Villandry to Saumur: Chateaus

September 2, 2014

This morning we walked up to see the chateau and gardens of Chateau Villandry. The chateau itself, is very beautiful, but the gardens are definitely the highlight. The gardens are very geometrical, and the kitchen gardens are especially spectacular. It is quite a feast for the eyes.

We stopped at the local Boulanger on our way back to pack up our bikes, for a baguette for our picnic lunch. Always a highlight in the middle of the day. Our expresso stop today, was after only 15 kilometers. Much more civil!

Once again the route was spectacular, with some dedicated cycle ways, and some shared, but quiet roads. The roads are not any wider than the cycle paths, so it is easy to forget that cars may be coming. We took a few side trips to see a couple more chateaus. The first one was Chateau D' Usse, which is supposedly, what the castle in the fable, Sleeping Beauty is copied from. It did look like it was from Disneyland. We met a couple there, who were touring from Spain. They told us that Spain was not good for bike touring. There are no dedicated routes, and you cannot bike from town to town. Plus, the cars do not respect bikes very well. That changes our plans a little, but maybe in a good way, as we will have more time to discover France. We cycled with this couple for awhile, and then went in opposite directions.

Next we took an extra 12 kilometer, trip into Chinon, with some heart pounding hills. If we are to continue to consume baguettes and cheese, we must do hills! The chateau there is beautiful as well. After once again getting lost for awhile, we were back on track to our destination, Saumur. We found a great B&B, just outside of Saumur, and we called it a night. When Ron asked the owner where we could go for dinner, he said that he would give us some eggs, tomatoes, herbs, bread, and best of all...beer and wine. Perfect! There was a cute little kitchen where Ron cooked us dinner. Our room was about 1000 sq ft. Enormous by European standards.

Our good friend Christain should be happy that we finally took the time to see more chateaus. There are so many, it is hard to choose, but he has been great with giving us suggestions along our route. Thank you, Christian.

New project for Wendy. This is a self serve vegetable, fruit, eggs, soup, etc. little kiosk. It was replenished several times a day.

This is a good bridge! I like these ones.

Our fabulous B&B for the night, just outside Saumur

Fellow cyclists from Manchester, at the B&B

Today's ride: 77 miles (124 km)
Total: 410 miles (660 km)

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