It’s just too hot. Lying in bed I can feel the wall of the van and it’s very warm to the touch. We have all the windows open and either the fly nets or blinds up depending on the direction of the sun. It helps a little but not much. At least the fridge side of the van is shaded by a big hedge and we have 16A electricity which is very unusual for France so the fridge is just about coping.
We hide in a patch of shade outside until it’s time to get ready to catch the 13:40 train to Poitiers. It’s only a six minute walk to the railway station but we are still sweating. A young woman kindly helps me buy a couple of tickets online and we are all relieved when the air conditioned train arrives on time.
After a too short 15 minute journey we arrive in Poitiers. The train station is at the bottom of a hill so we walk into the city towards the cathedral using escalators, steps and uphill streets. It’s Sunday and very hot so the streets are deserted.
Tony and Matt enjoy a mutual history nerd moment over WhatsApp when T spots a wall plaque about long dead knights and squires from the battle of Poitiers in 1356 being buried on the site of a Jacobins monastery and church long since disappeared and built over.
The road now goes downhill towards Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Poitiers another huge gothic building. Inside, the knave towers above and around us. It’s feels like one huge wide hall with a few small side chapels. You can imagine soldiers on horseback in here. The space reminds me a little of Lincoln Cathedral. It’s wonderfully cool in so we light a candle and enjoy the quiet.
Back out into the scorching heat we walk uphill towards the Hotel de Ville. Thinking about a cold beer we spot an open restaurant just opposite the Église Notre-Dame la Grande. This is the top place to visit in Poitiers but is currently closed for renovations so we weren’t going to bother. It’s front which is the only section not covered with hoardings is very beautiful and incredibly intricate so can’t imagine what it looks like inside.
The restaurant is a veritable oasis as we sit inside enjoying the air conditioning, cold beers, share a huge lovely chicken Caesar salad and end with yummy ice cream. Wonderful. To top it all we get a call from our wonderful grandson and daughter.
Back to the train station for the 17:09 to Vivonne via the Hotel de Ville and a bar close to the station.
We eat and drink outside, too hot and bothered to make the effort to move.
A trop chaud day with an oasis of cool.
21:06:26