Nouan-sur-Loire (update...)

Yesterday and today's distance: 160km (100 Miles)

Our ride yesterday out of Rigny-Ussé was probably not one of our better days of the trip. We rode for a good part of the day on top of the levee which in it self wasn't bad, other than every gnat in France wanted to swarm on the same road we were riding on. Had to keep our mouths closed otherwise we would have quickly swallowed our daily protein intake for the day. We dared not look up otherwise you would get a full dose of them right in your face.. They seemed to dissipate once the sun rose higher in the sky.

We were making good distance when we got to a barricade with a bunch of folks standing about yelling "Alléz" many times. It seemed we had run into part of a marathon than was using OUR path for their course. We both have run marathons in the past but our enthusiasm for them seemed to quickly wane now that they were preventing us to proceed on our excellent journey through the Loire Valley. We hung around to see if there was a good time to sneak past the barricade but a young gendarmerie guy was guarding that particular intersection pretty well, AND had a big gun on his holster. We decided to backtrack and find another way to get around. We thought we had outwitted them when we ran into another barricade further back in the middle of a little village. Seemed like a good time to take an early lunch and watch the proceedings from our outdoor cafe table. They had some live French music playing about 30 ft from where we were sitting. Made a mental note to never run a marathon in France and have to listen to that! That was not inspiring music to say the least!

Managed to finally get on the road again towards Tours, one of the bigger towns on our route and also the start/finish of the infamous marathon. We were able to avoid any further barricades by riding on sidewalks and other places that we're probably illegal. Good thing it was a Sunday. We rode to the center of town where we visited the St Gatien's cathedral. Amazing to see! It was started in the year 1170 and finished around 1547. You can see why it would have taken almost 400 years to build it..

The rest of the ride was less than inspiring and were glad we finally made it to Amboise where we secured a hotel room. They have this huge fortress in the middle of town that was a residence of many French kings. We were pretty tired so just sat in a cafe outside of it and watched it with beers in our hands. I think that Chateaux "fatigue" was starting to set in for us. Seen one,... Amboise is also the town where Leonardo da Vinci retired to and died.

Today was a better day in that we didn't run into many bugs or marathons.. The route did wander up and down many steep hills, but were rewarded with some great views over the vineyards and farm land. Many chateaus, but decided to just look at them as we rode on by.. We did stop at the one on Chambord which is one of the more famous ones in the region. This one has 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases! Pretty overwhelming seeing it from the outside, so we dared not buy a ticket to tour the inside..

It was a great day weather wise for bicycle touring although a lot cooler than we have had so far (low 50's). Still we decided to camp out tonight and found a good spot in the little village of Nouan-sur-Loire. We had luckily prepared buying extra food because there was no restaurant open within 10km.. Even a nice bottle of Medoc to help us keep warm before bed!

 

Those stinky French marathoners..

Linda's next car

A hotel in Tours

The Tours cathedral

Inside.. Those ceilings were amazingly high up!

royal castle in Amboise

Leonardo's retirement pad..

City of Bloise on the banks of the Loire

Cool draft horses

Path to Chambord chateau

Yes, 282 chimneys!

Not the official Loire Valley route but got us to the campground

Swans on the Loire near our camp spot

Making good use of the bottle holder on the bike..

Two of Linda's favourite things... Wine and crossword puzzles

 

Posted with Blogsy

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.

Our first chateau of the day

Church and WWI memorial

Cave on side of our route. They were growing mushrooms inside.

This one was for storing wine..

Interesting German style houses near the market square.

In search of our lunch..

Lots of choices!

Linda with our nice cheese and sausage vendor.

Part of this castle was carved out of the cliff

Our bike route through a cave

Stopped to admire the vineyards

Tempting to pick wouldn't you say..

Cliff house..

Church of Saint Martin

I believe this is St Nicolas, but I could be wrong..

Castle in the distance across the corn fields

Up closer and us looking for a place to have our daily beer..

Don't we look happier after drinking one..

View from the castle towards where we came from

At the end of our tour with dark clouds moving in..

At night, after our dinner..

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Up the Loire River valley..

Yesterday and today's distance: 150km (94 Miles)

We camped out last night and were not able to put a Blog post out (sorry). Figured it would better to combine it with the next day anyway.

We left Nantes yesterday (Thursday) morning using our human GPS systems to figure out the best way to get out of the city and onto our route. The good part of our route for the next several days is that will not be too far from the Loire river. Navigating in a French city with French drivers is a lot different than Holland! My experience in the past driving in France is that the "leading fender" rule prevails; he who's fender is in front has the rightaway... We have found that they do respect bicyclists and give you plenty of room, even when you didn't exactly obey the posted road signs as Linda kindly pointed out I did several times.

We finally found the official "Loire Valley" bike path with great signs and directions so far on our trip. The road condition was pretty good in general other than the occasional "shake the fillings from your teeth" cobble stone roads left over from Napoleon. It typically was a combination of asphalt or crushed gravel on mostly dedicated bicycle paths. We did have to share the road with cars at times, but they were good about giving us plenty of space. These were mainly country roads with few cars or trucks anyway. And... so far the weather has been good, although a few degrees warmer than Holland.

The scenery has been nice, although a lot different than Holland. We were trying not to compare this part of our trip with what we had already done since we knew it would be so different. I will say that the French really seem to want to make their roads more bicycle friendly for locals and tourists, but have a lot of catching up to do to get to the level Holland has gotten with that infrastructure over many more years. The scenery in general is "wilder" and less organized. The homes and buildings typically have a sort of "unfinished" look to them whether a few hundred years old or relatively new. It has its own charm with painted shutters and wild flowers in the gardens..

Oh..., the other big thing we noticed is different is that they have hills here in France! Yes, some of those thigh burning, put it in the lowest gear possible kind! They are never very long, but do test the limits of steepness, especially for loaded bicycles. We have found them when the route leaves the river and goes into the nearby villages with surrounding vineyards. So far we haven't had to get off and push them up the hill, but you never know what is around the next corner..

One aspect that we really have liked is how friendly everyone has been, whether greeting us as we ride by or at the restaurants/stores. Linda has had lots of opportunities to use her french so far, and that has been well appreciated by the locals. I, on the other hand do lots of head nodding and smiling this time..

As I mentioned, we camped our first night out of Nantes in a town called Charlonnes-sur-Loire. We did our usual "put up the tent and then eat" routine only to discover that most of the restaurants in the smaller towns don't open for dinner until after 7pm. That left us plenty of time to loiter around until we found one that would atleast let us sit down and allow us to order drinks.

The meal was delicious along with the two carafes of red wine we had because it took so long. Anyway, we made it safely back to the tent in the dark with our trusty lights ablaze on the bikes.

Today we decided to make it a shorter day when we found a neat little town on the banks of the Loire in a town called Le Thoureil. Checked the local Information Center who directed us to a Bed & Breakfast nearby, where we are now. Great place right next to an apple orchard and a vineyard. We hope to taste some of the local wines tonight at dinner.. Our B&B hostess kindly offered to make a reservation for us at a nice restaurant in the village and a loan of her car since it is starting to rain.

Till tomorrow (or the next day)..

Found the Loire Valley bike path in Nantes!

Our first vineyard of the trip

Linda wants to practice her french with a local

Gravel path was nice to ride on..

Most houses seem to have Carolina blue shutters and doors..

Left or right?

Enjoying our Pain Chocolate breakfast on the bank of the Loire.

Morning view going over a bridge

Path next to a church

The water level in the Loire seemed to be low.

View from our B&B over the vineyard and approaching thunder storm

Started to clear up at sunset.

Our loaner from our B&B hostess. Had not driven a car since leaving the US, and definitely one this small with a stick shift..

Our restaurant for dinner.. Excellent!!

All ends well with a rainbow over the Loire.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy