AubrysInFrance: Biking Down the Loire Valley

Breakfast the next morning was amazing – the table was loaded with breads, rolls, pastries, jams, juices, yogurts, etc. Then, after we had started eating, our hostess brought us each two freshly-made crêpes! Great with strawberry jam!

The Wonderful Breakfast at the Fleur-De Lys.

After finishing breakfast we were off. Great riding – did at least 32km in the first two hours over mostly paved roads and paths. The weather was very sunny as we wound through vineyards, along the river, and through woods.

Riding Through Vineyards

For some reason, David did not sleep well the previous night which made riding tougher than it should have been. We had an uninspired lunch at a brasserie in Candes-St Martin. There is a very old church in town and two fellow bikers wearing ‘CAL’ bike jerseys were just getting on their bikes – fellow grads! Ran into them again at a bike shop in Gennes where we stopped for the night.

Typical Old Loire River Boat

Near Saumur, we passed through the troglodytic village of Souzay-Champigny, where there are still homes and businesses in caves cut in the soft rock. There are villages like this in a number of areas in France, where the stone is soft enough to excavate yet sturdy enough to provide a secure area to live and work.

Troglodyte Village of Souzay-Champigny

Taking a Break - Gerard, David, Roger, Tom

We stayed at La Longue Vue, with a pool which Roger took advantage of, and a beautiful outside terrace looking out over the Loire Valley. [Gerard really did an amazing job of finding great places to stay.] Unfortunately, the view meant we had to bike up a bit of a hill to get there, but we all survived. The hotel also had a good restaurant with seating on the aforementioned terrace. Very nice bottle of local rosé. David had salmon with oseille sauce and paprika – excellent. One server handled all tasks for 10 tables!