Europe 2014: Chateaus, churches, vineyards, and caves..

Today's distance: 67km (42 Miles)

We both slept in a little longer than usual. Must be the after effects of a great dinner and bottle of local wine which was superb! I had the duck confit while Linda opted for the local fish which she really liked. Good french cuisine and wine is hard to beat!

We left our B&B after our Hostess Elaine served us breakfast in her kitchen. We both think that the Dutch had a better setup. Breakfast in France is the least important meal of the day and is called petite dejeuner (small lunch) for a reason. We do love the croissants and pain au chocolate though!

The ride today definitely changed in scenery as we went by more chateaus, churches and castles than we did the last two days. Really beautiful! Many of the houses we saw along the banks of the Loire were built into the limestone cliffs. It looked like some were actually completely carved out of the cliffs.. Many caves as well where either wines were stored from the vineyards or where they grew mushrooms. Part of the route actually took us through one of the caves.

Stopped in the larger town of Saumur where we enjoyed a nice coffee aux lait break and shopped for our lunch in the local market. Amazing selection of different cheeses, meats, and fruits. Had a hard time figuring out what we wanted. One vendor was nice enough to let us taste many of his wares of cheeses and meats. Picked out a good gruyere cheese, aged sausage, a small basket of strawberries and a baguette, then left Saumur in search of a place to have our lunch.. Of course as soon as we sat down at a picnic table in a park it started to rain! No problem, we just moved under a nearby tree and enjoyed our delights...

Our route did take us through some beautiful vineyards that spread through the valley as far as you could see. Had to climb some serious hills to get there, but all worth it! Both red and white grapes are grown in this region. The grapes looked lush and hung heavy on the vine, probably ready for harvest. We were tempted to taste some but that is probably a felony in France. We'll just buy some in the market next time..

We ended up cycling through more rural farm areas as the route moved away from the Loire River. We really didn't put too many miles behind us until then mainly because there was so much interesting to see and stop for. Then again, that is the main reason for the trip...

We saw a neat castle in the distance across a corn field and took a detour to explore. It turned out to be the Castle of Ussé built in the 15th century. Had our daily beer stop at a nice outdoor cafe across from it and decided to take the tour. Interesting going through the inside and the adjacent church. Took us a little longer than we planned and by the time we got outside, dark clouds had moved in with thunder rumbling in the distance. We figured camping would not be a wise choice for tonight so we quickly snatched up the last room in the only (and very small) hotel in the adjoining village of Rigny-Ussé.