Biking day 4

The weather is getting warmer every day, but it's sunny skies and spectacular weather so no one is complaining. Plus backroads keeps us well stocked with water and snacks.

The hotel we stayed in last night is hotel Bourdesiere. If you're ever in the region, I recommend it!

Today was exciting because we visited the famous town of Amboise, which features an amazing castle frequented by a series of kings. It was clearly built for defensive purposes but was later gilded with renaissance touches learned from Italy.



I couldn't resist posting this scene from the morning bike ride. Is it any wonder the impressionists loved this region!



Here is the view of the amazing castle at Amboise as you enter town.



This is St Hubert's chapel, which is where Leonardo Da Vinci himself is buried.




























Many scenes from our visit to the chateau. It was wonderful, followed by an amazing lunch with smoked salmon filled ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce that was to die for....

That afternoon we visited close de Luce, where da Vinci spent the last 3 y of his life. It had a fantastic set of displays of the inventions and thinking of this amaaaaazing man.

Tonight we are staying at chateau de chissay, and we are all tired after a wonderful 5 course meal, wine, and long route biking. We have been doing ca. 40 plus miles per day. Time to sleep, perchance to dream.


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Day 3 biking

On day 3 we left hotel Diderot and headed out on a one way route by some amazing cute towns and chateaux with picturesque agricultural fields in between.



This is one of our co-bikers, Mark, who works for Culligan out of Chicago...we enjoyed the company of Mark and his wife Veda tonight at dinner of day 4...



The wild poppies here are weeds. And I formed a new theory about why the french are notoriously a bit 'different'...poppies are weeds in their crops...hint, hint....



This is not a French person though...this is Laurie creating a fashion statement before touring the Chateau at Azay-de-Rideau.



Ann entering chateau grounds.



This chateau really was a quite charming place!



Including princes waiting to be kissed. They were very vociferous.




Ah, it looks like one did get kissed...



And here is a princess teaching schoolchildren.



The botanist in me is enjoying the scenery.

Then we arrived at our Hime for night 3. I'm not kidding.



And on the way up the stairs, some rennaissance porn....






Leonardo davinci designed this arch....






The sign said they grow 630 varieties of tomatoes on this property for conservation purposes.





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Day 2 biking

Today we did a loop from hotel Diderot in chinon, with a main attraction in the morning of visiting the abbeye de fontevraud, where women ruled supreme in the middle ages. I wasn't so enamored of the abbey, though it was huge and impressive, as the numerous small extremely picturesque towns we rode through. Here are some visuals, which are easier to write than typing a thousand words on an iPad!



This is actually at hotel Diderot, but it gives you an idea of the many small alleys and roads in Chinon.



Ad for one of the many wine caves along the route.



Ann riding through a quaint town, one of the plus beaux villages en france.



Inside a local 13th century cathedral.



Typical roadside scene.



Near the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers.



Inside the abbey.




Turrets.



Can you imagine the nuns scuffling along these floors?



These roses are everywhere. Sorry...



Kevin and Laurie taking off after lunch.



Still life. I think the snake was dead....



Displaced California poppies.



Local weedy poppies.



Wheat. The most common crop we see, followed by sunflowers and grapes.



The gently rolling countryside.



One of many chateaux.






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Off to Backroads Bike tour

Got up early despite late dinner (excellent French onion soup!).

Caught taxi to Gare Montparnasse, where we jumped on the high speed train to Tours. A short hour and over 100 miles later, we were meeting our trip leaders and having wine tasting and lunch at a local winery. This is a group of photos from the winery.













This was the proprietor, who oriented us to the local wines....a nice white, nice rose, and a soso red.







The roses here were spectacular, but this has turned out to be the case throughout the Loire we have seen so far. Sorry if you have to look at photo after photo of them.






Here we are eating lunch under grapes and cloudy cool skies.

After this, we biked through the countryside to Chateau d'Usse, the castle that (legend has it) inspired the sleeping beauty story.

It was a fairytale like castle.




















I guess they built so many castles so the local feudal Lords wouldn't be embarrassed if the king dropped by for drinks.





















You get the picture...It was a very pretty place. Oozing charm.

Late nice dinner in Chinon at our home town for two nights. Great restaurant. Good food, wine, and company.




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