Biking Down the Loire Valley - The Second Day

After a nice breakfast and after paying our bill, we were off again, on a gorgeous early summer morning, with a pleasant ride along the river.  We arrived in Tours, an ancient cathedral city, at lunch time.  The bike route went right through the heart of the city, and we stopped at a small shop and bought sandwiches, with a sort of pizza on a half-baguette for David.  We found a park on an island in the Loire and ate our lunch.  Doing it this way saved a considerable amount of time, and was certainly more economical.

A Typical View Over the Loire

After lunch, we managed to get turned around and headed off in the wrong direction, fooled by signs for an alternate route along the river, through Tours.  We quickly got turned around and headed in the right direction.  We took a short stop to view the Cathedral of St Gatien, begun in the 12th century.

 

 

David in front of the Cathedral in Tours



Cathedral Organ and Stained Glass

In the late afternoon, we allowed ourselves a side trip to the Chateau at Azay-le-Rideau.  Unfortunately, it is undergoing an extensive exterior renovation, so is covered with scaffolding and draped with cloth to control dust.  Tom and David bought tickets to allow them to quickly tour the inside – very impressive.

Chateau Azay-Le-Rideau - without Scaffolding

We stopped for the night at a nice Gîte in Langeais called La Feur de Lys, run by a very charming French woman. We promptly drank lots of cold water and a bottle of rosé.    Had a nice size modern room and bath.  Went for a walk in town and saw a very impressive old fortified chateau undergoing restoration.  Had dinner at a crêperie, with a bottle of Chinon – a local red wine made with Cabernet Franc.

Flowers and Mill-Race in Langeais

Did 80 km for the day.  A word about the photos - they were mostly taken by Tom - thank you - a few taken by Roger and Gerard.  Some I took from the internet.