Loire River Loire Valley

Got to Tours in the afternoon and aimed straight for the campsite. Thanks to Hannah there was a little bump in the wrong direction but quickly got back on track. Set up camp then headed on the search for food. Luckily a local restaurant was open with a set menu so we ate well before a good nights sleep at the campsite.

The next day we went …

Hi everybody! At the beginning of June we took a long weekend in the Loire Valley of France. This is a beautiful area with rivers and beautiful chateaus all along them. We started the weekend with a really great Eric Clapton concert in Rotterdam. ...

... I am happy to report that sometimes, the real thing is better than the post card! We arrived in Amboise, France, in teh heart of the Loire Valley, named after the Loire River, which is itself simply gorgeous, and the first thing to catch our attention ...

... few cars, bird noises, shade, and wind protection! Toward the western edge of the forest, the steep climbs faded, leading the Loire Valley. Upon arriving at the Loire, we stumbled upon a nuclear power plant! So... we camped there. The town nearest the ...

Conscious of getting chateaux overload, which is very easy to do in the Loire Valley, we decided to go and see Fontevraud Abbey today instead. It is one of the best preserved abbeys in France and is the final resting place of Henry II Plantagenet (of ...

Blois, France Loire Valley This area is called "Valley of the Kings" because of the numerous royal chalets that are scattered along the Loire river.  Once owned by the Kings of France and the neighboring countries, these are beautiful, massive ...

... town with links to Joan of Arc. There are several references to her around town. The town is quaint and located right on the Loire River. We ran across a wedding at the cathedral in the center of town. It reminded us of why we were here in France... ...

... a few interesting facts about the canal bridge: -        663 m long (600 m of which is over the Loire river) -        Total width of 11.5 m with a canal width of 6.2 m ...

Dropped into Blah and pretty much just wanted to mellow out. We got to Blois by driving along the Loire River which was very picturesque. We had some fantastic food at a lyonnaise restaurant in the main town. Chia went to bed early and I went and ...

... now renowed for being the resting place of Leonardo himself. It is a pretty impressive estate set high in Amboise overlooking the Loire river. The kids spent the whole time running ahead and shouting us into the next room to see what they had ...

... and headed out in search of vineyards and Chateaus.  It was a perfect day and I found a good bike path that followed the Loire River.  Once I get out of the city it became apparent that all I could find was the same old stuff back home.  ...