Bike-Minded Travelers

Saumur...for sure!

May 23rd

I learned about Saumur several years ago from a friend who came here for the Cadre Noir, the French Riding School. We went to a performance a few years ago and it was dazzling. Saumur is located on the Loire River and is just a lovely place to visit. If you arrive the first week of August there is a wine festival called Saumur Champigny with wine tasting and music along the waterfront. A very fun experience! We loved it so much we returned a few years later for another round. There are other sites to visit as well, the Chateau Saumur towering over the river and town, Fontevraud Abbey and the Chateau Breze just to name a few.

The day started out with a wonderful breakfast of fresh...well, everything...strawberries, jams, croissants, breads, cheeses, etc. The lovely Florence and Christian popped in with suggestions of where to go and invited us for a wine tasting tomorrow evening with some of the other guests. I think I like these new owners!

View of the Courtyard from Breakfast

We had planned to bike this morning but just as we headed out the rain began. Now it's off to lunch to wait it out and hopefully get a ride in sometime today. We walked up to the Place Saint Pierre to the Creperie for lunch...a great choice indeed!

The rains finally abated and off we went along the Loire heading south toward Angers. The ride was mostly along the road but we felt pretty safe because the drivers in France respect the cyclists. Flowers are in bloom this time of year and it's hard not to stop to smell the roses. We rode for about 21 miles and took the train back from Saint-Mathurin-sur-Loire. We barley made it onto the train as I was trying to do the tickets on my phone. I managed to order one before but had to do another once on board. The only glitch was it wouldn't let me book from where we just got on but only from the next stop, so that's what I did. Fortunately the conductor never came by to check our tickets.