Having left a little late by browsing the brocante, we unfortunately didn’t have time to explore any of the troglodyte dwellings along the next stretch of the Loire. Some date from prehistoric times and others utilised the caves left after mining the tufa for chateaux, but we didn’t worry as we have seen such dwellings before in Matera in Italy and also Cappadocia in Turkey.
Instead, we stopped at Le Saut aux Loups, a mushroom farm which shows the history and method of mushroom production, which began underground in Paris in the time of Louis XIV.
Later it moved out of the city and artisanal methods utilised the constant temperature and darkness of caves although today most are grown industrially in refrigerated sheds.
We also saw shiitake and pink, yellow and grey pleurotes or oyster mushrooms growing on plastic covered bales and even spotted some of them releasing their spores into the air, rising as a white mist and accounting for the white dust underneath them.
They also run a cafe and were busy filling mushrooms ready to go in the oven for lunch, stuffed with a variety of fillings such as pork rilettes, snail butter and cream cheese and salmon.
These are called galipettes, too big to be sold as button mushrooms, their hats have become too large so the stem breaks and the mushroom makes a somersault or a galipette! Looking at these it was a shame we were too early for lunch, but bought a jar of mushroom paste instead to take home.
When planning our route, I read about La Guingette a JoJo, a riverside summer bar and restaurant which made me think we could walk into our very own ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party’! As we got nearer, the sky got greyer and we saw rain falling in the distance. It didn’t bode well, but the car park was full and despite the fact it was far from the ideal sunny afternoon, we approached the gate, surrounded by twinkling lights.
The reality was that the rain had passed through already …
… and everyone was squeezed under one small covered area, trying to finish their lunch!
On another day, there would be been a table for us to stay, but today it was impossible, so we left remembering Renoir!
The sky remained grey and by the time we got to Angers, the heavens had opened and the roads were deluged, with gutters running with water like rivers. We parked and waited it out looking round a museum and emerged to a clear sky and even some sun.
We are staying in a charming B&B called L’Oisellerie which translates as The Bird Shop.
It is one of the oldest houses in Angers, originally build by a wealthy butcher in 1580 and most recently converted from a family residence into a B&B in 2018 by Marlène and Johanna.
Our room La Voliére, or The Aviary has views of the Episcopal Palace.
Breakfast was served in the kitchen, and our hosts took turns to make guests feel welcome by cooking crepes and giving sightseeing tips. The yogurt is homemade and when Marlène explained how easy it was, I decided to give it a go when I get home. It was also a chance to chat to other guests and we met Josh and his daughter Lucy from Little Rock, Arkansas who were having a great time in France for their first visit.
Full of crepes and yogurt we set off to the C13th chateau, a hugely imposing fortification surrounded by 17 towers and an impressive ditch.
We were surprised by more extensive gardens inside …
… and also saw the interior courtyard where the Dukes of Anjou had private quarters …
… and walked round the battlements.
The chateau is also home to the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest surviving medieval tapestry, commissioned by Louis I, Duke of Anjou in 1375, and now displayed in a special gallery.
It took 7 years to make and illustrates the Apocalypse according to St John from the Book of Revelation, a struggle of good versus evil with Christ emerging triumphant at the end.
The C14th was a turbulent time, with the Hundred Years War and the Black Death and essentially, it provides certainty in unpredictable times. It also features Anjou heraldry and the fleur-de-lis so would have been a status symbol promoting the Anjou dukes.
There was a detailed commentary about each panel and here are my favourites, the fourth horseman, Death, looking rather too smiley …
… some scary multi-headed monsters …
… The Fall of Babylon …
… and New Jerusalem.
It’s not surprising that this tapestry has inspired others, one of them Jean Lurçat saw it in 1937 and subsequently became a leader in the French tapestry making revival. In 1957 he began his masterpiece, Le Chant du Monde or The Song of the World, conceived as a modern version of the Apocalypse Tapestry.
The series begins with disaster and chaos such as The Great Threat referring to the atomic bomb destroying the world and a modern Noah taking animals to safety…
… and The Mass Grave, a vivid evocation of the horrors of war.
Man in Glory at Peace shows rebirth after disaster …
… and my favourite Champagne showing bubbles and butterflies bursting across the image!
Both these huge cycles of tapestries made quite an impression on us, and we spent quite a while taking in the narratives, spotting small details in the compositions, seeing how colours and shading were used to such good effect and being quite overwhelmed by the vast undertaking of each.
Of course Angers had much more to offer including a cathedral, views of the river, quaint streets and strawberry tart, and here are a few snaps.
I had been looking forward to trying the Loire’s signature dish of pike-perch in beurre blanc sauce, but having realised we were in Angers on Sunday and Monday nights when most restaurants close, I’ve run out of time and this is a delicacy yet to be sampled. Instead we went to Chez Point on the first night, with a busy terrace in the evening sun, in fact it has been quite a surprise that the sun doesn’t set till around 10pm …
The following night we went to Le Connétable, a creperie with a little modern flair. Cointreau liqueur has been distilled in Angers since it was created by Edouard Cointreau in 1849 and I began with Soupe Angevin, an aperitif with Cointreau, lemon and sparking wine … yum, and my galette with smoked salmon, chèvre cream and salad was just perfect. PS: we both had flambéed crepes for desert!
Next stop … a spectacular
Off Travelling Together 