Econo Lodge Oceanfront Tours

Well we didn't really stay in Tours so I can’t say much about it. I don’t even really remember the campsite we stayed at! That’s why I should write these things right away!

The only thing I remember is the Mistletoe. I had been wondering what the big balls in all the trees were and while we were in Paris my uncle explained that they were mistletoe ...

... I know I'll wonder how I did so much living in so little time.

Something special happens to an estate that's been around for almost 250 years. It starts to take on it's own personality, and through that it attracts the type of people that would make what it is that much better. My hosts at La Meslerie treat the people that visit with such undying grace and character that it's easy to chock it up to some mystical ...

... that straddles the River Cher and is surrounded by gardens which even though its late October are still stunning. Inside over 3 floors we take in the places beauty - all of the rooms werer specatuarly painted withj deep blues, green and gold finishes, fine tapestries hang down the ceilings, large oil paintings litter the walls, period furniture gives us an insight into the life of its inhabitants over the years. This chateau wowed us!

Thursday 29 Oct
Drive to Amboise - Loire Valley
Feeling good we took on our longest drive yet to Amboise, nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley and on the banks of the Loire River. We used the time during the drive to type up our blog ready for upload once we hit our next McWifi. We arrived just after dark and found several other campervans parked near the river so we decided to join them. Kim ...

And so, the harvest is over. After 4 weeks of preparing, harvesting, cleaning and pressing we here at Clos de Meslerie have produced 6,050 litres of organic, biodynamic, unaltered, hand-picked, hand-pressed, grape juice. Which, given the proper time and care will blossom into a beautiful Vouvray Chenin-Blanc. It has been such a great time and a great learning experience on so many ...

I took a day trip into Tours, which is the biggest city around here. It's a pretty amazing places, I still have a lot of exploring to do here yet, but I wanted to post some pictures of my first trip that I took into Tour alone.

Enjoy

... pain and no head pain. But still, I operated on the assumption that this was a hangover and we proceeded. That morning we explored the city of Orleans -- obsessed with Joan of Arc. There were Joan references *everywhere*. One of her miracles was performed there, you see, that led to her sainthood. We explored the cathedral (even more impressive than Notre Dame, I thought, because it's all by itself, and without throngs of tourists). We visited a ...

... so that took up the rest of the afternoon. We stopped at a convenient store for about half an hour half way through the drive. I bought an Orangina there. This is a very popular French drink so I figured I better try it. It tastes like orange juice (with a little pulp left in too) with a carbonated kick to it. It was pretty good! We got to Tours just before 6PM and since Beibei ...

... the day, he gave us some tips including a rather bizarre one about seeing the fancy 'restrooms' as he called them. The Chateau was incredible it literally sits over a river on pillars which form arches to let the water through. Inside there were roring fires and we did the audio tour which was done through an ipod, it was very interesting especially as as well as showing you all of the incredibly luxorious bedrooms, lounges etc it also ...

... ever seen. Our continual quest for morbidity brought us to the area of the city where you can actually see people's bodies encased in volcanic rock. They are so well preserved that you can still make out the facial expressions of the victims as the lava poured over them. Needless to say, the expressions were not pleasant. In addition to this, there were 3 outdoor arenas, public baths, the homes of rich people, shops, and original street signs all still intact. After Pompeii ...