July 21, 2021
Day 8 : Chenonceaux to Tours
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Our plan to visit the chateau of Chenonceau worked! (Note that for some strange reason, the chateau doesn’t have an “x” at the end of its name, but the village does).
We got up early and skipped breakfast in the hotel. We had coffee and oat bars that we had been hoarding all through the ride “just in case”. We walked over to the chateau entrance at about 830, bought tickets from the machines, and got in line for the 900 opening. There were 6 people in front of us!
At the stroke of 900, the gates opened and we walked down the long driveway to the chateau. It’s so beautiful that we took way too many pictures. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking.
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This was our 3rd visit to Chenonceau and I think one of the most satisfying. We spent an hour prowling around and enjoying the castle and its furnishings with very few people around. It was an amazing privilege to feel like we had it to ourselves.
Completely satisfied, we walked back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out. We were on the road by 1030 and the day was still cool. Our first task was to ride back over the hills to the Loire, which we would meet at Amboise.
There was a bit of traffic, but the morning was cool and the road was well-shaded so the ride went quickly. We bypassed the Leonardo DaVinci chateau in Amboise, and settled for views of the main chateau.
It was just before noon and Amboise was jumping with tourists. It was nerve-wracking trying to pilot a tandem on the crowded streets and it got worse when we tried to walk on the pedestrian streets. We split a sandwich for lunch in a boulangerie and Robin did some exploring while Rich kept watch over the bike.
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We walked the bike down to the river where the trail picked up. Looking back, we could see Amboise castle.
Almost done! We had only a few kilometers to go. Once again, there were amazing bike paths. We climbed up to Montlouis-sur-Loire on a series of beautiful trails and small roads and took a break in the town square. The square was filled with bicycles and people were eating in the cafes around the edge. A couple of cyclists (adults) were playing in the town fountain to cool off!
Then down the hill and into Tours on beautifully maintained paths, always separated from roads. I think we crossed maybe 2 roads on the way into town!
We had made it! We were too early to check into our hotel, so we headed off for a celebratory gelato!
We then rode down to the hotel, but before checking in, we got a friendly French couple to take our picture with the tandem and one of the “Loire a Vélo” signs we’ve been following for the past 2 weeks.
Our hotel, the “Oceania L’Univers”, is again amazing. We rolled the tandem into the enclosed garage and collapsed into our beautiful, air-conditioned room.
After cleaning up, we walked over to the train station to figure out tomorrow’s return to Nevers. It looks like we’ll be OK - we bought tickets and unless the train is jammed there will be room for the bike (in it’s “short” configuration).
Later we went out for dinner at the local “Bistro ô Palais”, which was really good. We finished off our celebration by sharing a Café Liègois. Such decadence! Back on the diet next week for sure!
Today's ride: 42 km (26 miles)
Total: 422 km (262 miles)
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