A Big, Big, Big, Big Day

September 19th

I'd say 63.3km is a mighty big day.  We road from Tours toward Amboise and missed the turn to Chenonceau so that added a little mileage and time to our ride.  The ride was interesting through villages and farm land but we were always looking for the bike route sign to point us in the right direction.  By the time we arrived at the Chateau Chenonceau we really didn't have time to go inside because we had a train to catch back in Amboise.  Our plan was to just tour the grounds but you actually have to pay to get into the grounds and since we have been twice before and didn't bring our bike lock we decided against going inside.  It's too bad that you can't even see the Chateau from a distance outside the gates.  We carried on toward Amboise and thought we would save time by following the posted route but as it turned out we got lost and added many extra kilometers but in the end we found our way.  As we rode up the steep hill past Clos Luce (DaVinci's home) a group was gathered to go in and were blocking our way.  Someone noticed and spread the crowd like the parting of the Red Sea and they cheered as we rode through.  We got a big chuckle out of that but it was very much appreciated and kind of made our day after a long bike ride.  Happily we had enough time for a cup of coffee with a view of the Castle in Amboise before catching our train. 

The church in Montlouis-sur-Loire

The French Moto - on the wall of the Marie

Peek-a-Boo View of Chateau Chenoneau

The Château d'Amboise