It is quite something to watch Sherry try and explain to a server in a roadside cafe how she would like her coffee made and today was no exception.
On the journey Poitiers to Bourges we pulled off the A10 for mid morning coffee into an Autogrill which is basically a truck stop with petrol station and associated cafe
The woman server couldn't speak any English and was not of a mind to be helpful! The large takeaway cups were only used for "the" (tea) so instead of getting a large cup with a shot of coffee filled with water and hot milk on top it ended up as three small takeaway cups on a tray - one hot water, another a double shot of espresso and the other hot milk - and we were charged accordingly €4.50 (approx. $7.50) whereas a coffee is around €2.60
I then had to scout around the complex to find a cup or glass in which she could make her own coffee.
The drive took as north towards Paris on the A10 and after approx. 100kms east to Bourges on the A85 and then 45kms from Bourges onto the A71 all being tolled highways (€24.20 in total for about 250 kms of driving) of good quality with a speed limit of 130kmph for the majority though apart from passing the numerous trucks on the road we watched as others went passed us at some pace
time is 11.06, we are due to arrive at 12.15, our next intersection is 79 Kms away, we are at 105m above sea level, the temperature is 26 degrees and Sherry is the pilot!
Found the hotel in Bourges after a battle with the GPS trying to send us down no entry roads
and then we walked into the centre of the city. Sunday is very much the day of rest in France and everything, apart from some bars and restaurants are closed so the city has no atmosphere but it certainly has one of, if not the biggest Cathedral we have come across this trip - the UNESCO heritage site, Cathedrale Saint- Etienne de Bourges
It is so big it is difficult to get into one photo!
Its dimensions and some of the other relevant data is shown in the following
Note that the nave is 117m long by 41m wide and 37m high
Within the church is a clock of a bygone era as well as a Gnomon (use Google)
The Cathedral backs on to the square outside the Hotel Ville, itself a nice building...
...and a very impressive public garden made more impressive by the musicians in the band rotunda and the couples dancing to their music - very European
We stay only one night in Bourges so we only got a small taste of what it has to offer.
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