Everyone, young and old, knows the Château de Rigny-Ussé – it is Sleeping Beauty’s castle. High in her tower, the princess sleeps the deepest of sleeps that not even the crowds of tourists filing past her bedside can disturb.
Ask a German and you will be told that Sleeping Beauty was written by the Brothers Grimm. This is true, but the first person to put the tale on paper, inspired by this château, was the French writer Charles Perrault. Perrault’s story was taken to Germany by an acquaintance, Dorothea Viehmann, a French-born German lady who had heard his Sleeping Beauty. Back in Germany, Mrs Viehmann told the story to anyone who would listen, until, one day, it fell upon the ears of the Brothers Grimm, who used it as the basis for their Dornöschen. A Franco-German tale that was born on the banks of the Loire
On the south bank, between Sancerre and La Charité-sur-Loire, I ride parallel to the future EuroVelo 6 route through Herry. As I come closer to the farm at Les Barreaux, the speed-limit signs take on an exotic air, with black buffaloes or kangaroos on a yellow background. Thus, I discover a motley world full of animals that you would not expect to see in this area: ostriches, llamas and African cows! Françoise Delcourt provides bed and board, allowing cycle tourists to take a peaceful break and taste farmhouse delicacies (foie gras, rillettes and duck sausage), visit the farm and watch its unusual inhabitants. On request, she also will make you a picnic lunch for the next leg of your journey. And cyclists who are having problems with their bike will soon be able to avail themselves of a specialist workshop.
(www.laferme-des-barreaux.com)
A mere twenty kilometres from Chalon-sur-Saône, Verdun-sur-le-Doubs is a fabulous place at the confluence of the Doubs, the Saône and the Dheune. The old town retains its Mediaeval character and the captains of the boats and barges that moor in the small harbour still meet at the harbour master’s office in the middle of the town. As well as being a fishing centre and the capital of “La pôchouse”, a local fish dish, Verdun is a long-established crossroads that continues to provide a warm welcome to passing travellers.
On a fine late afternoon, the church bells are chiming as a dozen motorbikes rev their engines, giving off clouds of white smoke. I am a little taken aback by the din, as are several onlookers, who start photographing the spectacle. The bikes are noisy and most of the bikers are decked out in black leather . However, a couple dressed in white sit radiantly on a rather more comfortable three-wheeler: two newly-weds about to set off on a new life together. For almost half an hour, guests and tourists share the joy of this very “rock ‘n’ roll” couple, before the wedding party roars away in a cloud of white smoke! (see slideshow)
The ups and downs of history have produced a very strange situation in the German – or is it Swiss? – village of Büsingen. In fact, when in Büsingen, it is difficult to know which country you are in. The village belongs to the German State of Bade-Würtemberg but it is also in an enclave of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. The village post office shows both the German and Swiss signs, as do the bus stops and the telephone boxes. Everything is double. Büsingen is the only German village where people spend Swiss francs and that you enter by crossing the border from Germany to Switzerland!
This particularity dates back to 1770, when Austria sold all the surrounding villages to the Canton of Zurich, keeping only Büsingen, which later became part of Bade-Würtemberg.
Two kilometres from Büsingen, back on EuroVelo 6, I came across a little riverside bistro, always a welcome sight for cycle tourists. The owner described the funny side of Büsingen’s situation, as well as some of the drawbacks. For example, the border is only open during the day – is everyone meant to go to bed at 10 o’clock? (cf. slide show)
The disappearance of the Danube is described in every tourist guide and, although the phenomenon is no longer a mystery, it still raises the curiosity of cycle tourists. The Danube disappears at Immendingen, in a meander far from EuroVelo 6, so I have to get off my bike and walk the kilometre that separates me from this curious spot. The Danube’s disappearance is caused by the extreme porosity of the Jurassic rocks in this area, which allow the waters to percolate through the limestone and reappear twelve kilometres further downstream. Arriving at the designated spot, I couldn’t see anything untoward: far from disappearing, the Danube continued to flow joyously through the rich, green forest. A frustrated young Dutchman was paddling through the river, searching in vain for a sign of where the river was supposed to disappear. Heading back to the road, I came across the explanation on a notice board. In fact, the Danube’s disappearing act is intermittent, as it only soaks into the rock for about 155 days a year, when warm weather drastically reduces its flow rate. The day I arrived it had been raining heavily, as it had done for several of the previous days!
At the entrance to the Iron Gates, the itinerary goes past the extraordinary Mediaeval fortress of Ram. A breathtaking monument!