETAP. We entered our card and l'viola! We were in with a key code written out by the printer at the door. Cool! Up to room 207, enter the same code in the door lock and we were home for the day at 1:30 pm local time. Then out to lunch at a nearby Asian restaurant that looked promising. In, we were seated in minutes and provided with an extensive menu. We chose the Midi Special (Lunch Menu) and made our choices known to the speedy and efficient server. Soon lunch came and it was absolutely fresh and delicious and more food than we could ever eat! Truly generous portions! It's the one at the roundabout down the street from the ETAP on Rue 14 July. Well worth a visit!
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Afterwords we crossed the street and wandered into the old section of Troyes gawking unabashedly at the beautiful 15th century half-timber buildings that make up the largess of the downtown. Block after block of restored and ancient buildings that together make Troyes a more than worthwhile stop in a trip about France. We sat at a corner cafe where the plaza with a large merry-go-round served up a wonderful sight. The beers, hers small, mine large were almost 11 Euros, not cheap but the people watching and the sights made it worthwhile. Troyes has a multi-cultural population and it shows. People meeting people on the street, doing the kissing thing and chatting right in front of us sipping our beers. Lovely, just lovely. We spent about an hour there, then ambled in and around the old town area before making our way back to the hotel to rest and assess our day. Tomorrow...the Godin!
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In the morning I awoke before my duck at about 7 am, sat at the EeePC and read the news and emails. She woke at 8 and very quickly we got our stuff together. We headed out to see the local Gothic cathedral, have a coffee at a tabac nearby and local pastries from a boulangerie next door as is the way in France. Then off to Soilly, it being NW of Troyes in the low hills and verdant valleys that adjoin Belgium. Hilly country full of colza and the vines from which champagne are made, a regional production that produces the world's supply of the great bubbly wines. Colza's yellow flowers cover thousands and thousands of acres here as do the wonderful curvy vines. As we drive amazing vistas appear yellow upon green and light green of barley and wheat sprouting simultaneously. Beautiful. We take side roads thanks to Jane of Tom-Tom fame and witness the countryside in all it's glory from high on hilltops themselves covered with vines and colza. It is truly spectacular!
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Jane steers us towards our goal, the stove we bought from the gentleman in Soilly. Once there we found the address easily enough and amidst the turmoil of multiple guests arriving at the same time we paid our debt of 42 Euros for the unknown stove and with his help liften and laid it down in the rear of the Avensis. It looked in amazingly good shape, all the castings un=cracked and not chipped either. Beautiful indeed! Once packed we were off again to head back to Lignieres with a fine wood stove in tow from yet again a new spot for us in the French hinterlands.
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