Angers En Train

We drove from St Marc to Saumur on Thursday 11 September and stayed at the campsite on an island in the Loire with a lovely view of the chateau. However, we have visited Saumur a few times, but have never visited the big city of Angers. On Friday 12 September we decided to go there by train. I like travelling on SNCF. I wanted Chris to have the opportunity of seeing Angers and its vast tapestry. Unfortunately Angers has neither campsites nor aires convenient for the city centre, so the train seemed a good idea.

Travelling by SNCF is pricey, but reliable and punctual, and what quality of stock they provide for the travelling public. Plus those who can may play a public piano in the entrance hall of Angers station. Nice.

Angers has a very serious chateau to defend the rights and privileges of the ducs de Anjou. It has been modified during the centuries to cope with anything artillery could lob at it until the 19th century. However by that time the aristos followed less war-like paths and were well into art and such.

As demonstrated by the obligatory rose garden, which was rather lovely and very well kept.
The courtyard below is where the new building houses the Tapestry of the Apocalypse. It must be around 200m long in large separate panels. The gallery is very dark and I had very great trouble seeing anything at all, orientating myself, not walking into other people, or falling over. After about 15 minutes my eyes were a little better adjusted, but I'd lost interest and Chris wasn't that bothered, being RC she's never had to read the bible!

 And so we really did look at everything in the rest of the chateau that was open. The royal chambers were not open as an exhibition was being mounted - said a very smart administratorice of the National Monuments of France.

 Luncheon was a fine affair in the courtyard garden of the renaissance lodgings, below. There were 4 'formule' from which to chose. They were excellent.

 From the ramparts of the castle buildings we could see the royal residence to the right and the raised beds potager reconstructed as they would have been when actually needed seemed to be very well kept - and extensive.

 The formal French style parterre is in the dry moat. It certainly does not look like municipal planting.

We returned to the station via the art gallery precinct where there was a free street performance of what we thought was En Attendant Godot, but it wasn't.

The crew were setting up elsewhere for a live performance. It's all going down in Angers.

We arrived back in Saumur on time. Can you believe that at maximum commuter time-capacity and grande luxe comfort? The old rail car was nice to see. Still not quite so bad as an A143 'Pacer' with one wheel on each corner that Manny-Leeds commuters endure daily.

You prolly don't believe me about the thronging masses of youth using the train in France, so below here they were catching the next train.