On Tuesday, June 27th, Diane had to head off to the neuroendocrinology conference, so I was on my own for the morning. I got some espresso and walked about more or less at random.
I went across the Loire via the Pont Napoleon, which crosses a large island in mid-river. The island is set up as a park, though at the entrance I did see a prominent sign warning that no camping was allowed because of sudden changes in water level.
I walked along the north bank of the Loire, looking across at the city. (The photo I posted for the first day was taken from there.) The riverside road led me to the square at the north end of the Pont Wilson.
One intriguing sight there was the six customhouses commanding the three roads that led out of the square. In the days before the French Revolution, those were for the collection of the internal tariffs on goods. I don't know the specifics, but I get the impression that one of the reasons France became so incredibly powerful after the Revolution was simply due to the removal of so much feudal deadweight on the economy.
I crossed back to Tours proper via the Pont Wilson, which was renamed after World War I. Before that it was the Pont Neuf — the "New Bridge" and of course it is the oldest extant bridge over the Loire at Tours. That almost seems like a law of nature. The Pont Neuf in Paris is the oldest bridge there, and Novgorod is the oldest city in Russia.
The bridge at Tours was built because Louis XIV was able to put a member of the House of Bourbon onto the throne of Spain. All of a sudden there was more trade between the two countries, after centuries of a quasi-Cold War along the Pyrenees. A big new road was cut through Tours, leading south toward Spain. That road became the Rue Nationale, which is now the main axis of the city — shifting the orientation of Tours from parallel to the Loire to perpendicular.
Just on the Tours side there is a monument I didn't see in any of the guidebooks: a fountain commemorating the feats of the American Expeditionary Force's logistics effort during World War I. It's a lovely sculpture and obviously very carefully maintained. The French were apparently deeply affected by the American aid in that war. I think every town in France has a "Rue Wilson." His reputation in the U.S. has declined considerably over the past century, but in France, Woodrow Wilson is still a hero. Frankly, they're welcome to him.
We met for lunch at a nice little restaurant called Bistrot d'Odile on the Rue Colbert, which had been recommended highly. There are a lot of restaurants in Tours and we only got to try a handful. I wouldn't object to just spending a few weeks in town dining out.
After lunch I packed and had a nap, then went out again in the late afternoon to get another Aperol Spritz and watch the people go by. Dinner that day was my only mediocre meal of the entire trip: a "kebab" sandwich (which we Americans call a gyro), which was surprisingly bland and starchy.
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