Update to Troglododo Stay - Bike ride to Villandry

Another fun thing to do in the Loire Valley is to bike ride through some of the small towns, on back roads, to visit the chateaux. So, with the loan of bikes, helmets and a detailed map from M. Sarrasin, Hill, Mikaela and I set out for a 25 -30 kilometer ride to Villandry and back. M. Sarrasin told us that there was only on real hill along the route but he neglected to mention that there was a long uphill climb right after leaving the hotel.

Once we made it up that hill, we got our bearings and set out for Villandry.






Along the way we past the Abby of Gerfault which may be a BandB now.

The sign says there were only 10 KMs to Villandry.

And we passed several farms. At this sheep farm these guys were wondering what we were doing.

Once we reached Villandry, we were ready for a hot chocolate in a small hotel/bar. By the time we were leaving, the locals were coming in for lunch. After that Hill bought some Pate de Foie Gras and some ham for our lunch later in the day.

Then off to the chateau. Villandry is famous for its gardens. Even though it was early in the season  one can really see that it will be something to behold once spring arrives.

Getting to Villandry we had made a couple of wrong turns (despite my checking the map several/many times) so we tried to stay on the right road for the way back. Riding along the Loire, on a small pathway, Mikaela spotted a sign for bread. Who knew, a bakery out here in the boondocks.

A woman was unloading her little truck so I walked down the path to ask if she had any bread left. She had a bakery on her property and had just returned from delivering to local shops. She had 2 loaves of bread left. So I bought one and our lunch menu was complete.

Along the route we encountered a few more friends. So we stopped to chat for a bit.

We slogged our way back up the one hill that M. Sarrasin mentioned, then coasted down the hill that led to the entrance to the hotel where we had one final photo op on the wall overlooking the valley.

Now to get ready for the PMC.