Orléans is a beautiful city, with a compact but well maintained historical center.

One needs spend little time in Orléans to see the cultural significance of Joan of Arc.  Known as Jeanne d’Arc in France, she is a national hero and was canonized as a Catholic saint in 1920.  Not wanting to sound like a history dissertation, these are some of the highlights of her life.  At the age of 13, in 1425, Joan began to hear voices, which commanded her to go and help the uncrowned French King Charles VII battle the English in the Hundred Years’ War.  The city of Orléans had been under siege by the English and Joan of Arc was instrumental in lifting the siege after nine days.  In 1430, she was captured by English allies and handed over to the English.  She was tried, found guilty, and burned at the stake in 1431, at the age of 19. She is celebrated every year in May in Orléans.  These photos represent just some of the commemorations of her here. She is a fascinating women of French history.

After spending a full day touring the sights, we decided to take our bikes for a test drive, to make certain they are in good working order, before we start off on what we hope will be an incredible month. Heading west along the Loire River, we cover an area we won’t otherwise see on our ride.  The weather was beautiful and the sights spectacular, filling us with anticipation for many great days to come.

I offer some other pictorial highlights, you might enjoy.

Mental Floss – I think I need to run a brief training session for my backup photographer.

Um! Sensible Shoes! Doesn’t seem like a great way to get customers into the store.