I left Plouer-sur-Rance and Olivier's extraordinary hospitality with ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, he was a most attentive host in a beautiful setting. On the other hand, we were so different that things were a bit too close to the surface. Either way, I really enjoyed my time in Plouer-sur-Rance and am glad that I stayed there.
It was time to start heading away from the coast and to begin my long ride south. My goal for the day was Vitre,a good-sized town about 20 miles due east of Rennes and southeast of Plouer-sur-Rance.
I started my ride crossing back over the Rance and retraced my route there for a mile or so. I then turned right an headed south. I made a bakery stop in Miniac Morvan, a non-descript town next to a major national highway. The road, effectively, split the town in half.
I was back to riding through rolling hills, farmland, and forests.
I went through the Foret Domaniale du Mesnil, which is a few miles outside Miniac Morvan. It was undeveloped forest.
I rode into Comborg about lunchtime. It wasn't until I saw signs for the castle that I realized that Comborg is the home of Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand, a famous French writer (who've I've never read). The castle was quite impressive.
Just outside this small town there was, what looked like, a man-made lake, called Lac Tranquile. I sat on a bench just across the road from this view and had lunch.
I was quickly back out into the sparsely populated countryside. This photo is from a small bridge I rode over. I took it without even getting off my bike.
At about the 35 mile mark, I rode through the Foret Domaniale du Rennes.
It was all trees, ferns, and sunshine.
Outside of the village of Chevre, I passed beside a stream and pond. I later learned it was the Etang de la Vallee.
I stopped to eat another sandwich about 5:30 at a town whose name I believe was La Bouexiere. I was in a small square across from the local church. I decided to take a picture.
I arrived in Vitre about 6:30, which was about my usual arrival time. It is a city with traffic and narrow streets. My host lived in the city center so I headed there. The old town looked the part.
Jean Yves was at work when I called him and he came right over. He lived nearby, which was good as it started to rain pretty hard just as we got to his place. His house was a very old building that until recently had been both a home and a butcher shop. The bottom floor was a large kitchen with a fireplace tall enough to walk into. Though a passageway was the former butcher shop which is slowly being renovated into living space. The only bathroom in the entire place required going through Jean Yves and his wife's (Cathy) bedroom on the second floor. To get there, you went through a spiral staircase that was seriously medieval.
Jean Yves spoke excellent English. He was teaching his wife English and she did well on her own. They had 3 kids, twin girls and an older boy. While I couldn't really communicate with them, the kids were very polite and curious. I got a picture of everyone except Cathy.
I left most of my stuff on the bike in the backyard, had a nice shower, got a tour of the house, got a few pictures of the kids, and sat in the kitchen while Cathy made a very tasty vegetarian dinner. Since this was a school and work day, everyone went to bed shortly after dinner. My bed was a sofa in the living room. I spent a few minutes on the internet and then went to sleep. It was another good day meandering through France!